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A review by yvo_about_books
The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton
adventurous
emotional
mysterious
fast-paced
4.5
Finished reading: May 24th 2024
“It's a delicate balancing act to keep all the lies I've told straight, to keep everything from going up in flames.”
It's no secret that I consider Chanel Cleeton to be one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and her stories haven't let me down yet. I've been meaning to read The Cuban Heiress ever since it was published last year, but somehow once again it took me longer than expected to do so. I'm SO glad I finally did pick it up though, because I ended up having an absolutely fantastic time with this story! There is just something about her writing style that draws you straight in, and I literally flew through this book. The Cuban Heiress uses a dual POV structure, where we switch between Elena and Catherine during their journey aboard the SS Morro Castle. I found both women to be intriguing from the very beginning, although Elena's story was the more gripping of the two. The active cheating in Catherine's POV was not my cup of tea, although with everything explained in the end and Raymond being such a despicable character it is quite easy to forgive her. The plot is less intricate than some of her other books, but between the writing and the characters I was more than entertained. I do always love a story set on a ship! There was mystery, there was intrigue, there was romance, there was revenge, there was murder, there was an explosive ending... And a lightning-fast pace to get you there. I also loved that it was partly based on real events! The Cuban Heiress was yet another winner for me and I've yet to rate her stories below 4.5 stars. Recommended!
Graphic: Death, Domestic abuse, Gun violence, Infidelity, Sexual content, Toxic relationship, Violence, Forced institutionalization, Grief, Car accident, Death of parent, Murder, Fire/Fire injury, Gaslighting, Abandonment, Alcohol, Injury/Injury detail, and Classism