Historical fiction has never been a genre I've been particularly interested in, but that changed the minute I picked up Cleeton's Next Year in Havana a while back. Her writing is so evocatively poignant that it burrows deep into your bones and won't let loose its grasp. The Last Train to Key West continues in this vein with a storyline focused on empowered female protagonists brimming with quiet strength and fortitude. The threads of this story are woven through each chapter in such a way that by the time the novel concludes, the reader is left holding a beautifully woven tapestry of literature. I love escaping into Cleeton's worlds of emotion, action, and inspiration and look forward to what she has in store next.

In her latest historical fiction, Chanel Cleeton combines suspense and Mother Nature to weave a fascinating tale of three women from different backgrounds who briefly cross paths. Helen, is a local and an expectant mother who's trapped in an abusive marriage. Mirta is in Key West on her honeymoon. It's the young Cuban's first experience of America with a new husband she barely knows. Then there's Elizabeth, a young debutante who's family has fallen from grace, engaged to be married but running off to find a long lost someone who could change her fortune. These women only interact once before the hurricane arrives but that is enough to set things in motion. It's not that them meeting initiates anything; it's more the intriguing connections that unbeknownst to them tie them together.

On first encounter, all three women appear to be either helpless, demure or trouble. I did feel sorry for Helen's situation but she soon showed me why that was misguided. I'm not sure if she knew she was strong all along or just finally had enough of her husband's abuse but she was a force to be reckoned with. Mirta is all class and naiveté when she first arrives. Her husband's dubious connections makes her wonder what line of work he's into but she isn't afraid to ask questions and he's so gentle with her. If anything, I was quite fascinated by their relationship, finding their storyline incredibly sensual. With the story told from three POVs I honestly couldn't wait to get back to Mirta everytime. Elizabeth is the kind of girl you want your daughters to be - full of confidence (even faking it when in doubt), gutsy and unrelenting when she wants something. All three of them show the power of resilience and fortitude. The impending Labor Day hurricane proves to be a catalyst that brings their own true natures out.

I've made no secret of my love of Cleeton's work. Her beautiful storytelling continues to bring wonderment and I enjoy learning about new historical details. I looked up pictures of Key West, the railroad and the different landmarks mentioned which enriched my reading experience. Cleeton also brings to light the plight of soldiers who returned from WWI and who were living in less than stellar conditions at settlements in Key West. While she doesn't go in depth into those veteran camps, learning of them led me to do my own research. Add to that the Depression that had taken hold of the country, this is an America that's going through the most uncertain and difficult of times. Cleeton doesn't romanticize this period but it's with this backdrop that Helen, Mirta and Elizabeth miraculously find love and strength during the most dire of circumstances and come through stronger, bursting with renewed hope. The Last Train to Key West is riveting to the very last page!

~ Bel

The Last Train to Key west by Chanel Cleeton is a historical fiction novel that occurs during the 1935 hurricane that devastated the Florida Key area. There are three main female character who are completely unalike but whose lives do intersect during this time. Each young woman has her own story and problems that they are trying to resolve. I found all three women to be strong willed and very competent for that time period. Their individual stories were suspenseful and interesting. I have read this author’s prior novel, When We Left Cuba, and I enjoyed it very much so I was happy to get an advanced reader’s copy from the publisher and Net Galley. I was not disappointed.

Great Hurricane of 1935. Fantastic story of three women who meet prior to this hurricane and how their lives interact.. I have never read this author before but I will go back and read her previous books. Having been to Key West numerous times, her writing brings back my memories of this city . Also, I did not know of the "camps" for veterans that had soldiers building roadways on the Keys. I will be sure to recommend this book to my friends and people at the Libraries where I volunteer.

I absolutely loved this book! Such a beautiful story and I loved the historical context as well. I will definitely be recommending it to my audience as I know many of them will love this book just like I did!

The path of three women trying to change their life's intersect in the wilds of Florida in 1935. Helen is pregnant and her husband takes his frustration at their circumstances out on her. Is this the life she wants for her baby? Elizabeth travels from New York to try and find a missing loved one and help escaping from the circumstances her father left her in. Mirta is a newlywed from Cuba honeymooning with a husband she doesn't know, hoping she made the right choice. Each is searching for a new start, but will they survive to have that chance?

First things first, The Last Train to Key West is not a companion novel to Next Year in Havana or When We Left Cuba, although a name in this book may sound familiar. Secondly, I love Chanel Cleeton's historical fiction and how she's able to immediately pull me into the story. And lastly, this particular novel wasn't as strong as the two aforementioned books but I still enjoyed it. It follows three very different women whose lives unexpectedly converge through the infamous hurricane that hit Florida in 1935. There's Mirta Perez who is navigating her new (arranged) marriage to a man she barely knows. Elizabeth Preston has traveled to Florida from New York for a last-ditch effort to save her once wealthy family. And Key West-native Helen Berner wants nothing more than to escape her life. Each woman was so compelling that I could easily have pictured them having their own book. And I think that was ultimately the problem for me. There are these three intriguing stories and we bounce between them over the course of a holiday weekend. It felt too short! I want more time with each character and wish it had extended beyond those few days. I understand this was the author's intent and she purposely chose this natural disaster to be the backdrop of her book. But I genuinely wanted more.

Do I recommend? I do! If you enjoy Chanel Cleeton's historical fiction and are in the mood for a quick read, this is a good one to pick up from the library.

With her new historical fiction, “The Last Train to Key West,” Chanel Cleeton revisits the hurricane of 1935, which has been called one of the strongest storms to hit the United States. She imagines the lives of three women, all unknown to each other at the start of the novel, but whose lives become connected through chance encounters.

As with all Cleeton’s books, the historical facts she includes in her stories are fascinating. Regarding the Florida Keys, for example, it’s amazing to consider how the original railroad was built from the mainland to Key West in the early 1900’s, across hundreds of miles of ocean, connecting bits of islands from Florida to Key West, which is closer to Cuba than to Florida. We get to see not only Key West before it became a tourist attraction, but we get to meet Helen, who was born and raised in Key West.

Helen, pregnant after many miscarriages, is in a very unhappy marriage. She’s been married since she was sixteen to Tom, an often-drunk fisherman who may also be involved in some shady business. He disappears for days and weeks, and when he’s gone, Helen is happy working her job as a waitress at Ruby’s restaurant. She dreams of his death because when he’s home, he’s an abusive bully. A mysterious man comes into the restaurant on weekends and sits at her table, ordering Key Lime pie, but he doesn’t talk to her. Ruby teases her about it, and when he saves Helen from some thugs who want to rob her of her pay, she realizes that there may be more to him than she had imagined.

We also meet Cuban-born Mirta, who recently married Anthony Cordero, who saves her family from horrible debts in Cuba. Her father had backed the wrong politician, and for years his business suffered greatly. When Cordero, a wealthy gangster from New York, decides he wants to marry Mirta, her father tells her that her sacrifice will save their family from a precarious financial situation. At the start of the story, we meet the newly married couple when they stop at Ruby’s restaurant to eat. Mirta is elegant and determined to succeed in her new marriage, and it seems that she will do whatever it takes to be a partner to her husband.

Elizabeth, who is from is from New York, is the last of the three first person narrators. We gradually learn from her narrative that she is from a very wealthy family, but her father’s investment firm made some unwise investments and began to lose money. The final blow was the Great Depression, and now her family has nothing. She is engaged, but we don’t know to whom. We also know she is on her way to Key West to find someone, but at the beginning, we don’t know who that is. Elizabeth is beautiful, and she loves flirting and living dangerously — that much we learn quickly. That’s why she’s alone on a train from New York City to Key West at a time when young women of society didn’t behave that way. She ends up at Ruby’s restaurant for coffee but can’t afford any food. Helen senses that Elizabeth is hungry and gives her some pie. Helen also offers information to Elizabeth about where she can stay safely on her journey — with Helen’s aunt who owns an inn on Upper Matecumbe Key, which is the town of Islamorada. A government agent she met on the train has offered to help her in her search.

We are also introduced to wretched government camps that housed veterans from World War I. After that war, veterans who had been promised bonus payments to be given in the future, assembled at the White House to demand that they be given their payments immediately. There were no jobs to be had because of the Depression, and they had served their country honorably. The government’s response was to offer the men jobs working on the highway that was being built in the Keys. They were housed on Windley and Matecumbe Keys, and more than a third of them were killed in the hurricane that tore through the islands. They were not evacuated in time, and in the story, Cleeton shares the many reasons that this tragedy happened.

Each of the three women come from very different places and cultures, but each is — in essence — searching for the same thing. Each woman wants love, security, and something worthwhile in her life. While Mirta and Elizabeth share a background of having known wealth, Mirta married Anthony at the behest of her father in order to save her family. We find out that Elizabeth has no one on whom she can rely. She must find her way to support both herself and her mother. Helen, on the other hand, only wants to find a safe place for her baby — one where she won’t have to worry that her abusive, violent husband will begin hurting their child as well as her.

The story, the characters, the setting, and the situation (a coming hurricane) all lead toward a thrilling climax. Six people, the three women and the men who have recently become a part of their lives, if only temporarily, must face a frightening natural disaster. Cleeton does a magnificent job describing the fury of the hurricane, down to the stinging sand moving at such a velocity that it causes bleeding on the skin. Roofs ripped from the houses, whole buildings flung around like paper, railroad cars tossed in the water — it’s all very vivid as we read what it was like.

Fans of Cleeton’s two previous novels, “Next Year in Havana” and “When We Left Cuba,” both perfect examples of her ability to present historical events, add fascinating characters, and make the whole picture come alive for us, will enjoy this novel. We can see and taste and smell the salt air on the beach as well as the stagnant rotting in the veterans’ camps. We see the beauty of the Keys, the worst side of nature, and the fortitude of women who must stand up for themselves.

Where do I start with this book? Chanel Cleeton does it again! I’ve loved her two previous books about Cuba and/or South Florida and this one did not disappoint. It is a “can’t put it down” type of book and an easy five stars.

It follows three women as their lives are changed forever by the Labor Day hurricane of 1935. Cleeton is a master of writing characters and romances that you immediately care deeply about. Her storylines are so immersive that you can almost feel the South Florida heat and see the train car she just described. The Last Train to Key West is the perfect mix of excitement, romance, and interesting historical facts. Could not recommend more!

LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST by Chanel Cleeton follows the lives of three women, in a fictional account of the 1935 Hurricane that swept through Key West, Florida on Labor Day weekend.

Told from three first person perspectives (Helen Berber, Marta Perez, Elizabeth Preston) LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST focuses on the journey of three women whose lives are about to cross paths and intersect with the approach of a deadly hurricane in the Florida Keys.

Helen Berner is a young, pregnant woman who is desperate to escape her abusive husband when a stranger, a military veteran offers Helen a way to escape, an escape that will bring Helen in the direct line of the impending storm where our couple will find themselves washed away along with so many of the Florida residents.

Marta Perez is a newlywed -married to a New York crime lord, whose enemies have followed the couple to the Florida Keys but the storm is about to bring more danger than anyone could have expected in the form of a stranger demanding everything including the lives of our story line couple.

New Yorker, Elizabeth Preston is desperate to find her brother, who has been missing for several months but Elizabeth is also on the run from a marriage of convenience to a dangerous man, a man who bought our heroine as payment for a loan. An undercover FBI agent offers to help Elizabeth find her brother John but said agent is currently on assignment, an assignment that involves our story line heroine.

LAST TRAIN TO KEY WEST is an intriguing, brilliant and wonderfully fictional story line set against the real-life disaster of the 1935 hurricane that destroyed much of the Florida Keys. With the world struggling to survive in the aftermath of the stock market crash, and ensuing Great Depression, Key West Florida is about to suffer like never before. Chanel Cleeton delves into the lives of three women, all facing an uncertain future but a future that will intersect and converge in more way than one.

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CW: Intimate Partner Violence on page, death

If you’ve been reading my reviews for a while, you know I really loved Cleeton’s previous historical fiction books. Cleeton writes so beautifully and really transports the reader to the location and this book is no different. This book is centered around a short period of time as a category 5 hurricane is about to hit Key West. It is a fictionalized version of actual events.

Cleeton tells the story through three women, Helen Berner who is 9 months pregnant and has a terrible husband; Mirta Perez who is newly married; and Elizabeth Preston who is traveling to Key West as she is searching for someone. Cleeton weaves their stories together so well and kept me guessing on the connections.


This book was very stressful at times as the characters are working to survive this hurricane as it hits Key West. There were several moments where my heart was pounding so hard and I had to put the book down and take a break.

This isn’t a romance but Cleeton does not leave romance lovers hanging and delivers on closure that worked well for me.

I recommend this book for those that enjoy historical fiction and are okay with the romance not being the central theme.

Favorite Quotes:

The only things I’ve ever heard John say in addition to his name pertain to his order, as though God only gave him a certain number of words to use each day, and he’d already expended his quota before he sat in my section.

I envy men the freedom to choose their own spouses. They snap us up as though they are purchasing a piece of fruit at the market, and we are expected to have no say in the matter.

The running of this world is left to men, and quite frankly, I’m not impressed with what they’ve done with it.

It’s strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth.


My Review:

I was relatively new to Chanel Cleeton when I started this series featuring a fascinating family of Cuban sisters and had generally avoided historical fiction prior to this as being a strong feminist, I bristle at the limitations placed on women and how poorly they were treated, even by their families. The Cuban sister featured in this installment was Mirta, who had been forced into marrying a man of questionable ethics and criminal ties and whom she did not personally know, to clear her father’s mistakes in judgment. Meanwhile, the same situation had also occurred to a former New York socialite named Elizabeth. Both women crossed paths in Key West during Mirta’s honeymoon and were served by the same heavily pregnant waitress who, for me, had the most compelling storylines featured in this dynamic tale. The three women could not have been more diverse yet they were sharing an overlapping experience during the most challenging period in their lives.

All of this drama happened to occur during hurricane season, and it got a bit breezy when the worst storm ever hit the area. The storylines were slowly and craftily constructed with a writing style that was stunningly emotive, compelling, and mesmerizingly immersive. I fell right into each woman’s anxious vortex and enjoyed their various journeys and travails as their lives briefly intersected.

I had no idea it wasn’t just women and minorities who were so devastatingly maltreated and was appalled by the shameful and horrific conduct and attitude of the US government toward the returning Veterans of WWI. I mean no slur to the brave souls currently serving but why anyone still bothers to join the military given their heinous history of atrocities boggles my tiny brain and scorches the little pea lying therein.

These historical fiction books by Chanel Cleeton have been a highlight of my reading experience in the past few years. They are evocative and vivid in their characters and settings. There was no doubt that I would be reading The Last Train to Key West after loving both Next Year In Havana and When We Left Cuba.

Set in 1935 Florida Keys, The Last Train to Key West tells the interconnected story of three women whose lives change dramatically after the 1935 Labor Day hurricane. First, we have Helen, a pregnant woman stuck in an abusive marriage. Then, there is Mirta, a young Cuban woman who recently got married in an arranged marriage and is on her honeymoon with her new, potentially dangerous, husband. Finally, there is Eliza, a woman from New York in search of a long-lost relative. All three of these women seem to have nothing to do with each other, but there is a thread holding them all together. I generally struggle with books that have multiple POVs, but it was a seamless experience here. I thought they were all three equally important additions.

I had a softer spot for Helen, however, as hers was perhaps the most heartbreaking scenario. Despite the difficult position she was in, Helen was a headstrong and fierce character. Her love towards her unborn child, her genuine kindness towards the folks she met really resonated with me. She finds some solace and some company in the form of a man who has been keeping an eye on her at the restaurant where she works as a waitress. I wasn't sure what to make of John in the beginning, but he proved to be such a strong and vital presence in her life. The friendship followed by the kinship they shared was very soft. My second favorite character was Eliza. She had this cool and flirty external persona, but she was a vulnerable young woman who has basically been betrothed to a mob leader back in New York by her family. She too finds love in an unexpected source. Though not the focus of her story, it was a sweet romance. Mirta's story also fascinated me. I have to admit to being terrified for her because her husband wasn't a clear-cut man. He certainly had his way with words and could charm anyone, but it was hard for me to gauge whether he was sincere about his feelings towards his new wife. Her character arc was super engrossing, but I don't wish to spoil it for readers who haven't picked up the book yet.

Chanel Cleeton knows how to weave a story that completely draws you in and holds your attention. One of the things that I love the most about her books is how vivid her writing is. She has a way with her words that essentially transports you into her historical settings. She captured the atmosphere before, during, and after the hurricane so brilliantly. The story was fraught with danger, heartbreak, and ultimately hope. Throughout the entire book, I was waiting for what would happen next with bated breath. It was a riveting of an experience for me. Compared to Cleeton's other books though, this wasn't as emotionally intense for me, which isn't necessarily a bad thing because it's very much of an expectations issue on my part. It's still a very beautifully written book, but perhaps not as evocative as Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba.

Chanel Cleeton has made a name for herself in the historical fiction genre and all the praise she receives is very well-deserved. If you haven't read her books yet, I highly recommend giving them a chance. Even if this isn't a genre you normally read, you should give it a shot as I believe there's something for everyone in these stories.

I love when novels are told from different points of view and Chanel Cleeton nails that type of narrative in her latest novel. Each of these women: Helen, Elizabeth and Mirta are about to experience the storm of their lives in very different ways but yet their lives are all tied together.

Their different backgrounds help them to survive and then thrive after their experiences. I can not fathom the fear that would have been at the forefront of their minds during the hurricane.

I definitely recommend this one for a great read.

The Last Train to Key West is a historical fiction romance set in Key West. It deals with the serious issues of domestic abuse, the mistreatment of World War I soldiers by the United States government, and organized crime. The protagonists are three different women who find themselves in Key West in the path of a 1930s hurricane. The stories are interconnected and each woman has a man who comes forward to help her survive. I found this book to be enjoyable and I definitely wanted to keep reading, but in the end I was disappointed that it didn't handle the tough topics more seriously. I believe this story should ultimately be categorized as a romance novel with some history thrown in rather than a true historical novel that takes on societal injustice, crime, and abuse. This was more feel-good fluff than I was anticipating (not that there's anything wrong with that).

The Last Train to Key West is the third book in the "Next Year in Havana" series, and I think it might have actually been my favorite. It also happens to be my favorite cover as well.

These characters are so real and I absolutely love the background history of Cuba.

These books are definitely not to be missed. The writing is so magical and has the ability to transport you to another time and place. The characters are also extremely well written and relatable.

Three strangers, three difficult dilemmas. Their paths cross in Key West.

After years of abuse, Helen finally makes a difficult decision. This time it is not about her, it's about the child she is caring inside her. But will she be able to protect her unborn baby and give it a happy and carefree life?

To help her family survive - Mirta has to sacrifice her future and marry an American businessman. But will she be able to make a happy life with a man she knows nothing about, move to another country and leave her family behind?

After the Wall Street crash, Elizabeth's life turned upside down. In order to provide care for her sick mother, she must marry a dangerous man. But will the marriage guarantee the safety net her remaining family needs?

While each young girl tries to beside their future, a big danger is approaching the sunny Key West.

I've heard many great reviews about Chanel Cleeton's novels and was super excited to read her newly released novel. Loved the idea of the plot, great location. But the characters just didn't fully catch my attention. The only personage I liked was Helen. Simple ad good-hearted girl. I wish Elizabeth and Mirta's stories were more fascinating. Nevertheless, the story is perfect for a beach read this hot summer. Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publisher for a free and advanced copy of the novel.

#netgalley#thelasttraintokeywest
This story takes place in September 1935 in the Florida Keys. There are work camps in the keys for former Great War vets who are homeless and jobless. This situation is background for the lives of three women, fleeing before an approaching hurricane and the three men who help them. This is a story of family, friendship, loyalty and love. And ultimately, it is a story about hope and new beginnings. I loved it!

One woman is pregnant and in bad marriage. Another is newly married to a stranger. And a third woman is desperately trying to get out of an engagement. As the women tell their stories, a dangerous hurricane is threatening the area.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrators were fantastic. There were few, if any, surprises about how the three women’s stories would come together. But it was interesting to see how each woman would handle their marital predicaments and the approaching storm.

This is an easy read — or listen — and great for summer escapist reading aka beach reading.

Thank you NetGalley for the free ebook.

The Last Train to Key West was my first experience with the writings of Chanel Cleeton but it certainly won’t be my last. I don’t often pick up historical fiction, but the synopsis of this book drew me in. Set in Key West during the 1930’s, three women’s lives are woven together as one of the greatest hurricanes in American history prepares for landfall. I was drawn more to the story of one woman, Helen, more than the others. However, I found myself carrying so much what would happen to these women. I couldn’t put this one down!

Thank you to Netgalley for the chance to review this book.