Review by Booklist Review
No one has to tell Luz Alana Heith-Benzan that it is a man's world. Luz has spent years trying to convince men to take her seriously. Luz's latest attempt to successfully market her family's Cana Brava brand of rum involves a trip to Paris for the Exposition Universelle, but even there she consistently encounters testosterone-bias and resistance to businesswomen until she bumps into James Evanston Sinclair, earl of Darnick. In the City of Light to showcase his Scotch whisky, Evan can't help but be impressed by Luz's fierce determination to sell her rum. So, when it turns out that a marriage of convenience would offer them both significant business rewards, a deal is struck. After conquering contemporary romance, Herrera (Just for the Holidays, 2021) launches her late-nineteenth-century-set Las Léonas series with an intensely romantic, scorchingly sensual love story that makes the most of its vividly realized setting and memorable cast of characters and allows her to continue her vivid and effective illumination and celebration of Latinx culture and history.
From Booklist, Copyright (c) American Library Association. Used with permission.
Review by Publisher's Weekly Review
Herrera (the Dreamers series) serves up a sizzling hot historical marriage of convenience plot in her first Leonas romance. Rum heiress Luz Alana Heith-Benzan, part of Santo Domingo's exhibit at Paris's 1889 Exposition Universelle, needs to break into European liquor markets and regain control over her trust. Meanwhile, fellow exhibitor James "Evan" Sinclair, the Scottish Earl of Darnick, must marry to inherit his mother's whiskey distillery. Evan thus proposes a mutually beneficial marriage of convenience; he'll gain control of the distillery and Luz will get access to his business connections. As husband and wife, they fight Luz's trustee and Evan's father--and their growing attraction to each other. Though the characters frequently think and act anachronistically in an effort to appeal to modern sensibilities (Luz watches a live sex show at a brothel without disguising herself and without damaging her reputation; Evan and Luz don't consider divorcing scandalous or even difficult), the cultural diversity represented is historically accurate, beautifully integrated, sensitively explored, and incredibly refreshing. The sex scenes themselves offer a perfect blend of passion and romance, and Luz and Evan's shared interests in the liquor business believably grounds their partnership. It's high time romance diversified its tales of dashing dukes; Herrera doesn't disappoint on that front. Agent: Taylor Haggerty, Root Literary. (May)
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Review by Library Journal Review
Luz Alana Heith-Benzan is headed to the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris with her little sister, her two best friends, and a mission: create a European market for the rum made by her family business in the Dominican Republic. Falling in love is not even a consideration. But when she and James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, realize they both have something to gain from a marriage of convenience--Luz would be able to access her inheritance, Evan could gain control of his late mother's distillery--they each secretly long for it to be a love match as well. But Evan is keeping something secret from Luz, and she's determined to find out what. Herrera ("Dreamers" series) kicks off the "Las Leonas" series with this effervescent historical featuring a vibrant setting, steamy love scenes, and fully realized characters. Readers will be enchanted. VERDICT An essential purchase for libraries.--Stephanie Klose
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Review by Kirkus Book Review
A rum heiress from Hispaniola meets a Scottish earl at the 1889 Exposition Universelle in Paris. Luz Alana Heith-Benzan travels to Paris with her younger sister and best friends--Manuela, an artist, and Aurora, a doctor--so she can expand her family's rum business into the European market. She also has business dreams of her own, but an issue with her inheritance is getting in the way. Evan Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, is attending the exposition to sell whisky, but he's also engaging in secret meetings, making plans to take down his father. When Luz first meets Evan, she finds him exasperating, but he's drawn to this fiery woman who stands her ground. As he charms his way into her heart, they open up to each other and discover they would both benefit from a marriage of convenience. While their relationship is meant to be just a business transaction, they would both like to act upon their physical attraction. Soon, emotions and passion blur the line between business and pleasure. Herrera kicks off an enticing historical romance series with this lush, diverse feminist tale. Racism and sexism are tackled head-on in ways that feel both appropriate to the time and relatable to today. Paris and Scotland are vibrant settings, and the large cast is filled with interesting, nuanced characters, from friends to foes. With fascinating historical detail, suspenseful drama, and scorching hot intimate moments, this story hits all the notes of a superb romance, while the setting and characters make it fresh and exciting. In a word, marvelous. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.
Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.