Reviews with content warning for Emotional abuse - A Caribbean Heiress in Paris

Reviews tagging 'Emotional abuse'

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera

14 reviews

onegalonelife27's review against another edition

emotional lighthearted reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.25

There’s something beautiful about visiting the past in a story, especially in a way that isn’t common. Female business owners are not often talked about in historical novels, let alone women of color in a male dominated business. So that enough is catch a reader’s eye. After her father’s death, Luz and her friends sail first to Paris so she can compete in the World Exhibition with her family’s rum. Yet, she gets snubbed time and time again due to her being a woman. Yet one man inspired more than just the usual anger in her: James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick.

Despite being an Earl, Evan would rather spend his days at his distillery and far away from his family’s legacy. His father claims that Evan’s mother left no will and thus the distiller belongs to him.Thanks in part to a scheme and collaboration that will lead to his father’s downfall, Evan is able to find the will. Yet, there’s a clause, a marriage clause.

Luz also finds herself in need of a husband, if only to be able to access her inheritance that her guarantor refuses to give. So thus, we get a good marriage of convenience with plenty of sexual delight between these two, plus Luz gets plenty of respect from Evan who does not look down on her in the slightest. He often gets mad on her behalf, wanting to thrash any man that stands in her way. Yet Luz can stand on her own two feet, time and time again she does get the last word against those who look down on her.

I also really enjoyed the side characters, such as Luz’s friendships with her fellow Leonas, and also a few hints here and there about their own lovelives. So thus I’m eager to read te rest of the series!

I did have one problem with the book, it was a matter of transitions. Rather than noting the date, it notes the different places the main characters are now in and then saying later how much time has passed. Which to me felt odd since it didn’t feel like much time passed between one place or another. I also like it when historical novels often start chapters with the month and year of the setting, to show time passing and it helps me keep straight how long the story has been going on.

Over all, if you want a rich Victorian era that shows a diverse cast, a great romance with emotion and sexual tension, as well as some good revenge sprinkled in, I highly recommend this book!

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rickireadss's review against another edition

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4.25

umm, so i may be a historical romance girlie now??!??! this was such a great audiobook - like the narrator was the perfect fit. the banter between luz alana and evan was TOP TIER. i was eating up every interaction between them because they made me so giddy. and omfg they were SOOOO hot. like foaming at the mouth, clutching my pearls, they were hot af. all around, this was a great read, and i can't wait to read the next one!!

representation: Latine FMC (Dominican)

content warnings: racism, misogyny, sexism, classism, death of parent, colonization, slavery, forced institutionalization, fire/fire injury, gun violence, emotional abuse

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takarakei's review against another edition

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lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

She's a Caribbean heiress to a rum distillery
He's a Scottish lord who owns a whiskey distillery
They can't take over these businesses unless they are married ;)
- Marriage of convenience

This was a cute historical romance!
🌶️ 3.5/5

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thereadinghammock's review against another edition

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funny hopeful reflective medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? No
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

When Luz Alana sets sail for the Paris World's Fair to showcase her family's spectacular rum, she sees her trip as all business and no--ok, minimal--pleasure. She's there to sell rum, make business connections, and secure her financial independence for herself and younger sister. But when day after day turns into fighting just to be in the room as so many of her male counterparts, she's exhausted before she's even begun.

Enter James Evanston Sinclair. Titled and landed gentry, move freely among the fellow exhibitors due to his title and gender enough to get his foot in the door and then let his whiskey speak for itself. After running into each other three times in just a few days, Luz Alana a favor turns into a mutually beneficial plan. Turns out, his connections and her tenaciousness they're quite the team. And a marriage of convenience would give them both exactly what they need to access the inheritance they've both been locked out of because of a marriage clause.

But what happens when this marriage of convenience turns into more than just convenience? Luz Alana and Evan dance around their feelings for each other like professional dancers. The fact that they both spend so much of the book lying to themselves that "It's just until we both get what we need, then we divorce and go our separate ways." Like they both aren't completely obsessed with each other. There were a few twists here and there that were a delightful surprise and kept the story from feeling too "tropey" in the unduly predictable way that historicals can go. And I'm looking forward to seeing the rest of Las Leonas get their HEA's!

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fromjuliereads's review

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adventurous funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

I really enjoyed this book! I liked the characters and the premise of the story. I liked that there was Spanish and Gaelic easily added in and you could pick up the meanings from context. And there was a mix of representation which is lovely to see! I'm very excited to read the spinoff sequel since I saw it is sapphic.

My only criticism is that this heavily relied on the two characters just not talking to each other which is something I struggle with... it makes me very frustrated as the reader. BUT I still thoroughly enjoyed the fake marriage trope.

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qrschulte's review

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adventurous challenging emotional funny hopeful informative medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

What a fun and sexy romp. So steamy, and I can’t wait to read the next one! I liked this one a lot more than Mangoes & Mistletoe.

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shaipanda's review

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adventurous hopeful mysterious tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

This was EVERYTHINGGGG - I can’t believe I hadn’t read it earlier because this is by far my favorite historical romance and probably is going to be one of my favorite romances generals of all time
I loved Luz Alana and Evan together and just generally everything abt this book was amazinggg - ugh the chemistry holy shit so good

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kshertz's review

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adventurous emotional lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0

Oh this book was perfect! I could not put it down. I loved the independence of the main character. I love a man that loves that about her and helps her with her business. I love the smut! I love his descriptions of her and how she moves him and changes his heart. I love that it’s not wrapped up in a neat bow but they work through every misunderstanding. It’s just a super great romance, basically the ideal romance book in my eyes. And that’s saying a lot because all I do is read romance. You have to read this book.

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overflowingshelf's review

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emotional hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

CW: physical abuse; emotional abuse; racism; misogyny; sexism; references to slavery

This book made me thirsty in more ways than one! All I wanted to do was pour a glass of whisky and find myself a hunky Scotsman after reading this. With a diverse cast of characters, a fantastic romance, and a compelling plot, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris was an engaging, fun read.

Luz Alana Heith-Benzan arrives in Paris for the Exposition Universelle in hopes of expanding Caña Brava, her family’s rum business. After her father’s untimely death and the inability of Luz to access her inheritance until she marries, the trip takes on new urgency. However, buyers and shippers dismiss Luz as they cannot imagine doing business with a woman, let alone a woman of color. When she runs into James Evanston Sinclair, the Earl of Darnick, she initially sees a rival. But as she keeps running into him, she sees him as a potential business partner, even while fighting a growing attraction to him.

Meanwhile, for Evan, all he wants to do is continue to grow his whisky brand and get what is rightfully his, even if he has to take down his father in the process. A marriage of convenience may prove to be the perfect solution to both of their problems. But the more time they spend together, the less their marriage feels like a business arrangement and begins to feel like something real.

Marriage of convenience stories can be very hit or miss for me, but this one was a hit. I loved that they both got something out of the relationship of equal value – they approached it as a business deal, which works so well for Luz and Evan. These two were also clearly infatuated with each other very early on, so it was fun to watch them navigate their feelings. I was living for the scene with Evan and Luz together, as their banter and chemistry were sizzling hot. The romance was also relatively low-angst, even if there are a few incidents of Evan lying by omission. But this book was smoking hot when it came to the sexy times.

Evan’s got a wicked mouth on him, and I loved that. Plus, he’s a fan of the “good girl,” which I love. He’s incredibly opened minded compared to many of the other men in this book, and I liked that he doesn’t judge people based on their sex or race. At the start, he has a single-minded focus on making Braeburn his and getting vengeance on his father. But when Luz enters his life, that complicates things, especially as this man is so far gone for her. I loved that he also didn’t try to change her but respected her for who she was and actually admired her business skills. Plus, who doesn’t love a big, charming Scotsman?

I also love female business owners, so of course, I was going to love Luz. She is a flask and pistol-carrying woman – you don’t want to mess with her. Luz is determined to make a name for herself and her rum, even if she does put a lot of pressure on herself to succeed. I loved how she wanted to celebrate and build on the generation of women in her family before her. And despite the face she puts on when dealing with business, she also has a lot of emotional depth. I also loved that she was the one to initiate and ask for a sexual relationship in her marriage of convenience and didn’t shy away from those intimate moments.

Outside of Luz and Evan, I loved the secondary characters in this. Luz’s friends, Las Léonas, and Evan’s sisters were some of my favorites. Las Léonas are the type of girls you’d want to have in your corner as they genuinely care about their friends and will fight for you. Evan’s sisters were similar, as they also gave Evan and Luz a push in the right direction.

Despite really enjoying this book, I found it a little slow initially. It took a little time for the story to gain momentum, and things picked up for me as Luz and Evan spent more time together. I really enjoyed the ending – the plot went in a totally different direction than I thought, and the stakes were way higher than I anticipated!

Reading this book was so much fun, and this book was way hotter than I expected! I hope we’re getting more books in the series as I could see some of the couples potentially being set up. I’d love to see more of Las Léonas getting their happily ever after.

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kbairbooks's review

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adventurous challenging dark emotional funny hopeful inspiring lighthearted mysterious reflective relaxing sad tense fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

5.0

I loved this! The characters, the romance, the spice, the Latina representation, the hot Scottish man, the badass feminine power, saucy comebacks. Everything was delicious and delightful and I loved it.

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