Зачарована асьєнда

Estrada Family

by J.C. Cervantes, Дж. С. Сервантес, Ірина Божко (Translator)

Лише за один день Гарлоу Естрада примудрилася втратити роботу мрії, перспективного хлопця і квартиру в Нью-Йорку, яка йшла з ним у комплекті. У відчаї вона збирає валізу й втікає до єдиного місця, яке завжди може називати домом.

На фермі родини Естрада в Мексиці ростуть найрізноманітніші квіти, за якими доглядають мати Гарлоу, сестри, тітка та кузини. За допомогою квіткової магії всі жінки Естрада можуть зцілювати серця, стирати спогади, тлумачити сновидіння… Усі, крім Гарлоу. Тож коли мати й тітка призначають їй особливу місію, дівчина в розпачі: вона ж зовсім не здатна до магії! Ще й на першому завданні ледь помилково не приворожила хлопця своєї мрії до іншої. Та час пророцтва для Гарлоу вже настав. Їй просто треба навчитися прислухатися до власного серця, снів і поклику землі зачарованої асьєнди.

Genres: Fantasy, Romance, Magical Realism, Fiction, Magic, Audiobook, Contemporary

424 pages, Hardcover

First published May 16, 2023

About the author

J.C. is a New York Times best-selling author. Her books have been published in more than twelve countries and have appeared on national lists, including the American Booksellers Association New Voices, Barnes and Noble’s Best Young Reader Books, and Amazon’s Best Books of the Month. She has earned multiple awards and recognitions, including the New Mexico Book Award and the Zia Book Award.

She currently resides in the Land of Enchantment with her family and spoiled pups, but keeps part of her heart in Southern California, where she was born and raised. When she isn’t writing, she is haunting bookstores and searching for magic in all corners of the world.


Author also writes under Jennifer Cervantes

Reviews

[sil ♡ the book voyagers · Rating 4 out of 5]

Emily Henry meets Disney's Encanto in The Enchanted Hacienda, a beautiful tale about family, magical flowers, and love ✧ ೃ༄*ੈ✩

I was so excited to read this book because I love love cozy fantasy books. This novel is set in various parts in America, but most of it is set in a farm in México where Harlow and her family grow magical flowers. With these flowers, they create bouquets and potions to maybe heal a broken heart, erase memories, and even bond people together.

I enjoyed this book a lot. It was fun, cute, and romantic. Harlow and Ben are fated souls and you cannot tell me otherwise. I mean, they've been destined since their grandparents met!!!! And when they first meet, in that coffee shop, Ben was unable to stop thinking about Harlow and actually thought she was the prettiest woman he has ever seen. Their bond is so STRONG AND POWERFUL. And I love all the little moments before they get close, like Ben being so romantic, bringing her all the pastries, taking her to places he knows she'll love, dancing with her, etc. It's so adorable and I loved them both.

The family theme is so very strong in this novel too. Like Encanto, the Estrada family, each of the woman, have magic. Each of them have something special in them, except Harlow, our main character. Magic has never manifested inside her and she has always felt like the odd one. But when she goes back to the farm after she breaks up with her bf in NYC, everything suddenly changes. It's so impressive and interesting to see everything come alive when she arrives in Mexico and the farm. I was so excited whenever magic appeared, it really comes alive on the pages of the book. And meeting the Estradas is hilarious. The family is so tight and is always there for each other. I loved seeing that so clearly. If one of them was hurting, the other instantly knew and was texting them immediately.

Overall, I really enjoyed reading this book. I hope there are more books in this world because there are a lot of Estradas and they need their happily ever afters *giddy* I also (not gonna lie) want to revisit Harlow and Ben because I bet they're living their best, cutest life together!!!

[Samantha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cute mix of magic and romance without feeling too over the top with the magic.

[ß]

like encanto but boring

[Kristen's Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading this, I need to get back into reading more Latine stories and get back to my roots.
The author brought such a captivating blend of magic, mystery, and heartfelt storytelling to this book. I was fully immersed in a world filled with deep family bonds, ancient traditions, and a touch of the supernatural. The blend of Mexican mythology, family drama and romance was perfection.
It did lag in pacing a little in the middle but it was still very much enchanting.

[Natalie all_books_great_and_small · Rating 4 out of 5]

I received a gifted copy of this book to read in exchange for an honest review via headline books.

The Enchanted Hacienda is described as encanto meets practical magic, and I completely agree, but the book is so much more.
Harlow is from a family with an enchanted Hacienda. Each of the females has a magical garden of their own and are named after a flower, except for Harlow (whose name means a pile of rocks). Harlow has come to terms with not having any magic of her own but still feels the pang of lacking magical abilities when she's around her family. When Harlow meets Ben and manages to save the day with an even with a magical bouquet, the pair become drawn to each other. I was routing for this couple from the start and found the story a magical treat from start to finish. I loved learning about what the flowers symbolised and mean and just found the whole book a delight! If you enjoyed encanto and practical magic, you really should give this a try.

[Isabel · Rating 1 out of 5]

TW: arophobia

DNF 35%

The only DNF I feel the need to rate.

If there's something I will not excuse is arophobia.

Explain to me why someone who's never been in a relationship isn't allowed to talk about love. And why do we insist on talking about love in a heteronormative setting?

The way the MC insists her cousin needs to be in a relationship, how her accomplished cousin has no right to talk about love because she's never had a relationship. Mind you, this cousin has a psychology major and is a published researcher!

I do not support Harlow's right to free speech because this woman only says shit.

I just expected better from this book, the author, and the editor.

I hope they will educate themselves on aromanticism and asexuality but they won't see another penny from me!

[Jessica M. Diaz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Enchanting ✨ It has a very Disney Encanto feel. If you are a fan of the Madrigal familia then you will love the Estrada familia. 🌼✨

[Natasha Leighton · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 Stars

J.C. Cervantes’ swoon-worthy (and magically realist) new romance takes the romantic whimsy of Sarah Addison Allen, the emotional complexity of an Emily Henry heroine and the lush, vibrant beauty of Disney’s Encanto to create a cosy, (and magically compelling) contemporary romance that will almost certainly steal your heart.

It follows Harlow Estrada who, after losing her dream job and breaking up with her boyfriend (in a single day) finds herself fleeing New York for her family’s goddess blessed farm, Hacienda Estrada— and the enchanted flowers that are lovingly cultivated by her mother, sisters, aunt and cousins.

As the only member of the Estrada family without a gift, Harlow is completely unprepared for the special task (involving the family’s magic) that her mum and aunt assign her, so it’s not long before (in Harlow’s panicked state) things start to go wrong.

But once Harlow begins to open up her heart, embrace her own uniqueness and believe in herself, she may finally discover the power she’s been searching for all along…

I loved this! The cosy and whimsically romantic, magical vibes were utterly enchanting and reminded me a little of the magical realism of Sarah Addison Allen. I loved the gorgeously detailed, Mexican folklore-infused prose and how emotionally complex our MC was,—J.C. Cervantes has definitely earned her place on my list of favourite new authors!

The beautifully descriptive, nature-based setting was a satisfyingly soothing balm to delve into, and had me thoroughly immersed. I also loved exploring all the meanings and symbolism of flowers and how different processes could draw out each bloom’s individual magical properties—I lived for all the witchy-esque, Alice Hoffman vibes.

I was also really impressed with the character development, particularly in protagonist Harlow, whose journey to self discovery, happiness and success (in life and love) was well written and teeming with emotion. The tight knit, matriarchal-style family dynamics were incredibly fascinating and I really hope we see more of Harlow’s sisters (and cousins) in future books.

The romance aspect was really sweet as well and our tall, dark and sexy love interest, Ben was rather swoon-worthy—It is a bit of a slow-burn so do bear in mind if that’s not your kind of thing.

Overall, a charming and thoroughly enjoyable contemporary romance that fans of Practical Magic and Encanto will absolutely love.

Also, a massive thanks to Headline Eternal for the finished copy.

[Rachels_booknook_]

DNF.

This certainly didn't help my reading slump. This book gives insta-love YA romance (barely even fantasy), and it didn't work for me. It was way too fluffy and banal to work for the vibe the premise puts out. The humor is so juvenile. There could have been so much more done with the characters to make them well-rounded, but they all felt flat and immature. (Don't get me started on Chad, who feels like he just strutted out of a Chad entry in Urban Dictionary). The interactions felt very basic high school, and I had a hard time buying Harlow could have ever been an editor because she doesn't have any depth or come off as very intelligent. Unfortunately, this book also suffers from the Encanto comparison, and because that was such a good movie and so full of life and magic, this felt even more like a superficial slapstick romantic adaptation in comparison. Although it didn't really didn't feel like we were in Mexico in an enchanted hacienda, so why bother with a setting like that and not flesh it out? If someone told me the house was in Indiana, I would have bought it almost as much.

[laurel [the suspected bibliophile] · Rating 3 out of 5]

This started off SO strong and then kinda just puttered out to a stop.

There's a heavy miscommunication trope here, despite the leads' vow to always be truthful to each other (made within thirty seconds of meeting). Instalust and instalove feature, and it didn't quite work for me.

What I adored, however, was the magical aspects. The language of flowers, the way Harlow related to her family and their magic and her own magicless state, it was really fantastic.

There were some other things I wasn't super fond of, either (it contains the Beloved Secondary Character Dies in Order for Leads to Realize Their Own Love trope, which I HATE), but the reading was fun, the magic was interesting, and Harlow was an intriguing character who needed to figure her shit out in order to move forward.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

Adult Encanto. Basically replace the songs with a bit of romance. Not bad but a little too familiar for me.

[Pauline · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.5 stars. This book had a great premise and started off so promisingly. However, the magic aspect of it quickly faded to the background and instead, the romance between Ben and Harlow took up most of the story. Unfortunately, for me, that was the least interesting part of the story. Also, that storyline hinged so much on the magic, but the magic wasn't well-explained, so it ended up feeling thin, with too many loose ends that weren't tied up satisfactorily, like Alicia and why William dreamed of Harlow and Harlow's own magic. There seem to be hints of a sequel involving another cousin/sister, but it's not clear.

Also, this is a little irritation for me because I happen to be going through it a little with my family, but one of the characters has dementia and the way it's written feels a lot more like what you think dementia would be like and how people handle it, versus the reality of the situation.

[Britt · Rating 1 out of 5]

At first, it seemed like this was going to be a beautiful mix of "Garden Spells" and "Encanto" - I really liked the beginning. But then, it swings from seeming like an adult bildungsroman and devolves into this weird instalove romance. The love interest is basically like, "all I ask is for honest communication" from you, and then the main character (Harlow) immediately doesn't communicate with him. Insert Jean Ralphio gif here (she's the woooooooooooorst!). Harlow had really big "I'm the main character" energy lol. Also, like, she loses her job and then just travels from Mexico to NY to Quebec and like, replaces her entire wardrobe never once thinking of money and it just felt so off. Anyway, I obviously didn't like it, and it's extra disappointing because I liked a different book by the same author, and the beginning was pretty strong. But yeah, no thanks. 1 star.

[Ranjini Shankar · Rating 3 out of 5]

Encanto for adults but it didn’t work for me as much as I wanted it to. Somehow the magic was lost in the pages and what I was left with was a tepid love story.

The story follows Harlow who comes from a line of women who can work magic, literally, with flowers. However she has no powers herself and has always felt like the outsider. When she goes home after a heartbreak she runs into a mysterious man named Ben and realizes maybe she’s more powerful than she thought.

The world is one that holds a lot of promise and it was what captured all of us in Encanto too. The idea that a group of women could have such power and use it for the good of others is beautiful. This just failed on execution.

[Megan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m like the idea of this much more than the delivery. The concept was wonderful and it started off beautifully but seemed to descend into a light romance novel and left the beauty of fantasy behind. The was really frustrated at how the main character just kept waffling about the romance. Just make a decision!!

[Heather~ Nature.books.and.coffee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an enjoyable read. It's filled with romance, family, magic and new beginnings. Harlow leaves NYC after she loses her job and her boyfriend. She heads to her family farm home in Mexico, the enchanted hacienda Estrada. They have a farm full of flowers and the authors descriptions are so vivid you can just picture the beauty. I was expecting to read more about magic because of the description, but I think this one was more a contemporary romance. I do like those kinds of books, so that was fine with me. Harlow ends up falling in love with a stranger she meets, and it's that instant love. That's not my favorite in a book but overall I still enjoyed the book. 

Out May 16.

Thank you to the publisher and netgalley for the gifted copy. All opinions are my own. My review will be posted on Instagram, Bookbub, Goodreads, and Amazon once it publishes.

[Patty (IheartYA311) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I adore Cervantes's writing but this story fell flat.

[Ralitsa Koleva · Rating 5 out of 5]

Изключително омайваща история се оказа. По принцип рядко чета такива книги, но има ли испанска или мексиканска нишка бързо налапвам въдицата.

Някъде из думите за книгата прочетох, че е като да потопиш мозъка си в серотонин. За мен беше подобно изживяването. Усмихвах се през цялото време докато отгръщах страниците и толкова ми се искаше да попадна в La casa de las flores y luz. Магията на цветята и жените Естрада е завладяваща, а ароматните страници, от които лъха финия жасминов аромат са още една съставка към приятното заклинание на хасиендата.

Ненатрапчива, лека и приятна история, която ще ви усмихне. Давам й 5 звезди, защото наистина беше удоволствие да я прочета, а не защото изпъква с висока литературна стойност.

[Paola · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5-3 ⭐️ I was initially drawn to this story because of the Encanto vibes and I’m happy to say it definitely delivered in that regard. However, I expected a magical story with a sprinkling of romance, but to me, this read more as a contemporary romance with magic.

The Enchanted Hacienda follows Harlow, a young women that comes from a generation of women with magical abilities tied to flowers (except for her). After losing her dream job and breaking up with her boyfriend, she moves back home to her mom and aunt’s hacienda in Mexico to try and figure out her next move. Here, she meets Ben, a handsome young man… cue the love story.

Tbh I didn’t think Harlow and Ben’s first meeting was too memorable, so I found it hard to believe in their connection (especially when looking back, their physical encounters with each other only spanned a couple days).

While I was not here for the insta-love, here are things I did like:

- Learning about different flowers and their meanings, including the exploration of dreams
- Harlow’s family (they were all so supportive and caring of one another)
- Harlow and her journey of self-discovery (I wiiiiiishhh I could go more into depth here, but I’m scared of spoiling more as it’s tied to some big revelations)

Overall, I did not expect a story so deeply rooted in romance. And don’t get me wrong, I’m a romance reader through and through - I just had different expectations for this story and unfortunately they were not met… BUT that’s not to say this won’t work for others.

Thank you Netgalley and Park Row for an eARC in exchange for my honest review.

[Michelle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Harlow has always been a little bit jealous of her sisters and cousins. Everyone in her family has magic but her. And if that wasn’t enough to make her feel like an outsider, she’s also the only one not named after a flower.

Her mom calls her and her sisters and cousins home for an important visit. Harlow is surprised but her life is currently in upheaval and it’s actually a good time to go home.
She gets left with the responsibility of watching the family’s magical flowers and flower shop. What could go wrong? Well, plenty!

While she’s home, Harlow meets a man and they share an instant connection. And Harlow also starts working on the book she’s always dreamed of writing. Something about being home has inspired her.

But things are about to change again in Harlow’s life. She’s about to feel less in control than ever before.

There was a big twist in this book that I didn’t see coming. I almost felt like I should have seen it coming but I’m glad that I didn’t. Having it be a surprise meant I had absolutely no idea how this story would resolve itself. Will this story get a happy ending? Because this is magical realism with a love story, it’s not primarily a love story, and it made me wonder whether Harlow would get her happily ever after. I know that I sure wanted that yet I appreciated that the book felt unpredictable.

My only constructive criticism:
1) I don’t think the character of the journalist added anything to the storyline.
2)I also don’t think Harlow liking to walk around her house naked added anything to the storyline. It just unnecessarily made me worry that someone was going to see her.

Otherwise I found it to be a really unique and enjoyable story.

I got an early ebook edition of this book from NetGalley and also won a physical arc of the book in a giveaway. My review is based on the physical arc but I believe both are the same.

[Brittany McCann · Rating 4 out of 5]

This one was a fun idea. Having it be a standalone detracts a bit since there is so much more to explore with the flowers and the magic that a single book could never encompass the breadth of it.

The romance was interesting. The written establishment was a bit awkward and didn't flow well. It took me a while to be convinced that it would actually work.

The breaking of certain spells was kind of defeatist, and I wasn't sure why the existing power couldn't be used to assist in other situations.

Harlow seemed only to be able to focus on selfish means and her own purview.

I enjoyed the sisters and the cousins and her relationship with her mother, but I wanted MORE of them.

The final destination seems to kind of defeat much of the purpose of the entire lore set up by the book.

In short, I love this idea; give me more stories of this family and the Hacienda.

3.5 stars rounded up.

[Rachel Kohlbrenner · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 stars. This was pure delight! I adored this book from start to finish. It was truly Encanto, but for grownups plus romance

[Carly · Rating 5 out of 5]

A magical, lovely book that I ultimately inhaled because I was so drawn into this world from the beginning and didn't want it to end! (Truth be told, I would eagerly read sequels based around Harlow's cousins and their respective stories if Cervantes ever wanted to write follow-ups to this book — I think the worldbuilding is so terrific and could sustain more than one romance happening within the Estrada family, as well as any other magical shenanigans they might get up to!) This was recommended to me as Encanto meets Practical Magic and while those comps are definitely accurate, this does plenty to distinguish itself outside of what it may have drawn inspiration from.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book from the publisher via NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

[Ricky · Rating 1 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book when I picked it up at the library - it looked like a sort of darker, more mature take on Disney's Encanto, but Mexican, with a flower based magic system - and maybe, just maybe, the protagonist getting to discover her magic after all. (Spoilers for Encanto, but I'm still salty that Mirabel never got a gift.) Be careful what you wish for and all that, though - because in this book, while the packaging promises mystery and darkness, it's jarring to see how oddly light in tone the book is, and yet almost every character (including Harlow, the protagonist) is annoying in their flaws at best and flat out unlikable at worst. Sorry to say, this one was definitely not for me, so it's an official DNF.

[Bojia Hadjiivanova · Rating 4 out of 5]

Историята носи приятно романтичен и предвидим ритъм, мъничко магия, свързана със символиката на цветята в мексиканските вярвания и леко мистериозна атмосфера.
Давам й още една ⭐️ за ароматизираните страници.

[Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

It’s so weird to be posting at night. I’ve gotten into such a good habit of posting in the morning before work. This morning though I chose to be productive and get some “office” work done. Aka pay bills and sort paperwork. Boring stuff.

This weekend I finished the audiobook for The Enchanted Hacienda by J.C. Cervantes. This is a book I picked up not knowing much besides it being compared to Encanto. I grabbed it when I was in Philadelphia this summer.

In this magical contemporary our main character, Harlow, gets fired from her job and goes through a rough break up. It winds her back home on her family’s farm. Everyone in her family is named after a flower and has magical abilities around these magical flowers except her. She’s given a special job that surprises her since it involves magic and it spirals her life into a direction she wasn’t expecting.

❤️Review❤️

I really enjoyed this narrator and her narration style. It made it so easy to get caught up in this whimsical story. This was the perfect sweet palette cleanser that I needed after my previous audiobook not being that great. I liked getting to know Harlow and her family. It did give Encanto vibes which I appreciated. There is a romance in here that felt extremely sweet. Their intimate scenes I could have done without. They felt unnecessary and didn’t match the tone of the rest of the story. It was more open door than I expected it to be based on everything else. Overall though I had a nice time. It appears reviews are either love it or hate it and I really found myself enjoying it. I think going into it just for a relaxing time you will like it as much as I did because at it’s core it’s a sweet story.

4 stars! ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#Bookstagram #Books #BooksBooksBooks #MagicalBooks #ContemporaryBooks #Fantasy #FantasyRomance #FallReading #NewBooks #2023Books #BookReview

[Jess · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked this but I did keep thinking about Encanto the entire time which was not really conducive to enjoying the story for itself. But the exploration of the consequences of magic was good and I'm ultimately glad to have given it a try.

[Kate Webb · Rating 4 out of 5]

Magical flowers. Fun read.

[Ann · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve seen this book compared to those by Sarah Addison Allen and Alice Hoffman. I don’t think the author is quite there yet, for me anyway, but I did enjoy this story of magical flowers.

[Danielle Kaitlin (daniallreads) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you, @authorjcervantes, for spending time with us & answering all our questions about magical gardens. Extra special shout out to @bookswithnopictures & @just_talking_to_my_shelf for organizing this author Zoom!

This story is so romantic in the most ✨️M A G I C A L✨️way *insert swoony sigh here* This is all about fated pairs, and I am just a sucker for lovers who are destined to be together.

Ben and Harlow tickled me. The journey they had was so dreamy. The reveals at the end had me squealing with delight. The amount of "eeee's" that left my mouth was just infinite.

The best part of this book is that Harlow and Ben found a love story with each other, but they grew individually to achieve their goals + dreams, which we ✨️L O V E✨️

I am fully obsessed with this family of magical women who live in sunny Mexico surrounded by otherworldly gardens. Like hello, willing to be adopted and be granted fun powers... thank you! It's very Encanto. You need to read it.

If you're itching for something sunny with a side of falling in love, I highly recommend picking up "The Enchanted Hacineda" (plus the sequel comes out on March 11th)

🎧 The audiobook was so B E A U T I F U L! I thought the narrator, Frankie Corzo, was cast perfectly for telling this story. Their voice was so relaxing and fit well with the whimsical vibes that "The Enchanted Hacienda" has.

🌷Flowers & Their Deeper Meanings
🌹Encanto Vibes
🌼 Magical Realism
🌻 Family
🪻Fated Pair
🌱 Discovering Your True Self