When We Left Cuba

by Chanel Cleeton

Kyla Garcia (Narrator)

Instant New York Times bestseller!

In 1960s Florida, a young Cuban exile will risk her life—and heart—to take back her country in this exhilarating historical novel from the author of The Last Train to Key West and Next Year in Havana, a Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick.

Beautiful. Daring. Deadly.

The Cuban Revolution took everything from sugar heiress Beatriz Perez—her family, her people, her country. Recruited by the CIA to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle and pulled into the dangerous world of espionage, Beatriz is consumed by her quest for revenge and her desire to reclaim the life she lost.

As the Cold War swells like a hurricane over the shores of the Florida Strait, Beatriz is caught between the clash of Cuban American politics and the perils of a forbidden affair with a powerful man driven by ambitions of his own. When the ever-changing tides of history threaten everything she has fought for, she must make a choice between her past and future—but the wrong move could cost Beatriz everything—not just the island she loves, but also the man who has stolen her heart...

• ISBN10: 1982550376
• ISBN13: 9781982550370
• Publish Date: 9 April 2019
• Publish Status: Active
• Imprint: Blackstone Publishing
• Format: Audiobook (CD)
• Duration: 11 hours and 8 minutes
• Language: English

Reviews

[Sam@WLABB]

I am still in love with this series. Cleeton has done such an incredible job blending family drama and romance with history. I expected Beatriz to have an incredible story, and she did. Beatriz made some really interesting decisions throughout her life, but she also accomplished so many incredible things. I won't lie and say that one big decision left me heartbroken, but wow! Cleeton made it up to me with that present-day timeline.

I am definitely looking forward to reading each and every Perez woman's story.

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[girlinthepages]

If you hung around my blog last summer/fall, you probably heard me raving about my love for Next Year in Havana, a historical fiction novel that stole my heart with its dual timeline narrative, Latinx protagonists and gorgeous cover. As a first generation Latinx woman myself, I am always always always looking for more representation of my Latinx heritage in literature, and though I'm not Cuban I was deeply invested and moved by the story of the Perez family and their descendants. I was ecstatic to find that there was to be a sequel set in the 1960s following the sassy side character sister Beatriz and promptly added it to my must read books of 2019 shelf on Goodreads.

First and foremost I will admit that I didn't love When We Left Cuba quite as much as Next Year in Havana. Though it picks up pretty quickly after the events in the "past" timeline of its predecessor novel, it's firmly set in the past and rooted in a lot of politics. To be honest, I think I learned more about US relations with Cuba and the Cold War through reading this novel than I ever did in school (another reason why I love historical fiction, it's so educational)! About 100 or so pages in I started to become invested, especially as Beatriz takes on the role of a spy for the US government. I loved that she used her feminine skills to find out useful information and be an asset to her new country, rather than her being trained to be some sort of kick-ass assassin or something- strength and skills come in all different shapes and forms and Beatriz didn't change who she was for her espionage work, rather honed her pre-existing personality traits for the job.

I was also here for the romance- there's just something about historical fiction romance that feels so much more swoony and, well, romantic sometimes than modern romances (maybe just me?) and of course there was a lot of underlying scandal involved in it since it featured Beatriz. I was fascinated learning about the high society of Florida's elite in the 1960s and how it compared to the politics and upper class structure of Havana that the Perezes left behind. You can tell Chanel Cleeton did a lot of research for these novels and it definitely paid off.

If you hung around my blog last summer/fall, you probably heard me raving about my love for Next Year in Havana, a historical fiction novel that stole my heart with its dual timeline narrative, Latinx protagonists and gorgeous cover. As a first generation Latinx woman myself, I am always always always looking for more representation of my Latinx heritage in literature, and though I'm not Cuban I was deeply invested and moved by the story of the Perez family and their descendants. I was ecstatic to find that there was to be a sequel set in the 1960s following the sassy side character sister Beatriz and promptly added it to my must read books of 2019 shelf on Goodreads.

First and foremost I will admit that I didn't love When We Left Cuba quite as much as Next Year in Havana. Though it picks up pretty quickly after the events in the "past" timeline of its predecessor novel, it's firmly set in the past and rooted in a lot of politics. To be honest, I think I learned more about US relations with Cuba and the Cold War through reading this novel than I ever did in school (another reason why I love historical fiction, it's so educational)! About 100 or so pages in I started to become invested, especially as Beatriz takes on the role of a spy for the US government. I loved that she used her feminine skills to find out useful information and be an asset to her new country, rather than her being trained to be some sort of kick-ass assassin or something- strength and skills come in all different shapes and forms and Beatriz didn't change who she was for her espionage work, rather honed her pre-existing personality traits for the job.

I was also here for the romance- there's just something about historical fiction romance that feels so much more swoony and, well, romantic sometimes than modern romances (maybe just me?) and of course there was a lot of underlying scandal involved in it since it featured Beatriz. I was fascinated learning about the high society of Florida's elite in the 1960s and how it compared to the politics and upper class structure of Havana that the Perezes left behind. You can tell Chanel Cleeton did a lot of research for these novels and it definitely paid off.

Overall: While not quite as addictive as Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba is an educational and entertaining historical fiction novel that adds dashes of espionage and romance to the somber and serious setting of the Cold War. I hope Cleeton continues to write about this family because I really can't get enough!Overall: While not quite as addictive as Next Year in Havana, When We Left Cuba is an educational and entertaining historical fiction novel that adds dashes of espionage and romance to the somber and serious setting of the Cold War. I hope Cleeton continues to write about this family because I really can't get enough!This review was originally posted on Girl in the Pages

[Rowena]

This was another fabulous book by Cleeton. Beatriz is the business! This one pulled at my heartstrings and made me want more from this author. Good stuff!

[kimbacaffeinate]

The Perez family has left Cuba and relocated to South Florida. While her father tries to rebuild his wealth and her mother tries to marry them off, Beatriz Perez works with the CIA, to infiltrate Fidel Castro's inner circle.

I adored Cleeton's contemporary romances, but you can tell she has come home in this genre. From, the history to the culture she captured everything from the political climate to the Cuban people.

I love Beatriz. She is young, about twenty-two at the beginning of this story, but the tale begins with her as an older woman and ends the same. I loved her story and the forbidden romance nestled amongst the pages between daring missions and covert spying.

While the story is entirely fictional, Cleeton does weave in factual history giving the story an authentic vibe I love in stories such as these. I fell hard for the characters, especially Nick and her cousin.

The romance is a forbidden one and the kind you never forget. I adored them together even when they fought. It was a powerful romance, but so was Beatriz commitment to the cause. The romance isn't straightforward and takes side stage to Beatriz work to undermine Castro but I loved every damn moment.

If you are looking for a beautiful, poignant and addictive read, I encourage you to pick up When We Left Cuba. It will work as a standalone, but don't cheat yourself, grab Next Year in Havana too.
This review was originally posted at Caffeinated Reviewer