When a father lies on his deathbed, witnessing the Spanish invasion of his land, he thinks of his firstborn Isabella and decides to protect his people by calling out for the gods to curse the man who brought these horrors onto his family; Hernán Cortés. In return, the gods granted his wish to all of Hernán’s daughters and their daughters after that. Isabella had the same goal and, to honor her father’s death, seduced Hernán into her bed in order to make sure they had a child.

With Isabella now intertwining the curse with her own bloodline, we follow the story of three generations dealing with a curse said to be unbreakable.

Author Olivia Castillo can capture any reader within the first paragraph of this story. She writes with such vivid detail that I could not put down the book, as all I wanted to do was keep reading. I was immersed in the story, and even though it kept surprising me, I felt a sense of familiarity, which made it so much more enjoyable to read! Readers will be able to experience the culture of the Puerto Rican people through Castillo’s writing.

Olivia shows a great understanding of character and worldbuilding. We get to hear the history of the curse, the way generations have dealt with it, and how such different protagonists lived their lives despite it. The deep connection of family that is important in this culture shines through. Even cursed, they manage to support each other and lean on the generations past to move forward.

Even if you have no ties to Puerto Rico, by the end of this story, you will feel like you grew up there and have lived through it all. Daughter of the Boricua, book two of the Song of the Boricua series, continues this heartfelt women’s saga. Readers of historical romance will be enraptured with the stories of these women, and those that enjoy following family sagas across generations will not be able to put this book down while waiting for the third book in the series.

Pages: 291 | ASIN: B09YLBXM2Z