Blog — Latinx in Publishing

C/W: mentions self-harm, abuse, eating disorder.

When people first ask me why I read romance novels, I tend to answer with Why not? For so long, romance novels have been given the reputation of not being “real books.” But even as a young queer teen, I always asked Why not? It has everything a “real book” has - words, pages, a cover. So why is a romance novel not a “real book?” It wasn’t until I became an adult that I realized that the general public tends to see romance as a genre that only women read. And we all know how the general public tends to treat things that women only allegedly enjoy.

With the rise of TikTok though since the pandemic, the number of romance readers has increased, along with the number of men who enjoy them. Having been an open romance reader since the Fifty Shades craze, romance is the section that I always walk first to whenever I visit Barnes & Noble. And one of the authors who has become someone who I can trust to give me a good love story is Lauren Asher. Asher, famous for her Dreamland Billionaires series, has given us one of the best beach reads of the Summer in Love Unwritten, a romance with a few of my favorite tropes. Forced proximity, grumpy male main character, just to name a few, and plus a beach trip to Hawaii; perfect for the Summer.

Ellie Sinclair is a hopeless romantic songwriter who wrote the Album of the Year, according to the Grammys. If only the public knew that. Now coming back to her hometown of Lake Wisteria after her best friend’s betrayal, she becomes the nanny and music teacher to the son of the man who she thought she would be over – Rafael Lopez. But things have changed since high school. Rafael is now a billionaire with a company to run, an ex-wife to deal with, and his son Nico who he wants to make memories with. He has to, before Nico goes blind. A romance with Ellie is not what he needs. But a lot can change in fourteen days, and sometimes a vacation romance doesn’t stay in vacation.

The thing that I love about Asher’s books is that before I even know it, a few hours have passed and I’m 150 pages in. That is how good she is at capturing a reader’s attention and keeping it. Although part of a series, it’s an interconnected standalone. Readers of Asher will love seeing character cameos from her other books, but new readers don’t need to read her previous books to enjoy them. Finally, what Asher does so well is being able to capture these two characters and make you sympathize with their struggles. The struggles of depression and self-harm are ones that I can personally relate to, and it helps break the stigma of these topics, especially in a romance novel. It shows that people who don’t see themselves as “perfect” can accept the help of others, people who they didn’t expect it from, and find the acceptance within themselves and that love for each other.

In Love Unwritten, Lauren Asher goes back to Lake Wisteria to tell the story of these two characters who saw themselves as broken. In a story of healing from physical and mental scars, they found the acceptance they didn’t know they wanted and were able to find the love they didn’t think they would get to have. If you want that summer read that’ll take you on vacation without having the funds, read Love Unwritten and get ready to be hooked to Lauren Asher.

Joseph De La Cruz (He/Him) is an Oakland native and graduate of San Francisco State University with a major in Creative Writing. A lover of Pop music (Britney over Christina, anyday), Disney, pepperoni pizza, and iced coffee, you can find him at the romance section of any bookstore, waiting for his very own meetcute to happen. You can find him on Instagram @princetonboy915 (Yes, it is a reference to that movie!)

Content Warning: Murder and blood.

You know about it, don’t you? That old majestic, deserted house in that one neighborhood – that one that you drive past because you can’t help but be scenic - that you can’t help by stare at. It pulls you in like a whisper calling your name. Who used to live here? Why has it been abandoned? Did something happen here?

Now imagine that house on the sunny bay in Miami, only it’s the beginning of World War II and you’re a recently arrived transplant after having lost your parents in a terrible drowning accident. And your estranged sister is the one currently living in that statuesque house. That is only just the surface of what Carmen Acosta, the eighteen-year-old just arriving from Cuba, has to scratch in The House on Biscayne Bay.

Chanel Cleeton, famous for her binge-worthy romances, has gone gothic in her latest atmospheric novel. With two mysteries set between interwoven timelines, it is a novel that will grip you just by the name of the glamourous manor where the story takes place – Marbrisa. But for a place just as beautiful as Marbrisa, secrets, tragedy, and death hide behind her walls. After all, for all of her beauty, there is an ugly that can only come with it.

“Cleeton has done what only a few in the mystery and thrillers genre could do for me, and that is keep me reading into the night...”

Those secrets rest with Anna Barnes, the woman who was gifted Marbrisa by her wealthy industrialist husband, Robert. Having moved to South Florida after the Great Depression, they set for a place to call home. But what is this feeling that Anna has within her about her new home? And with appearing to have it all, she only knows that one scandal can change everything. And when Carmen moves in just two decades after, can she solve all of Marbrisa’s mysteries and stop history from repeating itself, or is history just a preview of what is doomed to be repeated?

Cleeton has done what only a few in the mystery and thrillers genre could do for me, and that is keep me reading into the night, well past my usual bedtime. With the various players that come into play throughout both timelines - and what I have learned from the various thrillers I’ve read - I really just felt like I couldn’t trust anyone. What Cleeton does best in all of her works is that she knows how to set the mood and paint a picture so vivid that you just can’t help but feel as if you’ve been transported into the story. The mix of historic Miami, the family dynamic between the sisters, and the mystery of the great manor just pulled me in.

Besides the usual aspects that come with thrillers, one of the themes that really plays into the story is the loss of Carmen’s parents, something that I feel that Cleeton nailed perfectly. As someone who has lost a parent, I reflected very well with Carmen and her feelings. The loss of her parents was something that came out of nowhere, and because it was unexpected, she doesn’t know how to feel. A line that stuck out to me and I believe Cleeton captures all of those feelings perfectly was, “Grief is changeable, capricious, and cruel.” A simple sentence, just one that even if simple is just enough to tell the story of what the feeling is.

With her latest novel, Chanel Cleeton has delivered. The story starts off right with a bang and before you know it, it has its hold on you with the feelings that you can’t put the book down. If you’re already a fan, you can rest assured that even if you’re not a fan of thrillers, Cleeton will not let you down, telling this story in a way that only she can. For those seeking out a beach read that will have you craving spooky season, gather up that tote bag, and let The House on Biscayne Bay grip you.

Book Review: 'Love Unwritten' by Lauren Asher

Book Review: 'The House on Biscayne Bay' by Chanel Cleeton

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