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4.26 AVERAGE
4.26 AVERAGE
slow-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
I love competent main characters! She is a female doctor helping women in Victorian France, he’s a Duke. She is saving lives and smashing the patriarchy, and he can’t stop thinking about kissing her. It’s spicy!
The 3rd in the Leona’s series, this took me a long time to get through. Not my favorite of the series.
The 3rd in the Leona’s series, this took me a long time to get through. Not my favorite of the series.
A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is the knockout finale to Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series. This series finale follows Aurora, a Black female doctor who routinely bucks societal convention in support of her deeply held convictions, through a season in 1889 Paris. The prior two books in the series, which take place largely concurrently, depict Aurora on the margins, often disappearing from the glittering world of the Exposition Universelle to some mysterious radical undertaking.
Prior to her own book. Aurora is presented lovingly, if somewhat indulgently, by her best friends. They support her unconditionally but perhaps don't fully understand her. A Tropical Rebel is instantly captivating because it suddenly thrusts this enigmatic character into sharp relief. From the first page, I finally understood who this character is and the stakes of her work. We quickly find out Aurora is involved with a clandestine women's health clinic, consulting the marginalized wisdom of midwives and healers to provide care to anyone who needs it, regardless of ability to pay. Aurora is spiky and abrasive because that is how she learned to survive, but we meet her on her way to an assignation with the rogueish Apollo, the first Black man to inherit a dukedom. These characters circle each other as they pursue their causes, finding kindred spirits in their passion for change. That passion also expresses itself in a truly incendiary and swoonworthy romance.
This is exactly the historical romance I needed in 2025. It is the sort of story that shows that we have been here before and can make a way for ourselves, even when social circumstances forces our backs against the wall. I loved every second of this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Prior to her own book. Aurora is presented lovingly, if somewhat indulgently, by her best friends. They support her unconditionally but perhaps don't fully understand her. A Tropical Rebel is instantly captivating because it suddenly thrusts this enigmatic character into sharp relief. From the first page, I finally understood who this character is and the stakes of her work. We quickly find out Aurora is involved with a clandestine women's health clinic, consulting the marginalized wisdom of midwives and healers to provide care to anyone who needs it, regardless of ability to pay. Aurora is spiky and abrasive because that is how she learned to survive, but we meet her on her way to an assignation with the rogueish Apollo, the first Black man to inherit a dukedom. These characters circle each other as they pursue their causes, finding kindred spirits in their passion for change. That passion also expresses itself in a truly incendiary and swoonworthy romance.
This is exactly the historical romance I needed in 2025. It is the sort of story that shows that we have been here before and can make a way for ourselves, even when social circumstances forces our backs against the wall. I loved every second of this book.
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
adventurous
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
relaxing
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
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
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:
N/A
A fantastic ending to a fantastic trilogy!
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
mysterious
relaxing
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
I read the third book of the collection first, which maybe wasn’t the best idea. (And I hate the title.) That being said, I felt like I followed the story fine and I liked it! In particular, that Aurora was a no-nonsense doctor fighting for women’s rights. I would like to go back to the beginning and read the other two books.
funny
inspiring
fast-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
I like the story and the characters, but the writing, sadly, wasn’t for me :(
slow-paced
This is the third book about the Leonas by Adriana Herrera, and it was my favourite.
I've been intrigued by the character Apollo ever since he entered the page in book one. I had a feeling that he was going to give us obsessive devotion in the best way. And he did. Aurora hasn't had an easy life. In the previous books, her friends describe her as disciplined and the most serious one of the trio. We learn about her upbringing and the circumstances surrounding her birth. This woman has been through it, and she came out on the other side as a doctor, specialising in what we would now call gynaecology.
The romance is amazing. There's a back and forth that plays out through the entire story, but it didn't bother me. Aurora is a woman who's been damaged by the people who were supposed to protect her. To me, it felt like a realistic portrayal showing that finding someone that you are romantically and physically attracted to will not auto-erase a persons trauma. The story is told in dual POV, and as such, we get a good look into both Aurora's and Apollo's thoughts. They're both headstrong and very caring people. I enjoyed that the sole focus wasn't just their developing romance. We get a glance at Aurora's underground women's health care practice where she takes medical care of women who may need help for which they won't get permission from their husband.
An undeniable strength of the authors storytelling is the combining fiction with history in a way that will undoubtedly peak a person's curiosity. Speaking for myself, every book, I learned something about Black, brown, and queer history that I wasn't aware of. Especially in the current global state of the world. I found it heartening to see people who look like me and my loved ones persist and thrive, not only in fiction but also be reminded that throughout history despite the horrors there's always been BIPOC persisting and thriving in the real world, too.
I've been intrigued by the character Apollo ever since he entered the page in book one. I had a feeling that he was going to give us obsessive devotion in the best way. And he did. Aurora hasn't had an easy life. In the previous books, her friends describe her as disciplined and the most serious one of the trio. We learn about her upbringing and the circumstances surrounding her birth. This woman has been through it, and she came out on the other side as a doctor, specialising in what we would now call gynaecology.
The romance is amazing. There's a back and forth that plays out through the entire story, but it didn't bother me. Aurora is a woman who's been damaged by the people who were supposed to protect her. To me, it felt like a realistic portrayal showing that finding someone that you are romantically and physically attracted to will not auto-erase a persons trauma. The story is told in dual POV, and as such, we get a good look into both Aurora's and Apollo's thoughts. They're both headstrong and very caring people. I enjoyed that the sole focus wasn't just their developing romance. We get a glance at Aurora's underground women's health care practice where she takes medical care of women who may need help for which they won't get permission from their husband.
An undeniable strength of the authors storytelling is the combining fiction with history in a way that will undoubtedly peak a person's curiosity. Speaking for myself, every book, I learned something about Black, brown, and queer history that I wasn't aware of. Especially in the current global state of the world. I found it heartening to see people who look like me and my loved ones persist and thrive, not only in fiction but also be reminded that throughout history despite the horrors there's always been BIPOC persisting and thriving in the real world, too.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
lighthearted
reflective
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:
Complicated