Muneca by Cynthia Gomez

As soon as I read the word “Orinda”, I was all “no way! I have to tell my best friend about this!” as that’s where she’s from and this is literally the first time I’ve ever read anything set specifically in that part of California.

Orinda and Oakland in the 1960s are the setting for this queer romance that’s also, technically, a horror novel (I’ve seen the term “horrormance” thrown around lately but idk if I’m ready to embrace that term yet, lol.) Our protagonist Nati Fuentes has returned as an adult to the manor where her mother worked as an unappreciated servant for years. The Miramontes who own the manor are the proud white Hispanic descendants of Spanish colonizers. Their wealth, however, has dwindled. Heiress Violeta, a few years older than Nati, married well but now lies trapped inside her own paralyzed body, stricken by an illness that the doctors can find neither cure nor explanation for.

Nati suspects witchcraft. More importantly, she believes that if she can break the curse, she’ll be well rewarded for her efforts. Applying for the position of Violeta’s personal attendant, she begins investigating the Miramonte manor and those who reside within it, and soon learns that things are exactly as she expected and yet, somehow, worse.

One bright spot, so to speak, is the flame of anger burning inside Violeta’s soul. As Nati and Violeta begin to communicate and confide in one another, they hatch a plan to both free Violeta and wreak revenge on the people who’ve been keeping her trapped so cruelly. Along the way, they begin to fall into a love so obviously forbidden for who and when they are that it should be unthinkable. Will their passion burn strongly enough to destroy all the obstacles standing between them?

Is it a spoiler to say that this is a romance? I know it’s being marketed as a horror novel, but I really felt the romance elements more strongly. While the witchcraft definitely lies on the horrific side of the literary spectrum, I felt that the supernatural elements almost take a backseat to the all-too-real prejudices that Nati and Violeta had to face. Even then, the depiction of Nati’s sexual awakening and liberation make for some excellent historical reading, as I learned so much about the Bay Area and particularly its lesbian history. Idk, maybe Cynthia Gomez felt that the real life horrors the women faced were bad enough without really delving into the macabre? That is A-okay, tho if you’re looking for suspenseful scares, this may be too mild for you. If you’re looking for queer historical romance with a supernatural twist, however, this will more than satisfy.

Muneca by Cynthia Gomez was published June 2 2026 by GP Putnam’s Sons and is available from all good booksellers, including