When We Left Cuba
by Chanel Cleeton
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 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...
My Rating:
War has a way of sanding down your virtue.
I reenact my own Cinderella routine sans the discarded
pump. If Cinderella had paid what I did for these shoes, she’d have made sure
she left the ball with both, too.
If I’m going to have regrets in this life, I’d rather them be for
the chances I took and not the opportunities I let slip away.
The line between villain and hero is whisper thin, and, very
frequently, a matter of perspective. Gray, Miss Perez. We operate in the gray.
I was completely sucked into Ms. Cleeton’s well-crafted and deftly
written cloak and dagger vortex as I zigzagged the globe while she brilliantly
unfolded her impressive tale of Beatriz Perez, Cuban femme fatale. Her captivating storylines sparkled with
intrigue, betrayals, passion, family drama, an epic love, patriotism, scandal,
and tropical heat. The engaging plot
was quickly paced and highly eventful while blending fact and fiction with
stunning agility in an informative yet entertaining and evocative manner.
Ms. Cleeton’s writing activated a long forgotten grade school
memory flash of participating in those ridiculous duck and cover drills and
being reprimanded for giggling while sitting under my desk. And I am proud to
exclaim that I finally, yes finally, have a grasp on the atrocity of the Bay of
Pigs and the disgraceful betrayals of the US government that caused such
butchery, which is nothing new and probably even worse now, yet still, so
disheartening. The 60s really were a
mess!
Empress DJ
About The Author
Chanel Cleeton is the USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for Next Year in Havana. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
Chanel Cleeton is the USA Today bestselling author of Reese Witherspoon Book Club pick for Next Year in Havana. Originally from Florida, Chanel grew up on stories of her family's exodus from Cuba following the events of the Cuban Revolution. Her passion for politics and history continued during her years spent studying in England where she earned a bachelor's degree in International Relations from Richmond, The American International University in London and a master's degree in Global Politics from the London School of Economics & Political Science. Chanel also received her Juris Doctor from the University of South Carolina School of Law. She loves to travel and has lived in the Caribbean, Europe, and Asia.
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