Staff Pick
Adriana Herrera has been writing sexy, diverse romances for years, both as an independent author and for mainstream publishers. A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is her first historical novel and I’m ALL IN. Combining the “not here to find love” and “fish out of water” tropes, rum heiress Luz Alana sails for Paris to expand her family business. There, she finds “daddy issues” and a “marriage of convenience” in the form of whisky distiller/Earl of Darnick, James Evanston Sinclair. I can already imagine the intense sexual chemistry that will manifest when each tries the other’s sure-to-be-amazing booze. Recommended By McKenzie W., Powells.com
Synopses & Reviews
USA TODAY bestselling author Adriana Herrera makes her historical romance debut at the 1889 Exposition Universelle, when a financially ruined rum heiress from the Dominican Republic agrees to a marriage of convenience with a not-so-secret Scottish duke. The first in a new diverse, sexy, female-forward series sure to delight the post-Bridgerton reader.
Paris, 1889.
The World’s Fair is underway and for the first time the Eiffel Tower lights up the evening sky. Luz Alana, Aurora Beatriz, and Manuela del Carmen — aka Las Léonas — have been best friends since finishing school and have set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three simple rules:
• Go to the most scandalous places in Paris and be as scandalous as possible
• Kiss disreputable men (or women!)
• Under no circumstances fall in love
Luz Alana Heith-Benzan has one mission: to make her family’s Caña Brava rum world famous. It’s a mission that’s taken on new urgency after her father passed and her trust fund was taken hostage. But she’ll figure it out as she always does — and she’ll do it alone.
The last lesson she learned before leaving her island was that any man who can control you, will.
All James Evanston Sinclair ever wanted was to find a purpose for his life outside of his father’s money. For years, Evan has been doing his best to ignore the demands of his title. In that time he’s built something he’s proud of: The Braeburn, a whisky distillery that has slowly become one of the most sought after in the kingdom, as well as his biggest — and only — passion.
That is, until he’s confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
Evan is certain he wants Luz Alana with him forever. Every day with her makes Evanston want a lot more than just the body she hungrily offers him, or the marriage of convenience that might save them both.
But Luz Alana’s ambitions don’t include keeping a home for a man, much less being the wife of a landed aristocrat. Every attempt Evan makes to show his affection is met with reluctance — if not outright defensiveness. Luz Alana sailed for Paris with her eyes on lights, liquor, and lust… and of course lots of trouble. She never counted on love finding her.
Review
"[Adriana Herrera] is writing some of my favorite Afro-Latinx characters and giving us beautiful love stories along the way." — National Book Award Winner Elizabeth Acevedo
Review
"Herrera excels at creating the kind of emotional connections between her protagonists that romance readers will find irresistible." — Booklist (Starred review)
Review
"Sweet and thoughtful, but delightfully filthy, too." — New York Times Book Review
Review
"Herrera's work remains compulsively readable. She crafts lively Latinx characters with instant, electric chemistry that sings on the page, and handles realistic obstacles in a relatable manner." — Publishers Weekly (Starred review)
Synopsis
"A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a triumph "--Sarah MacLean, New York Times bestselling author
"A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a breath of fresh air featuring everything I love about historical romance."--Martha Waters, author of To Love and to Loathe
Paris, 1889
The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe...including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Ca a Brava rum empire.
Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can't imagine doing business with a woman...never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father's dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he's built a whisky brand that's his biggest--and only--passion. That is, until he's confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled--and infuriatingly charming--Scottish man so determined to help her?
For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn't prepared for was love finding her.
Las Leonas
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Synopsis
"The cultural diversity represented is historically accurate, beautifully integrated, sensitively explored, and incredibly refreshing."--Publisher's Weekly
"A romp-filled and refreshingly diverse historical romance."--Buzzfeed
Paris, 1889
The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe...including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Ca a Brava rum empire.
Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can't imagine doing business with a woman...never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father's dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he's built a whisky brand that's his biggest--and only--passion. That is, until he's confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled--and infuriatingly charming--Scottish man so determined to help her?
For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn't prepared for was love finding her.
Las Leonas
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Synopsis
Entertainment Weekly's Best Romance Book of 2022 so far
"Herrera excels at propelling the romance genre and its form forward, and this book is no exception... Herrera is crafting swoony historical romances that aren't afraid to engage with the realities of the 19th-century while still making a bid for hard-earned happily-ever-afters."--Entertainment Weekly
"A romp-filled and refreshingly diverse historical romance."--Buzzfeed
Paris, 1889
The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe...including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Ca a Brava rum empire.
Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can't imagine doing business with a woman...never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father's dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he's built a whisky brand that's his biggest--and only--passion. That is, until he's confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled--and infuriatingly charming--Scottish man so determined to help her?
For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn't prepared for was love finding her.
Las Leonas
Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Synopsis
"A romp-filled and refreshingly diverse historical romance."--BuzzfeedParis, 1889The Exposition Universelle is underway, drawing merchants from every corner of the globe...including Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, heiress to the Ca a Brava rum empire.Luz Alana set sail from Santo Domingo armed with three hundred casks of rum, her two best friends and one simple rule: under no circumstances is she to fall in love. In the City of Lights, she intends to expand the rum business her family built over three generations, but buyers and shippers alike can't imagine doing business with a woman...never mind a woman of color. This, paired with being denied access to her inheritance unless she marries, leaves the heiress in a very precarious position.
Enter James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who has spent a decade looking for purpose outside of his father's dirty money and dirtier dealings. Ignoring his title, he's built a whisky brand that's his biggest--and only--passion. That is, until he's confronted with a Spanish-speaking force of nature who turns his life upside down.
From their first tempestuous meeting, Luz Alana is conflicted. Why is this titled--and infuriatingly charming--Scottish man so determined to help her?
For Evan, every day with Luz Alana makes him yearn for more than her ardent kisses or the marriage of convenience that might save them both. But Luz Alana sailed for Paris prepared to build her business and her future; what she wasn't prepared for was love finding her.
"Herrera excels at propelling the romance genre and its form forward, and this book is no exception... Herrera is crafting swoony historical romances that aren't afraid to engage with the realities of the 19th-century while still making a bid for hard-earned happily-ever-afters."--Entertainment Weekly Can't get enough of the Las Leonas? - Book 1: A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
- Book 2: An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
- Book 3: Coming Soon
About the Author
Adriana Herrera was born and raised in the Caribbean, but for the last fifteen years has let her job (and her spouse) take her all over the world. She loves writing stories about people who look and sound like her people getting unapologetic happy endings. Her books have received starred reviews from PW and Booklist and have been featured on The TODAY Show and NPR, in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times and The Washington Post. Adriana is an outspoken advocate for diversity in romance and was one of the co-creators of the Queer Romance PoC Collective.