Member Reviews

The cover gave me Encanto vibes and I knew I needed to read this. The Enchanted Hacienda is a book filled with magic, family, and romance. I loved the Estrada family and I loved how they were all connected with each other. Harlow was living her best life-until she realized she truly wasn’t living her life and was ready for something more. Then we’re off to a meet cute with a cutie and a sweet story. A bit of mystery and I was hooked. The words are spellbinding and I could picture the Estrada Hacienda and their garden and flowers. It was fascinating learning the meaning of flowers.
The narrator, Frankie Corzo was an amazing performer. She elevated the story and I loved every second of it. She used a variety of tones and inflections and it was easy for me to distinguish who was speaking.
Fans of coming of age, family, romance and magic will enjoy this one.

Special thanks to Netgalley and Harper Audio for the gifted ALC.

Was this review helpful?

This gave Encato/The Inheritance of Orquidea Divina. So sweet and magical. I do wish there had been a little more drama with the journalist. Other than that, another great magical realism book to add to your list!!

Was this review helpful?

The Enchanted Hacienda was a very sweet book. It would be a good beach read this summer!

Harlow Estrada loses her job, throws a drink in her now ex-boyfriend’s face, and goes home to her family’s flower farm in Mexico.

The farm is a magical place where the women in her family have been keeping secrets and making the world better with magic for generations. Harlow has always felt left out of the magic. However, when she returns, she discovers maybe she possesses a magic she never knew she had and begins writing, which she has always desired to do. She meets a beautiful elderly couple and their grandson, Ben. Ben will make her confront her magic and whether their relationship is the result of magic or real.

I rounded up to a ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️. It was probably more a 3.5 for me. The narrator, Frankie Corzo, definitely enhanced the experience. The writing was pretty. It was a sweet story. I just felt there could have been more. The reporter line seemed weak and I would have liked more magic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harper Audio for this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I loved this comforting story of love and magic and family, and finding where you fit in the world. It reminded me of an adult Encanto, which tells you how wonderful it is!

Was this review helpful?

Listening to this book was such a joy! This story features Harlow, who flees who dead-end relationship and the hustle bustle of city life for her family's magical Hacienda in Mexico. What was supposed to be a quick break becomes longer as she becomes responsible for supervising the enchanted farms and magical flower sales. These flowers contain spells carefully crafted by the matriarchs of the family. When Harlow accidentally bonds herself to a man she likes, she is left doubting everything about their relationship and what she knows about herself. This book was a gem. From the moment I started it until the very end, I enjoyed it all. The characters were so real and refreshing. It was like a grown-up version of Encanto, minus Bruno of course. Like Encanto, the bond between families is strong, especially among the females. I loved how every female member of the family had a magical power and they all worked together. The sprinkling of Spanish words and folklore was fun to read. I highly recommend this book for libraries serving adult readers.

Was this review helpful?

This book was… honestly it was just strange. It was intriguing at first, but just fell flat for me in the end. It was okay.

Was this review helpful?

Harlow is the only non-magical person in her family, and when her life goes completely sideways, she flees to the magical family flower farm to lick her wounds and recalibrate her life plan. Romance ensues with a handsome stranger in town.

Based on the cover (which is beautiful) and description, I expected this book to be a bit darker/goth-y, in the vein of a Silvia Moreno-Garcia, but this was definitely more in the fluffy romance genre. I have also enjoyed J.C. Cervantes RR series.

Frankie Corzo is a wonderful narrator and she just keeps getting better!

Was this review helpful?

The Enchanted Hacienda is a coming of age story that follows Harlow Estrada through a rough break and homecoming that leads her to embrace her unique gifts and find love in unlikely places. I really enjoyed getting to know Harlow and seeing her rise to the occasion each time she met an obstacle. Ben is the mysterious stranger that Harlow meets. He is likeable but I felt that his character needed more development. The rest of the Estrada women are quirky and interesting and I enjoyed their family dynamic. I loved the connection they all shared and how they could feel each other’s emotions.

This book takes place mainly in Mexico and Canada and I loved how vividly the beautiful settings were described. The flower farm sounded so beautiful and based on the authors description I felt like I had been there.

The writing in this book is beautiful! The characters emotions practically jumped off the page. There were also some really beautiful lines about love and family.

The audio version of this book was great! Frankie Corzo does a great job of bringing Harlow and the Enchanted Hacienda to life!

This novel is as enchanting as its title suggests with its magical setting, unexpected twists and slow burn romance!

Was this review helpful?

Thanks to NetGalley and Harper Audio for an advanced audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

4+ stars

Harlow Estrada's family runs a magical farm in Mexico. While Harlow can feel her family's magic, she doesn't have any. Harlow as a spectacularly bad day getting fired and breaking up with her boyfriend and goes home to the farm.

This was my first book by J.C. Cervantes. I enjoyed The Enchanted Hacienda with its bit of magic, bit of romance, and some mystery thrown in. Ben and Harlow are good characters. My favorite part of the book was all the flowers and their meanings. Makes me want to garden.

Frankie Corzo did an excellent job with the narration.

Was this review helpful?