A Caribbean Heiress in Paris: A Novel (Las Leonas, 1)

Luz Alana Heith-Benzan and Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, are primed from the start for sparks to fly: they are both vendors at the Paris Exposition, looking to sell their rum and whisky, respectively. This novel is more than just a story of rival merchants filled with belligerent sexual tension; that’s only the first few chapters. Before long, they learn they both need one another to achieve their respective ends. That’s when the book leaps into one of my favorite romance tropes: the marriage of convenience, made difficult by mutual attraction.

Luz and Evan are both delightful to read about, and Herrera has a sharp, friendly writing style that drew me in at once. My one complaint was with the pacing. At times, it felt like the romance of the novel moved faster than Luz’s and Evan’s individual plots. When I was caught up in the story, I didn’t mind it too much. What bothered me more was that Luz’s subplot, involving her inheritance placed in a trust, was largely in the background. Surely, such a vibrant protagonist deserves to have both her plotlines have equal weight, or at least equal weight with her man’s plotlines?