Oh my gosh I don't have the words to describe how absolutely fantastic this book is! I adore Adriana Herrera's writing because she is an expert at crafting characters who so clearly belong together and bringing them together in the most satisfying way possible. This book was successful for me on all levels - I loved the romance and I adored the historical period being discussed as well. I was swooning and kicking my feet all the way through this book. This story is painfully relevant for our times. Aurora is a doctor providing abortions and other necessary medical care to women who desperately need it. Her determination to do what was right regardless of what the law or these women's husbands had to say about it was so inspiring. If you love your historicals with fiery FMCs then this is the book for you! I also adored Apollo (our Duke). He was so genuinely thoughtful and caring. It was delightful to see him fall hard for this fierce woman and then have to work hard to convince her that he would increase her independence rather than trying to impede it. Watching this woman who is so used to having to do everything on her own find a partner who wanted to support and take care of her was absolutely adorable to read about. Despite the class difference between them, their relationship always felt very balanced and I was over the moon when they finally got together. This story was incredibly spicy but also equally heartfelt. That balance is hard to strike but Adriana Herrera did it perfectly here. Please pick this book up! This is a historical romance that I believe will work for old histrom readers and new readers alike.


The narrator's voice was absolutely lovely to listen to! I definitely recommend picking up this book in audio format because it definitely enhanced the story.

We finally get Aurora and Apollo's story!! I’m a huge fan of this series and this book was the perfect closing. It gave me all feels!

Aurora is a badass! She's a doctor running an underground clinic for women giving them access to medical treatments they wouldn't have received otherwise. Matching her badass energy is Apollo who took revenge on his awful father and is now a Duke but because he's black he doesn't receive a warm welcome in the House of Lords.

Aurora and Apollo's fierce and swoony love story was perfect. I loved them so much. The way Apollo went above and beyond for Aurora without a second thought had me in TEARS! I've been waiting for these two to get together since A Caribbean Heiress in Paris and I gotta say it was worth the wait. I love that they both took risks not only for themselves but to help other people.

The audiobook was excellent! As a non Spanish speaker I really liked being able to hear the actual pronunciations. The narrator had a lovely voice that was really soft and easy to listen to.

Now I’m just going to sit around hoping Adriana will write more historical romances!

This is the third book in the series and takes place during the 1880’s in Paris.
Aurora is a doctor running an underground women’s clinic. Apollo is a Black Duke struggling to settle into his new role. The two come up with an agreement that will be mutually beneficial. I thought the storyline was so interesting and I enjoyed learning more about Apollo and Aurora’s backstories. I couldn’t get enough of the witty banter and the chemistry is off the charts. This is such a fun series and I’m a bit sad it’s over.

Read if you like:
💜Historical romance
💜 Diverse characters
💜Strong female MC
💜He falls first

I think it’s fitting that I’m writing this review on a day I hear about traditional publishing not renewing contracts for historical romance authors. And I am absolutely flummoxed because I want so many people to hear voices like Adriana Herrera’s. She has written a story that does so many things for the historical romance genre and makes it intellectually stimulating and relative to what romance readers desire. Let’s tick off those items, shall we?

-Afro-Latine hero and heroine deserving of a love story
-A setting in the Belle Epoque era in Paris
-A female physician running a secret clinic for women
-A do-gooder hero who only has eyes for his “Fiera”
-The hottest, steamiest sex scenes a romance reader could ask for (one right off the bat)
-Accepted queer characters
-Historically interesting medicine (don’t check my Google search history)
-Realistic conflict and emotional tension between the mains
-Beautiful swoony writing

I fell so hard for Apollo and Aurora. Their story can easily be read as a standalone, but I would encourage you to read the full Las Leonas trilogy. I loved how Apollo worked to get through Aurora’s hard exterior shell—he sees her vulnerability and tends to her with patience and persistence and it made me love him so much for it. I loved how strong Aurora was, partially because she had no choice but to be, but also because she was in a position to be strong for others that could not. I loved the setting and unique place in history that permitted for this story of Bipoc characters to exist. And holy cow did I love the intimate scenes between Apollo and Aurora. If any of this sounds remotely interesting to you as a reader, take a chance on the beauty that is this story. I hope Aurora and Apollo work their way into your heart the way they did mine. I would also definitely suggest you listen to this one. Frankie Corzo kills it with her narration and has a wonderful voice that can switch between brooding masculine to high pitched feminine effortlessly. I will definitely search for more audiobooks narrated by her. I received an early copy from the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Rating: 🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟
Steam: 🪭🪭🪭
Historical interest: 📜📜📜
Emotional swooniness (yes, that’s a word. I made it up): 🥹🥹

Wow, Herrera does it again! I absolutely loved Aurora and Apollo's love story - it was so delectably steamy AND sweet.
I always admire how Herrera has tackled these political subjects in her historical romances as well. Aurora's fight for women's equality and the healthcare they receive felt especially impactful to read in our current timeline as well.
Overall, a well rounded romance and narrated perfectly. I really enjoyed listening to this on audiobook!

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. The narration was absolutely amazing and I loved how the narrator was able to capture each character, even the side characters, with their own personality and voice. Would definitely recommend!

Thank you to Netgalley, The Hive, and Harlequin for providing me an ALC in exchange for an honest review.

This book was insanely swoony, filled with so many historical facts and stories that honestly made me wish I read more books such as this one! This amazing book follows the bold and independent Dr. Aurora Montalban Wright, who runs a secret women’s clinic in 1889 Paris. Her dangerous work draws the attention of Apollo César Sinclair Robles, the newly appointed Duke of Annan. Despite their differences, Apollo is determined to protect Aurora, and their partnership soon turns into a passionate romance. As Apollo adjusts to his new title and responsibilities, Aurora struggles with the idea of fitting into aristocratic life while guarding secrets from her past. When old enemies resurface, the two flee to the French Riviera, where they must decide if love is worth risking everything. The narrator did a wonderful job at bringing the characters to life with such a captivating voice, I have no more words to describe how giddy I was while listening to these audiobook. I simply couldn’t stop playing it!

A great conclusion to the Las Leonas historical romance series featuring three strong, independent women of color finding love and living their lives how they want despite conventional society dictates. This book features Aurora, a physician dedicated to helping women in need with all their health related ailments (including abortions). Her one-time fling with Apollo, the new Duke of Annan turns into much more and the two have to figure out if they are willing to take a chance on love and a life together. Great on audio and perfect for fans of authors like Vanessa Ridley and Evie Dunmore. Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital and audio copy in exchange for my honest review!

Thank you to @The Hive and @Htpbooks for this audiobook as part of the Hive Influencer program in exchange for my honest review. I did an immersive read with this and the ebook. I really enjoyed this audiobook! I loved hearing the Spanish words and overall dialect. I loved everytime Apollo said “Fiera”! The narrator was great! I highly recommend listening to the audio while reading!

This is a 5 star read! I can’t believe this is my first time hearing of this. Now I must go back to read the other 2 in the series!

See full review of the book on separate posting!

✨this book made me cry on the bus!✨

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is exactly the book I needed right now. Aurora is a kick-ass heroine who takes zero shit and fights for what she believes in, and getting to read about her passion for women’s health care was delightful, albeit emotional at times. When Apollo, the Duke of Annan, offers to support Aurora’s underground women’s health clinic, she’s skeptical. And, to be honest, she continues to be skeptical for most of the book. Which is so fair! But gosh darn it when she finally decides to trust him, it is SO worth the wait.

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris and An Island Princess Starts a Scandal are two favorites of mine (you don’t need to have read them to read this one, but, like, you SHOULD want to read them). But dare I say Aurora’s book was my favorite of the three???

Increasingly niche things I loved in this book:
💜 fields of lavender as a romantic setting
⛲️ drama at the garden party
🥐 tasty pastries used as bribery
👊 martial arts training
🧴 gifting bougie hand cream to your beloved
🧤 gloves being used for multiple purposes

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke comes out this Tuesday, February 4! ✨

🔥 A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is a historical romance that brings the heat—and I mean serious heat. Adriana Herrera delivers a fiercely independent heroine, a broody duke who falls hard, and enough passion to set your headphones on fire. Frankie Corzo’s narration is phenomenal, making every moment feel alive, from the sharp banter to the extra-spicy romance.

If you love historical romance with contemporary-level steam, this one’s a must-listen. Full review on my blog! 🔥 [The Soft and Slow Life]

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke is the third book in the Las Leonas series. Do you need to read the previous books in order to enjoy this one? Absolutely not. Should you read the previous books anyway? Absolutely yes. Adriana Herrera knows how to deliver strong and powerful women that question patriarchy while also giving us a diverse cast of characters in a well-researched story.

First off, I'm not a huge historical romance reader, but when it comes to topics that are relevant to our current state, I can be persuaded. Especially if it is Herrera writing it. She gives us the heat, angst and amazing characters who can vividly stand on their own.

Aurora is a woman that is one bada$$ doctor running an underground clinic that saves women medically when their lives are literally in the hands of others. Apollo meanwhile has recently been given the title of duke and is battling what that title means for himself and what he can do to help others with it. While it does seem that these two are focused on their jobs, I enjoyed seeing how their lives could intertwine and they could both help others in similar ways.

Men had so much to answer for...Aurora was saving mothers, daughters, sisters. Women who were at the mercy of callous men and an indolent society.

Herrera continues to give a voice to women in her stories that are all about standing up and taking their power back. Even if they have to do it quietly or illegally. This book really focuses on women and their body autonomy in a past that was riddled with horrible choices made by men. Combining something that is still relevant today with a scorching chemistry between two characters that displayed a bit of love/hate, this book was entertaining and had me cheering on the the unlikely pairing of Aurora and Apollo.

With a diverse cast, important topics even today and a true connection between Apollo and Aurora, this is a historical romance that will stay with you. The spice is spicing and the action scenes are breathtaking. And if you get the chance to listen to the audio narrated by Frankie Corzo, in third person, you'll get to hear it brought to life with the combination of English and Spanish speaking, making it even more realistic. From each male character to female character, Corzo knocked her performance out of the park! I'm sad to have this series coming to an end, but I hope Herrera continues to write more historical romance that is timely.

"Aurora will never lie to me to save my pride, she won't ever turn a blind eye to an injustice because it's inconvenient. She will never choose her comfort over another's well-being. She's better than I could ever aspire to be."

A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke by Adriana Herrera is out next week on February 4th! Thank you @Harlequin_Audio for the ALC! This is book three in her Las Léonas series.

The audiobook is narrated by Frankie Corzo (which is what the audiobook says but retail sites say Lola James, same person) and it was great. I actually didn’t initially request an arc because I knew I wanted to listen to this and that the audiobook would be good but then it popped up on NetGalley and here we are.

Now it’s been two years since I read the first book, but I remember LOVING it so I’m going to go ahead and say that it’s still my favorite of the three. But this is close second, it was great. Could read them out of order like most romance series but they are best enjoyed in order and have minor spoilers for the previous books.

I loved Aurora, she was a fantastic heroine! Apollo was great too. They were a good couple and the pining was excellent. The spice was spicy. Really though, Aurora is the best part, I loved her.

I am unfortunately just too busy at work today to write out that long of a post today but know that the book was great! Swipe to the second photo to read the synopsis! Absolutely would recommend it and the series.

💜💜💜

#ATropicalRebelGetsTheDuke #AdrianaHerrera #HistoricalRomance #Audiobook #AudiobookReview #Bookstagram #RomanceBooks #BookReview #BookRecommendations

I had such a great time listening to the audiobook. The humor, angst, and possessiveness...yes! The passion between Dr. Aurora Montalban and duke, Apollo César Sinclair Robles Wright was EVERYTHING. The narrator did a wonderful job in bringing the story to life. I did not want to put this down.

This was the third book in Las Leonas series.
💚A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
💖An Island Princess Starts a Scandal
💜A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke

DNF at 34%

I balked at the fact that this book was over 400 pages, but I figured that the premise would be enough to carry me through this really timely romance. However, I've made it over a third of the way through the book and I am just really bored. I do appreciate what this book is doing and the fact that it is talking about such important issues that are still being fought for today; because I do not want to diminish the book by giving it a low rating, I am choosing to DNF instead.

Thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for an ARC of this audiobook in exchange for a fair and honest review!

Oh, I loved this book SO much! I have read and adored each novel in this series as it was released. The first book, A Caribbean Heiress in Paris, featured the love story of Luz Alana & Evan, which introduced all of the players for future novels. The second book, An Island Princess Starts a Scandal, focused on the love story of Manuela & Cora. This novel, finally (!!!!) offers up both a backstory for Aurora and reveals that Apollo has a heart of pure gold.

This book is narrated by Lola James. She did a phenomenal job with the Scottish accents, but honestly, I missed the narrator of the first 2 novels of this series. Most especially for the Caribbean-Spanish accents. Overall, between both narrators, I think Nneka Okoye did a better job, and I deeply missed her narration in this third installment of the Las Leonas series.

Aurora and Apollo are easily my favorite couple in this series. It felt, in many ways, like this story flipped the conventional gendered romance expectations. Aurora got the treatment I wanted for Penelope on Season 3 of Bridgerton. Apollo sees Aurora beneath her split skirt and not traditionally fashioned clothing. He loves her appetite and lusts after her curvy body. Let me just say this is extremely spicy right from the beginning. The first 2 couples feature in this story just enough that you get to see how they are doing in their new lives. It's beautifully handled and adds so much to the overall narrative. I don't want to ruin the story, but I adored them together.

Aurora's backstory was complicated and unexpected. She was such a rich character full of pain, stubbornness, gumption, and grit. While she is a historical character and her practice fits with historical practices of the times, it's also horrifyingly relevant today. Human beings who give birth MUST have control over their bodies. Birth control and the right to terminate a pregnancy are both basic human rights. As is same sex marriage and for the right to exist as Transgender. These are basic human rights and MUST be protected. I also loved that this dealt with colorism and its long reach. So long, in fact, it's still a very real issue today. I wish more fiction treated this real-world issue with such realness. We can't defeat what we refuse to address.

I deeply hope that we'll get more books in this series. I'd love to read Clarita's story and perhaps that of other background characters. I'm not at all ready to let the charming world created in these novels and the people that populated it go.

Thank you to Adriana Herrera, Harlequin Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to and review this audiobook. All opinions and viewpoints expressed in this review are my own.

I just love a regency romance! This one was very good and scratched that regency itch for me. Lots of contemporary issues parallels that I quite enjoyed. Narrator did an excellent job with different accents for different characters. Can’t wait to read more from this author.

I received an arc from Netgalley and the publisher.

I appreciate a strong female lead in a book, even more so when she is a strong Latina like in Adriana Herrera’s novel, A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke.
 
This historical romance is the final installment in the Las Leonas series and follows Dr. Aurora Montalban and her mission to fight for women and their reproductive rights. Duke of Annan, Apollo, does everything in his power to keep her safe and satisfied 😉 while she does.
 
It’s so crazy, but unfortunately not surprising, that this book set in 1889, centers around the same rights women continue to fight for today. So, if you’re looking for some fierce and inspiring energy, this along with the other books in the series are for you.
 
I’d like to point out that Adriana Herrera does 👏🏽 her 👏🏽 research, she mentions this in her Author’s Note and on her various platforms. Aurora and other characters are inspired by real people. So, not only do you get a great story, you’re also gaining knowledge and that’s a powerful thing.
 
🐝 Thanks so much to the @htp_hive and @htpbooks for my advanced copy of the e-book and audiobook. I switched back and forth between both while reading and I gotta say, the narrators were perfectly chosen.

After reading the first two books in this trilogy, I was very excited to finally read Apollo and Auroras story. And it did not disappoint! I adored all aspects of this book. The romance between Apollo and Aurora was swoon worthy! I adored how Apollo adored her, and how he just wanted to take care of Aurora without trampling on her independance. I also love how the author did not shy away from the darker sides of history, but really took the time to explore what it meant to be a person of color and/or a woman in this time period. It was truly enlightening.
It was also great to see the Leonas together again, and check back in with our first two couples.

The audiobook narration was also spectacular!

A refreshing historical romance with lots of diversity, a badass Dr FMC and a Duke simp. I loved this one and the audiobook was great. Also the Herreras spice is top tier, I can’t wait to read more of her backlist books!