This was delightful! I haven't read the first two books in the series but I will definitely be circling back for them.

Apollo and Aurora both have big, stubborn personalities. And at first that leads to nothing but friction between them -- until they realize their actual friction is incendiary. But he is a Duke with a score to settle and she is a doctor focused on women's reproductive health care and fleeing from a scandalous past, and so they can never be more than lovers.

But we all know how that story goes: the more time they spend together the more they realize a short fling will never be enough. Apollo knows he has found his duchess, but he must show Aurora that he will never hide her, change her, or be embarrassed by her the way all the previous men in her life have been.

Beautifully written and smokin hot! And with lots of relevant historical fiction in there as well.

The third and final book in the Leona series absolutely changed me on a cellular level.

Disclaimer: I read this as an ER through NetGalley. Thank you, NetGalley for the free digital copy. This is my honest and voluntary review.

We follow the Doctor Aurora Montalbon as she gallivants through the dangerous streets of Paris to bring women much needed and much denied healthcare. This book ended up being some of the most relatable material to today's political climate that I've ever read. Written in a time in Paris in the 1800s, where it was forbidden for women to receive adequate medical care without the expressed permission of their husband, we watched the doctor faced danger after danger as she brings that much-needed care to the women of Paris, regardless of social status.

But of course we have to have so much needed love and we have one of the steamiest men in the series, the Duke Apollo. I absolutely love how involved Apollo got in the doctors exploits. I felt like he really was one of the most perfect men I've ever read about but in an extremely relatable way.

I'm a little sad this series is over because it really touched on a lot of very heavy topics and I think it was done extremely well for historical romance. If you read this novel, I highly recommend you read the authors note at the end of the book. It offers some really great insight into the creation of this novel, as well as made me want to just sob uncontrollably. So many rights women have fought for over the course of time they're just being stripped from us now at the hands of other women. In this book was just unbelievably relatable and lovely. If not a little hard to read in some places just due to the extreme accuracy and relatability. Overall, I cannot recommend this book and the series as a whole enough they should be required reading for men and women alike just from my historical aspect the wonderful and steamy spicy scenes just added to the appeal.

Not your average historical romance!

Aurora is a certified baddie, she’s a doctor running an underground women’s clinic and championing for women’s bodily autonomy, and doing her best to stick it to the patriarchy. Apollo is a duke, who took vengeance on his treacherous father and claimed his seat in the House of Lords, a place no one wants him. Aurora propositions Apollo for a one night stand that turns into something altogether…

What I loved…
- badass FMC
- feminist themes
- sex lessons
- The spice was spicing.
- MMC with a dirty mouth
- much needed diversity in historical romance! Black MMC + black/latina FMC, queer side characters + more!
- thoroughly researched - I was googling facts and learning more as I read (I LOVE that when reading historical fiction)
- MMC that is obsessed with the FMC

What I didn’t love…
- this one might make you want to scream, "hurry up and admit you love each other already!"

Spice note: This was is hot hot hot. 5+ scenes.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Trade (Canary Street Press) for sending this book (eARC) for review consideration. All opinions are my own.

I love Adriana Herrera, but this one didn't quite do it for me like the previous installments in the series. I still highly recommend Las Leonas, and I think Herrera does a fantastic job of bringing a much needed, distinctive point of view to the historical romance genre. I will miss the leonas very much!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an arc in exchange for an honest review!

A look at the history of women's medicine (including the importance of midwives, female doctors in the Americas, and the detrimental impact of hymenology), a deep discussion of the role of race in Europe in the 1880s (including the fetishization of women of color, the way the aristocracy was built on the backs of people of color, and the constant need for POCs to prove themselves in predominantly white spaces), with a HEFTY dose of spice?

Yeah, there's a reason why Adriana Herrera has become one of the best voices in historical romance (and honestly, romance in general).

Keep a search engine, a translator, and a fan near you. A search engine because this book was so well-researched that it will make you want to learn more. A translator because if you don't speak Spanish, you won't want to miss a beat. And a fan, because the steam is THAT STEAMY. It kicks off in the prologue because Adriana Herrera spoils readers.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin, and the author for an eARC in exchange for my honest review. I haven't read the rest of Las Leonas yet, but my local library has the eBooks, so I might break my ARC reading timeline for them.

Adriana does it again, wow. This was phenomenal! Now, I’ve loved every book in this series, and refuse to pick a favorite because I love each one for different reasons. But this one is so special to me. Particularly in light of recent political events in the US that occurred while I was reading this. There is something so powerful about a romance book with a Black woman doctor running women’s clinics and fiercely holding on to her independence. Aurora is highly intelligent, outspoken, unashamed of what she desires sexually, and doesn’t let anyone push her around. Then we have Apollo who is Black, & a Duke, and is grappling with being a part of the aristocracy that was, in his own words, built on the backs of his ancestors. And Apollo? He LOVES everything about her. In fact, every time she is prickly towards him, he falls even deeper in love. Which is so insanely hot to me.

If you couldn’t tell, I adored these characters and the story so very much.

Adriana’s books are spectacular and provide necessary diversity to the historical romance genre. She writes deeply liberating love stories and I can’t wait to see what she writes next, because this series has my entire heart and I’m so sad it’s over!

P. S. Don’t skip the authors note!

I loved this book!! The Leonas have all been amazing but Aurora’s story was the best! Such a beautiful love story, the perspectives of both characters are so well developed. The time period gives such history to the role of women in women’s medicine and some of the battles we still fight today. This is a must read that I started again after I finished. Thank you for this book and for giving us Leonas in a time period where the stories of black and brown women are so one dimensional.

This felt like the perfect ending to the series (though I am upset it's over, but I can't wait to see what's next for Adriana Herrera -- I just have a lot of feelings). I thought the chemistry between Aurora and Apollo was through the roof, I was absolutely obsessed with their dynamic -- the way that Apollo was obsessed immediately and Aurora was like uhm okay, ABSOLUTELY ICONIC!!! And then the scenes with Evan and Cora trying to hype up Apollo? Amazing.

I’m forever obsessed with the badass women Adriana Herrera continues to write for her Leonas. I really liked Aurora and Apollo. There were a few things that didn’t work out for me completely but I loved being in this world again and are sad to see this series come to an end.

As a fan of the Las Leonas series, I have been looking forward to the last installment. The chemistry between Aurora and Apollo was perfectly set up in the first two books to make readers invested in their story even before opening this book. Aurora and Apollo's steamy enemies-to-lovers storyline is sure to capture the hearts of many readers, but what made me an even bigger fan of the book was its broader discussion on topics like reproductive rights, colonialism, racism, and sexual abuse and coercion. These are, undoubtably, heavy topics for any book to tackle, but Herrera is able to cover them with an elegance and reverence that allows the book to be informative and passionate about these issues while still being a sweet and fun romance. This is a line that not every writer knows how to tread, but Herrera does it with grace.

Adriana Herrera is an absolute auto-buy author for me. I literally dropped everything to read this arc. I have loved every book in this series and this one did not disappoint. 🫶🏽

This book was a perfect mix of romance, angst, and comedic relief. The conflicts in this book also made sense in the story; it wasn't conflict for the sake of conflict.

The romance itself was really beautiful. I absolutely adore Aurora and Apollo together. I honestly could have read more of them and would have loved some more scenes after the last chapter. 🥹

Apollo
The parallels and realities of a black Duke having to prove himself to his peers and struggling with being accepted within a social circle hit hard. He was so great as our MMC. His willingness to uplift, protect, and support Aurora was really wonderful.

Aurora
Doctora Montalban being looked down upon for being a doctor also hit hard. The obstacles she faced to provide care to women hit really close to home and was so emotional. She is one of my favorite FMCs that I've ever read. 💗

Finally, the author's note was also so impactful to me. Leave it to Adriana to make us giggle, swoon, cry, AND learn.

Thank you, thank you, thank you for the arc. ✨️

The Vibes:

—dislike to FWB to lovers

—reproductive freedom

—he wants to prove society wrong; she's outside society

—the rake to stupid in love pipeline

The Basics:

Controversial duke Apollo has never gotten along with doctor (and secret women's health provider) Aurora—though this doesn't stop them from wanting each other. But when he offers to help Aurora care for her patients—a task that puts her life at risk—their attraction gives way to an emotional connection that could be the ruin of both...

The Review:

Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series has been quite strong throughout, and she saved the best for last(?). There's been this steady build to Apollo, the (understandably) embittered, seductive heir to a dukedom and Aurora, a strident do-gooder who wants nothing and everything to do with him. And trust me when I say they don't take long to throw themselves at each other.

Which is a very, very good thing.

But Herrera gets exactly what makes my beloved "fuck first, feelings later" trope so good. Apollo and Aurora jump into bed together quickly, but then there's all the emotional melting that needs to happen—and that takes a bit longer, in a sizzling tension of words left unsaid. All in all? This is a pretty damn romantic book. He's smitten; she's resistant. (And she has her reasons, very valid.)

The emotional piece here is really a web of character development, and Herrera makes each beat heartfelt and believable. It's a feeeeeeelings book. But there's a good chunk of plot in here as well. A lot of what has Apollo going—a chip on his shoulder, as he's the son of a white, horrible duke and a Black woman who was essentially tossed aside by his father—was covered in A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, and I do recommend reading that book in particular first. (Though An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is extremely worth reading as well.) He wants to conquer English society because he hates it, wants to make them feel stupid and lesser. Again, totally valid.

But it's not as much of a centerpiece as I expected—which isn't a bad thing. Because the centerpiece, aside from the love story, is Aurora's dedication to her calling as a doctor and a women's healthcare provider. This novel deeply deals with reproductive freedom and the importance of a woman's right to a safe and legal abortion. And I won't lie—that aspect is pretty emotional, now more than ever.

One thing I loved as well was Apollo's progression. Initially, he's really just worried about Aurora's safety and the risk of her getting in legal trouble. In other words, he's a progressive man of his era, but he's still a man of his era—and he isn't vilified for that, but instead given the opportunity to grow and really come through for Aurora, providing himself.

This has all the things you want from an Adriana Herrera book—it's funny, it's scorching hot, it's smart. But it's also perhaps the most emotionally resonant book I've read by her, wherein I was just dying for these two to make it work. And that made it my favorite novel she's released so far.

The Sex:

But also, this was super hot.

There's honestly a lot of sex on the page here. Maybe 6ish full scenes, I think? And a lot of very, very well-written oral. You get no-strings sex, you get passionate hookups, you get in loooooooooooove sex. It's all deliciously written, it's all great, thank you for your service Adriana Herrera.

There was ONE thing she hinted at but didn't go into (haha) that I wish would've been expanded on a bit.... But hey, I can't complain too much.

Conclusion:

Right now, a lot of historical romances feel very safe. Very tame. They lack a punch. This not only packs a punch—it goes straight for your heart. Highly recommend.

Thanks to NetGalley and Canary Street Press for providing me with a copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This was a strong third entry in the Las Leonas series, it continued to feel like the same world and characters. It uses that overall feel that I was looking for and the characters worked well in a romance element going through it. I hope there is more in this series and from Adriana Herrera.