Adriana Herrera
Author of A Caribbean Heiress in Paris
Series
Works by Adriana Herrera
Monsieur X 1 copy
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- Birthdate
- 1978-08-10
- Gender
- female
- Occupations
- therapist
- Organizations
- Queer Romance PoC Collective
- Agent
- Taylor Haggerty
- Nationality
- Dominican Republic
- Birthplace
- Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic
- Places of residence
- New York, New York, USA
- Associated Place (for map)
- Dominican Republic
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Reviews
I may have some 'splainin to do with God since I spent my Yom Kippur finishing a romance.
This was a real joy to read. I do not read a lot of m/m romance. I am a cis-het woman: to some extent romance is fantasy, and the sexual parts of m/m romance are not the stuff of my personal fantasies, but the rest of this romance was a giant yes for me! (For those who are interested, the sex in this is graphic. This is a well-crafted story about people who do many things and the majority of their time show more is not spent having sex, but when the guys hit the sheets it gets very steamy and sticky. Let's just say that I assume the guys were doing a lot of laundry. Also, there is some dirty talk that is very good and very dirty.)
Nesto is a smart, well educated, driven Dominican immigrant raised in New York and his heart rests equally in his beloved New York and his beloved DR. After college Nesto realized his passion was cooking, the thing that united his afro-Caribbean community. Nesto's food truck is doing well, but not well enough to live on in NYC and he misses his mother who has moved to Ithaca. He decides to make a go of things in Ithaca for a summer (after which he will decide if he is staying.) Its a good thing he picked summer -- winter in Ithaca has less to recommend it. Anyway... he gets his business going with the unending loving support of his delightful mother and a group of supportive (NYC based) friends. There he meets Jude, a librarian who has in recent years separated himself from his fundamentalist Christian family who consider him an abomination. He has friends and a great job, but his once close family is mostly lost to him simply because he is gay. Jude is a bit nervous and finicky (totally understandable given his backstory) for me to swoon over him, but if anyone knows a Nesto clone who likes the ladies please let me know. Also, this is pretty loving portrait of Ithaca and New York, and since my own life revolves around NYC and Ithaca it was fun to read a book that saw the wonders of both.
The story explores what it is to be a Caribbean immigrant in America, both the beautiful and the ugly. It also looks at the complexities of doing it all when building ones personal and professional life at the same time. At all times the story conveys the importance and joys of friendships and family ties.
My one issue with this book was the ridiculous xenophobic villain. There are some terrible nasty racist assholes, but this was not a remotely nuanced depiction of that type. Also, I don't think there are a lot of destructive rich and powerful xenophobes in the world of grant-writing. It was irritating and said character - Misty is her name - shows up a lot. It cost the book a point - other than that I have no major quibbles.
Side note: By complete coincidence I was reading this at the same time I was reading Razorblade Tears, which also focuses on families who rejected children for being LGBTQ+. FWIW, this book, I thought, handled the discussion much better.
All in all, I kinda loved this. I will definitely read more Adriana Herrera though I might next go for one of her m/f books. Highly recommended. show less
This was a real joy to read. I do not read a lot of m/m romance. I am a cis-het woman: to some extent romance is fantasy, and the sexual parts of m/m romance are not the stuff of my personal fantasies, but the rest of this romance was a giant yes for me! (For those who are interested, the sex in this is graphic. This is a well-crafted story about people who do many things and the majority of their time show more is not spent having sex, but when the guys hit the sheets it gets very steamy and sticky. Let's just say that I assume the guys were doing a lot of laundry. Also, there is some dirty talk that is very good and very dirty.)
Nesto is a smart, well educated, driven Dominican immigrant raised in New York and his heart rests equally in his beloved New York and his beloved DR. After college Nesto realized his passion was cooking, the thing that united his afro-Caribbean community. Nesto's food truck is doing well, but not well enough to live on in NYC and he misses his mother who has moved to Ithaca. He decides to make a go of things in Ithaca for a summer (after which he will decide if he is staying.) Its a good thing he picked summer -- winter in Ithaca has less to recommend it. Anyway... he gets his business going with the unending loving support of his delightful mother and a group of supportive (NYC based) friends. There he meets Jude, a librarian who has in recent years separated himself from his fundamentalist Christian family who consider him an abomination. He has friends and a great job, but his once close family is mostly lost to him simply because he is gay. Jude is a bit nervous and finicky (totally understandable given his backstory) for me to swoon over him, but if anyone knows a Nesto clone who likes the ladies please let me know. Also, this is pretty loving portrait of Ithaca and New York, and since my own life revolves around NYC and Ithaca it was fun to read a book that saw the wonders of both.
The story explores what it is to be a Caribbean immigrant in America, both the beautiful and the ugly. It also looks at the complexities of doing it all when building ones personal and professional life at the same time. At all times the story conveys the importance and joys of friendships and family ties.
My one issue with this book was the ridiculous xenophobic villain. There are some terrible nasty racist assholes, but this was not a remotely nuanced depiction of that type. Also, I don't think there are a lot of destructive rich and powerful xenophobes in the world of grant-writing. It was irritating and said character - Misty is her name - shows up a lot. It cost the book a point - other than that I have no major quibbles.
Side note: By complete coincidence I was reading this at the same time I was reading Razorblade Tears, which also focuses on families who rejected children for being LGBTQ+. FWIW, this book, I thought, handled the discussion much better.
All in all, I kinda loved this. I will definitely read more Adriana Herrera though I might next go for one of her m/f books. Highly recommended. show less
Rating: 4.5* of five
The Publisher Says: No one ever said big dreams come easy
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.
Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga show more Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.
An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both...if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!
My Review: I gained at least 15lb reading this book. Nesto's food truck needs to park here on the beachside lots so I can eat there every day.
Author Herrera is a dab hand at using Spanish in her mainly-English text in such a way as a monoglot will get what was said, a bilingual reader will get the feelings of the speaker, and both will be able to feel involved and invested in the story. It's a tricky thing to accomplish.
It felt to me as though the main issues in Jade and Nesto's relationship were...details. Not superficial, understand, but the kind of things couples have to negotiate as time tugs them in different directions. Nesto needs reminding that Jude needs his time as much as the food truck does; Jude needs reminding that Nesto is focused and so needs reason to focus on him.
You know the kind of stuff, it's happened to all of us who are not terminally single. It's not that it's inaccurate, but it arose really fast; we sped through the getting to know you phase a wee bit less lingeringly than I think is ordinary.
I'm pretty sure Nesto knows what Jude needs from him but is Jude clear on it? We're reading Nesto's PoV so I wasn't all the way sure...though it's obvious Jude knows he'd be a fool not to make a real family, away from the rigid, rejecting Evangelicals who raised him,right by Nesto's side. He's experienced the darkest side of the Murruhkun Dream, its eager hatefulness at those it deems not good enough; Nesto lives the anti-immigrant, racist bit daily; they're in tune already on this, but still need to work out their harmony. Very much what makes real couplehood so much fun, so much work, so deep a reward when it's done, to build.
A romance with its flaws. but those are minor; a love story it's easy to invest in; and a food-based novel that ought to come with recipes...or an online ordering app. show less
The Publisher Says: No one ever said big dreams come easy
For Nesto Vasquez, moving his Afro-Caribbean food truck from New York City to the wilds of Upstate New York is a huge gamble. If it works? He’ll be a big fish in a little pond. If it doesn’t? He’ll have to give up the hustle and return to the day job he hates. He’s got six months to make it happen—the last thing he needs is a distraction.
Jude Fuller is proud of the life he’s built on the banks of Cayuga show more Lake. He has a job he loves and good friends. It’s safe. It’s quiet. And it’s damn lonely. Until he tries Ithaca’s most-talked-about new lunch spot and works up the courage to flirt with the handsome owner. Soon he can’t get enough—of Nesto’s food or of Nesto. For the first time in his life, Jude can finally taste the kind of happiness that’s always been just out of reach.
An opportunity too good to pass up could mean a way to stay together and an incredible future for them both...if Nesto can remember happiness isn’t always measured by business success. And if Jude can overcome his past and trust his man will never let him down.
I RECEIVED THIS BOOK FROM THE GOODREADS M/M GIFT EXCHANGE. THANKS!
My Review: I gained at least 15lb reading this book. Nesto's food truck needs to park here on the beachside lots so I can eat there every day.
Author Herrera is a dab hand at using Spanish in her mainly-English text in such a way as a monoglot will get what was said, a bilingual reader will get the feelings of the speaker, and both will be able to feel involved and invested in the story. It's a tricky thing to accomplish.
It felt to me as though the main issues in Jade and Nesto's relationship were...details. Not superficial, understand, but the kind of things couples have to negotiate as time tugs them in different directions. Nesto needs reminding that Jude needs his time as much as the food truck does; Jude needs reminding that Nesto is focused and so needs reason to focus on him.
I stepped away from the vehicle, taking a long look at it. Emblazoned on the back was the logo for my business, OuNYe, Afro-Caribbean Food in huge bold black font on a red background. The black and red contrasted with the flags of the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Cuba, Haiti and Jamaica painted over the entire truck. To name my business, I used a word from the Yoruba language. Which had been spoken all over the Caribbean by our ancestors, the West Africans who were brought there as slaves. Ounje is the Yoruba word for nourishment, and I’d decided to play a bit with things and put the NY right at the center.
You know the kind of stuff, it's happened to all of us who are not terminally single. It's not that it's inaccurate, but it arose really fast; we sped through the getting to know you phase a wee bit less lingeringly than I think is ordinary.
I'm pretty sure Nesto knows what Jude needs from him but is Jude clear on it? We're reading Nesto's PoV so I wasn't all the way sure...though it's obvious Jude knows he'd be a fool not to make a real family, away from the rigid, rejecting Evangelicals who raised him,right by Nesto's side. He's experienced the darkest side of the Murruhkun Dream, its eager hatefulness at those it deems not good enough; Nesto lives the anti-immigrant, racist bit daily; they're in tune already on this, but still need to work out their harmony. Very much what makes real couplehood so much fun, so much work, so deep a reward when it's done, to build.
A romance with its flaws. but those are minor; a love story it's easy to invest in; and a food-based novel that ought to come with recipes...or an online ordering app. show less
3.5 stars
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
From that first meeting, she’d found herself equally appalled and intrigued by him.
Readers of the Las Leonas series have been waiting for this book ever since Aurora and Apollo first sizzled on page. You could start the series here, you'd miss out on a little bit of groundwork laid between our two leads but there was enough here to understand and feel the connection between the show more friends and their relationships in this one. The prologue gets us going right away when the key Apollo put into Aurora's pocket months ago, finally has her showing up at his door. They have heat between them and they act on it but they're both also emotionally going through it for their own reasons, Apollo's revenge against his father has been meted out, only for him to die and now Apollo finds himself the Duke of Annan, while Aurora's family has cut off her payments from her trust fund. They physically let out some steam but too in their own heads to finally deal with their emotions.
The long and short of it was that the fastidious, forbidding, scrupulous Aurora Montalban was spending her nights committing crimes under everyone’s nose.
After the prologue we jump a few months where Apollo is back in England and learns that Doctora Aurora is working at the Le Bureau (brothel) and uses it as an excuse to go back to Paris to check up on her. Through their friends (main characters from the previous two books in series) they meet back up and we get Apollo and Aurora striking a deal that Apollo will donate a building for Aurora to have a women's clinic in, so she's not in danger running around Paris trying to meet-up with patients, and teach her some self-defense moves (capoeiragem). For Aurora's end, she'll give her advice and expertise on how to run a clinic and she wants sexual lessons from Apollo, mainly help her learn what she likes. These are the reasons for keeping the two in each other's orbit, what is trying to pull them apart is the lingering part of Apollo's revenge, he wants the aristocracy to accept him and gain some feeling of respect through that for his mother who has died, this is pushed a lot by his tia who is trying to set him up with respectable heiresses. There's also an in the wings aristocrat villain that works to discredit Apollo. Aurora's issues are from when she was taken advantage of when she was a teen by an older man, she felt ignored and unloved in her family, and is eventually forced into a decision that has her going against her family and distances her even more emotionally from them. It's what caused her parents to send her to a finishing school, which series readers know is where the Las Leonas meet and form.
Why must you always be so angry?
These two pretty much like each other right off the bat, sure there's some friction from two hard-headed people, but the physical and emotional attraction is baked in. Apollo chases her a good amount, Aurora has a lot on her plate with being a doctor and trying to get around men to best serve her women patients. This is very much a historical romance of the time and I can see future generations centering and pointing to it. There was a lot of passages and lines that I highlighted, ex.: This was a woman of means, and yet in her letter to the clinic she’d indicated her inability to pay for her visit because she could not spend any money that could not be explained to her husband.
The plot and romance are there but what grabbed me the most was the we've had these battles before and we found ways to win vibe and underlining message.
The prickly, censorious doctor who behind closed doors became his Fiera.
I really enjoyed how Luz Alana and Manuela, together with Aurora make up the Las Leonas who the series is about, made many appearances in this. Their friendship is written so beautifully and I enjoyed seeing them together. I did think the ending did get somewhat drawn out, because of the past decision Aurora made and the reason she didn't feel love from her family, she feels she'll only be a hindrance to Apollo's need to fit in with the aristocracy. The whole book felt like a showing by Apollo all the things he was willing and did do because he loved Aurora, even if there was some, feeling like, forced spouting of I need a respectable debutante. I guess I didn't completely still buy into what was keeping them apart around the 70% mark.
“I’m the Duke of Annan, and I’m using my power, my position and my money to give you what you deserve. What about it?”
These two were spicy together and I believed in their emotional connection, but what I really fell for was the historical-ness of this. You'll get setting and atmosphere, 1889 Paris with bonus lavender fields and French Riviera and historical shout-outs, Sarah Loguen Fraser (considering the day I'm writing this review, let me give my own shout-out, Rebecca Lee Crumpler). It was a great series send-off and I definitely spotted some characters that could be spin-off material. If you're looking to get into a new historical romance series, this has been my recent favorite. show less
I received this book for free, this does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review
From that first meeting, she’d found herself equally appalled and intrigued by him.
Readers of the Las Leonas series have been waiting for this book ever since Aurora and Apollo first sizzled on page. You could start the series here, you'd miss out on a little bit of groundwork laid between our two leads but there was enough here to understand and feel the connection between the show more friends and their relationships in this one. The prologue gets us going right away when the key Apollo put into Aurora's pocket months ago, finally has her showing up at his door. They have heat between them and they act on it but they're both also emotionally going through it for their own reasons, Apollo's revenge against his father has been meted out, only for him to die and now Apollo finds himself the Duke of Annan, while Aurora's family has cut off her payments from her trust fund. They physically let out some steam but too in their own heads to finally deal with their emotions.
The long and short of it was that the fastidious, forbidding, scrupulous Aurora Montalban was spending her nights committing crimes under everyone’s nose.
After the prologue we jump a few months where Apollo is back in England and learns that Doctora Aurora is working at the Le Bureau (brothel) and uses it as an excuse to go back to Paris to check up on her. Through their friends (main characters from the previous two books in series) they meet back up and we get Apollo and Aurora striking a deal that Apollo will donate a building for Aurora to have a women's clinic in, so she's not in danger running around Paris trying to meet-up with patients, and teach her some self-defense moves (capoeiragem). For Aurora's end, she'll give her advice and expertise on how to run a clinic and she wants sexual lessons from Apollo, mainly help her learn what she likes. These are the reasons for keeping the two in each other's orbit, what is trying to pull them apart is the lingering part of Apollo's revenge, he wants the aristocracy to accept him and gain some feeling of respect through that for his mother who has died, this is pushed a lot by his tia who is trying to set him up with respectable heiresses. There's also an in the wings aristocrat villain that works to discredit Apollo. Aurora's issues are from when she was taken advantage of when she was a teen by an older man, she felt ignored and unloved in her family, and is eventually forced into a decision that has her going against her family and distances her even more emotionally from them. It's what caused her parents to send her to a finishing school, which series readers know is where the Las Leonas meet and form.
Why must you always be so angry?
These two pretty much like each other right off the bat, sure there's some friction from two hard-headed people, but the physical and emotional attraction is baked in. Apollo chases her a good amount, Aurora has a lot on her plate with being a doctor and trying to get around men to best serve her women patients. This is very much a historical romance of the time and I can see future generations centering and pointing to it. There was a lot of passages and lines that I highlighted, ex.: This was a woman of means, and yet in her letter to the clinic she’d indicated her inability to pay for her visit because she could not spend any money that could not be explained to her husband.
The plot and romance are there but what grabbed me the most was the we've had these battles before and we found ways to win vibe and underlining message.
The prickly, censorious doctor who behind closed doors became his Fiera.
I really enjoyed how Luz Alana and Manuela, together with Aurora make up the Las Leonas who the series is about, made many appearances in this. Their friendship is written so beautifully and I enjoyed seeing them together. I did think the ending did get somewhat drawn out, because of the past decision Aurora made and the reason she didn't feel love from her family, she feels she'll only be a hindrance to Apollo's need to fit in with the aristocracy. The whole book felt like a showing by Apollo all the things he was willing and did do because he loved Aurora, even if there was some, feeling like, forced spouting of I need a respectable debutante. I guess I didn't completely still buy into what was keeping them apart around the 70% mark.
“I’m the Duke of Annan, and I’m using my power, my position and my money to give you what you deserve. What about it?”
These two were spicy together and I believed in their emotional connection, but what I really fell for was the historical-ness of this. You'll get setting and atmosphere, 1889 Paris with bonus lavender fields and French Riviera and historical shout-outs, Sarah Loguen Fraser (considering the day I'm writing this review, let me give my own shout-out, Rebecca Lee Crumpler). It was a great series send-off and I definitely spotted some characters that could be spin-off material. If you're looking to get into a new historical romance series, this has been my recent favorite. show less
Full disclosure: I requested Here to Stay from Net Galley not realizing that it was an M/F romance. (I thought I was getting Herrera's upcoming M/M book, [b:Finding Joy|52360895|Finding Joy|Adriana Herrera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1584384914l/52360895._SY75_.jpg|77604258]). I mostly read queer romance these days so in all honesty I'm not the best person to review this book. But I will give a few brief impressions.
Like the [b:American show more Dreamer|42983586|American Dreamer (Dreamers #1)|Adriana Herrera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543514360l/42983586._SY75_.jpg|66820163] series, Here to Stay features a Latinx MC from the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed reading Julia's descriptions of her background, her family's customs and personality, and I could sympathize with her need to establish a life for herself away from her loving but somewhat smothering family. I also appreciated the way Julia took proactive steps to find a friend group of "Gotham Exiles" who turned out to be the support system she needed. Finally, it's rare but rewarding to see a positive portrayal of a social worker from an author who obviously knows about the requirements and responsibilities of the profession.
I'm not really going to comment on the romance because I rarely find M/F couples interesting or fulfilling anymore. I will say that most of Herrera's MCs go heavy on the introspective angst, and they never say one thing without reflecting and overthinking on it three times as much, which can get tiresome after a while. I prefer that my characters reveal who they are through their dialogue and action instead of their internal musings, but YMMV.
So whoops, I didn't mean to read this book but I enjoyed it for the most part anyway. If I were giving this book a rating I would award it an extra star for a cute animal appearance. The critter's name alone is worth half a star.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. show less
Like the [b:American show more Dreamer|42983586|American Dreamer (Dreamers #1)|Adriana Herrera|https://i.gr-assets.com/images/S/compressed.photo.goodreads.com/books/1543514360l/42983586._SY75_.jpg|66820163] series, Here to Stay features a Latinx MC from the Dominican Republic. I enjoyed reading Julia's descriptions of her background, her family's customs and personality, and I could sympathize with her need to establish a life for herself away from her loving but somewhat smothering family. I also appreciated the way Julia took proactive steps to find a friend group of "Gotham Exiles" who turned out to be the support system she needed. Finally, it's rare but rewarding to see a positive portrayal of a social worker from an author who obviously knows about the requirements and responsibilities of the profession.
I'm not really going to comment on the romance because I rarely find M/F couples interesting or fulfilling anymore. I will say that most of Herrera's MCs go heavy on the introspective angst, and they never say one thing without reflecting and overthinking on it three times as much, which can get tiresome after a while. I prefer that my characters reveal who they are through their dialogue and action instead of their internal musings, but YMMV.
So whoops, I didn't mean to read this book but I enjoyed it for the most part anyway. If I were giving this book a rating I would award it an extra star for a cute animal appearance. The critter's name alone is worth half a star.
I received an ARC of this book from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review. show less
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