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A review by katelynnelawson
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal by Adriana Herrera
emotional
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
4.75
In this sweepingly romantic (and horny) book, two women learn to shift their priorities after falling in love with one another. Manuela has always cared most for comforts and luxuries. That’s why she’s agreed to marry a man she doesn’t love (and also to please and help out her parents). Her fiancé has agreed to grant her a few weeks in Paris before the wedding. While there, Manuela meets Cora, a scandalous duchess with a head for business. Cora has been hurt by a lover before, so her heart is very guarded.
Both Manuela and Cora are deeply affected by the patriarchy and choose to embrace or resist this in different ways. At the start of the novel, Manuela is fine with being the pretty thing on someone’s arm if it means she is safe and comfortable. It doesn’t matter that she’ll have to give up being her true self - a brilliant artist and a lesbian. Cora, on the other hand, is determined to, as Manuela puts it at one point in the novel, measure herself for success using the same ruler society beats her with. But being together means abandoning these priorities and embracing a different perspective.
What I loved most about this book was Manuela’s growing strength. Cora becomes more vulnerable as the book progresses, but I very much feel if she hadn’t, Manuela would have had a happily ever after that just didn’t involve romance. She really came into herself, while Cora came back to herself.
Both Manuela and Cora are deeply affected by the patriarchy and choose to embrace or resist this in different ways. At the start of the novel, Manuela is fine with being the pretty thing on someone’s arm if it means she is safe and comfortable. It doesn’t matter that she’ll have to give up being her true self - a brilliant artist and a lesbian. Cora, on the other hand, is determined to, as Manuela puts it at one point in the novel, measure herself for success using the same ruler society beats her with. But being together means abandoning these priorities and embracing a different perspective.
What I loved most about this book was Manuela’s growing strength. Cora becomes more vulnerable as the book progresses, but I very much feel if she hadn’t, Manuela would have had a happily ever after that just didn’t involve romance. She really came into herself, while Cora came back to herself.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Homophobia
Minor: Misogyny