A Tropical Rebel Gets the Duke

A female doctor in 1880s Paris becomes entangled with a duke in Herrera’s breathless final Las Léonas romance (after An Island Princess Starts a Scandal). When Hispaniola-born Dr. Aurora Montalban Wright learns her brothers have cut her off from the trust fund she uses to operate her women’s health clinic, she heads to the Parisian apartment of British noble Apollo César Sinclair Robles, the newly minted Duke of Annan, seeking to blow off steam through casual sex. After establishing himself as the rightful heir to the dukedom, Apollo thumbs his nose at the aristocracy who struggle to accept him as a Black duke. His aunt, meanwhile, is determined to find him a proper bride who will ease his entry into high society. Though he submits to her matchmaking, he also agrees to a no-strings-attached affair with Aurora as he helps her gain funding for her clinic. Aurora secretly longs for more, but believes she’s an unsuitable candidate for marriage because of her illegitimacy. Apollo, meanwhile, is determined to win her heart. Herrera infuses their romance with her trademark sensuality while using their story to probe themes of racism, sexism, and abortion access. This is a worthy finale. (Feb.)