Van de Graaff presents a historical novel about the Spanish Inquisition, religious freedom, art, and the lengths people will go to for those they love.

In the 1500s, during the Spanish Inquisition, Francisca Mendez is raised in Seville, Spain, by her uncle, Carlos, an archbishop, while she cares for her bedridden mother, Raquel. As a child, her mother teaches her to paint, a practice she continues into adulthood as she learns techniques from her mentor, Antonio Ceretti, and her friend Elizabeth, another painter who apprenticed with Leonardo da Vinci. While her uncle is away on a trip, Francisca discovers her mother’s last unfinished fresco painting, with limewash smeared over it. She decides to restore her mother’s work before her uncle returns, uncovering startling truths that upset her uncle’s mentor, Father Alberto, and lead to a series of discoveries about her mysterious past. As Francisca paints, she meets Isabel de Flores, Ceretti’s wife and the most beautiful woman Francisca has ever encountered. Feeling an instant attraction, the two women become close, and together they work to right the wrongs of both the past and present. As they uncover secrets about Francisca’s father’s death, they realize more is at stake; they are in grave danger—the Inquisition is upon them, and Francisca doesn’t know that Isabel has her own goals involving a group that could bring the fight right to her front door. Caught between her deepening love for Isabel and her desire to enact justice for her father, Francisca must choose between continuing the life she has always enjoyed or jumping headfirst into the unknown.

Excitement builds from the start in this engaging, suspenseful, and fast-paced novel, especially when Francisca finds herself “wondering if she had discovered something more prized than freedom,” a foreshadowing that there’s more here than meets the eye. As the story continues and Francisca discovers more about her sexuality, a gripping sense of anticipation drives the plot; the reader yearns for her and Isabel to become intimate while knowing this was a time when love between two women was forbidden. The juxtapositions of the Inquisition, Francisca’s family’s involvement in high levels of the church, and Isabel’s marriage to Antonio effectively establish feelings of both hope and dread regarding the lovers’ fates. The majority of the characters are well developed—Father Alberto’s character creates consistent conflict and will have readers wondering whether he’s a truly righteous church leader or one who harbors evil desires. Some structural faults remain: Bernardo, Francisca’s best friend from childhood, ultimately proves important to the plot, and having some hints sprinkled throughout the narrative about his political involvements would have been helpful. (While readers learn about him in short snippets, it’s only in the context of his friendship with Francisca.) Overall, though, the engaging prose, compelling characters, and suspenseful plot make for a truly enjoyable read.

The Spanish Inquisition, forbidden queer love, and a murder to be solved—add to your must-read pile.