June is Caribbean History Month! What better way to celebrate than to explore some romance novels set in the Caribbean by Caribbean authors! This list is only a mini cupcake in the greater buffet of romance, and these picks are primarily set in the islands themselves, though a couple of the ones I couldn’t resist including feature characters traveling for work or vacation. These selections include people from across the region, with different traditions born from different colonizing, enslaving, and indigenous cultures past and present. We’ve got contemporary romance and historical fiction, and if you would rather read something fantastical but inspired by various Caribbean cultures and places, I’ve got a few recommendations for you at the end.
Once you’ve explored these books, make sure to further explore the reality and kaleidoscopic experiences of the people who live across the Caribbean, which extends beyond the four or five islands we as Americans think to visit via cruise stops, all-inclusive resorts, and Carnival vacations. Grab a map and point to one of the islands you see; have you heard of it? Did you know that’s where it was? How big it is? What is the majority demographic of that island? Its gross nationa...
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