Another excellent title from Adriana Herrera! I’m looking forward to the third book in this series! I loved the rich history and research behind this beautiful romance between Cora and Manuela.

Like any Cinderella story, Adriana Herrera’s historical novel AN ISLAND PRINCESS STARTS A SCANDAL (Canary Street Press, 368 pp., paperback, $18.99) begins with a countdown clock. The Venezuelan heiress Manuela del Carmen Caceres Galvan has a few brief weeks to live her best Sapphic life in Paris before she must marry a dull man she does not love. She has mortgaged her future to support her spendthrift parents, but she’s determined to live as passionately as she can in this too-brief patch of the present.

Instead of a fairy godmother, Manuela finds a duchess, Cora, who flaunts her business acumen in banks and railway companies — for her, time is money. She lavishes both on Manuela, purchasing a strategic piece of coastline from her in exchange for not only a pile of cash, but also entree into the Paris lesbian community. With one heroine shackled to her past, and the other facing a lonely future, Herrera’s romance stands elegantly balanced on the singular moment when change is possible.

Romance’s anticipation is doubly true in historical fiction, where we know what’s coming for the world as well as for the characters. This adds urgency to questions like, Should Manuela’s land become a section of European-owned railroad track, or the woman-supporting art colony she and her grandmother planned to build? We know historical novels reflect the time of their writing as much as the time in which they’re set, and we usually take that to mean putting modern thoughts into historical heads. But what if it also means taking useful lessons from specific moments in the past? What if we — the collective we — had chosen community over capitalism, or a more authentic happiness over the tracks laid out for us by someone else?

I was absolutely blown away by A Caribbean Heiress in Paris and all that book brought to the table. It was literal perfection, so I was so excited to get to read this sequel, but sadly, for me, it did not live up to the first book for me. My favorite part of this book and want Herrera does so well is her extensive research (honestly her author's note at the end explaining this was the most interesting part of the whole book) onto the sapphic artist community of the 1800's in Paris. I really enjoyed this unique setting and the characters that we met there. I loved our new main character Cora and her amazing business skills and handling of a male dominated world. Loved that the book featured more found family, and of course more time with the Leonas! However, this book was quite a slog for me, I just could not get into it. A lot of that had to do with the unevenness of the plot. The first meeting of the characters made it seem like this was going to be an inst-lust type relationship, but it quickly turned into a slow (and honestly) boring burn. This was because the characters had no real emotion connection or awareness of each other, though we the reader got extensive backstories on every character, there was not a lot of conversation or growing of the relationship. Additionally, on several occasions just when the plot was heating up, and it was building to a big, key moment, instead of showing us what happens, the scene would abruptly end, and we would fast forward in time to after the event, and hear what happened through a character's inner reflections instead.

This would have been a 2 star book for me if I'm being honest, it was mostly just OK, but the author's BIPOC characters, unique historical setting, and research bumped me up on this one.

Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for a free e-arc in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is an immersive historical for a pairing rarely touched on - even in Sapphic fiction! The world expands and readers will become invested in the outcome of our heroines in their independent lives, and in their romance together.

It’s Sapphic Parisian amazingness!! This book had so many things that I love. The history was very clearly well researched, and some of the historical details were absolutely fascinating. I also really enjoyed the dynamic of Cora and Manuela! What starts off purely as a steamy physical relationship quickly blooms into a quiet understanding of one another that is beautiful and adorable. I loved seeing how the author was able to give us the HEA while still in the time period.

This scandalous sapphic romance gathers artists, entrepreneurs, and aristocrats for sensual thrills and smashing the patriarchy in Belle Époque Paris. Manuela wants one debauched, delicious, and decadent evening of pleasure to tide her over for long nights in a loveless marriage. What she needs is an experienced guide to Paris’ queer community. What she needs is Cora: the duchess who dominates the Parisian business sector and always, always wins. Herrera turns up the heat and the drama in this latest installment of the Las Leonas series, in which friendship and Latin American history sparkle just as brightly as the core romance. Content notes: family estrangement, homophobia, sexism, racism.

This is one of the best sapphic historical romance books out there. I said it. I won’t take it back. Adriana Herrera is bringing it and Las Leonas are fucking back.

Manuela and Cora are hot. They are swoony and sexy and funny. Their love is only matched by the personal growth each of them experience throughout the story. And they are surrounded by beautiful found family that makes this the perfect book for me to share on the eve of my best friends wedding to her wonderful fiancée.

The Leonas have lodged in my heart, I think because the way they feel about each other is the way I feel about my best friend - I value her passion and love, I want the world for her, I have loved seeing her grow and become a joyous strong person. And that’s Aurora and Luz Alana with Manuela. Their friendship grounds the entire story, and is mirrored in the friendships Cora has with Cassie and Fred.

Yea there’s awesome spice, great history, and a complex story. But the friendships and the love between Manu and Cora are what shines for me.

No one is more disappointed in this rating than I am. I loved the first book in this series and was so excited for the next one - especially when I found out it was sapphic! Unfortunately this book just really didn't work for me but I really hope it does for others!

The opening scene in the brothel had so much potential and I was immediately super excited for the book thinking it would be super sexy and intriguing. But, ultimately I was just a bit bored the entire book - I was hoping it would pick up once they actually had sex but it really didn't. Even though I felt the chemistry in the beginning, the constant hot-and-cold act that Cora was pulling got really tedious. For someone who was 35, I really felt like Cora had no idea what she really wanted and even once she realized what she wanted, didn't go after it.

I did really like Manuela's character and loved that she turned Cora away after she interrupts her wedding (that she wasn't going to go through with anyways). I think the ending probably worked better than the middle of the book but by that point in reading I was so annoyed with all of the characters and bored of the plot, that I really just didn't care.

Thank you to Netgalley and Harlequin/Canary Press for the eARC in exchange for a review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I wanted to love this book - like I have been waiting for it - and it is chock full of my catnip in historic romance: grumpy/ sunshine, history that isn’t talked about enough, representation! But it just didn’t quite hit the mark for me.

Cora takes forever to come around. Manuela is perfect - but also I sometimes felt like she was incredibly young. (Or I feel old at this time in my life.) Also… I love Adriana Herrera. And I specifically love how steamy her reads are - especially her sapphic books. She doesn’t lean away from it… did HQN temper her a bit this book? Honestly - it felt like it.

But I still enjoyed it and can’t wait for Aurora.

TL/DR Review
Stars: four
Series: Las Leonas book two - can be read as a standalone
POV: dual third
Steam: midrange - not AH’s usual standard
Tropes: sex bargain (but not very sexy), found family, age gap
For Fans Of: Rebecca Welton from Ted Lasso
Theme Song: Cherry Bomb by Juliana Joy
Subgenre: historic/ Queer
CW/ TW: toxic family dynamics, homophobia, sexism/ misogyny

Thank you to the author and publisher for my complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

A sapphic historical romance set in Paris between a colorful, feminine artist from the Caribbean and a buttoned-up duchess who has vowed to never again let a pretty face interfere with her personal and business interests. But Manuela is here to have a summer of fun and debauchery before she submits to a marriage she doesn't want, and she's going to upset everything in Cora's perfectly planned life along the way....

I loved seeing all the research into the vibrant queer communities and artist communities existing in Paris during this time period. It really feels like a celebration of and homage to all the women who have loved other women throughout history. I'm a big fan of Adriana Herrera's work and because I ADORED the first book in the series I went in with sky high expectations of Island Princess being a new favorite for me. It didn't quite live up to that, but it's still an excellent book and I love seeing more sapphic historicals coming out!

Note that this is quite a steamy book once you hit about the midpoint and descriptions are pretty explicit. There were a couple times that I wanted more sense of the emotion behind the sex than what we got, just because I know Herrera can deliver that. But I think that came further on in the book. One other thing though is this kind of assumes you've read the first book in the series. Manuela undergoes a pretty significant shift in perspective partway through that is driven by events detailed in book 1. So if you haven't read it, that might feel like a real leap. But overall, this was very good and I do recommend it. I received an advance copy of this book for review via NetGalley, all opinions are my own.

It’s no secret that I LOVE Adriana’s work and this book is no different. Set in Paris during the 1899 Exposition Universelle, we’re back in the world Herrera set up in A Caribbean Heiress in Paris. This time we are seeing through the eyes of Manuela—whom we met in the first book in the series—an artist singlemindedly seeking some lady-on-lady adventures before she goes back to Venezuela to marry a dude her parents basically sold her to, because they are the worst. From the beginning book absolutely crackles with Manuela’s want and anticipation of finally getting to be herself, of experiencing an affair she’s only dreamed of, and of her crawling out of her skin with trying to fit into a box that is just not meant for her. My heart broke for her circumstances and swelled with her triumphs as she meets Cora, recognizes the possibilities that are there for her, and ultimately makes her life her own.

One of my favorite things about this series, as a former history teacher and total nerd, is how obviously well researched it is (mi gente there is a SOURCE LIST should you be so inclined!!) and that beyond reading a really great feminist AF love story, I’m also learning about a time period that I don’t know much about. It’s also no surprise that I would love this book because, like in many of Adriana’s works, I see my family reflected in it—Manu’s family fled to Venezuela from the Dominican Republic, and that’s my grandmother’s story, too. Her dad settled there, and she and my mom were born in Caracas. It’s such a specific detail but something I haven’t seen before, and that’s so special to me—#representationmatters!!

I hope you love the book, too, and I can’t wait to hear what you think of the book—please message me your thoughts!

Thank you @ladriana_herrera for the review copy.

Loved this book right from the first page and I could not put it down. I cannot wait for more books in this series.

What an incredible book!
I fell in love with Herrera’s words, I was captivated from beginning to end. I seriously cannot wait for the next installment in the series!

I gobbled this story up. Cora and Manuela's chemistry was delicious; lots of pining/longing.
The setting was great, Paris in the late 1800s with lots of expats from the America's forming their own friendship and found family groups.
And I absolutely loved how Herrera showcased how queer folks have always created spaces for themselves in the midst of being ostracized by the rest of society.
I appreciated how the women in this story were portrayed in all their softness, creativeness, strength, and persistence to carve out a space for themselves (professionally and also personally).
A really enjoyable Sapphic romance.

This is the second book in Adriana Herrera’s Las Leonas historical romance series and just like A Caribbean Heiress in Paris (book 1, you’ll want to read it first), this is a phenomenal book.
Manuela has 6 weeks in Paris before she has to return to Venezuela to get married, a move she makes to make sure her money-grubbing parents are taken care of. She’s also a talented artist and has two paintings being showcased in the local gallery.
Cora is trying to prove that she’s just as good, or even better (she 100% is), at business than her male counterparts. She needs the land that Manuela was given by her grandmother, so Manuela would always have something of her own. Together, they strike a deal. Manuela will sell Cora the land, but she wants Cora to show her all the places in Paris where women like her are free to be themselves (sapphic society) all before she goes back to Venezuela and gets married. I love seeing strong FMCs and they’re both forces to be reckoned with in their individual way.
And speaking of strong women, I loved Cora’s friends and seeing them be who they are. It was really great to see these characters get to where they are and give an example of how Cora and Manuela can be. I also love that they help meddle. We also get visits from the other Leonas, as well.
Herrera’s books always have top tier steam, and this is no exception. Cora is a stern brunch daddy and a dirty talker. Expect lots of buildup and sexual tension with a big payoff.
Herrera is a masterful storyteller and puts in the work to research the history of this time period and you can tell. As far as I’m concerned, the women in this book were real. I’m beginning to think she can do no wrong. This was one of the best books I’ve read so far this year.
I can’t wait for the next book. There’s definitely a hint at something with Apollo with Aurora’s book. It’s gonna be a fun one!
If you haven’t read Adriana Herrera yet, get on that train. Get on it now. You won’t regret it.
Thank you so much to Adriana Herrera. I voluntarily read an early copy of this book.

DOMINICANA Y DEBAUCHERY. It’s a scandalous sapphic summer.

One thing I always love about the women Adriana writes is they might struggle with putting others firsts or feeling doubts about their dreams, but they are NEVER shy or insecure about their desires and pleasure. Manuela is demanding her scandalous sapphic summer and she will tempt Cora with everything she has.

Manuela is engaged to man she know she will never love but will out of family obligation. But she has terms. A summer in Paris where she plans to fulfill all her desires and find all the places women who love women go.

Cora has fought to make a place for herself as a business woman in spaces dominated by men. For her next business venture, she is missing one piece. Enters Manuela.

Manuela is willing to give Cora what she needs for a price. Be her guide to sapphic Paris. Cora can’t be caught in a scandal… again. Spoiler: Manuela will be her missing piece in more ways than one and Cora will be more of a guide in private. And there will be a scandal.

I LOVED this book, Manuela, and Cora. Two latinas breaking boundaries and choosing each other in a historical romance. They have a sweet slow build romance full of heat. Manuela declares Cora is the woman of her dreams after their first time meeting. Cora wants to stay away but can’t stop herself from giving Manuela sweet grand gestures.

A little slow burn with a lot of teasing and then Adriana DELIVERS with the steam.

Adriana will forever be a favorite author. I always see myself in her books. She writes us unapologetically.

This might be Adriana’s most swoony book for me. I was smiling hard with this one.

🌶️: 3.5

I loved this book so much! I am utterly obsessed with this spicy sapphic historical romance! Cora and Manuela were everything and I loved it so much! While this book is a standalone romance, I think it does help to read a Caribbean Heiress in Paris first.

Manuela is an artist and Cora is a businesswoman. Their relationship starts due to a business proposition and it develops into more. I really loved their characters and it was obvious how much research the author did on the time period. The story is emotional, interesting, well thought, and the spice is delicious!

What makes this series so special is that it highlights supportive and beautiful relationships among women of marginalized communities. It’s incredibly empowering. I can’t wait for the next book in this series! Adrianna Herrera is definitely a one-click author for me!

This was SUCH an interesting, charming, hot and fascinating romance. I loved the first Las Leonas book and Manuela's book absolutely did not disappoint.

I love how Herrera has imbued each of her leonas with different passions and temperants but ultimately a really tight friendship and it is such a pleasure to watch them navigate this world that in some ways isn't ready for them but in others embraces them. Manuela is an artist and through this book she traipses through a Paris that has corners made just for her - filled with passionate (and sapphic!) women who dare to wear pants and dare to push up against the conforming rules of the time.

Manuela's relationship with Cora does what the best romances do - brings out the best in each other and sparks with chemistry. Cora is somewhat haunted by a traumatic past and keeps the persistent Manuela at arms length before she can't resist her charm and their attraction.

You can tell how well researched this book is even without the bibiligraphy in the author's note and any fan of romance or historical romance will devour this book.

Thank you SO much to the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read an early copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

3.5 stars rounded up. I loved so much about this book. The attention to historical detail made the Paris Exposition a third main character in all the best ways, and Cora and Manuela’s story made me both angry and happy - as one would expect when reading a romance about two women in 1889. When emotions show up, they show up big, as does the steam, but the pacing was off for me for the first third or so. As a history nerd, I didn’t mind, but as a romance fan, I wanted a bit more a bit earlier. Once the pace picked up, I couldn’t put the book down, and the twists on classic historical romance tropes, especially at the end, made this finish at 4 stars for me.

What a great historical romance! An Island Princess Starts a Scandal combined all of the ingredients for a memorable book. A chance meeting in a den of pleasure, an agreement neither can say no to, and a wistfully magical journey to finding oneself and a love that was made just for them!

Paris in 1889...what a time. All of the historical references were characters just as much as Cora and Manuela and all the other fascinating people we met in this story. I was pleasantly intrigued by these women that had made a community for themselves that funded their livelihood and kept each other safe at a time when lesbian and queer love was so taboo.

Cora and Manuela...whew their passion was so palatable, I often had to take a break when reading and...settle down! Their courtship was sexy and powerful. Cora...running into that church...my goodness!!!

To art, love, Paris, and bacchanalia...I will surely be recommending this book on all my socials and to all my bookish friends!!