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?

This is the second book of the Daughter series. Although I haven’t read the first book, the Italian Daughter, this book, the Cuban Daughter, can be read as a standalone.

The story starts with Claudia in UK during the present day when her mother asks her to track down her grandmother’s ancestry. When Claudia finds out a arm of crest, she realizes that it belonged to a wealthy family named Diaz in Cuba who was beyond family in the 1950’s before Castro came to power. To find answers to the questions, Claudia travels to Cuba and meets interesting people including Mateo where she learns about Esmeralda, the beautiful daughter of Diaz.

In 1950, Esmeralda Diaz while on a business trip with her father to London meets Christopher Dutton. The two embarks on a romantic relationship although Esmeralda’s father will never approve of their relationship.

I was truly mesmerized with the whole story that I simply couldn’t put the book down. I felt like I was transported to Cuba, learning about the Cuban culture and cuisine and I do like how the time line shift between Claudia and Esmeralda. I also like blossoming romance between Claudia and Mateo as well and also Esmeralda and Christopher. I do like the ending as well.

So overall, this is an emotional and heartbreaking novel that will keep you hooked till the end and strongly recommend to try this novel out! Worth five stars!

Thank you Bookouture for making a part of the blog tour and many thanks to Netgalley and Bookouture for the ARC. The review is based on my honest opinion only.

Buy link: https://geni.us/B0BGQGC7YBsocial