Naked Books in Order

The Naked sequence is a trio of closely linked novels that trace one love story over more than a decade, from the last days of Batista’s Cuba through exile in the United States to the cauldron of the Vietnam War. The original digital releases carried “Naked in…” titles, while later print editions paired them with the names Havana Girl, LA Woman and Saigon Wife.

The story begins in Naked in Havana / Havana Girl, where eighteen year old Magdalena Fuentes lives a cosseted life in 1958 Havana. She is the indulged daughter of a nightclub owner, convinced that her childhood crush Angel will one day marry her. When he finally seduces her then announces he is engaged to someone else, her world tilts. At the same time she keeps crossing paths with Reyes Garcia, an older man with murky connections and a habit of turning up whenever trouble is near. As the Cuban Revolution gathers pace, Magdalena has to grow up fast, forced to notice the poverty and anger she has previously ignored.

In Naked in LA / LA Woman she has escaped Cuba and tried to reinvent herself in Los Angeles. The city of studios, rock n roll and protest movements offers fresh temptations. Magdalena brushes up against Hollywood hopefuls, political activists and criminals who treat the city as another kind of battleground. Old lovers reappear, new betrayals sting and she begins to understand that starting over in a new country does not erase old debts of the heart.

The final volume, Naked in Saigon / Saigon Wife, shifts the action to Vietnam in the middle of the American war. Here, journalists, soldiers, spies and hustlers crowd the boulevards. Deals are made in hotel bars while rockets fall on the outskirts of the city. Magdalena is pulled into this world through the men she loves and the work she takes on, once again having to choose between her survival and her conscience.

Taken together, the three books are part love story, part coming of age and part political drama. They follow one woman from spoiled girl to battle scarred survivor, always circling back to the question of whether true love is possible when the world around you is collapsing. They also show how the same relationship can feel very different when it plays out in Havana’s private clubs, Los Angeles freeways or a war torn Asian capital.

Readers who start with the stand alone Magdalena Fuentes novels will recognize familiar scenes and characters. The Naked editions simply present the full arc as a single, continuous story, making it easy to follow Magdalena and Reyes through all the twists of their shared past.