This story has it all. It’s a historical fiction story set in 1889 Paris. It is a lesbian love story between a dutches and an artist. The dutches needs to strike a business deal with Manuela. Manuela is there for a summer of indulgence in a lifestyle she yearns for before she enters a marriage of obligation.
Lines are crossed and when I say things get heated, I mean scorching hot!
Both women are strong and challenge limitations set on them. Loved all of the art and culture of Paris! This one can be read as a stand alone but I recommend them both !

A steamy sapphic romance with terrific characters and chemistry from the absolute jump. One of the things I've always enjoyed about Herrera as a romance author is how good she is at capturing chemistry between love interests before they've even initiated so much as a brush of hands between them. The tension between Cora and Manuela is off-the-charts good, and their initial semi-anonymous meet-cute set the bar high for an inevitable reunion that absolutely delivers. I wasn't expecting this to be so emotional by the end, and there was certainly a fair amount of angst in getting to the HEA given how fun and adventurous their romance was at the start, but between grand gestures and mutual declarations of love, I was sold. I've also really appreciated how many real-world details Herrera injects into this series, bringing the stories of people who were often living at the margins of history to the forefront and making them feel alive within the pages. (Plus, I'm never going to say no to any sapphic romance she writes.) Can't wait for the next Léonas book!

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

This is another smash hit by Adriana Herrera! A beautiful knock-out Historical Rom with queer BIPOC main characters that left me feeling that level of feminist empowerment that I know AH delivers with her books. I'm a lover of many of Adriana Herrera's stories, and this one was so well done! Manuela was a great main character that definitely had her obstacles and growth shine throughout the story, and her relationship with Cora was so strong and steamy, it added a lot in an already well built world that AH began in A Caribbean Heiress in Paris. I can't wait for the upcoming third Leonas installment, because I'm simply obsessed with this world!

This smart, sexy and steamy Sapphic historical romance was a perfect edition to this series. I can't wait to read even more of this series!

Thank you Harlequin and Netgalley for my copy.

I now must go out and buy every book Herrera has ever written. This novel really spiced up my Pride Month reads. Manuela and Cora’s romsnce was titillating and heartfelt. These two characters chemistry was a wild fire on the page.

Thank you to Harlequin Trade Publishing, Canary Street Press, and NetGalley for providing an eARC for a honest review.

Thanks to Harlequin and Netgalley (and Adriana Herrera) for this advanced copy!

Herrera is always a great romance author and this book is a great story of two strong women who fall for each other in Paris. Manuela just wants one last sapphic romp before she is forced to marry for money and Cora is determined not to fall for anyone ever again, but these two light up together as Cora takes Manuela around Paris, discovering a world she didn't know and couldn't dream exists.

Herrera as usual is perfect with the details and turns up the heat at just the right moments. I think I liked the first book in this series better, and I'm REALLY excited for the third, but this story was wonderful and fun and I loved the merry band of friends that Manuela and Cora have. And who can say no to a good novel in Paris? Not me.

I'm found it really hard to get into this one. It's just kind of underwhelming and I'm finding it difficult to get invested in Manuela and Cora's relationship. It might be a pacing issue, but it feels sometimes like more attention is placed on the people/places/events around them than them. It’s clear that a lot of research went into this book, like the first one, but it felt more organic in the first book and here it almost feels forced.

This book was EVERYTHING!!!! I absolutely adored Manuela and Cora’s hate to love dynamic and how Cora was clearly so afraid to love again. I loved how unapologetically sapphic it was and how the author wasn’t scared to actually use the word “lesbian.” This book was just a breath of fresh air and I guess I need to read more by this author!!

Adriana Herrera beautifully weaves together a historical sapphic romance between two opposites supported by the rich research into Parisian queer communities of the time. Herrera’s writing is sensual and interesting bringing to live a vibrant community. This novel takes two strong heroines and gives them the chance to explore, fall swiftly in love and find their way to a happily ever after. Herrera’s writing is well crafted, her characters are interesting and this novel is definitely worth checking out if you feel intrigued.

While this novel seemed to have all the right ingredients, there was still something that felt lacking from the novel for me to fully fall head over heels in love. I love the diversity of the novel and Herrera’s obvious love for her craft and this novel. I think the ideas behind this novel are really interesting and that Herrera is doing a lovely job bringing to life more sapphic historical romances. But ultimately this romance just fell a little short of being a new favorite. I feel like there was just something missing between our heroines to create the ultimate romance.

Even though this might not be my absolutely favorite novel from Herrera, it is still worth a read and will definitely work for a lot of people out there.

A phenomenal historical romance that makes me want to read more historical romances. I liked both characters and the spice was great. Can’t wait for the next book in this series.

Adriana Herrera has done it again!
An Island Princess Starts a Scandal is a phenomenal book filled with history, self-development and romance. You're quickly thrown into the fiery nature of Manuela but as the book goes on you see her grow and stabilize into a woman knowing of her worth— a beautiful character arc.
Cora's story is handled beautifully as well. The cold woman who shies away from love and focuses on getting a seat at the table, learning that sometimes the seat isn't worth it was amazing.
A steamy, beautifully written book

LESBIANS IN PARIS

4.5/5

The chemistry between Manuela and Cora from the get go was scorching and the slow burn (for Adriana) was absolutely delicious. I absolutely adored getting to get to know Manuela and Aurora even better because this book felt even more Leona oriented than Caribbean Heiress did. I also love how the friendship expanded to include the sapphic and queer community of Paris at the time. The care that Adriana put into making this a true historical with the appropriate amount of nuance was palpable and something that white historical tend to politely skirt around sometimes.

Cora's journey was excruciating to watch but necessary to allow the time and space for her to have the growth that wouldn't have felt genuine if it happened overnight (and without the groveling). Manuela standing up to her parents was everything I needed but also wish I could've reached into the book and shook her parent's silly. They don't deserve that vibrant woman.

Ngl for an Adriana book I was expecting a little bit more spice but it didn't take away from the story at all, just something to have a heads up about if you were expecting Dripping levels.

Y'all already know the love and admiration I have for Adriana so loving this book was to be expected and I can't wait to reread closer to Aurora's book - which might actually kill me.

I love Herrera's books and really enjoyed the first book in this series, so much so that I named it as one of my 3 recommendations for 2022. I liked this one, but didn't love it as much as the first.

This book is a delight, Adriana Herrera balances filling out the historical setting and details with focusing on the central romance perfectly. The motivations and obstacles of the romance made sense and were well conveyed. And the spice was top notch. I LOVE THIS BOOK (and series)!

From now on, I need my husband to call me Princesa. Or Corazón. I will not accept anything else. When I tell you, Adriana knocked it out of the park with this one. I am OBSESSED!

🎨 Manuela Del Carmen Caceres Galvan spends one last summer in Paris. One last summer of freedom before she marries Felix, a man she doesn’t love.

🩵 Cora is a ruthless business woman who wants nothing more than power. In a world where men rule business, she wants to conquer all. Along with a piece of land that Ms Caceres Galvan owns. When Manuela proposes a summer in Cora’s corner of Paris for the land, can Cora can keep it business.

Thank you to Netgalley for a copy of my ebook in exchange of an honest review.

I will never get over how well Adriana weaves history and the romance in a way that keeps me hooked from beginning to end. I’m always so invested in the characters and their romance, but also, their personal journeys. I want to the them find this romantic happiness, but also, fulfillment in their achievements.

I love what Adriana did with Manuela and Cora and cannot wait to read more about the Leonas!

The author kindly gave me an early copy of "An Island Princess Starts a Scandal" in exchange for an honest review.

This book is the second part of the Las Léonas series. It tells the story of Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan, who wants one last chance to enjoy her freedom before being trapped in a loveless marriage. When she has a scandalous encounter with Cora Kempf Bristol, Duchess of Sundridge, she suggests an exciting deal that benefits them both. I enjoyed how Adriana Herrera included elements inspired by real historical events. It was fascinating to learn about the lives of women artists and the queer community in Paris. I loved the strong sense of community they had, and it was amazing to see how lesbians had their own safe space to be themselves. Reading a sapphic historical romance was refreshing, and I found myself cheering for Cora and Manuela's relationship. It was beautiful to witness their growth and self-discovery. I do wish their relationship had been explored more deeply, but overall, I found this book to be even better than the first one. I'm eagerly looking forward to reading Aurora and Apollo's story.

This was my first experience reading a historical romance, and I enjoyed doing so because of the fact that it was f/f.
Positives:
Mutual pining
LGBTQ+ element in historical France
Smut scenes
Criticisms:
Too long
Side characters I wasn't invested in

I would definitely read more f/f historical romances and f/f contemporary romances from this author.

my love for adriana herrera is not enough to get me through a historical romance. LEARN YOUR LESSON, ELIZABETH! her name just makes me want to automatically request any ARC i can find, but i need to hold myself back.

if you love historical sapphic romances and looks at the past that acknowledge racism, misogyny, and homophobia while still making space for lesbians of color to have a lot of agency, i feel confident you will love this book! But if you, like me, immediately shut down when you read words like "Duchess," you are really setting yourself up for failure by reading this.

Heat Factor: It seems like there’s gonna be hanky-panky starting at the halfway point

Character Chemistry: Instant connection

Plot: Manuela wants to have fun. Cora wants Manuela’s land. Manuela will sell it, if Cora shows her some fun first. What’s a little bribery between lovers?

Overall: I could not get into it

Here’s a book that should have been right up my alley, since I am the resident histrom reader AND the resident sapphic romance reader, but I felt like I was swimming through molasses. I was honestly very bored and, by the halfway point, still not interested in the characters and their problems.

The set-up here is a classic sex deal: Manuela will sell Cora some land, as long as Cora shows Manuela a good time (and shows her all the lesbian sights in Paris). Cora is hesitant because Manuela has her all in a tizzy, and she never mixes business with pleasure—ever since she was burned by that other woman. Classic emotionally constipated billionaire duke, frankly.

I think my hang-up here is that I didn’t find the characters particularly compelling. They have backgrounds that could be interesting but, in execution, felt flat. Manuela feels like she has to marry an old guy to save her family. Cora needs to buy this land to prove to the gross men she does money stuff with that she’s still top dog—and to pave her stepson’s way back into London society. They both have scandalous love affairs with other women in their pasts which lead to guilt (for both) and emotional constipation (for Cora). However, even though they have this baggage, it doesn’t particularly seem to impact the way they interact with each other. In fact, there’s not a lot of conflict beyond “Cora brings Manuela to boring lectures about beetles instead of to sexy lesbian bars,” and now that they’re about the leave the sexy lesbian bar to go bone I’m not sure what else to read for. (I assume there will be some kind of conflict with the gross investor dudes, but I honestly don’t care enough about the money plot for that to keep me going.)

However, this book, and my reaction to it, is exactly why I want a million Parisian Gilded Age romances with feminists and lesbians and Latinas (and people who are all three!). Because when one doesn’t hit for me, I want another one ready for me to snap up instead.

I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report