The Spanish Daughter

A cacao plantation in Ecuador is the setting of this historical fiction novel by Lorena Hughes. The Spanish Daughter is Hughes' second novel, following The Sisters of Alameda Street. Sisters takes place in 1960s Ecuador while Spanish Daughter takes place in the 1920s. I love this new setting for historical fiction and hope that Hughes continues to write stories taking place there.

The publisher's summary:  

As a child in Spain, Puri always knew her passion for chocolate was inherited from her father. But it’s not until his death that she learns of something else she’s inherited—a cocoa estate in Vinces, Ecuador, a town nicknamed “París Chiquito.” Eager to claim her birthright and filled with hope for a new life after the devastation of World War I, she and her husband Cristóbal set out across the Atlantic Ocean. But it soon becomes clear someone is angered by Puri’s claim to the estate…
 
When a mercenary sent to murder her aboard the ship accidentally kills Cristóbal instead, Puri dons her husband’s clothes and assumes his identity, hoping to stay safe while she searches for the truth of her father’s legacy in Ecuador. Though freed from the rules that women are expected to follow, Puri confronts other challenges at the estate—newfound siblings, hidden affairs, and her father’s dark secrets. Then there are the dangers awakened by her attraction to an enigmatic man as she tries to learn the identity of an enemy who is still at large, threatening the future she is determined to claim.

I had a hard time not only becoming interested in this story but also maintaining interest. In addition, there were several flaws in the plot. The story starts out with Puri traveling to Ecuador because she has inherited part of her father’s cacao plantation. While sailing on a ship to South America Puri’s husband is killed. She soon realizes that she was supposed to be the intended victim. As a former chocolate store owner in Spain, I expected that she would continue her interest in selling chocolate in Ecuador. I would have liked this storyline. However, the story becomes a search for who signed or perhaps forged a blank check. Whoever signed the check is the one who wants her dead. Puri begins to imitate her dead husband, wearing his clothes, in order to more easily find out information about the plantation and who wants her dead. It's a crazy strategy that results in Puri not being eligible to inherit the plantation. However, she continues to disguise herself. 

None of this seemed plausible to me. Who would give up a cacao plantation? Puri should have stopped pretending to be her husband and forged a new life in Ecuador. Also, the fight on the ship that resulted in her husband's death was merely a short scene. It did not figure into the story much nor did the idea that she was supposed to be the victim. The writing was disjointed given the plotline faults.

Another problem is that the characters were not very interesting. Puri has two half sisters in Ecuador who could have played the role of villains. Unfortunately, they didn't. While the story alternated between the three women's viewpoints on events that occurred between 1907 and 1920, none of them had strong feelings about anything and I wondered why the alternating plot lines were present in the novel. The lack of suspenseful writing is another reason the book falls short. Very short.

2 out of 5 stars.