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.

Thank you to Amazon Original Stories and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this eARC!

I am a big fan of Chanel Cleeton so I was excited to read a short story by her. I found the concept of this (very) short story to be fun and loved the nostalgia factor. I do wish the story was a bit longer in that I would have loved to have had more description of Natalie and Antonio's interaction with each other in 1939. I also found the ending to be a little bit predictable, but liked the romanticism of it all. Overall, a solid short.

I want more! I love Chanel Cleeton’s writing and storytelling, and this short story is no exception. She has a wonderful ability to merge history into character-driven stories. Even in the short pages of this novella, I felt connected to the main character, and her story of family expectations and being a career driven woman combined with wanting more.

This was beautiful and enchanting. Dazzling even. I wish it was longer! I need more than just a novella from Queen Cleeton lol. She has a gift for settings, pulling you in and making you feel like a guest at the Tropicana, falling in love right with the club alongside Antonio and Natalie.

I love Chanel Cleeton so I was excited to read this book. It is only a 40 page short story but I ended with a smile on my face. It was great. It takes place in the 1960s in Miami. Natalie is at a hospital fundraiser and she thinks back to when she had one evening with a man 30 years earlier in Cuba at the Tropicana nightclub. That is all I can say about it. Obviously it was a quick read.


-"You can’t even call it a vacation romance, just one unforgettable night."

Lovely short story about a doctor in Miami in 1969 and a flashback to the opening night she spent at The Tropicana cabaret in Cuba 30 years earlier. Vivid imagery and a second chance element. I loved that the main character was a female physician at a time when this was rare and difficult to accomplish. I enjoyed this story.

This very short story manages to convey a second chance at love in a beautiful way, Antonio is the cuban gentleman of my dreams and overall reading about Tropicana's opening night felt like being transported to a different magical still hopeful version of my country.

Sprinkled with political commentary I wasn’t expecting from a short book but was gladly surprised to find, You could feel the sadness and frustration, it resonated with me specially with quotes like “it seems that spirit of making the best of a difficult situation is quintessentially cuban” or “you could say i’m a hopeless romantic, I suppose, dreaming of a country that has only ever existed in my mind”

Thank you to NetGalley for the eARC in exchange of my honest review

I wanted to love this because I figured it would be a short and sweet historical romance but I was struggling to get into it and it never gripped me.

Another great short story, by a fantastic author! I’m not one for loving an second chance romance group, but the simplicity and quick storyline led me to love this one. A great choice if you’re in a rut - these shorties always bust me out of a reading slump!

Highly enjoyable romantic short story. I didn't want it to end. Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book

A great, quick glimpse of life in Cuba and those who choose to flee. It is a lost lovers reunited story that also hits on the history and the stellar medical training Cuba provided it's doctors. Can't wait for the next novel.

A Night at the Tropicana by Chanel Cleeton is a beautifully written romantic love story. I loved the characters. And I felt for them.

This short story fits in beautifully with Chanel's Cuba books. In this one a woman visits a night club in Miami and reflects on a night she spent at the opening of the Tropicana in Cuba thirty years ago and the boy she met that night. There really isn't much more room in the book for more than that. As always the book is well written and wonderfully descriptive.

A short but sweet story with a dual timeline. This story flips from the past to the present. It's a hopeless romantic's dream story which was very lovely. I'm not sure if it's the writing or the story itself but I see many others gave it the same number of stars, so I'll have to check out more of Cleeton's writing to be sure.

Thanks to Net Galley for EARC of this story in exchange for an honest review, as always, all words are my own.

A refreshing HistRom novella set against the backdrop of Fidel Castro's regime, broken hopes of a generation and their subsequent flight to Florida. For it's shorter format, it's commendable that the author delves into themes about the pressure to succeed being an immigrant, grief in the loss of one's cultural heritage.

Because of this, I don't quite mind the rather cliche (in the protagonist's words) story of a vacation romance.

Thank you NetGalley and Amazon Original Stories for providing me with a copy of this short story

I love Chanel Cleeton so when I saw a short story written by her I was intrigued. I don't read a lot of short stories, but I enjoyed this one! My only con is that I wish it was longer so I could find out more details. But for how short it is, it did not fail to emotionally draw me in. Chanel Cleeton always does a fantastic job at her descriptions of Miami and Cuba and her books are packed with history which you can learn from. This is a great preview of one of the author's greatest strengths in her novels. Miami and Cubans have a special place in my heart and I will continue to read anything written by Cleeton. If you're curious about the author this is a great story to get your feet wet. This is the perfect choice to for a short feel good romance story.

Thanks to Netgalley and Amazon Original Stories for a digital copy in exchange for my honest review.

It's true that I don't tend to read a lot of short stories, but I simply HAD to make an exception with A Night At The Tropicana. It's no secret that I consider Chanel Cleeton to be one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and I couldn't pass up the opportunity to spend more time with her writing. And what a delightful short story it turned out to be! A Night At The Tropicana uses a dual timeline, where we switch between 1969 Florida and 1939 Cuba. The timelines are connected through the same main character, and I loved spending time with Natalie. Even though I'm not usually that big of a fan of the insta-love trope, somehow it really worked this time around. I think this has a lot to do with the lush and vibrant writing itself, which really made Havana and the Tropicana nightclub come alive... The connection between Natalie and Antonio seems so natural, and it makes your heart ache for them when destiny keeps them apart. Things can be said about the ending, but I personally loved how everything was wrapped up in the end. My only complaint would be that I would have loved to spend more time with these characters!

I enjoy this short story very much.
Having read and enjoy Next Year in Havana
I didn't hesitate to request this one.
I only wish it was longer

I really enjoyed this short story by Chanel Cleeton. I’ve read her other stories and they just suck you in from the start. This was no exception! I loved the connection between past and present and thought for the length of the book it really sucks you in and gives you a great insight into the characters! I’ll truly read anything she writes!

Cute short story about a romance that takes place at a night club at Cuba called the Tropicana. It takes about some struggles with career/life balance and a little about Cuban history.