Reviews tagging 'Gaslighting'

The Cuban Heiress by Chanel Cleeton

7 reviews

yvo_about_books's review against another edition

Go to review page

adventurous emotional mysterious fast-paced

4.5

Finished reading: May 24th 2024


“It's a delicate balancing act to keep all the lies I've told straight, to keep everything from going up in flames.”

It's no secret that I consider Chanel Cleeton to be one of my favorite historical fiction authors, and her stories haven't let me down yet. I've been meaning to read The Cuban Heiress ever since it was published last year, but somehow once again it took me longer than expected to do so. I'm SO glad I finally did pick it up though, because I ended up having an absolutely fantastic time with this story! There is just something about her writing style that draws you straight in, and I literally flew through this book. The Cuban Heiress uses a dual POV structure, where we switch between Elena and Catherine during their journey aboard the SS Morro Castle. I found both women to be intriguing from the very beginning, although Elena's story was the more gripping of the two. The active cheating in Catherine's POV was not my cup of tea, although with everything explained in the end and Raymond being such a despicable character it is quite easy to forgive her. The plot is less intricate than some of her other books, but between the writing and the characters I was more than entertained. I do always love a story set on a ship! There was mystery, there was intrigue, there was romance, there was revenge, there was murder, there was an explosive ending... And a lightning-fast pace to get you there. I also loved that it was partly based on real events! The Cuban Heiress was yet another winner for me and I've yet to rate her stories below 4.5 stars. Recommended! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

keelirae113's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional inspiring mysterious sad tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

chelseylb1988's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious medium-paced
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

5.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

jilliebeen2003's review

Go to review page

adventurous mysterious tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0


Expand filter menu Content Warnings

kimveach's review

Go to review page

adventurous dark emotional informative mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This is a super fast read.  I finished it in one sleepless night.  I loved the mystery, the 1934 setting, and the story based upon the SS Morro Castle.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

emmas_bookshelf's review

Go to review page

mysterious medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Plot
  • Strong character development? No
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

4.0

I have enjoyed and learned something from all of Chanel Cleeton’s historical fiction books and this was no exception! One thing I did think was a bit different about this one is that while political tensions in Cuba are certainly mentioned, they’re much more in the background than being a focus of the story. The actual focus here is the POVs of two women on a round trip cruise from NYC to Havana in the midst of the Great Depression, and unraveling the mystery of why they’re on the ship and what their missions are. It was very twisty and intriguing! 

Expand filter menu Content Warnings

readingwithcats's review

Go to review page

emotional hopeful mysterious fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

Sadly, I didn’t love this one as much as I usually do Cleeton’s novels. I felt like the strong sense of time and place that she excels at were missing here. Plus, the male characters, especially Julio, were so poorly developed that the romance aspects fell completely flat for me. Here’s hoping we spend more time in Cuba in her next novel.

Expand filter menu Content Warnings
More...