Set in Ecuador of the 1920s, this debut novel offers something for readers of many genres--historical fiction, mysteries, and romance. The daughter of the title, Puri, arrives in Ecuador from Spain to claim her inheritance, but comes disguised as her husband, who has been murdered during the voyage. The difficulties of successfully impersonating a man while searching for clues to discover her husband's murderer drive the plot and make for some entertaining scenes with Puri's Ecuadorian family. Her budding romance with the resident plantation manager gives the novel at times the feel of romance fiction, but there is enough of an edge surrounding the family secrets and unknown identity of the murderer to make this a solid historical mystery. As historical fiction goes, I would have preferred more detail regarding Ecuadorian culture during this time period, along with a more nuanced portrayal of the cacao plantation that Puri inherits, but Hughes has delivered a competent and interesting tale that will find a variety of satisfied readers.

I received this from Netgalley.com.

"Puri dons her husband’s clothes and assumes his identity, hoping to stay safe while she searches for the truth of her father’s legacy in Ecuador."

An okay read, but not so compelling as to completely draw me in.

2.75☆

I had a really hard time getting into this one but once I did it was pretty good. Puri was a hard character to like. She seemed to just fall into things without really thinking it through and they worked even though they probably really shouldn't have. I think she was supposed to be smart but most of her actions were pretty dumb. Once she gets to know her extended family better things really start to get good. The suspense grabs hold of you and it gets harder to put the book down.

I think the writing style was probably what threw me off but for people who can stomach first person a little better this will probably be more enjoyable.

The cover of this book drew me to it instantaneously. I was interested to learn more about the history of chocolate and Ecuador’s role in the cocoa bean industry. Unfortunately, I struggled to get through this novel. While there were hints of a great story, the characters were distant and I felt emotionally detached from each player and their perspective stories. It took me until I was about 70% of the way through the book before I was finally able to find any interest in the storyline. The unravelling of the mysteries of the novel were interesting; however, just like many of the revelations and relationships in the novel, the abrupt ending further detached me from the significance of the storyline. Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington books for the e-ARC version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Puri, a Spanish chocolatier, has spent her entire life waiting for her father to return to Spain from Ecuador. Now, on learning of her father’s death, she travels to Ecuador to receive her inheritance – a cocoa plantation. But someone does not want Puri to reach her destination, and attempts to kill her on the voyage. In the struggle, her husband Cristobal is killed instead. For safety, Puri adopts the cover story that she actually did die on the voyage, and poses as Cristobal, collecting his late wife’s inheritance. On reaching Ecuador, however, she finds that more surprises are in store – including siblings she never knew she had.

This book is part historical (early 20th century) family drama, as Puri discovers the family she never knew she had, and part mystery, as she seeks answers to find out who killed her husband and tried to kill her. Most chapters are from Puri’s point of view, but some are flashbacks from the POVs of her sisters. The poisonous nature of jealousy is a heavily explored theme in this novel. Puri is jealous of her siblings, who grew up with the father she missed so badly, but the siblings grew up jealous of Puri, whom their father idealized and spoke of often. This is only exacerbated when Puri ends up inheriting the lion’s share of the plantation. But Puri, despite her suspicion, grows to like her siblings, and sees similarities between herself and them. She starts to see them as family – another theme that is key to this book.

Representation: Own Voices (Ecuadorian) author, Hispanic characters

CW: sexism and homophobia (typical of the time period)

Eager to claim her birthright after her father’s passing, Puri Maria Purification de Lafont y Toledo and her husband Cristóbal de Balboa set out across the Atlantic Ocean soon to find out their travels won’t go as smoothly as planned. Has she made a mistake by giving away everything to chase after her father’s dream?

For her safety she disguises herself as Cristobal and tells her siblings that Puri died on the ship. This is a bit far-fetched to me but a good telling on the author’s part. I was wondering how long she would be able to carry out this gender swap of wearing facial hair, sounding like a man all the while maintaining male characteristics. The author explained that Puri has always been naturally thin and tall as well as details on her transformation from female to male.

This is a fresh and unique read of family drama and secrets. The author did a fantastic job creating a storyline that kept me guessing. Three very different sisters united by loss and all wanting their share of their father’s cocoa estate in Vinces, Ecuador. There’s dialogue and backstory from multiple characters that help set the foundation for readers to understand the present scenes in the book.

I must mention with such descriptive writing I was able to picture in my mind vivid images of the surrounding scenes on the ship, Puri horseback riding and also the architectural structures and decor of the homes. I was also captivated by the enchanting setting and history of the cacao plantation.

My favorite character of the book would be Puri. I admire her bravery, passion, smarts, strength and kind heart. She has faced many obstacles and her life didn't seem to be an easy one compared to her sister's easy lifestyle. Puri hasn't seen her father since she was two years of age. My least favorite character would be the father, the one who created this family drama and secrets. Everyone seems to admire and respect Don Armand Lafont but I on the other hand couldn’t help but vocalize while reading that he seems to have been a ladies man fathering children and then had remorse for leaving Puri all those years ago. The sister’s have an interesting story of their own and so does Martin Sabater.

The ending was satisfying but I felt like it could have had more to it. I was able to piece together the ending, but it seems it was abbreviated. The author gave us this full and lively story only to shorten and rush the outcome of what happened to the characters.

Overall I enjoyed the book. It’s richly woven into an entertaining read that I would recommend to readers that desire something different. It’s historical, and if you enjoy a good family secret and drama mixed with suspense that gives you closure in the end this is the book for you.

I really wanted to love this book, I've never read any novel from Ecuador and this promised to be a treat. Pun intended because of the cacao history but this book didn't pull me in. I was unable to get lost in the setting and the period. None of the characters were engaging enough for me. Overall, this felt a little bland.

I like historical fiction especially when it introduces me to a new local and culture. The Spanish Daughter is set in 1920s Ecuador among the cacao plantations. When she was a toddler Puri's father left her behind in Spain. He started a new life as a cacao grower in Ecuador complete with a new family. Now Puri is 28, married and running a successful chocolate shop. When word comes of an inheritance from her father she and her husband leave everything and sail to Ecuador. Now the drama begins. Puri is attacked on the ship and her husband is killed. In order to insure her safety as she figures out what is going on she pretends to be her husband.
The story of the family connections and Puri's new perspective as a "man" make for an interesting and original read.

I loved the telling of this history of cacao in Ecuador from the perspective of an estranged daughter who carries the family legacy but not the family fortune made by her father and his cacao plantation. This novel beautifully explores the truth of real family legacy and the corruption that can follow family fortune. I highly recommend this to all historical fiction lovers!

Inspired by the real-life history of Vinces, an Ecuadorian coastal town known as the birthplace of cacao, Lorena Hughes #OwnVoices novel tells the story of Puri, a young Spanish woman who convinces her husband Cristóbal, to sell everything, including their chocolate shop, and move to Ecuador. Her father has died and left her a share of a cacao plantation.

As the couple embarks on the last leg of their journey, it becomes clear that someone wants her dead. An assassin sent to murder Puri accidentally kills Cristóbal instead. Fearful that she may yet fall prey to a hired gun, Puri assumes Cristóbal’s identity.

Dressed as a man, Puri learns of both the freedoms and the constraints that men have. As she learns more about her siblings from her father’s second, bigamous marriage, she also discovers secrets about her father and those siblings.

Hughes does an excellent job capturing Vinces of the 1920s with its small town people with dreams of being a second Paris. Her descriptions of the costumes and the airs the population puts on ring true. This is an exceptional book in that the bud of an early romance doesn’t open.

For the rest of us, there's chocolate........

Lorena Hughes introduces us to Maria Purificacion de Lafont, a twenty-eight year old chocolatier who is an artisan in creating confections made with chocolate. Her little shop is located in her native Sevilla, Spain where she is the hostess. It is here where she and her writer husband, Cristobal de Balboa, live and work in 1920.

But word is received that Puri's father has passed away where he ran a cacao plantation in Ecuador. Puri's parents were estranged and she has not seen her father since childhood. Though still married to Puri's mother, Don Armand had since had another family there. Puri and Cristobal were beckoned to Ecuador for the reading of the will.

Little did Puri and Cristobal realize that danger would be boarding that ship together with them. Just outside the waters of Cuba, an attempt would be made on their lives. Only Puri would be continuing on the voyage. She dresses as her husband Cristobal in order to protect herself from further danger. But once she does this, Puri must continue the charade even in front of her new family. Who is behind the plot to kill her? Puri is "dead" and Cristobal lives.

The Spanish Daughter is an entertaining read. It crosses back and forth from historical fiction with a bit of mystery inside. But there is not an absolute heightening of mystery or danger to carry the plot even towards the wrap-up in the ending. I settled on 3.5 Stars kicked up to 4 Stars because of the author's well-researched view of Ecuador in 1920. Might I mention that cover is gorgeous as well.

Check out the Author's Notes that explain the spark that created this storyline. There was an actual Maria Purificacion Garcia who developed a cacao bean roaster in 1847. Women inventors were happening only to put the patent in their husband's name. Interesting........

I received a copy of this book through NetGalley for an honest review. My thanksto Kensington Publishers and to Lorena Hughes for the opportunity.

This was one of those books that gets better as it goes along. The story really picks up speed about half way thru and continues at a good pace until the end. I listened to this book via my Kindle VoiceView, and sometimes I got lost since the chapters switch back and forth between timeframes and characters, but once I figured out who was who, the issue was resolved.
I was also a bit disappointed it didn’t give more information on chocolate making, it was more of a mystery of who killed Cristobal and Puri pretending to be a man. But all and all it was a very enjoyable read.
Received an ARC from Kensington Books and NetGalley for my unbiased review – This one comes in with 4****’s

4.5✩
Puri inherited two things from her father: her passion for chocolate and a cacao plantation in the lush tropical setting of Ecuador. While she sails from Spain to Vinces, also known as Little Paris, a mercenary tries to murder her and kills her husband instead. Puri must then impersonate her late husband to survive and unveil the truth behind this murder attempt.

The Spanish Daughter is a poetic study of family relationships, loss, friendships, gender roles, identity, and belonging. Lorena Hughes paints a beautiful landscape of Ecuador during the golden age of the cacao plantations. I loved reading about the history of chocolate (especially as it is my guilty pleasure) and the growing techniques of cacao trees.

Hughes excels at writing historical fiction with a compelling suspense story, audacious characters, and an enchanting setting of the cacao plantations of 1920. Her vivid and descriptive prose captivated me from the first chapters until the very end. The many twists and turns added to the richly woven narrative and made it a quick and entertaining read!

So I really enjoyed this story there was a lot of thrills and I enjoyed the setting of the story and the main character. overall it was enjoyable but I did find myself wander at times as a lot of parts seemed far fetched.overall good story though.

My thoughts and opinions are my own I don't want to thank Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this story

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own, and not influenced by receiving this book.

This interesting family drama has good plot twists that are pleasantly surprising as it blends historical fiction with mystery. The premise and setting are a nice change, and the writing flows nicely. There’s lots to like here.

Plot: a murder-mystery/historical fiction with touches of romance set in South America??? Yes please! This book was everything I never knew I needed. I am from Brazil, and I always love seeing South America portrayed in a good was, as it was in "The Spanish Daughter", focusing on what Ecuador's beauty and history. I liked learning about the development of that particular part of the country and about cacau, all while trying to solve a murder!
Writing: Lorena Hughes has a great ability to describe places and I can still picture the hacienda in my mind, as well as all the people. The ending was unpredictable and that is something we don't see much of in murder-mysteries type of books. I'd love to have seen a bit more of romance in the book, but I also enjoyed that Purí is such an independent woman.
Characters: I grew really attached to all of them, like they became my family too! They all have very compelling life stories and that made them very realistic - they have all been hurt or hurt someone and that shaped who they are, like real life. Purí is probably one of my favorite female lead characters in 2021!
Verdict: Great read for anyone who wants to solve a mystery or get to know a bit more about South America and Ecuador.

Favorite quote: "You never know what is going to happen That doesn't mean you shouldn't follow your dreams for fear that something might happen"

Set in 1920s Ecuador, the Spanish Daughter is historical fiction about Puri, a woman who owns a chocolate shop in Spain, who receives notice to come to her French father's plantation in Ecuador after his death. There, Puri is attacked and led to believe that her half-siblings want to kill her to take her inheritance. Puri decides to dress as her husband to protect herself from assailants and gets to know her half-siblings and the plantation under disguise.

I thought that this book did a great job with creating a unique and interesting setting, differentiated characters, and a plot that subverts some genre expectations. I kept thinking that I knew where this story was going, and then it would surprise me and go in a different and unexpected direction. I thought that author used the location and characters to show disparities race, class, legitimacy, and nationality. Even though Puri hadn't seen her father since she was two, she was the favored daughter set to inherit most of the cacao plantation because she is European and legitimate. Her half-siblings, who were around their father their whole lives, were not as favored being illegitimate and part indigenous. I loved that the author showed the complexity of living in 1920s Ecuador though the characters and setting. Leaning about the history of cacao and chocolate was also very interesting and I liked that Puri had such a passion for business and chocolate.

While this book deviated from some of the genre norms, I thought that some of the plot points were still pretty flimsy, such as impersonating her husband in the first place. If he inherited some of the plantation, wouldn't impersonating him still put her at risk? How on earth did a fake beard from the 1920s fool people into thinking that she was a man for so long? I also thought that the ending proceeded at a breakneck pace and I was surprised when I got to the epilogue. That being said, I still enjoyed the book and I felt like there were enough unique plot points to make up for these issues..

I recommend this book to any historical fiction fans who would like an interesting book with great characters in a unique setting. Thank you to Kensington Books and NetGalley for the advanced reader's electronic copy in exchange for an honest review!

I thoroughly enjoyed this easy-to-read story about Puri and her adventures from Spain to Ecuador. This is historical fiction with a mystery, lots of chocolate and a strong female lead. That hits all my buttons!
I was particularly intrigued to read the Author’s Note and realize that there was a lot of factual information in this book. I really appreciated the insights given and it added to my appreciation of the novel.

Puri is our main character, and she is entertaining. She provides us with an interesting take on men from her disguise. Although she enjoys the freedoms her disguise offers, she misses having doors opened and actually ends up appreciating men more. She does make quite a few stereotypes and generalizations, but I found that it was a different take on the usually woman pretending to be a man trope.

The setting was lovely. I knew nothing about Vinces, Ecuador, which was also known as “Little Paris.” I loved learning about the whole process of growing and harvesting cacao. It was amazing that despite all the farming, these people had never tasted chocolate. The history of chocolate and the involvement of women was eye opening.

The story and the mystery itself is light with a few twists. It kept me reading to find the resolution and it was satisfying if a bit rushed.

The writing is very good. I felt like Puri was writing a journal or talking directly to me and I liked how plot points were revealed in a sharp fast way without overly dragging events out. The author is a new one to me and I intend to check out her other book, The Sisters of Alameda Street, very soon.

Thanks to Lorena Hughes, Kensington and NetGalley. What a pleasure to read!

Two of my favorite genres are historical fiction and mystery -- and The Spanish Daughter managed to weave those two together in such a satisfying way!

First of all, I loved the plot of this novel. Puri disguises herself as her husband to try and uncover which of her siblings wants her dead. Set in the historical context of the 1920s, this was a really intriguing glimpse into gender roles of that time period and a fascinating storyline.

While I do wish that I'd gotten a bit more of a feel for the cacao plantation itself, this.was a lovely historical story full of family drama and character insights. The secrets kept me guessing until the very end, and the setting felt unique and fresh.

(Also, in terms of overall reader satisfaction, the cover of this novel is absolutely gorgeous and deserves its share of stars too!)

Ecuador, 1920. Maria Purificacion arrives in Vinces to claim her inheritance. While on the ship, her husband Cristobal perishes when trying to protect Maria. Now, she is disguising as her late husband since there was an attempt on her life. Once on the cocoa plantation, she learns that there is one caveat of the will she wasn’t expecting. She is to be in charge of her late father’s cacao plantation, holding 50% of assets. But since she is supposedly dead, she can’t claim it.

As Maria tries to unravel who is behind the attempt on her life, we get to know her half-siblings in flashbacks, which add to the constantly building suspense. The characters are interestingly developed; the story is engrossingly woven, making it a quick read. I constantly kept guessing who was behind the attempt.

However, when it comes to historical background, I wished it depicted vibrantly the town of Vinces known as Little Paris and the life on cocoa plantation and what it entails.

Source: ARC was provided by the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.