REVIEW: Oh Boy! It has been a hot minute since I read a Historical Fiction book. The Cuban Daughter: The Lost Daughters Book 2 by Soraya Lane made me wonder why. It was her Historical Fiction books about World War II that got me interested in the genre in the first place. If you haven’t read anything by her yet, please do yourself a favor and go to her book list and pick something out. She makes learning history enjoyable and her stories are really wonderful.

This story has two timelines. One takes place starting at about 1950 in Cuba and the other one is present day in London and a little in Florida. I love how the two timelines work together to bring you to the conclusion of the book. 

The main characters in the present day are Claudia and Mateo. I loved both of them. In the earlier time period in Cuba we have Esmeralda and Christopher. Their love story will make you swoon. Well, so will the one between Claudia and Mateo. You want nothing but the best for these four. Life is filled with family secrets, love and loss, pride and mistakes. 

This book was so hard to put down. I actually did right in the middle of it to help an author out doing a last minute beta read on her new novel. I was able to jump right back into this one and not miss a beat. This story was heartwarming and heart wrenching at the same time. It made me mad and happy all at once. You have to read The Cuban Daughter to know what I mean. 

Soraya Lane has once again turned out a novel that broke my heart and mended it back together again. It reminded me why I love Historical Fiction and that I have been away from it for way too long. Until next time…Happy Reading.

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I received a complimentary copy of this book from the author, #Netgalley and #Bookouture. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own. 

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SYNOPSIS: As Esmeralda moved past Christopher, her breath stifled as he caught her finger in his. It was only a split-second, their fingers intertwined in a hold so brief that no one could have possibly noticed, but it told her everything she needed to know. He didn’t just come to see Cuba. He travelled all this way to see me.

Havana, 1950. As the daughter of one of the wealthiest families in Cuba and regarded as the most beautiful girl in Havana, Esmeralda knows the importance of marrying well for her family. But when her father takes her on a business trip to London, she falls in love with a young merchant named Christopher.

When Christopher is invited to visit her father’s sugar farm, Esmeralda knows that they must keep their love affair hidden at all costs. But when the country falls into revolution, Esmeralda is faced with an impossible choice – flee to America with her family or follow her heart and travel to London to be with Christopher. But Esmeralda has been keeping a secret from her family for months, and her decision will have devastating consequences.

London, present day. Claudia is rebuilding her life and following her passion of restoring unloved houses back to their former glory. But when her mother asks for her help in tracking down her grandmother’s history, her curiosity is piqued. Her only clue is a family crest, which she learns is for the Diaz family, once one of the wealthiest dynasties in Cuba. Impulsively Claudia books a ticket to Havana, feeling sure in her heart that she will be able to uncover her family’s true story.

Arriving in the bustling and vibrant city she meets a young man named Mateo, a chef who loves nothing more than to cook his family’s recipes. As they get to know each other over dinner, Mateo says that his grandfather used to work for the Diaz family and he too wants to uncover what happened.

But when they arrive at the Diaz family home, they find it completely abandoned as if preserved in time from the 1950s. It’s not long before they uncover a heartbreaking story about her family, who were forced to leave everything they had ever known. As she becomes closer to Mateo, will her family’s story of sacrifice convince Claudia to leave behind her own home and follow her heart to Cuba?

An utterly gripping and heart-wrenching novel about family secrets, lost loves and new beginnings. Perfect for fans of Santa Montefiore, Lucinda Riley and Victoria Hislop.