I just finished the print ARC of this title and loved it so much I came to Netgalley to review & nominate for Library Reads.

The story is just outright captivating. Puri’s disguise - will she or won’t she be discovered?? — had me turning pages as quickly as possible. Her budding relationships with her newly found siblings also add to the tension, and all of this human emotion and action set against the gorgeous backdrop of early 20th century Ecuador’s chocolate plantations make this a winner.

I can see this one making the rounds of 2022 book discussion groups. So well done….

Thank you NetGalley and Kensington for an advanced reader copy of The Spanish Daughter.

Puri loses what remained of her family before finding her future in Ecuador, in a family that has complicated feelings on the abandoned first daughter. Is it that a good future? Time will tell. I really liked Puri as a character. She had a lot of inner strength and seemed to waffle in non-binary territory at times when assuming a man's identity.

Also appreciated that the book was set in a locale and time period a reader doesn't usually get in historical fiction/mystery. It's easy to see the personal connection Hughes has to the region. And the realism of moving, of starting over, and what is left behind is very resonating for anyone starting over in a new place.

If a reader likes family drama, I highly recommended this one. There's several perspectives that are shown throughout and it really works to solidify the dynamics. Some parts reminded me of Dynasty, the 1980s soap, when it comes to family interactions between the sisters. And that's a plus for someone who grew up with complicated family interactions.

Some parts did seem to drag, and that did ding the points down a bit, but not overly so. This was a pretty solid 4 stars with me. Certain actions and reactions I felt like it didn't track with Puri, nor her siblings. Yet the atmosphere, characterization, and plot work together overall. There were some twists I saw early on, but enjoyed seeing how they played out.

This was a great end of year read.

As a reader who enjoys all things historical fiction, a little bit of mystery, strong women characters, and a tropical setting, I knew I would enjoy "The Spanish Daughter" by Lorena Hughes. Puri, abandoned by her father in her childhood, receives a letter notifying her of his passing and travels to Ecuador to claim her inheritance. When her husband is murdered on the way to Ecuador, Puri dons his clothing...and his persona...to protect herself. Upon arrival, Puri sees suspects at every turn, including her two half-sisters and half-brother. The author certainly knows how to weave a suspenseful story, and I suspected every character at some point. That said, some portions of the plot felt disjointed to me and the ending wrapped up too quickly and too tidily for my taste. Overall, however, this was a fun book with which to spend a cold winter's afternoon on the couch.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advanced digital copy of this entertaining book in exchange for my honest review.

I found The Spanish Daughter to be interesting but not compelling. For me the book became better as new information was revealed but it is still somewhat convoluted. The historical part of the book outshined the story itself.

Historical fiction, a murder mystery, and chocolate sounded like the perfect blend to me! Thanks to @netgalley and @kensingtonbooks for the early copy!
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Synopsis: Puri is on her way from Spain to Ecuador to claim her inheritance from her father who recently passed away, when an assassin attempts to kill her and ends up killing her husband instead. Not knowing who wanted her dead, she decides to pretend to be her husband while she gets to know her father's other family and figures out what to do with the inheritance.
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If you like cozy mysteries and historical fiction, you will probably love this. For me, I enjoyed the historical fiction part but not so much the mystery. Cozy mysteries just aren't for me, and I found myself annoyed at Puri and how her amateur sleuthing came up with amazing revelations, and people just spilling all their secrets to her. 
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 But if that's your genre, this sets up a lot of possible suspects all with a reasonable motive. Flashbacks to Puri's sisters' childhoods give more insights into how all the family members connect to each other. 
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I didn't find this one particularly compelling, but I could see others absolutely loving it.

This is a beautiful historical fiction with a female lead having to pretend to be a man in a country she is unfamiliar with and a family she is meeting for the first time. This was filled with a lot of secrets, a mystery to solve, and some character growth that I loved! Puri is character with a lot going against her, but she continues to persevere, and I enjoyed her story so much! I highly recommend this for readers that enjoy a historical fiction with a mystery!

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Thank you to Kensington Books for my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Pub date: 12/28/21
In one sentence: Spanish chocolatier Puri travels to her estranged father's cacao plantation in Ecuador - but on the way, her husband is murdered in an attempt on her life, and she decides to impersonate him to figure out who's plotting against her.

When I read historical fiction, I'm looking for an escape and a chance to learn more about another time, and this book delivered on both fronts! I loved the Ecuadorian setting and the chance to learn more about the cacao plantations there. Puri was a fun protagonist - her attempts at impersonating her husband were entertaining - they reminded me a bit of Mulan, one of my fave childhood movies. I also enjoyed the perspectives of Puri's sisters - they had A LOT of secrets, and their connections to the mystery surrounding the murder of Puri's husband kept me interested.

Of course I can't forget to mention the chocolate! I loved the historical note about María Purificación García, who patented a coffee and cacao bean roaster in 1847. The Spanish Daughter casts Puri as the fictional granddaughter of this inventor, and we see her passion for sharing the joys of chocolate with others. Fun fact: while Ecuador was an early cacao exporter, the residents there did not eat processed chocolate, only the cacao beans themselves!

If you're looking for historical fiction with some family drama and mystery, I'd recommend this one!
Thank you to Kensington Books for my NetGalley ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Review posted to Goodreads and Instagram 12/16/21.

Lorena Hughes' The Spanish Daughter offers an engaging read. Not too demanding, but also fluff-free, the kind of story a reader can lose herself in for several hours. The central character Puri been running a chocolate shop in Spain in the years leading up to 1920, inspired by both her grandmother, who was a fine chocolate-maker and the inventor of a roaster for cacao, and her father, who left for Ecuador determined to build a cacao plantation and never returned. When her father dies, leaving a substantial chunk of that plantation to Puri, she convinces her husband Cristóbal that they should travel to Ecuador to make a living via this inheritance.

On the boat to Ecuador, an assassin attempts to kill Puri, but it's Cristóbal who dies. Knowing her life is under threat, Puri continues on her journey, dressing as Cristóbal for self-protection. When she arrives in Ecuador, Puri finds she has relatives she never knew of: two half-sisters and a half-brother. Before her disguise is uncovered, Puri needs to determine who tried to have her killed.

The remainder of the novel follows Puri's investigations and explores the lessons about gender that cross-dressing provides her. This balance between mystery and self-discovery works well—Puri, as her husband Cristóbal, is herself a mystery for those she investigates. Her new relatives and Martín, the manager of the plantation, all have things to hide, but do they include attempted murder?

If you like historical fiction, mysteries, novels with strong women, adventure fiction—you'll enjoy The Spanish Daughter. It would also make a great gift book for the holidays, offering an escape into a very different world for the recipient.

I received a free electronic review copy of this title from the publisher.

3.5 stars rounded up
Thank you net galley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book. The description sounded great and different than normal reads....it was and I enjoyed it!
Puri always knew her passion for chocolate was inherited from her estranged father. After his death she learns she’s inherited a cocoa estate in Vinces, Ecuador. Puri and her husband Cristóbal set out across the Atlantic Ocean. Suddenly things go wrong as she finds someone has been sent to murder her aboard the ship and accidentally kills Cristóbal instead. Puri decides her best shot at staying safe and continuing on her journey is to become her dead husband. Puri arrives in Ecuador and finds newfound siblings, hidden affairs, and her father’s dark secrets. The story unravels with family secrets, forbidden love, and devastating loss.
The story was very entrancing and I enjoyed the journey and getting to know the characters. The ending fell a little flat for me, therefore lost a star in the rating. I would recommend this book to those who need a change of pace from there typical historical fiction reads.

If you'd know how much I love those books in which you never know what will happen on the next page! The Spanish Daughter is one of those books!
From the first pages, the book captures the reader, immersing him in the incredible events taking place at the beginning of the 20th century in Ecuador.
Puri, traveling from Spain to Ecuador, entered the deck of the ship Andes as a married woman, and landed on the ground as a widow. What did she have to do to save her life? At the risk of losing her life, Puri decided to investigate her husband's murder on her own, settling in her relatives' house, in a place filled with lies, secrets, betrayals.
The book is full of unexpected plot twists, and new details and evidence of the crime keep the reader in suspense, keeping the intrigue and attempts to guess who is involved in the murder. Finally, the puzzle formed into a completed picture, what shocked me!
Despite the fact that in some places the story goes into unreal, unbelievable events, this book will be an enjoyable reading for everyone who loves fiction and historical fiction.
Thanks to Lorena Hughes, Kensington Books and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this wonderful book!

Which of her half-siblings wants Puri dead? Set in 1920's Ecuador, this is the tale of rivalry and greed as well as the search for truth. Puri's father left her and her mother in Spain when she was very young but much to her surprise, he bequeathed her a controlling interest in his cacao plantation in Vinces, Ecuador. Then someone tried to kill her on the ship taking her to claim it- missing her but getting her husband Cristobal. So Puri opts to declare herself dead and pose as Cristobal which works up to a point because the will remans at issue. Which of her siblings or others is behind the assassination? Well, it wasn't immediately, obvious in part because their stories, notably those of Angelica and Catalina, are spooled out slowly. You'll learn a bit about chocolate production but this s more a drama of family secrets and lies than anything else and the ending wasn't what I expected. I was surprised at how long Puri was able to maintain the subterfuge. I'd hoped for more of a sense of time and place given the setting but it's a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. No spoilers from me.

3.75 stars. Interesting story of Puri, a young Spanish woman who goes to Equador in 1920 to claim her inheritance (a cocoa plantation) from her recently deceased estranged father. During her journey to Equador, she is forced to assume the identify of her husband, Cristobel. The novel has many things I liked - a Southern American setting, a young strong female protagonist, family drama and secrets, and, of course, chocolate!

There is an easy charm to this novel and I was swept away with the characters into the story. Although I read in the author’s afterword that there were cases of women dressing like men to succeed in the business world, it did take a bit of suspension of belief, at least on my part, that no-one saw through the disguise. With this aside, this was a good read with a satisfying and realistic ending. The Spanish Daughter is out on December 28.

Thanks to Kensingt0n Books, Penguin Random House Canada and Netgalley for an advance copy in exchange for an honest review.

This book had a lot of fantastic elements, but somehow the author's style failed to keep me interested.

Maria Purification is traveling to Spain to claim her majority share in her deceased father's estate, looking forward to meeting her siblings from her father's second family. She's excited about the journey to the cocoa plantation, but someone must not be excited she's coming. Aboard the ship, a man tries to strangle her, but ends up killing her husband instead. Maria Purification disguises herself as her husband until she can understand who might want to kill her - the beautiful Angelica and her French husband, used to living in luxury on the plantation, Catalina, the sister revered for having seen the Virgin Mary as a teen, or Alberto, the brother who became a priest and renounced his inheritance. Or is it Martin, the very handsome long-time manager of the plantation, who was left no inheritance at all? Maria lives among them, snooping and investigating and trying to decide who to trust.

The good: The family drama has twists and turns and surprises, leading the characters to some unexpected ends.

The bad: Somehow, despite all the potentially interesting elements, this book never came together for me. Many of the plot points felt underdeveloped, and the pacing seemed off. It almost seemed like the author tried to cram too many different elements in too little time. This book wasn't for me.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the advance review copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

I was provided a free copy of this book from @netgalley in exchange for my honest review.
Set in the 1920s this story follows Puri, a Spanish chocolatier, who learns she has inherited a cocoa plantation in Ecuador from her estranged father. Excited to learn more about him, she sells her shop and travels with her husband to Ecuador. However, on the last leg if their journey a mercenary sent to kill her, murders her husband instead. Not knowing who sent him, or who she can trust Puri decides to impersonate her husband when she lands, while she investigates the crime and learns more about her father's life, the secrets he kept, and all that her inheritance entails.
It was entertaining seeing Puri trying to impersonate a man in the customs and social norms of the 1920s. It was interesting following her journey in Ecuador because as the reader I was meeting all these characters along with Puri. She had never met any of them either, so we were both finding out about them and trying to gauge their trustworthiness together. There were quite a few twists and I didn't figure out the mystery ahead of time.
There was one bit of the epilogue that took a star away for me, but I can't go into details without giving away spoilers! May seem a bit harsh, but I felt it went counter to a major theme in the book.
Overall it was a pretty good book that definitely was different than others I've read!
This is set to be published at the end of the month so put it on your TBR and maybe use some of your Christmas money to treat yo self! 😁

#NetGalley #TheSpanishDaughter

Historical Fiction lovers get this one on your radar! A story revolving around a strong female lead and CHOCOLATE!? Yes, please! This was an intriguing story that hooked me from the first page. I literally put down another popular thriller to finish this one first. I loved that the MC wore her husband's clothes and facial hair to blend into the role to discover who was out to get her. Her realizations of how free she felt as a man, nodding instead of answering, using her fingers to eat, drinking at all times of the day. This was such a fun look at gender roles in the 20s. Part family drama, part mystery this one is sure to pull you in!

Highly recommend this book! This was my first book to read by this author and I can't wait to read more! The characters and the story stay with you long after you finish the book. One of the best books I have read in a long time.

This book is a historical fiction mingled with mystery and thriller, set in the 1920's in a small town of Ecuador. The cover was pretty and the story plotline also intrigued me so I decided to try this book out. And it's all about chocolate and heck I love chocolate!

Puri owns a chocolate shop in Spain and when she gets a letter that her estranged father had left her cocoa plantations in her name in Ecuador, she set out with her husband, Don Cristobel to Ecuador--only while traveling, an assassin tries to kill her but her husband ends up being killed. Realizing that one of her half siblings in Ecuador might be responsible for the murder, she disguises herself as her husband and meets her half sisters Angelica and Catalina and brother Albert. And while trying to avenge her husband's killer, seeking revenge, she finds many deep secrets about her family.

I have to say, the whole story is beautifully written and I got to learn so much about the culture and lifestyle in Ecuador. The author, who is Ecuadorian herself has done some tremendous research about cocoa plantations in Ecuador. The story is mainly told from the perspectives of Puri though there were parts of Angelica and Catalina as well so you could get a glimpse of the sister's life. Though the ending was slightly predictable, nonetheless, the author has done a good job of drawing the reader into the story, making the reader feel like they are a part of the story as well! And the descriptions of chocolate made me crave for chocolate!

Many thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

After hearing about her father’s death, Puri travels to Ecuador to claim her inheritance. She’s been left a sizeable cocoa plantation – a delight for this young chocolatier from Seville, Spain. Unfortunately, Puri soon learns that someone has been hired to get rid of her, mistakenly murdering her husband instead of her. In an attempt to seek answers, Puri disguises herself as her late husband and arrives in Ecuador under the guise of collecting the inheritance on behalf of his late wife. Discovering siblings that she was unaware of is just one of the shocks Puri faces.

Set against the lush backdrop of 20th century Ecuador, this own-voices author highlights the destructing force of harboured jealousy and the strengthening and rebuilding that can take place when we look for similarities rather than differences between us and our supposed enemies. Legacy and corruption go hand in hand in this absorbing read. Inspired by history and fleshed out by vivid descriptions, this Latinx historical novel was an informative read with a rushed ending and the potential for mystery and romance undeveloped. Regardless, it was a satisfying family drama laced with historical detail.

I was gifted this advance copy by Lorena Hughes, Kensington Books, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

Publishes December 28, 2021.

I struggled with fully enjoying this book. It wasn’t a bad book! I think I just couldn’t connect with the characters.

This novel was like no other I've read, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. Set in Ecuador in the early twentieth century, a young Spanish woman travels by ship to claim her inheritance, a cacao plantation in South America. On the way, her husband is murdered. To avoid getting killed herself, Puri disguises herself as her deceased husband and introduces herself to her new family.

The plot has lots of twists and turns as the heroine investigates her husband's murder and gets a grip on what is going on with the colorful cast of characters in her new family and working in and around the family plantation. Almost as an aside, she introduces chocolate to Ecuador. There's love, jealousy, intrigue, and history in this book. A great read for summer beach reading or a book club.