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fionamclary's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
inspiring
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
Ultimately a bit of a let-down due to how effusively I'd heard it recommended, but okay enough for me to want to see it through. I think it just wasn't the book for me.
Things I didn't like:
-The pacing. It was horribly uneven, with the first third of the book dragging and several aspects/scenes happening off-page. This includes Cora's character growth at the end, making the reunion somewhat dubious, and all but the first of Manuela and Cora's outings, which could have given us a chance to see their relationship developing more deeply beyond their attraction to each other.
-The instalove/instalust. It's something I often struggle with as a demisexual, but I know some of that is down to personal preference.
-Typos, errors, and fragments galore. Very frustrating.
-Verbiage in sex scenes that personally icks me out or makes me eyeroll. Examples include "seam," "furrow," "secret place"/"sacred place," "treasure," and demonstratives for days. As a lesbian I think I'm extra picky about the language in f/f sex scenes, so it might not be as bothersome to non-wlw readers.
-Basically the entirety of chapter 3 being a business meeting.
-The strong girlboss vibes of most of the book up until like the 80% mark.
-Zero acknowledgement of racial divisions and racism within the queer community.
-The focus on and sexualisation of Manuela's breasts. Listen, I love boobs as much as the next queer woman, but this made me uncomfortable. Maybe it's just because I too am a larger-chested lady and it's something I very much do not like about my body.
Things I liked:
-Manuela coming to understand fully how her parents had emotionally abused her (even though that language isn't directly used) and eventually freeing herself from their control, with the time and effort that it takes for her to reach that understanding feeling realistic.
-The eventual repudiation of girlboss feminism.
-Adriana Herrera's lack of fear of the word "clitoris" (huzzah!)
-Centering the importance of platonic love, both in Manuela's friendships with her Leonas and Cora's late husband having been her best friend.
-Latina lesbians getting to be happy and fully themselves.
-Middle-aged lesbian couples vibing and doing cool leftist shenanigans in the background.
Things I didn't like:
-The pacing. It was horribly uneven, with the first third of the book dragging and several aspects/scenes happening off-page. This includes Cora's character growth at the end, making the reunion somewhat dubious, and all but the first of Manuela and Cora's outings, which could have given us a chance to see their relationship developing more deeply beyond their attraction to each other.
-The instalove/instalust. It's something I often struggle with as a demisexual, but I know some of that is down to personal preference.
-Typos, errors, and fragments galore. Very frustrating.
-Verbiage in sex scenes that personally icks me out or makes me eyeroll. Examples include "seam," "furrow," "secret place"/"sacred place," "treasure," and demonstratives for days. As a lesbian I think I'm extra picky about the language in f/f sex scenes, so it might not be as bothersome to non-wlw readers.
-Basically the entirety of chapter 3 being a business meeting.
-The strong girlboss vibes of most of the book up until like the 80% mark.
-Zero acknowledgement of racial divisions and racism within the queer community.
-The focus on and sexualisation of Manuela's breasts. Listen, I love boobs as much as the next queer woman, but this made me uncomfortable. Maybe it's just because I too am a larger-chested lady and it's something I very much do not like about my body.
Things I liked:
-Manuela coming to understand fully how her parents had emotionally abused her (even though that language isn't directly used) and eventually freeing herself from their control, with the time and effort that it takes for her to reach that understanding feeling realistic.
-The eventual repudiation of girlboss feminism.
-Adriana Herrera's lack of fear of the word "clitoris" (huzzah!)
-Centering the importance of platonic love, both in Manuela's friendships with her Leonas and Cora's late husband having been her best friend.
-Latina lesbians getting to be happy and fully themselves.
-Middle-aged lesbian couples vibing and doing cool leftist shenanigans in the background.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Homophobia, Misogyny, Lesbophobia, Colonisation, and Classism
Minor: Gun violence, Hate crime, Violence, and Grief
peachani's review against another edition
emotional
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content
Moderate: Racism, Sexism, and Classism
Minor: Death, Infidelity, Violence, Lesbophobia, and Colonisation
takarakei's review against another edition
emotional
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
3.25
Wish we got more of the 'dates'/ nightlife experiences on page (as opposed to just being told about them) as that was the basis for Cora and Manuela's meeting.
🌶️4/5
🌶️4/5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Misogyny, and Racism
Minor: Toxic relationship and Violence
bookishmillennial's review against another edition
emotional
funny
informative
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
disclaimer: I don’t really give starred reviews because I don’t like leaving them. I enjoy most books for what they are, & I extract lessons from them all. Everyone’s reading experiences are subjective, so I hope my reviews provide enough information to let you know if a book is for you or not, regardless of the lack of stars. Find me on Instagram: @bookish.millennial or tiktok: @bookishmillennial
I adored Manuela and Cora's love story and this is considered a historical romance classic in my eyes!
Adriana Herrera gave us a delectable story of:
-age gap
-workplace romance
-forced proximity
-sapphic sexual awakening
-so much steam! I would say 3.75/5 for how much steam there is!
-"it's just sex" (while they fall HARD)
-"fight for me/us/yourself!"
-existential crises and being forced to examine what they really want out of life, and what truly gives them purpose and joy
This takes place in Paris in June 1889, as Manuela has traveled there with her best friends, Las Leonas: Luz Alana (launching her rum Cana Brava into European markets) and Aurora (endeavoring to forge some connections with other lady physicians). Manuela is eager to live her best life in Paris and fully embrace her sapphic desires before she is married off to a man from Venezuela who promised to prevent a scandal that involved her family. Manuela recognizes the sacrifice she is making for her family, but she is resigned to her reality, so long as she can have fun in Paris before she has to leave this fantasy.
She clandestinely meets Cora (Chilean) one night, and then realizes Cora is a businesswoman who is hoping to buy Manuela's land from her in order to move up in the business world (Can you tell I'm not really a business honey? LOL I'm so cringe, I know). Manuela agrees to sell the land to Cora, under one very specific condition: that Cora takes Manuela around Paris to indulge her sapphic adventures! Cora is extremely hesitant at first, because she was involved in a bit of a scandal after her late husband passed, and Cora is hoping to re-introduce her stepson back into society smoothly. She doesn't need a scandal like this, though she eventually agrees and introduces Manuela to the rest of her queer community in Paris!
Their banter is delicious, the tension is OFF THE CHARTS, and the way they both deny how deep their feelings become is so fun to watch it unravel! I admired how Herrera presented the themes of sexism in business, how Cora was trying to play by the rules of the patriarchy and how it was not serving her, and how Manuela felt like an object to be traded, not a full person with autonomy and hopes and dreams of her own! Though this takes place in 1889, I felt the relationship dynamics could still translate well into today's society: how Manuela asked Cora to examine how the business she ran truly made her feel, and how that affected her holistically is a conversation I see so many couples having, especially millennials.
Anyway, I will continue to read anything Adriana writes, and this series is just such a delight overall!
This excerpt provides Manuela's family backstory of why they left Santo Domingo and went to Venezuela:
I adored Manuela and Cora's love story and this is considered a historical romance classic in my eyes!
Adriana Herrera gave us a delectable story of:
-age gap
-workplace romance
-forced proximity
-sapphic sexual awakening
-so much steam! I would say 3.75/5 for how much steam there is!
-"it's just sex" (while they fall HARD)
-"fight for me/us/yourself!"
-existential crises and being forced to examine what they really want out of life, and what truly gives them purpose and joy
This takes place in Paris in June 1889, as Manuela has traveled there with her best friends, Las Leonas: Luz Alana (launching her rum Cana Brava into European markets) and Aurora (endeavoring to forge some connections with other lady physicians). Manuela is eager to live her best life in Paris and fully embrace her sapphic desires before she is married off to a man from Venezuela who promised to prevent a scandal that involved her family. Manuela recognizes the sacrifice she is making for her family, but she is resigned to her reality, so long as she can have fun in Paris before she has to leave this fantasy.
She clandestinely meets Cora (Chilean) one night, and then realizes Cora is a businesswoman who is hoping to buy Manuela's land from her in order to move up in the business world (Can you tell I'm not really a business honey? LOL I'm so cringe, I know). Manuela agrees to sell the land to Cora, under one very specific condition: that Cora takes Manuela around Paris to indulge her sapphic adventures! Cora is extremely hesitant at first, because she was involved in a bit of a scandal after her late husband passed, and Cora is hoping to re-introduce her stepson back into society smoothly. She doesn't need a scandal like this, though she eventually agrees and introduces Manuela to the rest of her queer community in Paris!
Their banter is delicious, the tension is OFF THE CHARTS, and the way they both deny how deep their feelings become is so fun to watch it unravel! I admired how Herrera presented the themes of sexism in business, how Cora was trying to play by the rules of the patriarchy and how it was not serving her, and how Manuela felt like an object to be traded, not a full person with autonomy and hopes and dreams of her own! Though this takes place in 1889, I felt the relationship dynamics could still translate well into today's society: how Manuela asked Cora to examine how the business she ran truly made her feel, and how that affected her holistically is a conversation I see so many couples having, especially millennials.
Anyway, I will continue to read anything Adriana writes, and this series is just such a delight overall!
This excerpt provides Manuela's family backstory of why they left Santo Domingo and went to Venezuela:
"Baluarte was a piece of land in Puerto Cabello, on the western coast of Venezuela, that Manuela’s grandfather had purchased shortly after arriving in the country seeking exile. Twenty-five years earlier—when Manuela had only been three years old—her family had been forced to leave their native Dominican Republic for opposing the ruling government’s plan to annex the country back to Spain."
Quotations that stood out to me (possibly minor spoilers so look at your own risk):
Everything about this place was a fantasy, including the women etched in the paper: she knew this. But for a moment she allowed herself the luxury of wondering what it would be like to have that. A lover who would lay her on the grass for lazy, toe-curling kisses. A life and love that could live and breathe in the sun.
This was not a place for girls too scared to be on their own. This was a place for women who knew what they wanted and were taking bold steps to obtain it.
What kind of person, what kind of woman, was free enough to display her preferences so brazenly? “One who probably knows all the secret places I am desperate to discover.”
It seemed to her the scope of a man’s gaze when it came to femininity was limited to that of the mother or the vixen.
A woman could only be truly good if she was devoid of any sensuality, and if it was present in her, then it had to be taken—and afterward, succinctly punished.
This woman truly was every one of Manuela’s fantasies come to life. “You find art with women making love intriguing, then.” That raspy, alluring voice was like a siren song to Manuela. There was heat in those lavender eyes, and Manuela ached to be scorched. Be bold, Leona, she told herself, smiling at the nickname she and her friends had given themselves in finishing school. “It’s intriguing, but I think arousing is a better word.”
This shyness was irritating. She was never like this. She strove to always be the boldest person in a room. But she was usually in rooms where people were shocked easily. There was no precedent for this place or this woman.
This artist understands that women are only mysterious to those who don’t deserve their naked honesty.”
When the three of them were together, adventure always ensued.
She knew her friends didn’t understand her, but they wanted to see her happy regardless. That was their friendship in a nutshell: unconditional.
Manuela didn’t have that kind of fortitude. She’d thought she did when she’d dreamed of the art school with her grandmother. But all those years when their family had to beg and borrow, the humiliations they had all endured to keep up appearances, had broken something in her. She didn’t have the strength to give everything up for her convictions. To turn her back on position and a life of comfort to pursue a passion that even her parents dismissed as unimportant. She painted because it was like air to her, but was merely breathing truly living?
“When a man is exacting, he’s called a fearless leader, fit to be a general. When a woman does the same, she is a harpy.” She was being overly sensitive, but her nerves where on a razor’s edge today.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Hate crime and Violence
unsuccessfulbookclub's review against another edition
emotional
inspiring
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
3.0
Content Warnings
Graphic: Homophobia, Misogyny, Sexism, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia
Moderate: Violence and Abandonment
Minor: Toxic relationship
what_karla_reads's review against another edition
adventurous
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
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? It's complicated
4.0
4/5 stars
2.5/5 spice
A sapphic historical romance that delivers in tension and banter but also rich with historical gems.
Tropes:
Forced proximity
Businesswoman & Artist
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Latinx representation
Dual POV
Manuela is passionate and bursting with curious wonder at the beginning of the story, and I loved how she was able to grow and learn to love her life independently from the constraints of her family. Especially since she was raised as a pawn in her parents' schemes. Cora, aka The Duchess, proved to be Manuela's opposite in personality but couldn't deny being drawn to her light. She tried to avoid getting close, but Manuela slowly wore down her walls. They both had to grow and learn from past mistakes, and they hey both had to allow themselves to be happy.
Above all, I enjoyed learning about the sapphic community during these times. These are the things that we are denied learning in school. I am so happy these stories exist for the LGBTQIA community to enjoy and share and relate to. The found family aspect of this story was so incredibly heartwarming. Both the MCs needed these people to truly feel safe to be open about their love.
Overall, I loved this story and how it tackled the bigotry of those times but also brought a sense of hope for the future. I highly recommend for fans of sapphic romance, latinx representation, and historical romance.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Bigotry, sexism, explicit sexual content, mild violence
2.5/5 spice
A sapphic historical romance that delivers in tension and banter but also rich with historical gems.
Tropes:
Forced proximity
Businesswoman & Artist
Opposites attract
Grumpy/sunshine
Latinx representation
Dual POV
Manuela is passionate and bursting with curious wonder at the beginning of the story, and I loved how she was able to grow and learn to love her life independently from the constraints of her family. Especially since she was raised as a pawn in her parents' schemes. Cora, aka The Duchess, proved to be Manuela's opposite in personality but couldn't deny being drawn to her light. She tried to avoid getting close, but Manuela slowly wore down her walls. They both had to grow and learn from past mistakes, and they hey both had to allow themselves to be happy.
Above all, I enjoyed learning about the sapphic community during these times. These are the things that we are denied learning in school. I am so happy these stories exist for the LGBTQIA community to enjoy and share and relate to. The found family aspect of this story was so incredibly heartwarming. Both the MCs needed these people to truly feel safe to be open about their love.
Overall, I loved this story and how it tackled the bigotry of those times but also brought a sense of hope for the future. I highly recommend for fans of sapphic romance, latinx representation, and historical romance.
I received an ARC from Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own and offered voluntarily.
Trigger/Content warnings:
Bigotry, sexism, explicit sexual content, mild violence
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexism, Sexual content, and Lesbophobia
Minor: Violence
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