Just Some Fun Latine Reads

In 2017, John Paul Brammer got the opportunity to write a column for gay dating app Grindr’s recently launched editorial site. He originally pitched the thing as “What if Dear Abby was like a gay Mexican American man on Grindr?” and figured he’d be writing a parody of the advice column. It ended up turning into something much more tender and meaningful, striking a chord with readers looking for answers, solace, and hope delivered with Brammer’s irresistible humor. This memoir takes its name from that column, and I snorted my iced cafecito while listening to the audiobook. It’s that good, that touching, and that gd hilarious.

I am a tiny bit obsessed with the Indiana Jones film franchise, so this one got me off rip, the first of Segura’s romances with Indy-inspired titles and archaeologist MCs. In Raiders of the Lost Heart, Dr. Socorro “Corrie” Mejia and Dr. Ford Matthews are rival archaeologists forced to team up on a secret expedition in a Mexican jungle. Archaeology, adventure, and sexy times in Lationoamerica: what’s more fun than that?

This is the first book in Adriana Herrera’s very fun, very sexy Las Leonas series, and there isn’t a bad one in the bunch. Set in Belle Epoque Paris, these historical romances feature a trio of fierce protagonists originally from the Dominican Republic. You get a steamy romance and a crash course in history in each, and an exploration of Europe’s relation to its Caribbean colonies. You can’t go wrong with Adriana Herrera in general, but this series is absolutely my favorite.

This one comes to you from my TBR, where it landed after editing this post on fantasy books with “no rules, just vibes” magic systems (the magic in this book comes from flowers, by the way). Here’s the pitch, courtesy of Rey Rowland: “The story follows Harlow Estrada, who has recently returned to her family home. She’s the only one in her family who can’t harness the power of flowers. So when she’s tasked with something involving this magic, she panics. Harlow will have to learn to believe in herself in order to accomplish her task — which will show her she’s more powerful than she ever imagined.”

Bonus: you can listen to Jess Pryde and Trisha Brown discuss The Enchanted Hacienda in this book club episode of When in Romance.

I am so mad at myself for letting my library hold on this title lapse, but I have it on good accord that this novel and series are a great time. As Jamie Canaves describes it, “This series is a great blend of mystery and crime that dives deep into the comic book industry, which starts as a historical (‘70s!) and moves to current times!

InSecret Identity, Carmen Valdez moves from Miami to New York to work in the comic book industry. Her struggle is rewarded when she finally has the chance to write her own superhero, but instead her colleague is murdered, her dream is taken, and a cop on the case is convinced Carmen is lying about something. “

There are still too few cozy mysteries by Latine authors for my liking! Thankfully, we have Raquel V. Reyes’ Caribbean Kitchen Mysteries, a lovely blend of whodunitry and culinary flair. In Mango, Mambo, and Murder, food anthropologist Miriam Quiñones-Smith has been forced to put her academic career on hold to care for her young son when she and her husband move from New York to Miami. This new life in Coral Shores isn’t impressing her much, what with her overbearing suegra and her husband getting a little too close with an ex. That is until her bestie hooks her up with a cooking segment gig on a Spanish-language morning show, and it’s an immediate hit. But when two people wind up dead, both in Miriam’s presence, she goes from charming TV chef to suspect numero uno in a murder case. She agrees to help the detective in charge of the case by infiltrating Coral Shores’s social scene and Spanish-speaking community. The closer she gets to the truth, the bigger the target on her back.

Before The Inheritance of Orquídea Divina, and the Hollow Crown and Brooklyn Brujas series (to name a few favorites), Zoraida Córdova gave us the Vicious Deep books, a series about a Coney Island teen whose very eventful summer includes the revelation that 1) he’s half merperson (that’s a word, right?), and 2) he’s the heir to an underwater kingdom he never knew existed. There’s a very scary silver mermaid with razor-sharp teeth on his tail (pun very much intended), he’s developing special feelings for his best friend, and also just trying to be a regular teen in very irregular circumstances. Subsequent books in the series involve a high-stakes competition for a sea throne, and it got so good I canceled plans to keep on reading.