The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes was beatiful. Puri inherited her love of chocoate from her father, as well as a cocoa estate in Ecuador. After a failed assassination attempt that kills her husband, she dons his clothes and assumes his identity. I loved how she came into her own throughout the course of the book. I loved the unflinching look at gender norms.

Excellent narration.

Thank you Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Kensington Books for the gifted book!

Puri was born and raised in Spain, loving chocolate. She knows her passion for chocolate comes from her absentee father who spent the majority of her life on his cocoa estate in Ecuador. Upon her father's death she learns that she has inherited that cocoa estate, so seeking a new life after the devastation of WWI, she and her husband Cristóbal set out for their new life. But when someone tries to kill Puri on their journey and accidently kills Cristóbal instead, Puri decides to go undercover as her husband to find out why her inheritance has put a price on her head. Along the way she learns about family, family secrets, and what it means to trust.

I liked this story in that I learned so much about historical cocoa plantations and the dynamics that were at play at this time in Ecuador. But overall I found this book very slow and I wasn't fully engaged in it. The characters weren't super likeable and Puri herself was so wishy washy in her feelings and so repetitive in her harping on how men have easier lives than women, that it was overdone. The mystery of this book wasn't plausible in how it shook out and felt very overwrought.

All in all, I think unless you like a complicated character driven family drama, you should pass on this one.

There was nothing particularly bad about this book, I just never really got immersed in it. I think that it might have been that the writing (though not bad) just isn’t my style? The plot was good, I just never connected to the characters so it wasn’t as interesting as it could have been.

Unique in the genre of historical fiction, this narrative follows a former Spanish heiress as she makes the daring choice to assume the identity of her recently deceased husband. Although it is highly unlikely that a female protagonist could successfully pass herself off as a guy, the concept is intriguing all the less. The story's interlacing with the rise and fall of Ecuador's cocoa business over the course of several decades creates the impression that it may be a genuine drama waiting to be told. I was drawn in by the combination of mysterious goings-on, family strife, and impending disaster. The use of Spanish vocabulary within the text serves to reinforce the impression that Spanish is being spoken in the discourse. I felt motivated to finish this book since I enjoy reading historical fiction set during the same era. Despite the fact that I'm not a huge fan of novels, I read this one all the way through in only a few days, and I found myself engrossed in the many little plots and conflicts that emerged with each passing chapter. As such, I found the plot entertaining and would suggest it to those who like fantastical stories with a dash of intrigue.

A rich and captivating novel, “The Spanish Daughter” is Lorena Hughes’ (“The Sisters of Alameda Street”) latest historical novel.

Purificación is a chocolatier in Seville in 1920, having inherited her passion for chocolate from her father. After World War I, she receives news her father has passed away in Ecuador and left her an inheritance. She mourns his death because he left for Ecuador when she was a toddler, never returning to Spain.

She’s is also excited at the prospect of travelling to Ecuador because she has always wanted to see what a cacao plantation looks like and how it is run. Part of Hughes’ inspiration for “The Spanish Daughter” was that the woman who patented the cacao bean roaster in 1847 was a Spanish woman.

Puri convinces her husband, Cristóbal, to accompany her on the journey across the Atlantic. Aboard the ship, ‘The Andes’, from Cuba to Ecuador someone tries to murder her and ends up killing Cristóbal instead. Twenty-eight-year-old Puri, terrified by what has happened to her husband, believes the killer is a mercenary sent to kill her. Feeling very vulnerable, especially as a woman, she decides to dress up in her husband’s clothes and continue her expedition as a man.

When she arrives in Ecuador, her father’s lawyer collects her at a coastal town and transports her inland to where cacao is born, in Vinces in the Los Ríos Province. Vinces, known as "Little Paris", is characterized by its ancient buildings, constructed in wood, which belonged to the rich cacao plantation owners and includes a miniature Eiffel Tower.

In Vinces, at her father’s mansion, still dressed as her husband, she learns about hidden affairs, her father’s dark secrets and meets three half-siblings that she didn’t know existed, so she introduces herself as Cristobal. She investigate her father, his legacy and which of her half-siblings hired a mercenary to kill her.

The story is also narrated by her half-sisters, Angélica and Catalina. Angélica is more sophisticated than Catalina. She is a little vain, has many admirers and is married to a Frenchman and living on the cacao estate when Puri meets her. She has always been jealous of Puri because she is her father’s legitimate daughter from Spain, and her father used to talk about Puri to her younger sisters.

Catalina appears religious. She is introverted, reads a lot like and doesn’t talk unless someone asks her questions.

Both women are isolated in the big golden cage where they live and, once a week,they go to the church in town. Puri enjoys dressing up as a man because she doesn’t have to give explanations to anyone about where she’s been or what she is doing.

Along the way, Puri meets an enigmatic man who awakens a passion in her, and she goes through all kinds of crazy experiences dressed as a man until she figures everything out.

“The Spanish Daughter” is that it contains elements of history, mystery and romance. I love reading about exotic destinations and “Little Paris” is a rich setting. This is a wonderful, beautiful family drama. Highly recommended.

A huge thank you to @Netgalley and @recordedbooks.

I liked the premise of "The Spanish Daughter" but the story fell flat for me. The plot relied too much on coincidences and on people just spilling their life stories to a person they've just met.
The characters didn't get a lot of development and their relationships felt rather rushed.

I received a reviewer copy of The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes from the publisher RB Media from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

What It’s About: When her estranged father dies, Puri and her husband travel to Ecuador from Spain to claim her rightful inheritance of her father's cocoa estate, which might be the ticket to saving her family's finances and her own chocolate shop. However, when her husband is killed by an assassin on a boat after Puri was attacked, Puri takes on his identity to find who of her father's family hired the assassin.

What I Loved: I thought that the mystery element of who killed 'Puri' was intriguing. I felt the book was very atmospheric.

What I didn’t like so much: A lot of this could very much be listening to it and not really feeling like I could keep track of the characters and how they were all connected. However, I do feel that while the premise was interesting, but a lot of the parts that attracted me to the book were hindered by the fact that Puri was undercover. I was interested in the family dynamics of a long lost sister returning to a family who has always lived without her but in her shadow, but that wasn't explored as well because the whole time the characters thought that Puri was dead. I also felt for similar reasons we could not get to know the family members because Puri was pretending to be a long lost brother in law, which they had less ability to open up to.

Who Should Read It: People who want atmospheric fiction. People who want historical fiction that looks at more diverse locations/stories/timelines.

General Summary: A daughter comes to her fathers home but not as the daughter everyone expects.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5

I had the best time with this book. I had such high expectations and was super nervous to read this, however it was so good.

There’s so much to this story and I would highly recommend this!

This is a story about Puri who is traveling to Ecuador to check out the estate she has inherited from her estranged, late father. While traveling there her husband, Cristobel is murdered. Puri fears she was the true target so she assumes her husband's identity to try to stay safe while she tries to figure out the lay of the land in Ecuador. This book is filled with intrigue and family drama. I listened to the audiobook which I really enjoyed.

I was surprised by how much I enjoyed this book. It was the right combination of character driven and plot driven with a little mystery and family drama thrown in. I thought the author did an excellent job too of setting the scene, not just describing it, but making the reader feel and almost smell it. I also love the details about chocolate and cacao farming. The audio performance further enhanced the story for me.

A clever mystery that defies an easy solution! This story pulls the reader further into the story with every character reveal. Very enjoyable listen!

3.5 stars

I enjoyed Lorena Hughes’ historical fiction/mystery novel. It gave a glimpse into the cacao trade in Ecuador and how it had connections to France.

The treatment of men vs women was juxtaposed as we journey along with the protagonist as she poses as a man to learn the name of the killer.

The story got repetitive at parts and the same points were made. I won’t add a spoiler, but I questioned the protagonists’ decision regarding a character as well.

I listened to the audiobook, which was excellently narrated by Frankie Corzo. She gave life to the story and it was an engaging listen.

My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for the Advanced Review Copy of the audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I loved this book! This is not the typical book/genre I would reach for, but I am so glad I decided to read this novel. It was such a good story with wonderful character development. It was a quick read for such an intense plot which I can always appreciate. There was even a small twist at the end that gave it a spark of mystery. I would highly recommend this audiobook, especially for a book club.

With so many twists and turns, The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes kept me guessing in the best way! Set mostly in 1920s Ecuador, the story follows Puri as she travels from Spain to meet her estranged father’s other family on a cocoa plantation in the lush town of Vinces, Ecuador. But, who can she trust in this land where someone wants her dead?

From the book blurb: “When a mercenary sent to murder her aboard the ship accidentally kills Cristóbal instead, 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. Though freed from the rules that women are expected to follow, Puri confronts other challenges at the estate—newfound siblings, hidden affairs, and her father’s dark secrets. Then there are the dangers awakened by her attraction to an enigmatic man as she tries to learn the identity of an enemy who is still at large, threatening the future she is determined to claim…”

There are a ton of details, which were impossible for me to keep straight, but I think that was the author’s intent and a way to keep the reader guessing. It certainly kept me eager to continue reading/listening to the story!

Really enjoyed the twists and suspense! Thanks to RB Media and @NetGalley for the audio review copy of this book! It was fantastic!

Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️ (4/5)

I really liked the publisher’s synopsis and teasers for this novel but it didn’t live up to my expectations. Although there were plot points I definitely needed to see how they came to fruition, I was not pleased with the process. So much of this novel takes place inside the main character Puri’s head. It makes it feel like a dumbed-down YA experience and even younger YA would wonder why everything is being over explained.

I loved the historical context and setting and could picture the cacao plantation and hacienda but the story was too static at the beginning/middle and all over the place at the end.

I specifically want to address the audiobook thanks to an advanced listener’s audiobook from Netgalley, Recorded Books, and Lorena Hughes in exchange for an honest and fair review. Narrator Frankie Corzo delivers beautiful Spanish pronunciation and it’s very easy to understand for those unfamiliar with the language. The problem is more with the casting. The story calls for Puri to go incognito as her late husband as to keep herself safe in a foreign country. Corzo’s voice is comical as a male; it’s much too high and feminine to ever be believable. Normally a listener would not judge this so harshly, but the story revolves around the character being believed to be a man (which she portrays for over 3/4 the novel). I also was not impressed with Corzo’s limited British accent.

I wanted more of Puri’s love of chocolate and historical context. If you want more, I would definitely go with the print or ebook format. 2/5 ⭐️

Set in the 1920’s in Ecuador. The author does a great job describing the atmosphere and landscaping of the cacao farm near Ecuador’s coastal region.

On their way to claim an inheritance Puri also learns she has a family. While traveling, an attempt is made to kill Puri, sadly her husband is killed instead. Puri is determined to find out who is behind the murder and why. She decides to disguise herself as a man while meeting her new found family.

I really enjoyed this book! I listened to the audiobook and read the book. It’s a well written book! I was eager to figure out who the murderer was!! This was a wonderful read!!

Thank you NetGalley for the opportunity to review this book,

I feel certain that many many people would thoroughly enjoy this audiobook! Though I found the narration rather slow (I had to speed it up to keep my interest), the story flows well & the plot is interesting.

⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️
Thank you to RBMedia, NetGalley and Kensington for the arc. I did receive both an ebook and audio version. What an amazing story. Narrator did a great job telling the story! The author and the narrator pulled me into this story and held me captive until the very end. Highly recommend.

3 stars

A Spanish chocolate maker heads to Ecuador to claim her inheritance, but decides to impersonate her recently murdered husband in order to investigate his death.

[What I liked:]

•I enjoyed the part about Catalina & the vision of the Virgin Mary! So funny.

•The descriptions & the setting are well written. I enjoyed the descriptions of the plantation, hacienda, & town in Ecuador especially.

•I like the conclusion in the last chapter/epilogue, how everything worked out. It was a satisfying ending to see where all the characters ended up two years down the road.


[What I didn’t like as much:]

•Ugh, Puri makes a big assumption about a love interest & doesn’t bother communicating about it to confirm it or not.

•Some of Puri’s comments are a bit baffling. Would an educated, intelligent, 28-year-old woman really believe all men are & act the same? She literally states at one point how surprised she is that men can have different, nuanced personalities & characters. She likewise makes some sweeping generalizations about women that are a bit short sighted.

•Many of the main plot points & twists are borderline unbelievable, especially the parts with Elisa.

CW: sexism, murder, substance abuse, dubious consent, infidelity

[I received an ARC ebook copy from NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. Thank you for the book!]

I enjoyed parts of this book but I had a hard time about 50% in. It felt a bit tedious though I liked the idea of a woman passing as a man and the food and chocolate descriptions were lovely. Overall just ok for me.