A review by tctimlin
The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

adventurous emotional mysterious tense fast-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? It's complicated

4.25

Cleeton has taken a real event (the unexplained fire in 1934 on the cruise ship Castle Morro on its return from Havana to NYC) and used it as a jumping off point to craft a tale of intrigue.  The two women protagonists include a Cuban woman believed to be dead stowing away to Havana and a servant-class woman posing as an heiress to snag a rich fiancé.  Or at least that’s what appears to be going on when the book opens.  But there are deceptions, murder attempts, smuggling, and thievery, and a little bit of romance, all of which keeps the book moving quickly, until our fictional characters run into actual history and the boat catches fire.  
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