A Caribbean Heiress in Paris by Adriana Herrera | Book Review

Why I read it: I’ve had this book on my to-be-read shelf for a while. The third book in the series is the pick for one of my romance book clubs this month, so I decided I should read A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, the first in the series, beforehand. And, spoiler: I’m glad I did.

Review #insixwords: This is what historomance should be.

More:

• Did I combine historical romance into one word to get my six word review? Yes. Have I been using “historomance” as a shorthand since my first historical romance bender a decade ago? Also yes. Probably for the exact same reason, ngl.

• If you watched the Bridgerton adaption, then felt cheated by the book series (and other popular historical romance) because it’s very white and doesn’t even come close to addressing the colonialism and racism baked into the aristocracy, this is your book.

• You get family drama. Friendship. Marriage of convenience. The rum and whisky business. A business-minded female main character (Luz Alana). A main male character (Evan) who just wants his love interest shine . . . and also has revenge plans.

• Luz Alana is someone blazing trails in the rum business and travels to the Exposition Universelle in Paris to expand her business. Her ideas and spirits are solid. But, problem: men aren’t giving her the time of day because she’s a woman. And Black.

• Evan is in Paris to grow his whisky business, one of the very few things in his life that his father hasn’t sold off or wasted. Evan might be in line for a dukedom, but he also has plans. For revenge. Things that would blow his world apart.

• Both Luz Alana and Evan eventually realize that they need to be married in order to access their inheritances. Luckily, romance reasons, they find each other.

• This book also does a good job of introducing and setting the stage for the other two books in the series between Luz Alana’s friends (the Las Léonas), which is A+ historical romance series stuff.

• [incoherent flailing]

Recommendation: Historical romance may not be as popular as other subgenres (romantasy), but there’s a lot to recommend about it, and A Caribbean Heiress in Paris is a great entry into—or a return to—the genre.

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