Thank you to Harlequin for my arc!

I love this spicy and deeply feminist series, and I think this was my favorite of the set. I love when we get to see the whole friend group together at the end of a series!

Be prepared for some feminine rage (and empowerment!) with this one - Dr. Aurora Montalban Wright runs an underground women’s clinic. I love a strong B-plot in a romance book, and this worked so well for me. I’m also passionate about women’s access to healthcare, and I loved how well researched this part was.

I absolutely love to see a down bad Duke who supports his love interest. Apollo and Aurora start as FWB, we can see how much Apollo wants to protect Aurora when he realizes how dangerous her work is. I love how their romance intertwined with Aurora’s work as a physician, it created some delicious romantic tension to balance the darker plot points.

As for why I rated this 4 starts instead of 5, it mostly comes down to personal preference. I tend to feel like a “this is just physical, no feelings!” trope goes on a little long for me. So I really liked it, but isn’t quite at that obsessed, immediately want to reread, 5 star vibe, if that makes sense.

There’s something so bittersweet about getting the third and final book to a series.
While I’m ecstatic to once again be in the pride of the Las Léonas, I am also a little sad that this will be the last time. That being, said Adriana Herrera gave us the most beautiful (and spicy) send off.
🌺 Historical romance
🌺 Powerful and moving FMC
🌺 The banter- soooo good!
🌺 He falls first.. and HARD
🌺 Dislike (not quite enemies) to Lovers
🌺 Lessons ; ]
🌺 spice, Spice, SPICE
In “A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke” we follow Aurora- who we already know from books 1 and 2 is a pretty stern and somewhat serious character. Aurora was one of the first female doctors and she has a reputation to uphold and a point to prove. We find her in our final installment running an underground women’s clinic and campaigning for women’s bodily autonomy.
In walks Apollo. That’s right, we see Apollo again- our surprise half brother from book one who is now trying to navigate his newly appointed dukedom.
🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺 🌺
This isn’t your momma’s historical romance. Adriana Herrera really turned up the heat for this final book and it was sooooo good. While this is an historical romance so much of this book is (ALARMINGLY) in tune with the current events.
I love Aurora for being such a strong and powerful FMC. I especially love that our MMC see’s her for exactly who she is, accepts her as she is, and doesn’t try and change her.
I found myself getting frustrated with the “will they or won’t they” but hey that’s what’s longing is all about right?
Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review

started reading this book and then realized it was part of a series. So I had to stop and go back to the first book in the Las Leonas series. I’m glad that I did. You really need to read the first two books to really get a sense of who the characters in this book are. You need the back story.

Aurora is a doctor. Apollo is a Duke. He was taken with her the moment he met her. She hated him. But her hate was a way to hide her attraction to him. He immediately wants to take care of her and protect her. She is fiercely independent.

Then he decides he wants her as his wife. She doesn’t think that her past allows her to take that role. He doesn’t care. He is ready to give up everything for her.

This was a very good third book in a very good series. I enjoyed the passion that Aurora and Apollo shared. Apollo truly didn’t play about his woman and he wasn’t afraid to let the world know it.

+ I was gifted this arc even though I didn’t read any of the two previous books in this series. And I found as I was reading, I didn’t feel lost. It reads as a standalone. which is nice.

+ I love the romance between Aurora and Apollo. The two of them together are spicy and oh so sensual! I love their chemistry. She’s always slapping his arm or nipping him-I love when characters can do that because I feel like it’s playful and they were so fun together.

+ Aurora is an amazing character because she’s a doctor who is providing women’s health! I love that she’s a strong women in a challenging time. I also love the author’s note in the back explaining her inspiration for the story, the history and challenges of Latina women in the medical field.

Final Thoughts:

I haven’t read a historical romance in a long, long while even though that was my first love that got me into reading books. But this book is exactly how I would want historical romance to be written right now – a strong, female character, and something about history I can learn, plus a spicy, sensual romance! Really enjoyed this one!

I don't know what Adriana puts in her books, but magic must be involved. Every book I read of hers is better than the last and this one is no exception. I laughed and giggled, even kicked my feet a few times, because the chemistry between Aurora and Apollo was INTENSE. Herrera manages to give a HEA while address some hard topics and yet staying within the romance genre. I love how protective Apollo is of Aurora, and even more that she enjoys that. Ugh, all the feels were felt in this book. I need another one by Herrera ASAP.

Historical romance has come so far since I first discovered Beverly Jenkins' Night Song. That original 1994 cover still stops me in my tracks. It changed the way I read those books. It proved that happy endings in historical romance didn't have to be limited by race class or country of origin.

That's why reading A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, the last book in Adriana Herrera's Las Leonas series, feels especially poignant. This series hasn't just pasted diversity onto the usual world of beautiful gowns and betrothals- it's expanded our understanding of what historical romance can be. Through three books, Herrera has crafted a world where Caribbean heiresses move through high society with confidence and agency, where their cultural heritage is celebrated rather than erased.

The series finale delivers everything I expect from Las Leonas: sharp dialogue, sizzling chemistry, and characters who feel entirely themselves. It's the historical romance I dreamed about when I first saw Jenkins' work - one that proves happy endings belong to all of us.

It’s out now! Run and grab a copy. You' won’t regret it.

I truly did enjoy this (don't think there's been a Herrera in which I didn't enjoy...) Aurora and Apollo had chemistry and love to last a life time.

Adriana Herrera is masterful at crafting a gripping historical romance. A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is the best example of fiction narratives mirroring and providing examples of what happens in the real world. Both the Apollo and the Aurora are dynamic characters that are very relatable and have you rooting for their entire relationship. Even greater than the love story, there is so much reassurance for women and the work that we are capable of accomplishing. Strength continues to guide us, but this story is a reminder that we can depend on others and it does not diminish what we can accomplish.

Our merry cast of Leonas continues to be the most supportive friend group. I'm going to miss this entire series, but Adriana will continue to remain an auto-buy author for me!

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing and NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Thank you to NetGalley, Harlequin Trade Publishing, and Canary Street Press for this arc in exchange for an honest review.

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is the last book in the Las Leonas Series, and it might be the most timely one yet.

Aurora has been using her skills as a physician to help women in an underground clinic and even knowing the risks that come with doing she is determined to help all of the women that come to her. But when Apollo, the new Duke of Annan, finds her in danger he is quick to offer his protection. As the new Duke, and the first Black Duke at that, Apollo is trying to find his place in society. As time passes the pull that Aurora and Apollo have to one another only intensifies.

This book starts with a literal bang and it’s exactly what I wanted! We’ve seen the Aurora and Apollo crumbs throughout the series and they were definitely worth the wait. Apollo won me over in book 1 and I just fell more in love with him in this one. He was so in love with Aurora and even though she was hesitant to feel the same for him, they fell in love with each other in such an honest way.

I loved seeing Aurora be so strong-willed about her work with reproductive health, and it just felt so important to read about it in a historical romance and then look at how this very issue is talked about today.

The Las Leonas Series is what got me into Historical Romance and I’m sad to see it end but their impact on me will be everlasting!

4.25⭐
R🌶️

Another romance trilogy ended this year! Aurora delivered all the feistiness headstrong righteousness I could want for a female doctor while Apollo had to of course be utterly obsessed with her. Maybe a tiny bit long, but these two were so lovely and hot together that it was the perfect way to end the series.

Listen, it really does take a lot to have me sobbing into my kindle at odd times of the day but this book did that repeatedly. What a damn journey.

Aurora, much like myself, is a “difficult” woman, if the societal ideal of a woman is passive and non-confrontational. She was an angry child, a lonely child, and an unprotected child who built armor around her heart to keep hurt out. She’s snappy, opinionated, and lashes out first so she can be the one to control the hurt. I loved her to bits. I cried for her, her childhood, her refusal to be anything but herself (shabby dresses and all!), and the way she slowly lets Apollo in knowing it’s going to hurt when she crashes.

So much of this story is Aurora and Apollo’s story. Obviously. This is a romance after all. But it’s a fierce love letter to every woman, especially women of color, that fought for something better and for the right to their own bodies. Aurora and Apollo don’t have an easy road to an HEA but it’s not because they don’t match each other perfectly (Apollo is her soft place to land and fiercest champion), but because they have an uphill battle to climb with the aristocracy and a society designed to keep white supremacy at the control panel. Neither of them are welcomed by a society controlled by white men, specifically violent white men, but they carve out a different legacy together. One where the women that birthed them are honored and celebrated (a midwifery!!!) and where they help women take control of their own destiny.

I don’t think Herrera could have written a more poignant or more relevant romance right now with bodily autonomy and the legacy of white supremacy and control at the helm. I wish it wasn’t as relevant as it is, but Herrera took the biggest middle finger in the world, wrapped it in a passionate love story, and gave the angry girl, the prickly girl, the difficult girl the happy ending she deserved. And I can’t thank her enough for writing a difficult woman finding a man that loves and champions her against the world.

All the snaps, Adriana Herrera. All the snaps.

This book is EVERYTHING!!! From the minute I met Aurora and Apollo in A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, I knew their story would be my favorite and Adriana did not disappoint! What a way to say goodbye to our fearsome Leonas. I know it's a bold statement but this one was my favorite in the series. There is so much heart in this story. I identified so much with Aurora and her need to serve patients especially in women's health. I appreciate so much how Adriana shows that even though both Apollo and Aurora are both POC, his male status still affords him privilege over Aurora. It's important to recognize that marginalized folks can still have advantages over each other and Adriana did it so well. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley and HTP for providing me an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

4.75 stars

All too soon, Adriana Herrera‘s Las Leonas trilogy has come to its spectacular end. Following A Caribbean Heiress in Paris and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, now the final book is here: A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, in which Doctora Aurora Montalban Wright gets her whirlwind romance with Apollo César Sinclair Robles, now the Duke of Annan.

Why I Chose This Book:
I loved the first two books in the Las Leonas series, and I’ve been desperately waiting to see what Aurora and Apollo’s love story would finally look like. These two have been set up since book one, and it was well worth all that lead-up!

What I Liked:
- Aurora is a physician providing much-needed medical care to women in a time when women’s health wasn’t taken seriously and was wielded against women. It’s far too relevant to this day, especially with the current political nonsense happening in the United States… but it’s nice to see a world here with these networks of support.
- Aurora is so prickly, but she has her reasons. Her backstory! Her feelings about her worth!
- Apollo is the perfect man for her! He offsets her harsher side and takes care of her so well… swoon!
- Self-defense via learning capoeira!
- Discussions around being Black, Latino/a, and getting respect in late nineteenth-century Europe. Using that newfound power to lift up others like them.
- Seeing the previous two couples interacting with Aurora and Apollo here!

Final Thoughts
I knew I’d love A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke, and it did not disappoint! This was such a smart, steamy, and thoughtful novel that is so relevant to today, despite being set in 1889. Aurora and Apollo are so hot and cold, and I loved seeing their dynamic play out here.

The full Las Leonas series was a joy to read and one I’ll return to in years to come. Adriana Herrera is becoming one of my favorite authors, and I’m eager to read all of her other books.

🩺 Am I glad I read it? I am! Apollo and Aurora sizzle on the page in this roaring finale to the Las Leonas trilogy.

Some of my favorite things about the book are fairly small. I love how TROPICAL REBELS completely undoes our conceptualization of Aurora from the previous books as the buttoned-up, easily shocked Leona that Luz Alana and Manuela know her as to reveal this fierce, furious, fire-breathing, secret hedonist hiding a tired, hurting heart. To that end, I think this series is best read in order. Second, I really loved how Herrera tied in the tryst in the prologue and Aurora's asking Apollo for spicy lessons tied in so well with the book's overarching themes. Broadly, this book is about women's bodily autonomy, and Aurora's desire to reclaim and better learn her body ("That night, it made me realize I don't know my body very well...I'd like to explore what brings me pleasure.") was a subtle, smart way to deepen the book's themes. Moreover, it makes the case that while Apollo and Aurora's sex scenes are deliciously, luxuriously explicit, they are also character development for Aurora.

Another thing I loved that isn't so small: that this book is chock-full of women's health-related history across a range of topics. Parts of it had me more emotional and invested than the romance itself, which is less a criticism of the romance and more a lamentable observation of how perfectly, painfully timely this book is.

On the other hand, I finished the book wondering whether I had missed the resolution of Philip Carlyle's plot thread? As I remember it, Aurora's brothers are off investigating his whereabouts, and that's the last we hear about it. A shame since Philip is a major source of Aurora's trauma and is set up to be a main antagonist. A slow middle also dragged my rating down, but overall...

Herrera has accomplished something special with this series.

🩺 Rating: 👍🏼 (liked; 4 stars)

Thank you to Canary Street Press (Harlequin) and Netgalley for the advance copy of this title!

In "A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke," Adriana Herrera masterfully intertwines love and social advocacy in a gripping tale set against the backdrop of historical intrigue. Aurora is a trailblazing doctor running an underground clinic dedicated to supporting women and championing bodily autonomy. Her unwavering commitment to her cause adds depth and strength to her character, making her an inspiring protagonist.

Apollo, recently crowned as the first Black Duke after ousting and exposing his father, is a dynamic and compelling figure. His journey from a position of oppression to one of power makes his character both intriguing and relatable.

The chemistry between Aurora and Apollo is electrifying, and their romance sizzles with intensity, creating a love story that's as passionate as it is profound. Their relationship exemplifies resilience and mutual respect, and their shared journey makes readers root for their happiness.

While Luz Alana holds a special place in my heart, Aurora became my favorite.

This book is a must-read for anyone looking for a story that's as thought-provoking as it is heartwarming.

♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️♾️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

let’s start with my queen, adriana herrera- who i love so so so much- she just amazing and her boooks the best 😍

Thank you adriana for sending me this arc >>>

aurora is such an amazing and inspiring character. she is such a rebel and the name fiera fits her so well! she is just amazingly and her background and the reasons she does things has so much sense once you read it.

apollo- god, he really is that man that everyone wants- i love him for always loving and understanding and seeing aurora in all the ways possibles- he is just so perfect.

the way these two click- it’s just hoot and it warms my heart.

adriana, is always such a top notch authors that makes you feel everything and makes you want more and more- please don’t miss the opportunity to read these series- and this one las leona’s would be always in my heart.

This book is so important right now and always. I couldn’t recommend it more before I knew it was coming and now that I’ve gotten my hands on it WHEW. It is an absolutely beautiful way to finish a series that will always mean so much to so many.
Stories of women having to seek healthcare under the cover of night should stay historical. Tropical Rebel Get the Duke is a deliciously poignant example of a snapshot of a woman being a survivor, a healer, a source of strength for other women … and the man who is absolutely gone for her! He protects her without her knowing because he knows what her independence has cost her and how much she wants to hold on to it
I felt all the emotions, I laughed A LOT. Aurora is the right kind of bold for me. And who can’t love a woman that carries bladed gloves? Her and the duke are SO HOT. I’m genuinely in awe of a) the fact that my kindle did not overheat and self-destruct and b) my ability to keep a straight face.
I was so angry for them both so often. The amount of people who want to use the Black duke and also push him to the fringes is both realistic and infuriating. I can’t get into the entire list of people who attempted to (and did) hurt Aurora in the name of her reputation/race/gender or any other list of foolishness used to hold her back.
Nevertheless, these two fought for each other when it didn’t make sense. It felt like their souls were the perfect puzzle pieces and I can’t imagine a better existence for these two.
Brava!
I’m already preparing my wallet to own every copy in existence!

4.5 ⭐️ rounded up! such a great book and you can tell that the author did sooo much research on this subject. aurora who is a latina doctor, runs an underground clinic for women in need, regardless of any and all consequences, and along the way she very reluctantly falls in love with apollo, the first Black duke (afro-latino) that is also trying to find his way in society, and the story is set in paris in 1889. it was steamy, and the banter and playfulness was there too. definitely a must read!

i listened to the audio and followed along in the ebook and i actually really loved doing this! i think the voice actor was great and i really enjoyed it! definitely going to read the previous 2 books as this was the 3rd in the las leonas trilogy and i’ll likely grab the audio for those as well ☺️

themes:
feminism
women fighting for each other
reproductive rights
heroine run a women’s clinic
hero who fights for her 🥹

thanks so much netgalley and harlequin trade publishing for this arc of a tropical rebel gets the duke!

What a great ending to the Leonas. These books have brought me such joy. They tell the stories of people like me during time period where our stories aren’t told as often.

Now Aurora and Apollo!! I loved Aurora’s rebellious nature, she was strong and brave for everything that she did and I wanted her to have it ALL including love. Apollo is definitely swoon worthy and his bedroom talk made me want to fan myself multiple times.

I’m happy that all 3 Leonas got something at the need that was important to them.

If you love historical romance, that both teaches you something and makes you fall in love with the characters I recommend this book.

I don’t read much historical romance, but this author came highly recommended so I decided to give it a try.

I’m so glad that I did! A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is the third and final book in the Las Leonas series. I’ve not read the prior books, so you can absolutely read this on its own and enjoy.

Thought-provoking and captivating, this book blends a scorching romance with political drama.

I primarily listened to this on audio, and I highly recommend this format. The narration was great.