Happy release day to Deeper Than the Ocean by Mirta Ojito! Set between the Canary Islands and Cuba, this novel follows multiple generations of women affected by love, loss, and a fractured sense of belonging. What I Liked: Getting to know the Canary Islands. I love books set throughout Spain, but this is the first... Continue Reading →
Last week Rosaฬlia Rodrigo released her exciting historical fantasy, Beasts of Carnaval. Rooted in Caribbean (especially Puerto Rican) history and culture, this novel follows Sofรญa as she searches for her missing twin brother Sol in el Carnaval de Bestias. But there's something very disorienting about her travels, and soon she's not entirely sure what she's... Continue Reading →
Who doesn't love a pop punk cruise? This is what caught my attention with Alicia Thompson's Never Been Shipped. I've already been wanting to read her books since With Love, from Cold World came out; the Paramore reference was like a siren call. That one is still on my TBR, but today, one of its... Continue Reading →
At long lost, Along Came Amor by Alexis Daria is finally here. The third book in her Primas of Power trilogy, this one follows Ava after her divorce is finalized. In the midst of trying to make some changes in her life, she meets Roman at a bar and begins a months-long occasional relationship that... Continue Reading →
This week saw the release of Meryl Wilsner's fourth novel, My Best Friend's Honeymoon. When Elsie ends her engagement to Derrick, he encourages her to go on the the non-refundable honeymoon to Santa Lupita that he'd booked. Elsie takes her best friend, Ginny, who makes her promise to speak up for what she wants the... Continue Reading →
This week saw the release of Lissette Decos's second novel, Takes One to Know One. Set primarily in Puerto Rico, this enemies-to-lovers romance follows up-and-coming reggaetonero Rene โEl Ricoโ Rodriguez... and Daniela, the reggaeton-hating record label executive working with him while he records his debut album. Why I Chose This Book: I never pass up... Continue Reading →
Last week, Cristina Henrรญquez released her new novel, The Great Divide. Set in 1907 in Panama, it highlights the various working class people who were part of the building of the Panama Canal and those who were affected by it. Special thanks to Harper Audio, Ecco, and NetGalley for providing me with an ARC of this book!... Continue Reading →
Every month I check the Amazon First Reads selections on offer, happy to get a free book a month before its wider publication. For September, my pick was A Night at the Tropicana, a short story by Chanel Cleeton. I'd read one novel of hers before, Next Year in Havana, and was curious to read... Continue Reading →
Last year, Zoe Sivak released her debut novel, Mademoiselle Revolution. I've been excited to read it, and now felt like the perfect time: June is both Pride Month and Read Caribbean Month, and this books fits both quite well! Set in the 1790s, it starts in Haiti and the dawn of the Haitian Revolution, then... Continue Reading →
For nearly six years, I've been holding onto Mr. Rochester by Sarah Shoemaker. This novel is a retelling of Charlotte Brontรซ's Jane Eyreโmy favorite classic novel, and one I just reread earlier this month. This January I'm doing a fun little Jane Eyre reading challenge (I'm calling it "Janeuary"), and the first retelling I selected... Continue Reading →
Last summer, I was excited to learn that Armando Lucas Correa had a new novel on the horizon, The Night Travelers. A few years ago I had picked up his debut novel, The German Girl, and his latest release returns to the same themes of escaping 1930s Germany on the St. Louis, a ship bound... Continue Reading →
Earlier this year, Sweethand by N. G. Peltier was one of my most anticipated books of March. Admittedly, it might be that adorable cover that caught my attention - cake?! headphones for music?! a cat?!? - but the summary confirmed my need to actually read the book. It felt like a perfect summertime read, so... Continue Reading →
Maybe it's the season, but lately I've been wanting to read books set in other countries, particularly places I'd like to travel to. Add in a cute summer fling and I'm sold. This led me to Meet Me in Paradise, the debut novel by Libby Hubscher. I got the audiobook and it fully delivered on... Continue Reading →
Last September I read (and adored) You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. It's the first in her Primas of Power series, and I'm eagerly awaiting its second installment, A Lot Like Adiรณs, due out in two months. Luckily, the countdown was made a bit easier with the release of her new novella, What the... Continue Reading →
About one year ago, The Lost Book of Adana Moreau by Michael Zapata was just about to come out when I discovered it. I was immediately interested in reading this debut, especially when I saw comparisons to Carlos Ruiz Zafรณnโsย The Shadow of the Wind. I do love books about books! Although I did buy The... Continue Reading →
A couple of years ago, I picked up Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton. She's released two more books in this series since then, and has already announced another due next spring, and I knew it was time to finally settle in and give this novel my attention. That this month (from September 15... Continue Reading →
This summer, I started hearing great things about a new contemporary romance, You Had Me at Hola by Alexis Daria. I was instantly interested, in part because it highlights Latinx characters. My husband is Latino - Peruvian, specifically - and while it wasn't quite love at first sight, we at least became friends at "hola."... Continue Reading →
It was almost exactly one year ago that I picked up the Book of the Month edition of The Golden Hour by Beatriz Williams. I'd been wanting to read something by Beatriz Williams for a few months - all of her books look intriguing - and when it was a June pick on BOTM, I... Continue Reading →
I discovered Dominicana by Angie Cruz thanks to Book of the Month featuring it as one of their August 2019 picks. Although I hadn't heard of it before, reading its description made it an instant impulse buy, and I was eager to read it. Fast forward a few months, and after finishing Silvia Moreno-Garcia's Gods... Continue Reading →
Amanda's Book Corner 