Chanel Cleeton's books have been the highlight of my summers the last 2 years! I couldn't wait for the third to the Havana series and what perfect timing. I may not be in Havana (or anywhere tropical) but her writing transports you there in seconds. Her descriptions are effortless and always pull me right into the moment. I loved trying to figure out the connections between the 3 women this story followed.

I became a fan of Ms. Cleeton with the novel, When We Left Cuba and loved the continuation of the story in Next Year in Havana so I was very eager to read The Last Train to Key West. Although this is not a continuation of the saga from the first two books, this story will leave you breathless! This novel covers a week in 1935 between August 31 to September 6, when a devastating hurricane hit the Florida Keys. It follows three women who are in the Keys and how their lives become intertwined.

Ms. Cleeton uses one of my favorite writing styles. She devotes a chapter to each of the main characters and tells the story from their prospective. She slowly weaves each woman’s story together, leaving you turning pages to find out what will happen next with each. This style keeps you on the edge of your seat furiously turning pages!

I thoroughly enjoyed this book. It touched on a piece of American history that I had no knowledge of before. The devastation and lives lost were horrendous and their passing needs to be acknowledged. I highly recommend this book, Ms Cleeton is an outstanding author.

I finished this one about 10 days ago, and still thinking about it.

Cleeton tells the stories of 3 women from very different walks of life -- from New York, Florida and Cuba -- who are all running from something and connect by chance in a cafe in the Florida Keys where one of the women works. For various reasons, all 3 women are all headed into the eye of one of the worst Atlantic hurricanes of all time, the 1935 Labor Day Hurricane that devastated the Florida Keys, the Florida East Coast Railway, and reportedly killed nearly 500 people.

The book is fast moving and grabbed me right from the start. The author had me reading late into the night, googling for more information about the Great Labor Day Hurricane, and thrilled with how she expertly tied it all up in the end.

Thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC. It was my first book by this author, but I'll be checking her backlist for more.

I love that Chanel Cleeton always tackles a historical event/era that hasn't been widely covered in the genre so I learn something new from her novels, but it never feels like a history lesson. This book has all the historical detail, romantic intrigue and drama I have come to expect from her. Through the characters we feel the desperation of living through the Great Depression and dealing with a horrific natural disaster. We also learn how veterans of WWI were treated and the struggles they faced. I enjoyed seeing the events from the perspectives of three women who come from different situations and rise to the challenges of this era. It's a great novel for books clubs and is sure to generate a lot of discussion. Thank you to NetGalley for the digital ARC of this book!

I jumped at the chance to read Chanel Cleeton’s latest book. Key West is one of my favorite places to visit so I felt I couldn’t pass this one up. Cleeton has a unique way of intertwining the lives of her main characters. The chapters moved from character to character but kept you hanging just enough to want to keep reading.

This story follows the lives of Helen, Mirta, and Elizabeth who are all very different in personality and situations in life. In 1935, these three women’s lives are forever changed after a massive hurricane hits the Florida Keys. Cleeton paints a heart-wrenching picture of Key West in the aftermath of the depression and war.

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Berkley Publishing Group for an advance copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Chanel Cleeton brings vintage Florida/Cuba to life as she weaves history and strong women into the most powerful plots.

Elizabeth, Helen and Mirta are three women from vastly different backgrounds who all find themselves on Key West as a hurricane barrels toward them. Helen is in an abusive marriage and awaiting the birth of her first child. Mirta has come from Cuba with her new husband, a man she barely knows who is of questionable background. Elizabeth came to Key West to find her brother in hopes that he will be able to help her with their mother who can’t deal with the aftermath of the stick market crash and the suicide of her husband. Chanel Cleeton weaves their stories together along with those of other Key West residents and visitors as the storm destroys their reality. Can they all find their way to a new normal?

Chanel Cleeton has done it again! This captivating novel follows the stories of three very different women whose lives converge during the 1935 Labor Day hurricane that hit the Florida Keys. Takes on a number of important topics such as women's place in the world and the treatment of veterans.

I love the previous two books I've read by Chanel Cleeton. She is a vivid storyteller, painting awesome scenes and creating authentic characters. I can't pick a favorite of the key characters in The Last Train to Key West, I liked all three in different ways. And the Hurricane was a character all it's own. The only thing lacking was Ms. Cleeton's rich Cuban heritage. I didn't feel it as strongly in this story, and I missed it greatly!

Thank you Netgalley, for my complimentary copy of this book.

When it is pouring rain outside your home and you are reading a book with a devastating hurricane pounding the Florida Keys, the atmosphere is as tense at home as it is in the book. Even without the rain, The Last Train to Key West is a powerful story about three women whose lives intersect during a hurricane in 1935. Pregnant Helen yearns to leave her abusive husband, but she has no where to go; former socialite Elizabeth heads to Key West to find her brother at the Army camps for veterans of the Great War; and Mirta arrives from Cuba as a new bride in an arranged marriage. Over the Labor Day weekend a treacherous hurricane is heading for the Keys packing a deadly punch. All three women are faced with difficult decisions and the need to find safety. Another wonderful book by author Chanel Cleeton. Very atmospheric and the reader can almost feel the terrifying helplessness of the people involved when the hurricane strikes.

I fell in love with Chanel Cleeton after reading her books Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba. They both oozed Cuban culture and history. And although I wouldn't technically classify them as a series, some of the characters translate from one book to the next. So I was ecstatic when I heard that Cleeton had a new book coming out titled The Last Train to Key West.

Told from the perspective of three strong female leads, The Last Train to Key West tells the story of each woman's will to survive. Set during a hurricane in the Florida Keys in the 1930's, they each are in search of something. Escape. Family. Love. Independence. And when their paths cross, their lives will be changed forever.

I always adore Cleeton's writing and this novel was no exception. I always feel like I'm watching a movie in my head when I read her work. I can see everything so vividly. The story was captivating and I could not wait to see what happened next.

One thing that surprised me was the lack of Cuban history present in this story. The other two books were so rich in Cuban culture, I was expecting more of the same. While there is quick mention of Cuban government in Mirta's story, the remainder of the book is lacking mention of Cuba. Instead, Cleeton swerved, focusing on the history of the Florida Keys post-Great Depression and WWI. It was equally intriguing but I just want to level set for anybody who has read her previous work and may be expecting another Cuban experience.

Overall, this was another strong novel by Chanel Cleeton. I think I prefer the first two books if I had to compare, but this is still a solid 5 star read.

-I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Thank you to NetGalley, Chanel Cleeton, and Berkley Publishing for the opportunity to review.-

Until Chanel Cleeton I avoided historical fiction like the plague. Her writing and way of developing characters around historical events makes you get lost of time. This book is obviously different than her first two historical fiction novels however; it submits her place in this genre.

Have you ever been to coastal towns in Florida and wonder how the decades old buildings have survived? In the case of the Florida Keys in 1935, they didn't. I have a feeling that this is a well known story among the communities that survived it. Outside of those communities, it probably hasn't been discussed much. This novel is going to change that.

Each leading character had her own story to tell, even as they became interconnected. I really enjoyed this novel and kind of want a follow up to find out what happened to the lives of those who survived.

This will be excellent summer reading, but hopefully without the threat of a hurricane looming over you.

I was a huge fan of Next Year in Havana and When We Left Cuba, so this was a must read for me. Like her last two novels this is historical fiction that follows strong, passionate women. I really enjoyed the three points of view in this one, and liked figuring how out and when their lives would intersect. This was a gripping read Cleeton's fans will definitely enjoy.

❝It's strange how your life can change so quickly, how one moment you can barely eke by, desperation filling your days, and then suddenly, out of the unimaginably horrific, a glimmer of something beautiful can appear like a bud pushing through the hard-formed earth.❞

Do you ever get filled with such delight and happiness while reading that you can't help but smile and release a huge sigh? Do you ever get filled with such fear or sadness that your heart is in your throat, and your whole body goes tense?

Those are what I experience while reading Chanel Cleeton's writing. My favorite stories from her are the ones where she explores real-life circumstances and puts her twist on them. As if she researched some part of history and wondered about the people who lived them and felt the need to write their stories.

The Last Train to Key West was a beautifully written story about three women whose lives were turned upside down and intertwined, by The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935.

An abused wife of a fisherman, a young Cuban woman in an arranged marriage to a New York mobster, and a woman hoping to escape her impending marriage, one that her soon to be husband won as payment for a gambling debt, share their stories through alternating POV's. These women continually faced trials and persevered non-the-less. Their strength was admirable. They search for a better life despite the situations and times in which they lived.

❝Why is it that when men approach women as conquests to be won they are lauded, but when women decide to go on a hunt of their own, they're branded too aggressive, too eager, too greedy?❞

Deeply passionate, The Last Train to Key West was filled with hope and heartache, resilience and devastation, love and longing.

This book was a wonderful historical fiction story set in Key West in 1935. It was told from the perspective of 3 women and how their lives intersected. I really enjoyed this book and am a fan of this author.

Mirta Perez, Elizabeth Preston and Helen Berner. Three women that have little in common are brought together by The Great Labor Day Hurricane of 1935, the most intense Atlantic hurricane to ever make landfall. In Key West, Helen waits tables at the local diner. A born and bred local, she is 9 months pregnant and abused daily by her no-good fisherman husband, Tom. It’s a holiday weekend, the town is packed and The National Weather Service is unsure if this tempest will descend its wrath on the Florida Keys. Elizabeth who is escaping from her wealthy past and grim future marriage has traveled to Florida to find her long lost brother, whose help she desperately needs. Mirta, a socialite from Havana, sits in silence next to her handsome and powerful husband whom she barely knows. Fate has brought these three women together, to survive the storm of their lives and find their rightful place in the world. Over the course of this weekend these women must uncover the strength to protect themselves and act in good conscience. Gifted author Chanel Cleeton brings us back to the eye of the storm with a story of resilience, love and hope. A fast paced page turner you do not want to miss, will release June 2020.

don't get me wrong, I did enjoy this book, I just think I was not part of the target audience, it wasn't my favorite.

Cleeton never disappoints with her Florida-based historical fiction novels, and this one is another gem.
Based on the real tragedy of the Labor Day hurricane that destroyed the Florida Keys in 1935, three women who are traveling aboard Henry Flagler’s Overseas Railroad, will see their lives forever changed by the danger of an upcoming storm.

The Last Train to Key West is a gripping story written about one of the worst hurricanes to hit Florida in 1935. Three strong women are depicted as they deal with the horrible conditions but there are also three love stories revealed. Corruption as well as the financial times of this era are well hi-lighted throughout the book. This is a well written suspenseful novel by a talented author! #TheLastTrainToKeyWest #ChanelCleeton #NetGalley