A reader named Tessa emailed looking for recommendations, and I knew you would know some good books to suggest for her.
I am looking for a book, actually for a type of book- I would really like more than one. I want to read something with a[n] Hispanic protagonist (I think
I would prefer hero to heroine, but I would like either).
I did a quick (micro-second fast) search of the site, but didn't see a whole lot, other than this is not a type of book you see often, which I had kinda already figured out.
I would be ok with historical, but would prefer contemporaries.
And I am not really interested in the HP, angry-boner type of story, either, which I know limits my choices even more. What I would like is a non-exoticised, modern story, probably set in the US, featuring the culture of the millions of Latino/Chicano/Hispanic people (yes, I know there is more than one culture).
It doesn't have to have a whole lot of cultural description – I am familiar with several iterations of Latin-influenced culture – but I would like to see that culture informing/influencing the protagonist. Does such a thing exist? And if so, [would you] share? It's a large ethnic group and I am always surprised that there are not more books featuring them.
The book that first comes to mind is the Perfect Chemistry YA series by Simone Elkeles, which features three brothers as the hero of each book, starting with Perfect Chemistry. Caridad Ferrer's novels, including Adios to My Old Life and When the Stars Go Blue, feature Latina heroines and heroes as well – and are also YA.
Do you have suggestions?
Arg! I read a short story that I understand would be part of a series but I can’t for the life of me remember it. But the hero was a young man who got paid to spray paint art work on buildings to deter actual taggers. And if I remember correctly he is Hispanic, or at least partly, he might’ve been also partly Indian. Anyway, turns out he was born to kill demons. He meets up with a young woman who I think it named Maria who’s also suppose to kill demons. Only neither knew this about themselves. Oh I wish I could remember where I read it. It could’ve been in a book that had a short story involving the lead werewolves from Alpha & Omega that Sarah recommended to me some time back.
AH! I hate it when this happens. If you don’t mind paranormals I’m sure this would fit the bill, but darn it, I just can’t remember the book nor the author! *headdesk* Oy vey!
I would recommend anything by Jill Sorenson. Her books are set in Southern California and Mexico, and she always includes Latino/Hispanic characters. Usually it’s the heroine, but the hero in the secondary romance of The Edge of Night is Mexican-American (I think).
From memory, there were a lot of silhouette special editions in the mid-90’s with Hispanic heroes or heroines. Although I couldn’t comment on how accurately they were portrayed (myself being so exotic living in Australia).
I liked Fade the Heat, by Colleen Thompson. I know I got it for free, possibly from that glitchy Borders giveaway last year? Mexican-American hero, language choice as status/subculture signifier. It wasn’t, like, the greatest thing ever, but it was a good solid book that didn’t oversimplify things too far.
Robyn Carr’s third Virgin River novel (I can’t remember the name of the book) has a Hispanic hero. As I recall he keeps saying stuff in Spanish that he assumes she can’t understand, while she of course has a reasonably decent knowledge of Spanish and knows exactly what he’s saying.
I love, love, love Perfect Chemistry and Rules of Attraction by Simone Elkeles; there’s a book about the third brother, too (Chain Reaction), but I haven’t read that one yet. They’re YA, but the characters are definitely dealing with adult situations.
Give it another month and A Dry Creek Bed, a romantic suspense with a Latina heroine will be out. 🙂
@Jami, I remember this story, too, though I can’t remember the title either. The anthology you mentioned is On the Prowl, but I don’t remember this story being in it. (but my memory, it is not reliable)
There is a series by Jessica Andersen, The Nightkeepers, but I don’t think I read past the first book. It’s tied into a lot of Mayan mythology and my memory wants to make it the same story as the one Jami mentioned, but I think they are different. Both are very paranormal, though, and might not be what the original poster was looking for.
Some of Laura Griffin’s heros are Latino. Try One Last Breath or Unforgiveable.
I second Rose’s recommendation of Jill Sorenson. Great romantic suspense!
Elizabeth Lowell features Grace, a Latina heroine, in her St. Kilda books. Not my favorites, but the Spanish doesn’t make me wince.
Caridad Pinero has Latino heros and/or heriones in most of her books. Her Calling series are vampires in NYC. Her current Lost series also has Latino heros
I think Justine Davis wrote one of those mid-90’s silhouette’s in her Trinity West Series.
I just remembered another one – Sugar Daddy by Lisa Kleypas has a Mexican-American heroine, and though I can’t say there’s a strong sense of the culture, Liberty does have to deal with prejudice and stereotypical thinking.
Forests of the Heart by Charles de Lint has a Latina heroine, if you like UF. It’s not a romance, but there is romance in it, and a happy ending.
@Carin – I think that the last story I read in that book was about some woman who is queen of some supernatural beings that are powered by moonlight. I remember that one too much because there’s an anal sex scene in it and I despise anything anal. I prefer to pretend the act doesn’t exist. And the one I’m trying to remember about the demon killing artist would’ve been just before that one. I’m pretty sure those two were in the same book. Plus the two werewolves. All the stories were part of the different authors’ series.
If you’re willing to go supernatural, Jacqueline Carey’s Santa Olivia is set on the border and very atmospheric. The feeling of it is wonderful, like what you’d get if Marquez wrote dusty small-town paranormal romance (which I guess in a sense he did).
I strongly recommend anything by Berta Platas. She’s a Latina herself and most of her books feature Latino heroes and heroines. I especially recommend Lucky Chica and the anthology Why I Hate My Sister (at least I think that’s the title; I’m not at my bookcase right now so I can’t check. It’s something about hating your sister.)
The one in which she is the main heroine is The Wrong Hostage, which was my introduction to Lowell. I believe she is only a secondary character in the others.
Shelly Laurenston had a latina heroine in one of her first books for Ellora’s Cave. (The character is in all three of the first books,“Go Fetch” and “Here, Kitty, Kitty” are the titles that I can think of.) All of her characters are over-the-top so this may not be a really positive roll model, but the character is strong and funny and loyal. Although the stories are erotica, it is friendships between all of the main characters that make her stories fun.
LA Banks is not my personal favorite, but her characters are ethnically diverse. I think that the main characters are often Latino. [Definitely worth a look if you like urban fantasy.]
Catherine Asaro has one Mayan-Latina heroine (and by implication all of the main royal characters in her space operas were Mayan). not that I can remember the specific title, but it is part of the geometry/physics-linked imperial space opera series and takes place mostly in LA.
Cathy Clamp and CA Adams have a few Latino heroes and one heroine in their Sazi series.
All of these are part-sci fi or fantasy, shape-shifters and vampires and telepaths everywhere you look.
Kensington used to publish the Encanto line of romances, which had Latino hero/heroines, usually Americans who were 2nd gen. It might be worth it to run down some of the novels, which I remember as delightfully cheesy, but not BAD. Some of the authors mentioned wrote for Encanto in the past, and so it might be a good jumping off point to see who is still writing too.
I think you may be mixing anthologies. The Briggs story has werewolves, one of whom is part Native American and the Sunny story is the last in the book, but in the two other stories you’ve got one human protagonist, heritage/race not mentioned, and the rest are non-humans.
Thanks to Rose and JL for the mentions. I’ll ditto Kleypas’s Sugar Daddy and Perfect Chemistry by Elkeles. Really enjoyed both.
Diaz of Linda Howard’s Cry No More is one of my favorite Hispanic heroes. I’ve also heard great things about Ann Aguirre’s UF series and have enjoyed her Ava Gray books.
As far as my books, The Edge of Night and Caught in the Act (next year) both deal with border issues and have Mexican American characters.
The first book of the Laurenston series is called “Pack Challenge”. Angelina, who’s Mexican and Brazilian, is part of the trio of friends who are the main focus of the series and she’s the heroine of “Here, Kitty, Kitty”, the third book in the series.
Marta Acosta’s “Casa Dracula” series (the first one is Happy Hour at Casa Dracula) has a fabulous, super funny Latina heroine. Technically, they’re probably vampire chick lit more than romance, but completely awesome all the same.
The Asaro book is called Catch the Lightning. Though it’s part of the overall series, it does work as a stand-alone SF with very strong romantic elements. Not quite SFR but almost.
I can’t believe nobody’s mentioned Anita Blake yet. Gee, people.
The anthology I was trying to think of earlier was Names I Call My Sister and is actually a collection of four Latina authors, Berta Platas, Lynda Sandoval, Sofia Quintero and Mary Castillo. All four stories are Latino-centric and they are all terrific. A great way to sample these authors.
I also really like the Marta Acosta series.
Caridad Pineiro wrote “Darkness Falls” for Silhouette Intimate Moments featuring Latina heroine, Diana Reyes back in 2004; the series (called “The Calling”) continues in the Silhouette Nocturne line – and I hear there is going to be a new novel with Diana coming out soon!
The books usually have the either the hero or heroine as Latino/Latina; one of the recent ones (“Honor Calls”) features both.
@Jami @Carin I own the On the Prowl anthology you’re talking about and the story Sarah is describing isn’t in there. I do know that there is more than one book/anthology out there titled ON the Prowl, so maybe its in one of those?
@Try The Moreno Brothers series
This series is about the love lives of 3 brothers and 1 sister living in La Jolla California by Elizabeth Reyes
Not that I dont like my americanos for heros but I would like to see a Puerto Rican hero in romance . I know there are books out there that take place in P.R. i have yet to find any in HQR. 🙁
Lauren Dane has two shorter ones. Sweet Charity and To-Do List have heroes of Portuguese descent.
Try the “Nightkeepers” series by Jessica Andersen. It’s about the 2012 endtimes. Not all the characters are clearly Latino/Latina, but several are (and they are yummy). No shifters or vampires as I recall—just straight up contemporary UF.
1. Sam’s Creed by Sarah McCarty is an historical Western with Bella who is a native Spaniard but living in Mexico with her family because of land grants
2. Visions of Skyfire by Regan Hastings is a paranormal where Teresa is latina but also a witch which is more the foucs
3. The Cowboys: Ward by Leigh Greenwood is a historical Western with Marina who is the wealthy daughter of a Mexican ranching family
4. The De La Cruz brothers in Carpathian series have lived in South America for a long time and have a Latino culture while being Carpathian
5. Midnight by Ellen Connor is a post-apocalyptic futuristic romance with Rosa, a Latina who is the leader of a human enclave
6. Hard Magic in the Luna Books series by Laura Anne Gillman feature a Hispanic forensic magician (I know, right!)
7. Cry No More by Linda Howard, contemporary, I *think* hero is hispanic
8. Burn for Me by Dee Tenorio has a contemporary, Latino firefighter
If you’re interested in M/M or romantica there are a lot of books/stories that feature Hispanic characters; I know Ellora’s Cave and Samhain Pub have a lot.
Anyway, that’s all I have right now but I’ll keep trying to remember others.
Rosario Ferre’s THE HOUSE ON THE LAGOON is more of an epic historical WTF-ery saga (the kind reviewed so well by RedHeadedGirl) than a romance, but it does feature a Puerto Rican setting and characters. (I’ve heard it’s also something of a roman a clef.) And I absolutely LOVE Elia Barcelo’s HEART OF TANGO, which is set between Innsbruck and Buenos Aires, and features two romances, one in the present and one in the past. (One doesn’t really end happily, but the other has at least a HFN.)
Shifters okay? Unless I’m misremembering, Jeigh Lynn’s Latin Moon series (AKA JL Langley for her MM books) is about wolf shifters in Texas where the core family originally was from Mexico. One book starts in a cemetery for a Day of the Dead celebration.
Wow, I actually have one. I wrote a Latino ex-gang member in my Jan. 2011 book A Little Texas. The hero Rick Mendez is opening a gang rehabilitation program in the course of the book. Feel a little sheepish about recommending my own book, but it fits…and I really like that hero 🙂
Diana Whiteside wrote some paranormals that had some very sexy Texas vampires in them, including the main vampire, who was of Spanish descent.
It might be, Debra. All I remember is it came between the little short story of the two lead werewolves from Alpha & Omega and the moonlight fed people with that horrible anal sex scene. It stuck with me because of the fact I actually have never come across a Hispanic hero or heroine in a romance before then.