I am a huge fan of historical fiction, as well as an avid listener of audiobooks. I was so happy to receive the audiobook (and printed version) of The Spanish Daughter by fauthor Lorena Hughes for review. Her prior novel The Sisters of Alameda Street, won several awards.

The Spanish daughter tells the story of Maria Purificacion, who, at the beginning of the book receives a note that she must travel to (from her home in Spain) to Ecuador to receive her inheritance from her father. He moved away long ago, but it appears, that he did not forsake her. As she crosses the ocean, with her husband, she feels she is being watched. Then, she is attacked, but it is her husband who is killed trying to save her. Someone wanted her dead before she received the inheritance. She shows up in Ecuador disguised as her husband Cristobal, and she plans to figure out who wanted her dead.

I really enjoyed everything about this book, the prose and the narration by Frankie Corzo is excellent. I highly recommend it!

Thank you #netgalley, @rbmedia for the audiobook and @kensingtonbooks for the ebook, in return for my honest review. 5 stars!

In a Nutshell: It was good, not great. I have pretty much mixed feelings about every aspect of this book. So you may or may not read it depending on your reading preferences. Read on to know more.

Story:
Ecuador, 1920. Puri (short for Maria Purificacion deLafont) and her husband Cristóbal are on their way by ship from their native Spain to Ecuador, in response to a letter received from her lately-deceased father's lawyer, asking her to come and claim her inheritance. (Oh my! What a long sentence!) But aboard the ship, someone attempts to murder her. When Cristóbal comes to her rescue, both the assailant and he end up dead and Puri is unexpectedly left a widow in the middle of nowhere. To safeguard herself from future attacks and from being a woman travelling alone in a new country, she takes over her husband's identity and disembarks the ship as Cristóbal. Can she find out the truth of who wants her dead?
The story is narrated in the first person perspectives of Puri, and her step sisters Anjelica and Catalina. The latter two perspectives begin a few years in the past, slowly making their way to the present timeline of 1920.

Pro: The book is a combination of multiple genres: historical fiction, mystery and family drama
Con: It works very well as a family drama, partially as a historical fiction, and not at all as a mystery.

Pro: The female mc dressed as a man for most of the story provides an entertaining historical insight. Some of her experiences are quite well written.
Con: There are way too many lines dedicated to comparisons between men and woman. Puri has constant refrains on things that men have easy, things that they have tough, and the same comparisons for women. It starts off well but soon becomes repetitive and irksome.

Pro: Puri seems like a strong and intelligent woman who wants to be independent in a day and age where women were expected to be puppets at the hands of their husbands. She makes an impactful mc in this regard.
Con: Her character isn’t sketched in a way that makes you connect with her realistically. For instance, her father is supposed to have abandoned her mother when she was just two. He settled in a new country and had a new family. Thereafter his correspondence with her was through sporadic letters. Yet, she feels only loyalty towards him rather than anger. Her feelings for Cristóbal keep shifting throughout the story.

Pro: A great part of the story deals with finding out who the mysterious assailant is. There are enough characters on whom the author throws a shadow of doubt, thereby attempting to give your brain cells a lot to chew upon.
Con: I could easily guess who the culprit was, once they appeared in the storyline. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯ There were a few surprise twists but nothing quite astounding.

Pro: Having been written in first person voices of three female characters, the story has a lot of emotional pondering and secretive actions. To a certain extent, this enhances the mystery.
Con: A tiny part of me feels that the book might have worked better in third person narrative because none of the leading ladies were likeable (at least for me). And none of the characters, main or secondary, were captivating enough to hold my interest beyond a certain level.

Pro: The biggest appeal of this book lies in the fact that a woman in 1920 Ecuador dressed up as a man to detect her potential killer. So it doesn’t fall into your typical historical fiction mould.
Con: The whole idea seems unrealistic on many levels. How did Puri disembark without the captain or any passenger even realising that she was dressed as the dead passenger? There’s a line saying that she gave away her gowns to other passengers. Didn’t anyone question why? Wherever there is doubt of how she passed off as a man, there’s content to show you that she was exceptionally tall for her gender or that she had a deep voice. But towards the latter half when she reveals her identity. Her face is said to be delicate. She is said to have stolen the beard from a performing troupe on board and wears Cristóbal’s glasses to further add a layer of camouflage. How the heck did she see properly with those glasses? It was just farfetched and too convenient. Even beyond Puri’s disguise, there are many elements that don’t make sense. For instance, why would a woman of the 1920s tell her dead stepsister’s husband (whom she knows for just a few days) of how she lost her virginity? Didn’t she have any other shoulders to cry upon?

Pro: The historical aspects of a cacao plantation and chocolate making are excellently written.
Con; No con here. This is the best part of the book, though it makes just a brief appearance in the story.

Overall, I think I expected a lot, especially considering that this is an ‘Own Voice’ book. So if you reduce your expectations and proceed without using your inner logical detective too much, you might just enjoy it more than I did. Just focus more on the history than on the mystery, and you ought to like it reasonably well.

I heard the audiobook, clocking at 9 hrs 45 minutes and narrated by Frankie Corzo. The narration was quite nice and her rendering of the Spanish words made me feel like she really knew her Spanish. (I have no idea if she was pronouncing them right because I don’t know Spanish. 😂) At the same time, keep in mind that there are multiple timelines and multiple perspectives. If you are a newbie audiobook listener, this audio production will befuddle you. Stick to reading instead.

3.25 stars from me.

My thanks to RB Media, Recorded Books, and NetGalley for the ALC of “The Spanish Daughter”. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion about the audiobook.

This is a period piece, based on a family who has made their money by growing the plant that is used to make chocolate. It is the first book I've ever read that takes place on a chocolate plantation. While I would have liked to know more about the life of those who worked on the plantation, this book focuses on the family who live in the main house.

The family relationships are strained from he start. The owner of the plantation is the father of one "legitimate" daughter, three illegitimate children (two girls and one boy), and one daughter that he doesn't acknowledge as his child. The bulk of the plantation is left to the "legitimate" daughter, who has to travel from Spain to collect her inheritance. An assassination attempt on the crossing leads to her decision to dress has her recently discussed husband, and pretend to be him as she investigates who tried to have her killed.

The whole premise of the book is unique, the story was well paced, and the characters were well-rounded. They all had their own little secrets that added depth, especially to the more traditional characters. I also felt like the discovery of the main character's gender (that she was a woman posing as her husband) would have had a bit more backlash in that time period. After all, they are still wearing corsets and dresses and are supposed to be a proper, upper class family. I also felt like the ending was odd. I won't give away what happened, but the event occurs abruptly with little to no warning, and it left me feeling a bit unsatisfied.

Despite the few shortcomings, I enjoyed the book. My biggest issues came near the very end, which was disappointing, but it didn't ruin the appreciation I had for the earlier parts of the book.

I was fortunate enough to receive a copy of the audiobook for 'The Spanish Daughter'. This is a historical fiction set in 1920 Ecuador and is a story about legacy, loss, jealousy and family. It blends family drama, a murder mystery and the real-life history of the coastal town known as the “birthplace of cacao”, rich in cultural narrative.

Puri, the main character is really likeable, she is strong and determined yet has flaws and weaknesses. The supporting characters are equally compelling.

The audiobook was really enjoyable and a pleasure to listen to it. The narrator, Frankie Corza has a soothing voice that is easy to listen to. She brings a warmth to the story and an authenticity to the characters.

3.5 stars rounded up
This was a very good and interesting read. I thought it was great that this book was a genre hybrid being part historical fiction and part murder mystery as im not the greatest fan of mystery books but I really enjoyed this one. I enjoyed it from the very start. The story-line was very unique in which the main character had to pretend to be a man in order to solve the murder.  I listened to the audiobook and thought the narrator did a very good job at creating a great atmosphere and I loved her voice it worked so well. I found the beginning of this book so captivating and fast paced.  However it slowed a little in the middle section but then picked up again at the end of the book. There was so many different characters and you were told just enough about them to believe you knew them but there was twists in the book to shock us. I thoroughly enjoyed the ending where the main character pulled all the pieces together to solve the mystery.    I did love the fact that the main character had to pretend to be a man and found the fishing section rather humorous.
This is a perfect book for all those who love a good murder mystery.
Many thanks to the author and publishers for putting together this thrilling murder mystery together for us all to enjoy.
The above review has already been placed on goodreads, waterstones, Google books, Barnes&noble, kobo, amazon UK and my blog https://ladyreading365.wixsite.com/website/post/the-spanish-daughter-by-lorena-hughes-recorded-books-rb-media-3-5-stars

🔊Song Pairing: Después de Ti…Qué? - Cristian Castro

💭What I thought would happen:

I thought it would end in tears and presumed there’d be a lot of sexist snides

📖What actually happens:

Puri and her husband run a successful chocolat shoppe in Spain in the 1920s when notice that Puri’s long lost father has passed and has left his cocoa bean plantation to her. Off to Ecuador go Puri and Cristóbal.

On the voyage over Cristóbal is murdered by a hired hand intent on killing Puri, obviously related to her recent inheritance. Puri soon has to disguise herself as her late husband and to discover who hired a mercenary to murder her. Once there she discovers several people who are bitter about her majority stake in the plantation. Was it her step siblings or her father’s right hand man?!

🗯Thoughts:

-Chocolate ☑️
-Women taking charge of their own lives in a man’s world ☑️
-Travel and the experience of a new culture☑️

…What’s not to like!

I loved the rich vibrant country that was described in this book and Puri’s passion for chocolate is so rich and decadent. Prepare to have some serious hot cocoa cravings when indulging in this book!

I loved all the characters and the development is absolutely excellent. This book was a surprising murder mystery x historical fiction x family drama combo. I was all for it!

I’d say the transition between character POVs was hard to keep up with at times. There are many characters and I was confused a handful of times as to who was tied to who.

I now want to learn more about the chocolate and cocoa bean business in Central America in the early 20th century. An interesting and unique topic.

Read this in 2022. I think you’re going to enjoy it!

Historical Fiction/Family Drama/Mystery all wrapped into one!

An Ecuadorian cacao plantation in the 1920's becomes the luscious surrounding for Puri to discover who tried to kill her on her way to claim her part of the inheritance left by her father. The effort was successful in taking her husband, and so Puri dons his identity to afford herself more time and resources to find out the killer all while discovering her unknown family and all that her father had hidden. He had a lot, and so does everyone else.

I really enjoyed listening to this family saga with all the fascinating, and (not too many) details of the cacao industry! Going through a gender switch in this time period was an interesting way to reflect on the limitations and benefits awarded each of the sexes, while allowing for the nonconforming facets as well. The whodunit aspect kept the tension going as family secrets kept emerging and suspects kept changing. The ending was very satisfying and as Publishers Weekly stated, very "modern".

And I loved the imagery of trying chocolate for the first time!!

If you enjoy Historical Fiction and a good family drama, definitely pick this up or take a listen! Ms.Corzo did a great job at narration.

Thank you to NetGalley and RB Media, Recorded Books for this ALC, which is now available for everyone!!

If you're looking for a historical novel that will transport you to a time and place you don't read about often, look no further! I enjoyed this historical family saga set in 1920s Spain and Ecuador based around their cacao plantation. When Puri learns of her estranged father's passing in Ecuador, she takes it as a sign and an opportunity. She convinces her husband to abandon their chocolate shop in Spain and start over in Ecuador. The journey doesn't go as expected though and Puri is forced to arrive under a false identity. What follows is a compelling mystery, rich with historical detail and complicated family dynamics. Really excellently narrated by Frankie Corzo. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for my ALC!

The Spanish Daughter by Lorena Hughes
Read by Frankie Corzo
With recommendations from everywhere starting with the Washington Post, PopSugar, Book Riot and others, I expected more from this book than I got. It is important to promote Own Voices authors but that should only be one of many criteria, not necessarily the main one.
I just did not find this story or the characters compelling and what I got about Ecuador was that it is very hot. There was a very short section about cacao production but it seemed more like an info dump than anything else.
I still don’t see how Puri got off the ship disguised as her husband. I don’t consider this a spoiler since it happened in the first chapter.
Sad to say that I did not enjoy the voice actor much either. There was not much differentiation in the character’s voices and she has an annoying habit of using a glottal stop rather than enunciating the letter “T” in the middle of words.

I listened to the audiobook, and the narrator, Frankie Corzo, was fantastic. I recognized her voice immediately. When I looked her up, I saw that I recently listened to another book she narrated, The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. (I liked that book, too.)

The story is mostly told by the main character, Puri, with some flashbacks from other characters’ points of view. Puri is a chocolatier in Spain in the 1920s, but when she inherits part of a cocoa plantation in Ecuador from her estranged father, she travels there with her husband. On the way, someone tries to kill her, but the attacker and her husband die instead. She keeps going to her destination, impersonating her husband to find out who is out to get her.

What she finds is siblings she never knew existed, deep buried family secrets, and a new-found freedom that comes with being male at that time. It was interesting to experience that along with Puri- her noting the lack of chivalry that she’s used to, but also how freeing it is to be a man. There aren’t as many societal rules that she has to adhere to.

This book is a mystery, a family drama, and historical fiction all rolled into one. It has twists and turns as Puri discovers more and more about what’s going on. I liked it a lot. Thank you to Recorded Books and NetGalley for my copy.

This was an audiobook for me and it was really, really good. I can’t believe how much I liked it. I mean I knew it was going to be an interesting read but this was great! The narrator, Frankie Corzo was excellent and I loved the writing. It was rich in cultural narrative and history. With compelling, vibrant characters that only created more mystery and wonder.
I’m really glad I found this author and look forward to reading her next novel. I highly recommend listening to this.
Thanks Recorded Books via NetGalley.

#TheSpanishDaughter #NetGalley

𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗦𝗽𝗮𝗻𝗶𝘀𝗵 𝗗𝗮𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝗲𝗿 𝗯𝘆 𝗟𝗼𝗿𝗲𝗻𝗮 𝗛𝘂𝗴𝗵𝗲𝘀 is a Historical Fiction novel set in 1920s Ecuador that is fill with rich culture, interesting events and a mystery.

✨𝑷𝒖𝒃𝒍𝒊𝒄𝒂𝒕𝒊𝒐𝒏 𝑫𝒂𝒕𝒆: December 28, 2022

𝕊𝕪𝕟𝕠𝕡𝕤𝕚𝕤:

As a child growing up in Spain, Puri always knew her passion for chocolate was inherited from her father. But it’s not until his death that she learns of something else she’s inherited—a cocoa estate in Vinces, Ecuador. Puri sets off with her husband Cristóbal to claim her portion of the land while filled with hope for a new life after World War I. It soon becomes clear someone is angered by Puri’s claim to the estate and wants her dead.

In a turn of events Cristóbal is killed instead and Puri is left with only one option. She disguises herself as her husband to seek her share of the land and learn who was out to kill her.

𝗧𝗵𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵𝘁𝘀:🤔
🍫 I loved the history that is seamlessly woven in and feels apart of the story.

🧐 The murder mystery is interesting and filled with twists and turns! Who would want to kill Puri?!?!?

💪🏼 Strong female characters. The story is written mostly from Puri’s POV, but also from her half sister.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I really enjoyed this audiobook and was enthralled by the setting and the beautiful writing. I loved the characters and the way the story was wrapped up.

👏🏼Thank you NetGalley and RB Media for this audio copy in exchange for an honest review.

🎧 Wonderful job by Frankie Corzo as narrator!

I listened to the audiobook of The Spanish Daughter. The narrator has done an excellent job.

History, mystery and family drama!

This book kept me interested the whole way through and I really did get surprised by the revelation of the mastermind behind the murder. It was interesting to contemplate the differences between the freedoms of men and women in the early 20th century and the complexity of the chocolate-making process!

This is the first Lorena Hughes book I have read, and I will definitely be reading more of her work now.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publishers for an advance copy of The Spanish Daughter.

Given her love for chocolate, Puri is intrigued when she learns that her estranged father has left her his cocoa estate in Ecuador now that he has passed away. She travels with her husband by boat from Spain to claim her inheritance and meet the half siblings she’s never known, only to have someone attack her and inadvertently murder her husband during the journey. Realizing someone in her family wants to terminate her claim to the land, Puri then disguises herself as her husband so she can safely investigate the mystery and take what is rightfully hers.

No book is perfect, but they might find the perfect reader for the stories they tell. While I noticed the flaws, The Spanish Daughter did prove to be an enjoyable read for me. Although I felt the writing style was a bit bland, the narrative is packed with a richness that helps make up for what the writing lacks. The historical and cultural detail, along with a compelling mystery, kept me invested all the way through. I also found Puri’s perspective on how differently she was treated as a man interesting. Plus, there was a lot of chocolate involved and it’s hard for me to dislike anything that contains chocolate!

The ending was a bit tidy, which is not my favorite thing, but I also found a certain aspect made me quite emotional and, ultimately, I was happy for Puri. I do wish, however, that the author had developed her writing more so it would have authentically captured the depth of heartache, grief, confusion, and longing experienced by the characters. This could have been an incredibly powerful mystery with all of the complexities it aimed to tackle.

I do believe that anyone who purchases a physical copy of this book should receive a delectable bar of chocolate alongside it - what a great marketing idea that is! - but I also believe it’s a worthy read, even without that delicious bonus. 😉

I am immensely grateful to RB Media and Kensington Publishing Corp for my audio review copy through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Spanish Daughter hit the shelves today! Happy Publication Day!

3.5 rounded up
Historical fiction set in Ecuador in the 1920s. Strong female protagonist and interesting story. Well researched. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to listen to this audiobook

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the advanced electronic audio copy of this book. I enjoyed learning about Ecuador in the 1920s and the chocolate.

Puri inherited her passion for chocolate from her father who had abandoned her as a child, and with his passing, she inherits his cocoa plantation in Ecuador.  Having not seen him in many years she is not prepared for several surprises that await her on her voyage to the plantation in Vinces, Ecuador. 
Lorena Hughes had me hooked early on in this audio version of her family saga and this caused me to listen to the entire book in just 3 days.  She incorporates several twists and turns which kept me on my toes as I tried to decipher who had murdered her husband on the voyage across the sea.  
As one reviewer put it perfectly, " It's as addictive as chocolate" and I agree!  A well-written family saga!

Frankie Corzo, as narrator, was successful in creating different voices for the numerous characters in the book and it was easy to tell who was speaking. She brought Hughes' prose to life and helped transport me to Ecuador to witness the sibling rivalry firsthand. 

Many thanks to RB Media, Net Galley, and Lorena Hughes for providing this advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

If you like historical fiction, mysteries, novels with strong women, and chocolate - The Spanish Daughter is a book for you!

I instantly connected with Puri's fearless personality. Her decision to impersonate her husband gives her the experiences first-hand how men and women are tilted largely in favor of men in the 1920s. The family drama and secrets kept me on the edge of my seat until the very end.

For die heart Historical Fiction fans, the Spanish Daughter will be a nice break from the typical WWII novels based during this time period.

I will also note that the Author's Note was a nice added touch!

Thank you to NetGalley and Kensington Books for an advanced copy in exchange for a honest review.

For some reason, 2021 has been the year I’ve read several stories about women posing as men in the past. Here, Puri has learned of her father’s death and is traveling with her husband to Ecuador, where her father lived since she was two. But during the crossing, someone kills her husband in an attempt on her life. For her own safety, she begins to pass as her husband, because someone is obviously upset about her inheriting a portion of her father’s cocoa estate. When she arrives in Vinces, she discovers her father had a second family, with three additional children.
I was drawn to this novel based on a comparison to Julia Alvarez. And there is a similarity in style - a lush style of writing, well developed characters.
This story blends the mystery of who is behind the murder of Cristobal with a well researched historical story of the cocoa industry. Told primarily from Puri’s point of view, we also get glimpses into the thoughts and backgrounds of her half sisters.
The story is a slow build family drama, with the first half entirely taking up with setting the scene and introducing a wide range of characters.
Despite Hughes’ detailed descriptions on how Puri passed as a man, I was having trouble buying into it. It took a suspension of belief to think a fake beard was enough to fool people. I also think part of the problem was the narrator’s voice. Frankie Corzo narrates and she has a lovely feminine voice. Puri’s voice is supposedly naturally deep, but Corzo’s attempts to talk in a low, husky voice failed to convince.
I did appreciate the way that Puri passing as a man provided her (and us) an eye into the contrast between men’s and women's lives in the day. In scene after scene, she sees first hand the freedoms her sex is denied.
In addition to spelling out the differences between the sexes in the 1920s, the book also explores the differences between the classes.
While the mystery is very low key, there are plenty of suspects as everyone is hiding secrets. Overall, an enjoyable historical fiction that will provide 10 hours of entertainment.
My thanks to Netgalley and RB Media for an advance copy of this audiobook.

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 alternated between listening and reading this one, and I'm glad I did. The audio was great to really get the voices of the characters into my head! 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.