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ariana3's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
tense
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.0
This book was so much better than I expected! It kept me hooked, though it took some time for the plot to become clear as to what was actually happening. It's kind of a mysterious whodunnit that also explores inheritance, familial ties and controversies, and of course has romantic aspects.
The plot is about a woman, Puri, who leaves her chocolate business in Spain to collect her inheritance at her late father's cacoa plantation in Ecuador. On the boat over (this is set in like the 1920s), someone tries to kill her and ends up killing her husband. So she decides to pretend to be her husband, say she was the one who died, and investigate her half siblings (who she's never met) to see who tried to kill her. Long story short, it turns out to be yet another half sibling who sent a former foreman's son to go kill Puri, because this half sister was jealous and didn't think Puri deserved any of the inheritance. She develops kinships with her other half-siblings and decides to stay and open up a chocolate store (no one has ever tried chocolate here...again this is the 1920s), despite the hacienda being sold due to the plantation coming down with an uncurable disease. The only sibling she didnt get along with was Angelica, who turns out also loves the same man Puri falls in love with, Martin (aka Juan). Martin discovers Puri before the others but doesnt out her and helps keep her secret. He's a womanizer, but it seems he really cares for Puri. Turns out they later have a son together after a late-night rendez-vous (though I can't remember if that was revealed in this one or the second book)
Content Warnings
Moderate: Cursing, Murder, Grief, Fire/Fire injury, Death, and Infidelity
Minor: Infertility and Miscarriage
meganpbennett's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
hopeful
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I picked this up as a Hoopla Bonus Borrow and found it very interesting. On her journey from Spain to Equador to hear her father's will, Puri's husband (Christopher) is murdered by an assassin. Immediately suspicious of the siblings she's never met, Puri pretends to be her husband, saying that Puri was the one who died on the boat. The story is a little slow going, with a gigantic cast of characters who were hard to keep separate. I saw half of the twist coming, but it took an unexpected turn with the who and the why. I'm looking forward to the reading the sequel at some point.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Infertility, Injury/Injury detail, Grief, Misogyny, Murder, Sexual content, Alcohol, Body horror, Classism, Colonisation, and Cursing
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