Tag: Chanel Cleeton

The Breakfast Club Book Tag

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Hello friends! It is tag time. Sara @ The Bibliophagist is who I saw do this one in particular, and being a total Breakfast Club Stan, I had to do it.

breakfastclub

Princess

A book that is very popular and pretty on the outside, but you thought was uninteresting on the inside

99PercentMine

 

Sorry, not sorry. 99 Percent Mine by Sally Thorne didn’t do it for me. I wasn’t feeling Darcey whatsoever. My fingers were crossed that good ol’ Tom would redeem the story for me, and was greatly disappointed..and her brother?! *insert eye roll emoji..please* Darcy’s brother was so immature. Before you ask..No, I haven’t read The Hating Game. One day, I do plan to give it a try but with how disappointing this one was, I’m in no particular rush.

molly

 

Criminal

A book that looks/sounds rough and bad, but ended up completely stealing your heart

PRIEST

One word honey, PRIEST.  It’s so damn wrong but is so damn perfect all the while. Sierra Simone crafted this very atmospheric, totally forbidden, so sexy, romance. I was hooked from beginning to end.

criminal

 

Brain

A book that made you think

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When We Left Cuba really made me think.  My mind was all over the place while reading this book, thinking of Beatriz, and her role as a woman during the time period the book is set. It was one of those reading experiences that really had me questioning “what would I do?” I liked how Chanel Cleeton bought to light that not all women just sat by as things were happening. So many actually took action and did their part.

brain

 

Basket Case

A book that people would call you crazy for reading

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The reason I chose Midnight at the Wandering Vineyard for this one is because, readers I’m close to are big on, “Don’t read it, if you’re not feeling it.” I completely roll with this, if I’m hating the book. I didn’t hate this book, but it sure as heck lost my interest to the point, for a while I was reading yet had absolutely no idea what was going on.

basket

 

Athlete

A book that made you struggle/work to finish

womenofthedunes

I had to go with Women of the Dunes by Sarah Maine for this one. Was it entirely the books fault..? Not necessarily, however it did play some part in it. Once upon a time, about 3 years ago, historical fiction was my jam! Honestly, it feels like I woke up one day and no longer had any interest in reading it. So, I was a little nervous in picking this book up and once I began reading it, it wasn’t doing it’s best to rekindle my historical fiction flame. I do however think if you are a historical fiction fan, and are especially fond of Scottish history, you’ll love this.

athlete

 

Feel free to answer these questions if you’re up for it. I’d love to see your responses. If you decide to do it, let me know so I can see your answers. xo.

MollyRingwald

Thoughts While Reading: When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton

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April 10, 2019 at 7:57 p.m.

Winning! Very rarely do I pre-order books. I typically add a release I am standing by for to my Amazon Cart and just let it sit there until it releases..I can count on one hand how many pre-orders I’ve actually done. When We Left Cuba by Chanel Cleeton is one of the few. This beauty arrived yesterday and I started it last night. I feel like I totally scored with this one because I logged into Overdrive last night and my local library had the Audiobook available, NO HOLDS! 

Ever since finishing Next Year In Havana, I couldn’t wait to get Aunt Beatriz’s story. In that one, she just came across very beautiful and powerful. Like she didn’t really care how beautiful she was, she preferred intelligence and making change. She seemed so radical and revolutionary. Having this gem in my hands right now has me feeling an excitement for a book I haven’t felt in a long time. I have been patiently waiting for this story and am thrilled it’s finally here.

The prologue ending to Beatriz’s story is Everything:

“When did she get so old? There is no note in the basket, but then again there’s no need. Who else would send her such a gift: extravagant, poignant, perfectly her? No one but him.”

I need to find out who ‘him,‘ is.

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April 16, 2019 at 9:18 a.m.

I have been making my way through When We Left Cuba since it arrived in the mail, but last night we made the four hour trip to Dallas, Texas and I got. good chunk of the audiobook listened to.

I’m currently about 63% of the way through and I have tons of feels.

“I wish I’d never met I’m at all, so I wouldn’t know what I’m missing.”

“Is this love? Who has time to worry about such things? At the moment it is everything and that’s all that matters.”

“It turns out, missing you is the most exhausting thing of all.”

I now know who “him,” is..Nicholas. I am anxious to see what becomes of the relationship between him and Beatriz.  With how it started and what it basically was, I don’t think I can really see it being anything other than…

The pacing of this book takes me back to Next Year In Havana. Cleeton’s story telling feels very slow moving while at the same time having so many moving pieces. Beatriz is a force to be reckoned with. She is a very head strong, intelligent heroine and I love her.  Beatriz paints the perfect picture of what being a woman during her time was like and how difficult it could be if you were a woman who didn’t want to conform to societal norms.

The main theme I am feeling from this book thus far, is “do something.” Beatriz has this strong urge, that drives from loyalty to her brother, her country..to act now, to do something about what her people have went through.  All while being in love with a man who can never truly be hers, and having a man in love with her, who she realizes has been in love with her for years.

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April 18, 2019 at 7:17 p.m.

I finished the book this afternoon. I couldn’t give it anything less than 5 out of 5 stars, it was so damn good. Firstly, if you’re not a fan of slow moving stories..I say stick with this one. It’s very much worth it in the end. When We Left Cuba is very political. I loved that Cleeton set it during the time period she did, because it was so easy to imagine how tense the world was at the time. The time period also played heavily into Beatriz’s character. She was a young woman during a time when society’s expectations, her family’s expectations were for her to marry and start a family. Attending school, voicing her opinions..were totally opposite of what was expected of her. It was truly the love of her family and her love for Cuba that wouldn’t allow her to sit idly by as things were happen. She needed to do something.

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The thing about the romance between Beatriz and Nicholas is, it starts off totally wrong and with all the odds against it. Despite that, the love between these two only grows stronger with time. They always find their way back to each other. This books ending won’t be your favorite happily ever after, but it works once you get to know Beatriz. I honestly couldn’t see the ending being any other way. She was a woman who did things on her terms, when she wanted to, so the ending made total sense to me, and I absolutely loved it.

I can’t recommend this book enough. If you want a good historical novel, rich with history from a time period I think gets overlooked a lot, I definitely think you should check it out.

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