GS vs. STA: Latino Heroes and Heroines

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by SB Sarah | December 06, 2011 | Tuesday at 12:00 am | 66 Comments

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?

Filed: General Bitching, Good Shit vs. Shit to Avoid

Tagged: ya romance, simone elkeles, recommendations, latino, contemporary romance, caridad ferrer

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I forgot to sayy that Diana Palmer has Spanish heroes. ( true blue , fearless before sunrise, Wyoning tough etc. )
Posted by Mcdlady23 on 2011-12-11 21:28:12 The Swashbuckler, by Lee Lynch, is out of print but you can probably find a copy somewhere. It's a romance between two women, one of whom is Latino, in Stonewall-era New York city. And it's excellent. Though I realise it may not be what you had in mind!
Posted by FranW on 2011-12-10 14:24:21 Linda Lael Miller's suspense trilogy that starts with Don't Look Now has a Hispanic hero. Caridad Piñeiro writes paranormal romances that have Hispanic, often Cuban, characters. She's got a few mass market that I haven't read and several categoricals (Nocturne Bites) that are hit and miss.
Posted by SF Geek on 2011-12-08 17:25:03 I Just Play One on TV by A.L. Turner is M/M with one Hispanic hero. The culture and neighborhood he grew up in is an important part of his backstory.

I'd try to summarize it, but I can't do any better than the Dear Author review that led me to it: http://dearauthor.com/book-rev...
Posted by Kristen A. on 2011-12-08 16:13:56 You might like Delora's Necklace. It's the tale of a modern-day Mexican woman living in Miami who travels back in time to the Mayan civilization and finds a husband she didn't know she had and a culture intent on making her a human sacrifice. The sequel, Miami Mayan, will be out in spring 2012, and it sends our Mayan warrior ahead in time to modern-day Miami, where his loincloth causes quite a stir at Miami's South Beach. Delora's Necklace is only available in e-book format.
Posted by susanblexrud on 2011-12-08 09:19:42 I'll second the suggestion Pamela made above about Alisa Valdes-Rodriguez's "The Dirty Girls Social Club." As Pamela said, it's more chick lit or women's fiction than straight romance, featuring an ensemble cast of female friends in varied relationship stages, including one who's already married with children but wondering whether her outwardly perfect marriage is worth saving. According to Amazon ( http://www.amazon.com/Alisa-Va... ), at least some of Valdes-Rodriguez's books have been NY *Times* bestsellers. There are two "Dirty Girls" sequels, plus "Playing With Boys" and "Make Him Look Good," in addition to several newer titles Amazon listed that I wasn't familiar with. Valdes-Rodriguez has also written one YA novel, "Haters," that might be of interest.
Posted by Margaret on 2011-12-08 06:23:33 Try this one as well - Florida private investigator and ex-cop Ric Alvarado.
http://www.suzannebrockmann.co...
Posted by Sisteen on 2011-12-08 05:14:17 IIRC, Hard Evidence does not have any Latino main characters. The hero grew up in Mexico, but he's not Mexican.
Posted by Yulie29 on 2011-12-08 03:02:02 Julie Elizabeth Leto has a 2 book series with a Hispanic heroine - Marisela Morales. Dirty Little Secrets and Dirty Little Lies. Muy Caliente...
Posted by Leogirl on 2011-12-08 00:15:09 I'll second Liz Talley's "A Little Texas" - I thought Rick (and the guys in the halfway house he's creating) were well done. Also, Shelli Stevens' "Dangerous Grounds".
Posted by carly m. on 2011-12-07 20:20:25 Not accurately at all--from an exotic Mexican who read plenty of those. It's a miracle I didn't give up romance entirely.
Posted by azteclady on 2011-12-07 19:49:57 Christina Dodd's Close to You has a Latino hero but I don't remember how much cultural stuff is described.
Posted by lauren on 2011-12-07 19:32:35 I would also check Delanney Diamond. She writes sweet romances and all of the heroes are Latino. Fight for Love is especially good. The hero is a professional Mexican wrestler.

Posted by Koko Brown on 2011-12-07 18:29:20 I loved Jacqueline Carey's "SANTA OLIVIA", featuring a lesbian latina heroine named Loup Garron. Most of the supporting characters are latino as well. The sequel "SAINTS ASTRAY" just came out last month!
Posted by Nico on 2011-12-07 18:05:58 Pam its okay ! I m latina too I find the Spanish ( more the author learned in high school type of Spanish) not to great :(. I would like see a latino as H with Spanish skills of my grandfather.

Posted by lisa pomales on 2011-12-07 17:59:09 I have read a few of the books mentioned above, but I AM Latina, and I do not recall those characters as Latina/o.

More chick lit, but really good and realistic (not fetishizing or stereotyping) is The Dirty Girls Social Club.

I read a lot. And that's the only one that comes to mind. Mostly because most Latino characters I come across are so patently cardboard cutouts or somebody's fantasy of a "Latin lover" that my brain refuses to buy it. Also, the Spanish is usually atrocious, which I find very difficult to get beyond. How hard can it be to do a little research and make sure the phrases you are using actually work? And no, google translate does *not* count as research.

Okay, sorry, rant over.
Posted by Pamela on 2011-12-07 17:28:25 LOL, on "HP, angry-boner"

Hard Evidence by Pamela Clare (Romantic Suspense)
Command and Collar by Cherise Sinclair (BDSM erotica)
Beauty be Selena Kitt (a short erotic romance)
Posted by Amber Skye on 2011-12-07 15:13:21 Julie Leto has several contemporaries with Latino/Cuban characters. Her recent Blaze, TOO HOT TO TOUCH has a Spanish hero and the two follow on books are about his half-brothers--all decendents of a certain "legendary" Hispanic hero from southern California. She's also resurrected the Marisela Morales books, which feature a Cuban/American heroine.
Posted by Silver James on 2011-12-07 14:51:16 I'll recommend one of my own, now that Liz Talley has also. <g> The Mermaid and the Eagle has a Mexican-American protagonist. Available from Wings ePress. </g>
Posted by Kay Sisk on 2011-12-07 14:26:40 I can recommend the Benni Harper mystery series by Earlene Fowler. Benni's (eventual) husband Gabe Ortiz is sheriff of a town based on San Luis Obispo. Because it's a series, Benni and Gabe are given enough time to explore their complex relationship, and the relationships with their families.
Posted by Rebecca Eschliman on 2011-12-07 14:10:39 'On the Prowl' has the Patricia Briggs novella, and yes, I was also taken aback by the lunatic buttsexing and terrible writing of the last story. I don't think this is the collection with the Hispanic hero, though - there's another collection of paranormal romance where a short, curvy librarian virgin is being hunted by a killer incubus, and has to be saved by a hot Hispanic demonhunter called Carlos (I think?) He can sacrifice her! Or her virginity! (They pick Door B.) It was a terrific story, but I'm blessed if I can remember what it's called.
Posted by Tam on 2011-12-07 13:13:03 This it totally awesome! Thanks so much for all the great recs... after the holidays my credit card is going to be smokin'!
Posted by Tessa K. on 2011-12-07 10:55:35 In the L.A. Banks Vampire Huntess series, Jose Ciponte is Mexican and Navajo, and both Carlos Rivera and Juanita are Mexican (Carlos' brothers and cousins play a prominent role in the first two books).
Posted by Evangeline Holland on 2011-12-07 05:04:21 I am pretty sure that the mystery short story with the mural artist fighting demons is Ride the Night Wind by L A Banks. It is from the Love at First Bite anthology, not from On the Prowl. I believe the young woman is Latino or Hispanic and the young man is half and half Native American.
Posted by Storyphile on 2011-12-07 02:24:15 hmmm...
Not everyone liked Nora Roberts' Bridal Quartet series, but some people did. I personally didn't enjoy the second. I actually really liked the beginning.The ending, however, was crazy and I felt like the heroine didn't really know the hero. I actually laughed when she what she liked about him because it was so generic. But some people liked the Bridal Quartet series and even more people love Nora Roberts. So if you love Nora Roberts try the Bridal Quartet series particularly book #2 Bed of Roses, where the heroine was half-Mexican american. If like me you don't know Nora Roberts that well or you're not a big fan, skip it but to a fan it might be good. You might like it.
Unfortunately I can't think of any others. hmmm...
Posted by Emily on 2011-12-07 01:57:43 I read a free contemporary ebook a while back, called Dancing in the Moonlight. The heroine is a Latina nurse who goes back to her home town after being injured in Afghanistan, and the hero is a doctor in the local clinic. They grew up on neighboring ranches, she blames his family for the death of her father, and he has always secretly loved her. It wasn't the best book I've ever read, but neither was it a waste of time, and it was free!

http://www.amazon.com/Dancing-...

Posted by Faye on 2011-12-07 01:24:17 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.

Posted by Jami JoAnne Russell on 2011-12-07 01:04:55 Diana Whiteside wrote some paranormals that had some very sexy Texas vampires in them, including the main vampire, who was of Spanish descent.
Posted by Dancing_Angel on 2011-12-07 00:16:06 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 :)
Posted by Liz Talley on 2011-12-06 23:15:25 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.
Posted by kathy cole on 2011-12-06 22:40:44 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.)
Posted by Rebecca (the 2nd) on 2011-12-06 22:03:41 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.
Posted by J9 on 2011-12-06 21:48:21 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.
Posted by Lovecow2000 on 2011-12-06 21:03:30 Lauren Dane has two shorter ones. Sweet Charity and To-Do List have heroes of Portuguese descent.
Posted by Emily on 2011-12-06 20:53:32 @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. :(
Posted by lisa pomales on 2011-12-06 20:39:46 @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?
Posted by Debra Jess on 2011-12-06 20:33:10 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.
Posted by kb_run on 2011-12-06 19:56:06 I also really like the Marta Acosta series.
Posted by Ginger Weil on 2011-12-06 19:36:21 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.
Posted by EC Spurlock on 2011-12-06 18:36:46 I can't believe nobody's mentioned Anita Blake yet. Gee, people.
Posted by Tam on 2011-12-06 18:13:56 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.
Posted by Jody Wallace on 2011-12-06 18:12:27 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.
Posted by Lucy Woodhull on 2011-12-06 17:48:14 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.
Posted by MaddBookish on 2011-12-06 17:42:40 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.

Posted by Jill Sorenson on 2011-12-06 17:41:29 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.
Posted by MaddBookish on 2011-12-06 17:19:08 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.
Posted by Elidia on 2011-12-06 15:46:48 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.
Posted by henofthewoods on 2011-12-06 14:48:43 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.
Posted by Elizabeth Gunther on 2011-12-06 13:46:05 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.)
Posted by ECSpurlock on 2011-12-06 13:34:56 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).
Posted by Ashley on 2011-12-06 12:49:30 @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.
Posted by Jami JoAnne Russell on 2011-12-06 11:23:58 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.
Posted by cleo on 2011-12-06 11:18:45 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.
Posted by Rose on 2011-12-06 11:18:04 I think Justine Davis wrote one of those mid-90's silhouette's in her Trinity West Series.

Posted by Rebecca on 2011-12-06 10:53:43 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
Posted by Gfree99234 on 2011-12-06 10:43:13 Elizabeth Lowell features Grace, a Latina heroine, in her St. Kilda books. Not my favorites, but the Spanish doesn't make me wince.
Posted by Throwmearope on 2011-12-06 10:24:54 I second Rose's recommendation of Jill Sorenson. Great romantic suspense!
Posted by JL on 2011-12-06 10:18:36 Some of Laura Griffin's heros are Latino. Try One Last Breath or Unforgiveable.
Posted by susan on 2011-12-06 10:15:33 @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.
Posted by Carin on 2011-12-06 09:48:15 Give it another month and A Dry Creek Bed, a romantic suspense with a Latina heroine will be out. :)
Posted by Avery Flynn on 2011-12-06 09:17:15 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.
Posted by JenniferP on 2011-12-06 09:09:44 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.
Posted by Kirsten on 2011-12-06 08:30:23 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.
Posted by Zee on 2011-12-06 06:32:46 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).
Posted by Minna on 2011-12-06 06:05:48 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).
Posted by Rose on 2011-12-06 05:10:57 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!
Posted by Jami JoAnne Russell on 2011-12-06 01:38:51

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GS vs. STA: Latino Heroes and Heroines