This was a fantastic read that I lost sleep to finish. I finished it in one sitting, I couldn't put it down and I didn't want too

⭐⭐⭐

“The Cuban Daughter” by Soraya M. Lane is a captivating novel that takes readers on a journey between Havana in 1950 and present-day Cuba/London. The story follows Esmeralda, the daughter of a wealthy Cuban family, who falls in love with Christopher, a young merchant from London. As their romance blossoms, they must keep it hidden to avoid the disapproval of Esmeralda’s family.

In the present day, Claudia is rebuilding her life by restoring neglected houses. When her mother asks for help in uncovering their family history, Claudia’s curiosity leads her to Havana. Armed with only a family crest belonging to the Diaz dynasty, one of Cuba’s wealthiest families, Claudia embarks on a trip filled with hope and anticipation. In Havana, she meets Mateo, a passionate chef. Together, dig deeper into the past, and uncover a heartbreaking story of sacrifice and loss endured by Claudia’s ancestors.

Lane skillfully weaves together two timelines and multiple points of view in “The Cuban Daughter.” The writing is engaging and paced perfectly throughout the book. The author creates an intriguing setting that transports readers effortlessly between 1950s Havana and present-day London and Havana. The characters are likable and relatable, drawing readers into their individual journeys.

With just the right amount of romance, “The Cuban Daughter” delivers an enjoyable reading experience that keeps readers engaged from start to finish. The cover of the book adds to its appeal, and the overall story is quick, solid, and satisfying.

In summary, “The Cuban Daughter” by Soraya M. Lane is a beautifully written novel that effortlessly combines history, romance, and family secrets. For those seeking a captivating read that is both heartwarming and engaging, this book is highly recommended.

**ARC Via NetGalley**

I am a big fan of Soraya Lane and loved the 1st book in this series. I loved the dual timeline and the relationships between Esmerelda and Christopher and Claudia and Mateo. Shed some tears for Esmerelda for sure. This book grabs you from the first page!

Wow Soraya Lane does it again! I listened to this book right after The Italian Daughter and was a bit worried it would be copy and paste. But I was pleasantly surprised and relieved when I realized the connecting line between these stories was Hopes House and the amazing woman she was.

I loved the back-and-forth storytelling from Esmerelda and Christopher in the past and Claudia and Mateo in the present. My heart broke for Esmerelda who so badly just wanted to be loved and love. The ending truly broke my heart and had me in tears for the pain the sisters went through wondering what happened to their sister Esmerelda over the years but it is such a beautiful story of a family coming back together This is a perfect quick summer read that will have you hooked from the beginning.

I really loved this book as much as I did the first in the series. Sorry writes great characters that you’ll fall in love with and route for all the way through the book.

A dual timeline story by one of my go-to authors, Soraya Lane! Prepare to be seduced by the tropical beauty of Havana! You'll find yourself increasingly hungry as our present-day heroine, Claudia, is wooed by Mateo's cooking, and you'll long for walks on the beach hand in hand with a lover. In 1950, you'll get swept away in Esmeralda's fated romance with Londoner Christopher Dutton, and this spellbinding tale will have you turning the pages to discover what really happened to Esmeralda all those years ago, and what Claudia decides to do with her own life.

Other books in the series include The Italian Daughter and The Royal Daughter.

This is the 2nd in the Lost Daughter series, but is can be read as a stand-a-lone. The first one, The Italian Daughter is a beautiful story as well.

An instant connection can last a lifetime!
Havana, 1950 Esmeralda is a beautiful women who comes from one of the wealthiest families in Cuba. She is expected to marry well, but fate has another plan. She meets Christopher when her father takes her on a business trip to London.

Her father has invited Christopher to visit her families’ sugar farm, but he has no idea his daughter Esmeralda has fallen for this young merchant.

A revolution is brewing! Will Esmeralda follow her heart and move to London or go to America with her family?

Present day in London-Claudia has been asked by her mother to see a lawyer who is handling her grandmothers will. She discovers she has ties to Cuba. Wanting to discover more about her grandmothers past she heads to Cuba. She meets Mateo, who has ties to the Diaz family.

An utterly charming, but heartbreaking story of a family. What she undercover about her family?

This was a touching, emotional read about two couples set 70 years or so apart. In 1950s pre-Castro Cuba we have Esmerada, eldest daughter of a Cuban sugar tycoon who falls in love with non-Cuban Christopher and must decide whether to stick with her family or risk it all for love. In the present day, we have Claudia who goes on a journey with Mateo to discover her grandmother's secrets. I loved the couples in both timelines and really felt immersed in the settings. Very well done.

I read the first book in the Lost Daughters series and absolutely loved it. It left be breathless. This one is just as good. Another one that will make you cry for the characters. Cry for the women and the babies. The family. The connections that are found. This series is about finding families. Finding mothers who had to give up their babies for various reasons. This one was so tragic. But it was also so beautiful. I loved every single minute of this book.

You meet a young couple in this story who meet and fall deeply in love. A young woman who is adored by all of Havana. Who makes heads turn when she enters a room. Esmeralda Diaz is the oldest daughter of the sugar king of Cuba. He takes her to London where he has a business meeting with a young man that will make him even richer than ever. Make both of them much money. What he doesn't know is his much adored daughter will fall madly in love with this young man who's name is Christopher Dutton.

When Christopher meets Esmeralda his life changes in ways I'm sure he never expected. He spends as much time with her as possible considering he would never be able to marry her. Her father would never accept him as he is not Cuban. She's to marry a good Cuban boy. But Christopher falls for Esmeralda and even travels to Cuba to seal the deal with her father just so he can see her again. They sneak off one night and spend it together. When he returns home to London both are very unhappy. But Christopher writes to Esmeralda. Her father finds out and locks her in her room.

You meet Claudia. Claudia finds out that her grandmother was adopted and never knew it. Her grandmother had died and Claudia missed her awful bad. She has a tiny box that contains a business card and a drawing of a family crest. Her dad helps her find out as much as possible about both. Seems the drawing is of the Diaz family crest so Claudia goes to Cuba to find out what she can. She meets the dashingly handsome Mateo and they fall madly in love. Mateo helps her find as much information about the Diaz family as possible.

Mateo is a hard working young man and dedicated to his family and to Cuba. He helps Claudia find out what he can. His mother finds an address for one of Esmeralda's sisters in the United States so Claudia goes there and finds out so much. She meets family that she never would have known about. You learn so much about the Diaz family and Esmeralda.

I loved most of the characters in this book. Most were so good and so caring. I didn't however like Esmeralda's father in the least. He was ok at first but then he turned on her so quickly. He was a very cruel and controlling man. I also didn't much care for Christopher. To me he should have come and fought for Esmeralda. Not just sent a few letters. No, he should have fought. I absolutely adored Mateo. He just seemed perfect. He and Claudia were meant to be together. No doubt about that.

This is a very heartfelt book. It will make you shed a lot of tears. When I read the end and how Hope felt I had to take a break. I couldn't stop weeping. That was just sad. I love Hope. She has the perfect name. She helps young ladies who are left with pregnancy. Left pretty much alone and ostracized by society because they are pregnant. Good grief. Get over it. Anyway she is their last "HOPE." I love her so much.

Thank you #NetGalley, #SorayaLane, #Bookouture, for this ARC. This is my own true thoughts about this book.

Five huge stars. I can't wait for the next book in this series. Have tissues handy when you read this. You'll need them.

This beautiful story takes place in two time frames – the story of present day Claudia in London and then Cuba and the mysterious tale of her great grandmother, Esmeralda, in Cuba then in London. Living in London, Claudia travels to Cuba to discover more about her family’s connection to a crest which has been left to her by her grandmother.

In the old days, Esmeralda, part of the wealthy families in Cuba seemed to have it all. That was until she fell in love with a man from London. The author paints a picture of a very close knit Cuban family, but Esmeralda’s choice might tear them apart. Will she give up wealth, privilege and most of all her father’s love and protection for the man who has captured her heart? This is the story that Claudia will gradually discover.

We see Claudia enjoying the sights and sounds and wonderful food of modern day Cuba. Will she follow her heart and stay on with Mateo?

I love how the author showed us such vivid pictures of Cuba – before and after the revolution.

Great characterisation and descriptions make this story so moving and difficult to put down!

Oh what a beautiful story! Taking place in two time frames this time-slip would not let me put it down. Taking place in the 1950's and modern days in Havanah and England. The atmosphere is perfect it just draws you in. Esmeralda is a rich beautiful young woman living in Havanah in the 1950's with her Papa and 3 sisters. She is the eldest sisters and the apple of her father's eye. Social expectations hold her head and shoulders above normal society and it feels as though she lives in a gilded cage. She lives in opulence and her Papa freely lets her spend money on dresses and fripperies. What she doesn't have is the freedom to love the man she is in love with. Christopher is the man she loves; he is a businessman from England. When she goes missing there is a scandal. What has happened to Esmeralda, and will she ever see her family again?
In London present day Claudia is dealing with the death of her grandmother and when her mother asks her to help trace her grandmother's history the only clue, she has is the family crest. From London to Havanah, she travels, once there she meets Mateo a fabulous chef whose grandfather used to be a cook for Esmerelda's family. Working together will they be able to put the pieces together of what happened to this elite family. So many twists and turns, so heartbreaking. Each page had a new discovery on it of history, mystery, intrigue and intensity.
This author really knows how to draw you in!


Pub Date 23 Mar 2023
I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

This is the second book of the Daughter series. Although I haven't read the first book, the Italian Daughter, this book, the Cuban Daughter, can be read as a standalone.

The story starts with Claudia in UK during the present day when her mother asks her to track down her grandmother's ancestry. When Claudia finds out a arm of crest, she realizes that it belonged to a wealthy family named Diaz in Cuba who was beyond family in the 1950's before Castro came to power. To find answers to the questions, Claudia travels to Cuba and meets interesting people including Mateo where she learns about Esmeralda, the beautiful daughter of Diaz.

In 1950, Esmeralda Diaz while on a business trip with her father to London meets Christopher Dutton. The two embarks on a romantic relationship although Esmeralda's father will never approve of their relationship.

I was truly mesmerized with the whole story that I simply couldn't put the book down. I felt like I was transported to Cuba, learning about the Cuban culture and cuisine and I do like how the time line shift between Claudia and Esmeralda. I also like blossoming romance between Claudia and Mateo as well and also Esmeralda and Christopher. I do like the ending as well.

So overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking novel that will keep you hooked till the end and strongly recommend to try this novel out! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for making a part of the blog tour and many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Written across two timelines, The Cuban Daughter is set both in London and Cuba, following Esmeralda in 1950 and Claudia in the present day. Claudia sets out to discover what happened to her great-grandmother in Cuba in 1950 and just how she came to be in London.

I was entranced by The Cuban Daughter from start to finish, and I loved Soraya Lane’s writing about Cuban history and culture, and the time-warp concept of the entire country. Cuba is definitely somewhere I’d love to visit at some point.

I love a story that warms my heart, and this didn’t disappoint. Too much information will spoil this for you, but honestly, if you love historical fiction, learning about another country’s background and the warm feeling that a book can give you, then I would highly recommend this book.

I didn’t realise that The Cuban Daughter was part of a series until I read someone else’s review, but this absolutely doesn’t matter and can be read as a standalone novel for sure. I am adding The Italian Daughter to my TBR list and looking forward to Soraya’s next novel, which will apparently take us to Greece.

Thank you to NetGalley and Bookouture for the opportunity to read and review The Cuban Daughter by Soraya Lane.

This is a heartbreaking read.
A box with two items is given to Claudia upon the death of her beloved grandmother. She and her parents are shocked to find out that her grandmother was adopted. The search for truth has Claudia flying from London to Cuba.
Before Castro, the Diaz family is extremely wealthy. But Papa has certain expectations when it comes to marriage of his oldest daughter and nothing will persuade him differently.
It is a story full of loss and mystery caused by a lot of pride and hatred. But it is also a riveting read.

Claudia, while living in London, finds out that her grandmother was born at Hope’s House which is a home for unmarried mothers. One day she finds an old faded family crest she needs to know what it has to do with her grandmother. Everything she knows about her family is completely turned upside down. When she discovers that the crest belongs to the Diaz family in Cuba. Immediately she flies from London to Havana, not allowing anyone to stop her. She must find out the truth about her family at any cost. Her first night in Havana she meets chef Mateo. Together they embark on a mission to discover the truth about the Diaz family. Mateo tells Claudia that his grandfather once worked for the Diaz family but he too wants to uncover the truth. When Claudia and Mateo arrive at the Diaz home they find it completely empty…abandoned. What family secrets reside there and how will they ever arrive at the truth.

I truly enjoyed this unputdownable story that was a time slip novel. I loved the amazing detailed description of the surrounding area of Havana. I enjoyed the characters and found myself to be cheering on Claudia and Mateo hoping they would find the truth they were searching for. What a wonderfully written story, of courage, mystery, love, laughter and the joys of discovering family roots. This was the second installment in The Lost Daughters Series, with both books so wonderfully written it has made this series amazing. This book can be read as a standalone or as part of the series. I really enjoy this author's writing style, she captivates the reader and keeps you completely engaged in the happenings of the story. Thank you Soraya Lane for a phenomenal story that I will recommend over and over again. I loved it.

The Lost Daughters is a wonderful unique series by Soraya Lane. The Cuban Daughter is an excellent addition to it. Part historical with Havana, 1950 with the Cuban Revolution and the consequences that it brings. Then the contemporary story happens as Claudia goes from London to Cuba. An abandoned home in Cube, a family to be traced and a possibly a new love is all instore for Claudia. However, she finds that the past coming to light can be heartbreaking too.

A story of finding your roots, new beginnings, family, secret loves and difficult choices are with the backdrop of the Cuban landscape. A memorable story with characters whose stories will touch your heart.

An ARC of the book was provided by the publisher through NetGalley which I voluntarily chose to read and reviewed. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Cuban Daughter by Soraya Lane

Rating: 4/5 ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

This is the second book in Lane’s Lost Daughter’s series. You don’t have to read them in order but if you’re anything like me you’ll dive right into the first one as soon as you finish this!

Split between Esmeralda in 1950s Havana and Claudia in present day London, the story follows both young women as they discover who they are as individuals, apart from their family.

This book takes you to Havana, from the beautiful scenery to the food you will feel like you’re there.

Full of love and surprises, I promise you, you don’t want to skip this read!

Not exaggerating when I say I sat with this ending for about an hour before I had to download The Italian Daughter (review to come) and finished them both in a weekend.

Thanks to #netgalley, the publisher and the author for the e-arc!

This is book 2 in author Soraya M. Lane's Lost Daughter series. In the present day, Claudia travels to Cuba on a journey of discovery of her heritage. In 1950s Cuba, Esmerelda, daughter of a sugar tycoon, finds herself falling in forbidden love, forcing her to leave Cuba forever. Well written and intriguing, I will be waiting for the next installment. Recommended reading.

Ok, I really liked Soraya Lane's first book in this Lost Daughters series, The Italian Daughter; The Cuban Daughter exceeded my expectations! Historical fiction with a dual timeline, starting much like the first book in the series, The Cuban Daughters follows Esmerelda as she lives through love and loss in 1950-1951, in her native Cuba, as well as Claudia's unique story of love, loss and triumph, which starts in London. Weaving the 2 women's storylines together, Lane captures your heart with this story. I was swept into a different world, one of glorious colors, enchanting people, and women that leave everything behind for love. Definitely recommend, 5 stars!

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for giving me an ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review.

#TheCubanDaughter #NetGalley

THE CUBAN DAUGHTER is Book 2 in the new The Lost Daughters series by Soraya Lane. I loved the first book, THE ITALIAN DAUGHTER, and couldn’t wait for the next book to come out. THE CUBAN DAUGHTER is a beautifully-written and heart-wrenching story of love, loss and legacy that kept me entranced from beginning to end. It is told in dual timelines, that of 1950s Havana, Cuba and present day in London, England. In Havana in 1950, Esmeralda Diaz is the beautiful eldest daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Cuba. Her father is a sugar manufacturing tycoon and Esmeralda knows she will have to marry only to advance her family’s influence and fortune. But while on a business trip to London with her father, Esmeralda meets Christopher Dutton, a merchant brokering an important deal with her father. Esmeralda unexpectedly falls in love and it is not long before she will be forced to make a heart-wrenching decision between her family and forbidden love. In present day London, Claudia has lost her best friend and her beloved grandmother and she has recently broken up with her fiancé. Her passion for restoring old homes is the only thing keeping her afloat. At her mother’s request, Claudia goes to a solicitor’s office to pick up item’s belonging to her grandmother’s estate. She is given a box containing unusual items, including a drawing of the Diaz family crest. On a whim, she drops everything and travels to Havana, once home of the powerful Diaz family. Once there, she meets Mateo, a chef whose family also has ties to the Diaz dynasty. Claudia and Mateo try to unravel the real story of her grandmother’s past. Along the way, they may also discover more about their own destinies. The two timelines of the story are perfectly interwoven to ultimately reveal the connection between the two main characters. I truly enjoyed this engrossing story and can’t wait to read the next book in the series. Thank you to the author, publisher and NetGalley for the chance to read and review an early copy.