Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

Aurora Montalban Wright runs a secret women’s clinic that provides women with many health services. Unfortunately for her, running a secret clinic comes with many dangers, and when Apollo Cesar Sinclair Robles, the Duke of Annan, comes to her rescue she reluctantly accepts his help.

Apollo had never forgotten about the incredible night he spent with Aurora. She’s gotten under his skin, too bad for him that she’s not looking for love. Newly appointed a Duke, Apollo is having a hard time acclimating to the rules of the ton. With those who oppose him waiting to pounce on any missteps he takes, he realizes his most trusted advisor is the passionate doctor he can’t seem to get out of his mind. He’s determined to win her heart and make her his duchess, but will she take the risk and accept?

Oh these two were such fun! I loved Aurora’s prickly personality, and how despite her best efforts to push Apollo away, he wasn’t scared off. She had a compelling reason to guard her heart, though I do wish we would’ve found out why a lot sooner in the novel, as at times she did reach the limits of my patience. That being said, I admired her dedication to her patients, and it was interesting to learn about female medical practices during that time period.

The prologue immediately hooks you in, and you can feel the sparks and the chemistry between the two. I liked the level of depth Ms. Herrera brought to Apollo’s character. We get to see the fallout of his revenge plot and the feelings that come about after you’ve reached your goal. Apollo is grappling with those feelings and questioning whether the result is what he truly wanted.

Ms. Herrera does not shy away from the realities people of color faced in a predominantly white country. She challenges the reader to feel the rage and frustration the characters feel when they are met with adversity by those in power. It’s thought provoking, and I found how Aurora and Apollo overcome adversity so empowering. As a Latina, it means so much to see fully realized Latino characters living their dreams and fighting for their right to live freely in a world determined to oppress them.

There’s so much yearning on both their parts, and just the right amount of angst. Most of the push/pull is on Aurora’s side, given the trauma she endured as a young girl. You can’t help but root for these two. They both grow individually and as a couple as the story progresses, and it’s so beautiful to see. I really loved this book, and would recommend it to anyone looking for a spicy, hist rom with Latino MC’s.

This was a really satisfying conclusion to the excellent Las Leonas trilogy. I'm so happy these books exist - I think they are really helping to change the paradigm for what historical romance can be.

Aurora was one of the best female main characters I've read in a while - a Black doctor who dedicates herself to women's reproductive health, including abortion care. She navigates prejudice (based on her race and gender) and tries to balance her internal feelings of rage, low self-worth and passion for her cause. She's prickly and serious and self-sufficient because she needs to be. In general, the topic of women's reproductive rights in the Americas and in Europe during this time period were portrayed so compellingly - we hear about the prevailing (nonsensical, sexist) views of the medical establishment, and get an insight into the work of pioneers like Aurora who do what's right at great personal risk.

I also loved that we got plenty of scenes with the MCs of the previous books - these were a delight. The intimate scenes were super hot and well-written; the MCs have great chemistry and Apollo learns a totally different side of Aurora in the bedroom.

It was not quite a 5-star read for me, for two main reasons.
1. The male main character (Apollo) was a bit two-dimensional to me; all we really understood about him was his desire for revenge against his father, and his passion for Aurora (which was pretty much there from the get-go). Character-wise, he seemed to have two modes: seductive and charming; or fiercely protective. I felt his character could have had more nuance and depth.
2. The pacing in the last 20% didn't really work for me - it felt a bit all over the place and I found myself wishing for another round of edits there. So that slightly took the book down in my estimation.

Still, there was a lot I loved about this book and I will definitely be recommending it (and the whole series) far and wide!

In the previous Las Leonas books, there were clear signs that foreshadowed the delicious tension between Aurora and Apollo. And let me tell you, this book was EVERYTHING. If you want fuck the aristocracy and fuck the patriarchy politics paired with let's give them something to talk about in your historical romance, then buckle up because this book delivers. And in the current US political context post-election, it was just the thing I absolutely needed to read. Also, this book FUCKS! The steam is so incredibly dirty-talking-nalgas-grabbing-ear-bitingly good. With such gorgeous post-coital Spanish language endearments - I swooned.

This is the story of Aurora and Apollo. Apollo, first introduced in a Caribbean Heiress in Paris, has successfully ruined his own father and become reacquainted with his half brother Evan, the Earl of Darnick. Aurora is part of the Leonas trio, equally fierce in her independence, intelligent, physician, and loyal to her comadres Luz Alana and Manuela. This couple traded verbal barbs aplenty in book 2, An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, and wouldn't you know it they bring that banter to the forefront in their book. It's important to note that both MCs are Black, bilingual (Spanish/English, and perhaps more), and hail from the Caribbean and Mexico. Through the context of their relationship, Adriana Herrera incorporates topics of colonization, anti-blackness, reproductive access, patriarchy, and aristocratic power into the historical setting in a way that is entirely appropriate and integral to who these characters are. Apollo is feeling the pressure to find "a suitable wife," assume his hard fought place among the British aristocracy, and begin forming alliances among his peers in the House of Lords that are vocally opposed to a Black duke. Aurora is heeding the necessary and occasionally dangerous call to provide safe, sanitary, and sound reproductive care to patients in and around Paris through a network of discreet clinics.

The conflict revolves around Aurora's belief that she will be an unsuitable duchess, convinced that Apollo needs a partner who can help ease his entre into the aristocracy - where he now has the power and opportunity to do more on behalf of brown and Black people in merry old England. But Apollo only wants Aurora. Aurora - who has clung so determinedly to independence that she has isolated herself. Aurora - who sacrifices her own health and wellbeing in her service to others. Aurora - who is a Black woman in medicine! Aurora - who loves Apollo in turn but deeply fears abandonment and rejection. The question then becomes: how will these two find a path forward?

The overarching theme, made apparent in An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, of "I want a love that liberates us" continues to shine in A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke. My heart is full to bursting.

This book is a perfect conclusion to Las Leonas. I have loved each of these books, and Aurora and Apollo delivered exactly what I needed and what I wanted.

This is a fantastic historical romance, set in Paris around the end of the World's Fair (though not prominently featured), and focuses heavily on health care, especially womens health issues. This was well done, and made the story compelling and engaging.

I recommend this to anyone looking for a good historical romance.

I received a free copy from Netgalley and Harlequin Trade Publishing. I leave this review voluntarily.

Thank you Harlequin/NetGalley for a chance to read this ARC!

I really enjoyed this! I’ve been meaning to pick up this series for a while (what better place to start than book 3), and it did not disappoint. This is my first Adriana Herrera book & I will 5000% be picking up another because HOLY 🔥

I really liked Aurora (despite her IRRITATING emotional constipation, but I digress); she slayed💅🏼 and Apollo… there are no words, he is DELISH💘 I adored him & how much he LOVED his Doctora! Also really loved the entire cast of side characters.

Although I think this can be read as a standalone, it did feel like 20% pure info dumping, so maybe best to go back & start at book 1!

This was a wonderfully fun read!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️✨What an enjoyable book! I haven’t read one of this authors books in a long while, and I had completely forgotten the premiseof this series. However, I had a great time and really look forward to whatever this author publishes next.

formatting of this ARC was awful and by my count there were six typos throughout that really negatively impacted my reading experience.

this story follows the first black English Duke, and a female doctor in Paris. Their chemistry is great, and I really enjoyed their dynamic and I really appreciated how consistent the author kept her characters behavior and actions throughout. It’s clear that she understands her subject area very well and her character is very well and I really appreciated that consistency

I really wanna give it five stars, but there were parts where I just put the book down and couldn’t keep going but the good parts made up for the bad parts so overall I’d say it’s 4 1/2

I really liked this book! The Las Leonas trilogy is honestly one of the best examples of how to do diversity in romance novels without making it clunky or performative, and this last book is no different.There was an intentionality to how Herrera structured the book and series as a whole but there was also a whimsicality and irreverence to it, and you could really see how the three female protagonists of the series, Las Leonas, had a long standing relationship built on love and mutual respect.

Apollo and Aurora were both excellent protagonists, individually and as a pair. Two things that I really liked about the book is that it (spoiler alert!) started off with a bang, i.e. there’s a sex scene in the very first chapter, and also, Apollo was very in touch with his feelings in a way Aurora wasn’t, which was a departure from a lot of other romances. He was aware of his love for her long before she was willing to admit it, and he acted on it, which felt very organic for a man that’s very much an adult rather than a 30-year-old acting like a teenager.

One thing that I was sort of meh about is that I think the plot with Apollo’s aunt was a bit clunky, and I’d have preferred if her warning Aurora away from her nephew just wasn’t present, or if it was more thoroughly developed. That said, I appreciated the way the book handled abuse and it was very refreshing that when told about Phillip’s abuse of Aurora, Apollo didn’t get angry or upset at Aurora, and he also responded to it like he did most everything else in the book, with a level head.

Most of all though, I really appreciated Herrera’s focus on reproductive rights, especially during this period of feminist backlash. As feminism regresses once again, I’m reminded of the words of Andrea Dworkin, “Women will come back to feminism, because things are going to get far, far worse for us before they get better.” And I sincerely hope they do.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing me an ARC of this book!

AHHHH I loved this book so much. If you haven't started this series what are you waiting for. This follows the fmc Aurora who is a latina doctor who is considered a rebel due to the fact that she a doctor and treats women in the society that need extra help. I loved her character so much, her braveness, sense of justice and wanting to help women despite the consequences and what had happened to her in the past. The mmc Apollo is the first black duke and is Afro Latino. He is thrust into a dukedom and trying to find out his role in the society.

The romance between them was so sensual and full of banter and I loved it. They start of having a one night stand and the mc in the midst of trying to find a duchess tries to keep her safe from the men that hate what she does. As they get closer to each other the fmc realizes that Apollo is not like other Dukes and Apollo falls more and more in love with Aurora. I really enjoyed the feminist and historical commentary as well as the societal issues that both main characters went through. Gosh they were both so hot and I love them so much. Thank you HTP for this arc for an honest review.

Read for:
- Historical romance
- Strong af fmc
- Lots of good banter
- Doctor fmc that fights for women
- Obsessed mmc

This was a really fun and interesting twist on regency era type books. I really loved it! It was HOT and spicy, the characters were great and had lots of depth, the setting was fantastic, and their love story was chefs kiss.

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!

Thank you NetGalley and publisher for this book!!

What a great book!! It had me hooked from page one! I couldn’t put this down. I finished it in one sitting. I enjoyed the storyline and the characters. This was a first for me by this author but it will not be my last!!

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.