The Spanish Daughter

Set against the lush backdrop of early twentieth century Ecuador and inspired by the real-life history of the coastal town known as the birthplace of cacao, this captivating #OwnVoices novel from the award-winning author of The Sisters of Alameda Street tells the story of a resourceful young chocolatier who must impersonate a man in order to claim her birthright... "An atmospheric and captivating mystery set against the backdrop of 1920s Ecuador, The Spanish Daughter is an engrossing, suspenseful family saga filled with unpredictable twists and turns."--Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana 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. Praise for The Spanish Daughter: A Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books: Fall/Winter 2021 selection "A lushly written story of bittersweet family secrets and betrayals that ultimately celebrates the healing power of hope, resilience, love--and chocolate!" --Andrea Penrose, author of Murder at the Royal Botanic Gardens "A lyrical and nuanced study of family and belonging. Readers will fall in love with The Spanish Daughter's unique setting amidst the cacao plantations of Ecuador in 1920, its lush and vivid prose, and compelling and audacious heroine." --Anna Lee Huber, USA Today bestselling author of Murder Most Fair "A deftly written story entangling family, identity, chocolate and murder, set in the lush golden days of Ecuador's cacao boom in the early twentieth century. Hughes gradually weaves the separate tales of her narrators into a single strong thread, drawing you into the world of three very different sisters united by deception and loss."--Shana Abé, New York Times bestselling author of The Second Mrs. Astor