Another wonderful book by Cleeton. I just wish it was more! I can’t wait until her next full length book releases.

Thank you Amazon Publishing and Net Galley for the eARC of A Night at the Tropicana! All opinions in this review are my own.

I love Chanel Cleeton's novels so I jumped at the chance to read a short story by her. My only complaint about A Night at the Tropicana was that I wish it had been longer! Cleeton's characters are so engaging that you want to continue reading about them. I liked the romance of Natalie and Antonio, and how they only had one night together before being separated. I'm already ready for Cleeton's next full length novel!

a great short story written in true Chanel Cleeton style. I felt as if I was at the Tropicana enjoying the evening.

Loved this short story! Written in her usual captivating Chanel Cleeton style I felt as if I was there at the Tropicana.. Wished this "short story" was an entire book because it was so enjoyable to read!

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. A quick story to where the main character reminisces about a magical evening many years ago!

No big surprises in this story and I feel like I would have liked a bit more of Cuba time. But overall a really satisfying short story to complement the other Cuban historical fictions the Cleeton writes. The characters are developed and the story captures two distinct events in time in a way that meshes well with the other elements. I have to admit that it took me a while to work out the timeline and main characters age in both the past and present.

A solid snippet about the Tropicana that is well written.

This was kind of "eh" for me. I don't know. It didn't really do anything to stand out to me. It was a fine enough read, but I never really got swept away in it. I just think it was a little bit too short for that. On top of that I just thought this was really predictable, and did nothing special. So yeah, it wasn't bad but nothing to write home about either.

A very short story but Cleeton's writing packs a lot in there. She doesn't info dump, she weighs her words with meaning, emotion, and atmosphere.
I will definitely be reading more of her books!

This is a short story full of romance and disappointment. I always enjoy books by Chanel Cleeton, and this story is no exception! She brings a single night alive in the reader’s imagination! Loved it!

I liked the continuation of the family's story in this novella. It's has many of the same themes and ideas as the of books in this series but I like what this adds.

Keeping great memories of Cuba myself, this short novella brought back the exotic atmosphere of the island and its people. The story is a clear-cut romance, an instant entertainment for one evening.

Many thanks to NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for an Advance Review Copy.

This is a short story set in Cuba on the opening night of the famous Tropicana in the 1930s. Cleeton’s writing is very descriptive, so it was very easy to visualize the setting.
A young American woman visiting Cuba meets a Cuban doctor on her last night and they fall in love.
This novella is only 5 chapters and it left me wanting more of their story (which is how I always feel when reading novellas).
Thank you to NetGalley, Amazon Original Stories and Chanel Cleeton the digital ARC.

With only five chapters this short story was too short! I think Natalie and Antonio deserved one more chapter covering their meeting and time spent at the Tropicana. This bit played out like a movie in my head and I would have liked it to be longer.

The cover picture is absolutely stunning 😍!

My thanks to NetGalley, the publisher Amazon Original Stories and the author for the e-Arc.

I was so excited when I saw that this Chanel Cleeton short story was available to read instantly on NetGalley today. I clicked the button to commit to reading it, sent it to my Kindle, and then realized that it archives today. So here we are 30 minutes later writing about the reading experience.

If you, like me, are just constantly waiting for the next installment of Cleeton’s Cuban Saga series, this is the surprise short story you’ve been waiting for to tide you over. Set mainly in 1930s Cuba, the reader gets to follow 18 year-old Natalie attend opening night of the Tropicana where she meets Antonio. Usually reserved, Natalie breaks out of her shell on this last night of her family vacation.

Keep in mind: This isn’t a novel so you’re just not going to get the same depth in terms of characterization and historical background that you’re used to in a Cleeton novel. So I’m rating this, I had to set those things aside. What this is is a delightfully romantic 40-something paged story about one magical night in Cuba. I give the 30-minutes that it entertained me four stars.

This ARC was provided by the publisher via Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

📚 This is quick novella mostly set in 1930s Cuba on the opening night of the famous Tropicana. Cleeton sets the scene perfectly, and it is easy to visualize what that night must have been like. A young American woman, with plans to become a doctor, meets a Cuban man who is already one, and they fall hard for one another. This novella is a love story; love for another person and love for one's career, and how sometimes those are at odds with one another.

🩺 The main character is a female physician who would have gone to medical school in the 1940s, and she is very focused on this goal. She would have needed to be. Just 4-7% of medical doctors during that decade (and the few to follow) were female. Now, more than half of medical students in the US are women.

The story was short and sweet. It is a dual timeline and a second chance romance. I would love to read an extended version of it.

This was a book I picked up last month as a book to fulfill my kindle reading challenge. I read it in one sitting as it's a short story. It took me less than an hour. I felt so deeply moved by the story that I was saddened when the story ended. I wanted the story to continue. I laughed and at times almost cried for the main character in the book. I recommend this to anyone looking for something short but moving. This is definitely a bit different than I typically read but I absolutely loved it and was thrilled to read it and am happy to be able to review it even though I didn't originally get my copy through Netgalley. 5/5 Stars. I would definitely read this author again.

This has everything you'd expect from a Chanel Cleeton book - it's a classic historical romance set in Cuba and Miami and it really packs in a lot for such a short story.
Flipping between two timelines, we begin in 1969 Miami, where divorcee doctor Natalie is organising a hospital fundraiser based on a night at legendary Cuban nightclub, The Tropicana. We are then taken back to 1939, where university student Natalie is on holiday with her family. The family spend a night at the opening of The Tropicana, where Natalie meets an older man, Antonio, and they enjoy one short but romantic evening together.
The narrative interweaves with political commentary on Fidel Castro's Cuba and the mass migration to Florida, which adds an informative layer to the story.
I enjoyed this very much, it did at times feel like an outline for a longer book. I'm not sure it would be possible to squeeze a lot more out of this story which makes it a perfect novella!

Chantel again writes another amazing historical fiction mixed with some romance. This short romance tells the story of Natalie who is on vacation in Cuba with her parents in 1939.While on vacation Natalie spots a gentleman that she finds attractive and sparks fly.

3★
“…in the end he fell in love with a coworker as though it was nothing, our years together erased by a flirtation.”

She is a doctor, did everything right, divorced. Natalie’s not happy, but she’s thrown herself into the big Miami fundraiser in 1969, where they’re recreating a night at the Cuban nightclub, the Tropicana.

Her mother was Cuban, so back in 1939, her father took the family to Cuba to learn something about their heritage.

“My parents’ marriage has always struck me as a love match, and I can’t help but think that my father’s enthusiasm for this trip is tied to his desire to know this part of my mother, to understand where she comes from and how her Cuban heritage has made her the person she is.

I think my mother wanted to understand where she came from too. How her family’s past could twist and turn inside her to define her present. My mother came from people who left their home with the hope that their children would have a better life, and I think she carries that responsibility with her, that need to make their sacrifice worth it.”

Natalie was then at university, but her sister is only sixteen, so when dad suggests taking them to the big opening night of the Tropicana, mother is a bit reluctant. But dad wins the day, the girls dress up, and off they go to spot celebrities.

As they all wander off to enjoy themselves, Natalie thinks about how out-of-place she feels. She is naturally studious, curious, and determined to be a doctor, not such an easy thing for a woman in 1939. There is a fair bit in this short story, in both the 1939 1nd 1969 timelines, about that difficulty, about Cuban history, about the migrant situation, and about the Cuban community in Florida banding together to help new arrivals.

A handsome stranger invites her to dance, and from there you might as well go with the flow and enjoy the predictable relationship. More Cuban history is squeezed into the conversation. There’s nothing particularly new here, but it’s enjoyable enough.

I do wish an editor had picked up a couple of clumsy errors: “palatable excitement” instead of palpable, and “strands from the orchestra” instead of strains. I have a friend who frequently talks like this, so I tend to be sensitive to it, I guess. I felt I was reading something from an inexperienced author, not someone who is apparently already successful.

Having said that, I know many readers will love it for the romance. Thanks to #NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for a copy of #ANightattheTropicana for review.