When it is pouring rain outside your home and you are reading a book with a devastating hurricane pounding the Florida Keys, the atmosphere is as tense at home as it is in the book. Even without the rain, The Last Train to Key West is a powerful story about three women whose lives intersect during a hurricane in 1935. Pregnant Helen yearns to leave her abusive husband, but she has no where to go; former socialite Elizabeth heads to Key West to find her brother at the Army camps for veterans of the Great War; and Mirta arrives from Cuba as a new bride in an arranged marriage. Over the Labor Day weekend a treacherous hurricane is heading for the Keys packing a deadly punch. All three women are faced with difficult decisions and the need to find safety. Another wonderful book by author Chanel Cleeton. Very atmospheric and the reader can almost feel the terrifying helplessness of the people involved when the hurricane strikes.

I fell in love with Chanel Cleeton after reading her books Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba. They both oozed Cuban culture and history. And although I wouldn't technically classify them as a series, some of the characters translate from one book to the next. So I was ecstatic when I heard that Cleeton had a new book coming out titled The Last Train to Key West.

Told from the perspective of three strong female leads, The Last Train to Key West tells the story of each woman's will to survive. Set during a hurricane in the Florida Keys in the 1930's, they each are in search of something. Escape. Family. Love. Independence. And when their paths cross, their lives will be changed forever.

I always adore Cleeton's writing and this novel was no exception. I always feel like I'm watching a movie in my head when I read her work. I can see everything so vividly. The story was captivating and I could not wait to see what happened next.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of Cuban history present in this story. The other two books were so rich in Cuban culture, I was expecting more of the same. While there is quick mention of Cuban government in Mirta's story, the remainder of the book is lacking mention of Cuba. Instead, Cleeton swerved, focusing on the history of the Florida Keys post-Great Depression and WWI. It was equally intriguing but I just want to level set for anybody who has read her previous work and may be expecting another Cuban experience.

Overall, this was another strong novel by Chanel Cleeton. I think I prefer the first two books if I had to compare, but this is still a solid 5 star read.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Chanel Cleeton, and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

Until Chanel Cleeton I avoided historical fiction like the plague. Her writing and way of developing characters around historical events makes you get lost of time. This book is obviously different than her first two historical fiction novels however; it submits her place in this genre.

Have you ever been to coastal towns in Florida and wonder how the decades old buildings have survived? In the case of the Florida Keys in 1935, they didn't. I have a feeling that this is a well known story among the communities that survived it. Outside of those communities, it probably hasn't been discussed much. This novel is going to change that.

Each leading character had her own story to tell, even as they became interconnected. I really enjoyed this novel and kind of want a follow up to find out what happened to the lives of those who survived.

This will be excellent summer reading, but hopefully without the threat of a hurricane looming over you.

I was a huge fan of Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, so this was a must read for me. Like her last two novels this is historical fiction that follows strong, passionate women. I really enjoyed the three points of view in this one, and liked figuring how out and when their lives would intersect. This was a gripping read Cleeton's fans will definitely enjoy.

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

Do you ever get filled with such delight and happiness while reading that you can't help but smile and release a huge sigh? Do you ever get filled with such fear or sadness that your heart is in your throat, and your whole body goes tense?

Those are what I experience while reading Chanel Cleeton's writing. My favorite stories from her are the ones where she explores real-life circumstances and puts her twist on them. As if she researched some part of history and wondered about the people who lived them and felt the need to write their stories.

The Last Train to Key West was a beautifully written story about three women whose lives were turned upside down and intertwined, by The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

An abused wife of a fisherman, a young Cuban woman in an arranged marriage to a New York mobster, and a woman hoping to escape her impending marriage, one that her soon to be husband won as payment for a gambling debt, share their stories through alternating POV's. These women continually faced trials and persevered non-the-less. Their strength was admirable. They search for a better life despite the situations and times in which they lived.

❝Why is it that when men approach women as conquests to be won they are lauded, but when women decide to go on a hunt of their own, they're branded too aggressive, too eager, too greedy?❞

Deeply passionate, The Last Train to Key West was filled with hope and heartache, resilience and devastation, love and longing.

This book was a wonderful historical fiction story set in Key West in 1935. It was told from the perspective of 3 women and how their lives intersected. I really enjoyed this book and am a fan of this author.

Mirta Perez, Elizabeth Preston and Helen Berner. Three women that have little in common are brought together by The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the most intense Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall. In Key West, Helen waits tables at the local diner. A born and bred local, she is 9 months pregnant and abused daily by her no-good fisherman husband, Tom. It’s a holiday weekend, the town is packed and The National Weather Service is unsure if this tempest will descend its wrath on the Florida Keys. Elizabeth who is escaping from her wealthy past and grim future marriage has traveled to Florida to find her long lost brother, whose help she desperately needs. Mirta, a socialite from Havana, sits in silence next to her handsome and powerful husband whom she barely knows. Fate has brought these three women together, to survive the storm of their lives and find their rightful place in the world. Over the course of this weekend these women must uncover the strength to protect themselves and act in good conscience. Gifted author Chanel Cleeton brings us back to the eye of the storm with a story of resilience, love and hope. A fast paced page turner you do not want to miss, will release June 2020.

don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, I just think I was not part of the target audience, it wasn't my favorite.

Cleeton never disappoints with her Florida-based historical fiction novels, and this one is another gem.
Based on the real tragedy of the Labor Day hurricane that destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935, three women who are traveling aboard Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, will see their lives forever changed by the danger of an upcoming storm.

The Last Train to Key West is a gripping story written about one of the worst hurricanes to hit Florida in 1935. Three strong women are depicted as they deal with the horrible conditions but there are also three love stories revealed. Corruption as well as the financial times of this era are well hi-lighted throughout the book. This is a well written suspenseful novel by a talented author! #TheLastTrainToKeyWest #ChanelCleeton #NetGalley

The Last Train to Key West was the third book by Chanel Cleeton I have read, and this book solidified that she is on my list of favorite authors! I really enjoy historical fiction, and I appreciate how she writes about events in history that are often overlooked. This story switches perspectives between three women who all find themselves in Key West during Labor Day weekend of 1935. I really enjoyed all three of the storylines, which is not always true for me in multi-perspective novels. The story culminates with the category 5 hurricane hitting the island, and as someone who grew up in Louisiana, I thought she did a great job describing the sensory experience of a hurricane. I will say, I thought the pacing of this novel was a little off. The book isn't that long, and I thought the way the three storylines all came together at the end felt rushed. This book would make such a great beach read for this summer, for when you want a suspenseful, multi-person romance novel.

Chanel Cleeton is a very special author and one I’m very grateful to have found. She writes about countries, settings and people with such passion and often weaves in real life events too. What’s not to like? This time, she’s taken a horrible event - one of the most devastating hurricanes in the USA - and woven it into a tale of women, friendship and human resilience.

It’s an emotional read and that train of the title takes you on quite a journey. Three stories of love and resilience told by three women from very different backgrounds. There’ssuch depth to the stories and I felt as if I knew each character in turn despite their different ages, backgrounds and personalities.

I can’t imagine living through a hurricane. I’ve seen a tornado from a distance in Texas and even that looked pretty scary. I found the wind to be powerful then but to Americans it was nothing. That was scary in itself. So, to picture this…well it’s nigh-on impossible. However, the author does allow you to see, feel and hear what it must have been like.

The three stories were very different and totally fascinating. We have an abused spouse, a woman from Duba and someone trying to find her brother. This brother is a soldier and is station in Islamorada - one of the islands that was practically destroyed in the real life hurricane.

There’s even more historical delights in the way Chanel has woven in the train of the title. That train is the famous Henry Flagler railroad which was the only way to cross the islands at the time, part from boats of course.

I really enjoyed this novel and found the stories fascinating and varied. Topped with the historical reality, the hope and destruction in one, this was a novel which I found I’d been holding my breath at the end.

Very visual and very appealing to the literary senses.

This historical fiction book focuses on the Florida Keys over Labor Day 1935, when a treacherous hurricane hits with little warning. Henry Flagler's railroad is also featured in the story. Three women rotate the storytelling. Helen is a Key West native, pregnant, a waitress at the local diner, and a victim of spousal abuse. Mirta arrives from her native Cuba with her new husband, an arranged marriage to save her broke family. Elizabeth is on the Flagler train from New York City to Key West, trying to find her brother, a soldier at one of the camps set up on Islamarada to house World War I soldiers while they build roads. The women and their respective men interact in unusual ways during the weekend as they all try to survive the hurricane.

I enjoyed the setting of the Keys during the hurricane, which actually happened. It was an unnamed storm, and reached category 5, destroying Flagler's railroad, the only way to access the Keys other than boats. Although at times I had trouble remembering which woman was which,and the unusual interactions between the characters at times seemed forced, I did enjoy spending time with everyone. Thanks to NetGalley for providing an ARC.

I struggled through this book. The description had me intrigued and I requested it, but then I couldn't seem to get into the story.
I'm sure many will like it and it does lend itself to a book club discussion, just didn't catch me.
Thank you NetGalley for this book

Henry Flagler is considered the “father of Florida tourism”, he built beautiful hotels that brought tourists in droves and completed an engineering marvel that allowed visitors to travel to the Florida Keys without ever getting on a boat. The rail line from his overseas highway is still standing today, almost 100 years after being built. But his greatest triumph would also be the scene of great tragedy, when a hurricane in 1935 sweeps his train, full of passengers into the sea. Cleeton places three women on the ill fated train, Mirta Perez, who’s fleeing Cuba to marry a wealthy American, Florida native Helen Berner, who’s looking for adventure and Elizabeth Preston, who’s trying to save what’s left of her family’s fortune after the stock market crash of 1929