HAVANA HOLIDAY

Author: Jennifer Mueller ISBN: 9781604350791 1/2008 HISTORICAL Publisher: RED ROSE PUBLISHING
Time Period: 1939 Cuba

Is it true, what happens in Havana stays in Havana? Five women are about to find out or are they? 5 stories, 4 days, 3 nights, 2 times the fun, and 1 heck of a good time. Dahlia, Eve, Nora, Alice, and Marianne; when five women who work together in depression era Boston save up for a trip of a lifetime to decadent Havana, anything can happen. With seductive Latin men and rich vacationers at every turn who wouldn’t enjoy dancing till dawn, the parties, the nightclubs, the beach, the gambling, and there’s always more than one side to a story. Who can ask for more, fun, sun and hot men to tempt and tease?

RRAH's THOUGHTS AND PONDERINGS:

Readers who enjoy historical romance, exotic locales and/or intricate plots will adore HAVANA HOLIDAY. Set in 1939, the story follows the individual experiences of five Boston secretaries who saved for two years for a Cuban vacation. Some have more specific plans in mind, but all have the adventure of a lifetime. Each of them is far more complex than their friends thought and their adventures are revealing and surprising. Not all of them are even fated to return to Boston.

Mueller does a beautiful job of bringing her setting of Depression-era Havana to life, with all of its nightlife, impulsiveness and danger. The women felt like they fit the time period and it's fun getting to know them and sharing their adventures.

If you like reading stories that are set in unexpected times and places, Mueller is a writer for you. She's at multiple publishers with stories set throughout the few thousand years or so. She has a gift for making you care about her characters, regardless of their place or time.

My only complaint is that HAVANA HOLIDAY didn't quite feel finished. I enjoyed it so much that I want to see part two, and at least two of the girls have further adventures in them even though their short vacation had to come to an end. I hope Mueller revisits this book for a sequel.

And you have to take a look at the cover—it is gorgeous enough to frame!

Heather Hiestand