Are you a fan of love stories starred by Hispanic or Latino characters? Do you get excited reading books about different kinds of romances featuring another cultural heritage and environment? If you do, then you might want to check out the amazing tales of affection written by authors from Latin America and Spain. Reading these kinds of novels will give you a breath of fresh air because it is not your typical romance you can see in the popular American movies and books.
There are already several works of Latino/Latina and Hispanic authors that are widely read today. But, if you haven’t read one, then here are the best romance novels you shouldn’t miss.
Dream, Sweet Dreams of You by Rick Vasquez
Rick Vasquez book on Latino survival love story is titled Dream, Sweet Dreams of You. It doesn’t only showcase great love and affection of the main characters but also the important issues experienced by Latinos, such as social injustices. You can also observe other Latin American aspect in the book, like the names of the characters, the terms used, and more. Moreover, this book has the ability to draw intense emotions through the different situations experienced by the characters. What makes this work more amazing is how it is consistent of indicating the time and place every time it transitions into one setting to another, like from 1914 Sonora Town, Los Angeles, California to 1926 San Francisco, California.
His Perfect Partner: A Feel-Good Multicultural Romance by Priscilla Oliveras
His Perfect Partner by Priscilla Oliveras, first book of Matched Perfection series, was published by Zebra Books in 2017. The story centers on Yazmine Fernandez, one of the Latina sisters featured in the series, and Tomás Garcia, a hard-working divorcee. She is a dance teacher of Garcia’s daughter. He cannot resist the charms and talents of Yaz. But for her, handsome workaholics are the types that she is avoiding. She’s focused on boosting her confidence and achieving the dream that her father failed to fulfill. With some parts of their lives are connected by a single string, which is Maria, can they keep a professional bond or will they hit it off?
Like Water for Chocolate by Laura Esquivel
Laura Esquivel penned the popular classic book Like Water for Chocolate. It was published in Mexico in 1992 while it was published in the U.S. in 1995. Moreover, it was the winner of the 1994 American Booksellers Book of the Year Award for Adult Trade. It falls under the genres romance, magical realism, and tragedy. The story centers on Tita who is a young girl that found comfort in cooking. It is the only activity that she can freely express herself. She has a love interest named Pedro but they cannot be together because of a family tradition that her mother strongly upholds. The said custom restricts the youngest daughter of the family to be wed because she must take care of her aged mother until her mother dies. Would she uphold the same tradition or would she break it?
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton
Next Year in Havana by Chanel Cleeton is a remarkable book a Hello Sunshine x Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick. It follows the story of Marisol Ferrera, a Cuban-American freelance writer. She is the granddaughter of Elisa Perez. While growing up, she constantly heard the romantic tales of Cuba from her grandmother, who was forced to escape her country with her family because of the revolution. Elisa’s final wish was for her granddaughter to scatter her ashes in the nation where she was born. That’s why Marisol went to Cuba to fulfill the wish of her grandmother. But, she got involved with a guy with several secrets. Follow how Marisol gets to know more about her family history and pursue the man she’s attracted with.
Happy Hour at Casa Dracula: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy by Marta Acosta
The first edition of Happy Hour at Casa Dracula: A Paranormal Romantic Comedy by Marta Acosta was published in 2013 by Bandinage Press. It focuses the story of Milagro De Los Santos who is a gardener and a bookworm. She considers herself a misfit but regardless of that, she still handles to have fun. One night, she encountered a guy named Oswald at a book party. They kissed wildly, which ended up to a cutting in the lips and unexpected exchanging of blood. Afterward, Milagro’s got sick and peculiarly craved for meat. What happened to her? Find out.
The Damsel’s Files 