A country wife is ensnared by court intrigue and sexual imbroglios in 17th-century Mexico.
When Josefina, wife of prosperous landowner Manuel, is called to the court of the Marquesa and Marqués of Condera, the cream of Mexico’s colonial ruling class, at first she welcomes the chance to sate her intellectual curiosity in the Marquesa’s capacious library, studying with famed poetess-nun Sor Juana. However, upon arrival at court with her beautiful and wealthy friend Angélica, Josefina, who has just learned she is pregnant, is almost immediately targeted by the Marqués, an ill-favored rake who owes his title to his aristocratic wife, as his next conquest. When Josefina resists his lewd advances, his determination increases. Meanwhile, her childhood tutor, Father Alonso, a priest whom she’s always loved from afar, is now, as Bishop of Puebla, an honored guest of the Marquesa. The attraction between matron and priest immediately flames into forbidden lust, which both hasten to indulge without, technically speaking, violating Alonso’s vow of celibacy. When the Marqués’ threats drive her away, she returns to Manuel’s hacienda; however after Josefina suffers a mild stroke, brought on by Manuel’s over-exuberant overtures, their child is stillborn. Angélica, temporarily banished by the Marquesa, satisfies Manuel’s conjugal needs while Josefina is laid up. Improbably, Josefina returns to court—apparently the lure of the Bishop outweighs the menace of the Marqués. Once again, she becomes pregnant, this time by Alonso. If she is not to incur ruin, she must somehow entice her husband back into her bed. The Marqués, with the help of Inquisition thugs, puts Josefina in an even more compromising position, as she attempts to hide Sor Juana’s heretical writings. Although portrayed as a spunky and intelligent woman, Josefina’s dispassionate internal commentary on her own perils at the hands of lechers, whether holy and not, borders on prurient.
Pub Date: Aug. 9, 2011
ISBN: 978-1-4516-1067-3
Page Count: 336
Publisher: Atria
Review Posted Online: July 19, 2011
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Aug. 1, 2011
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.
Eleven years ago, he broke her heart. But he doesn’t know why she never forgave him.
Toggling between past and present, two love stories unfold simultaneously. In the first, Macy Sorensen meets and falls in love with the boy next door, Elliot Petropoulos, in the closet of her dad’s vacation home, where they hide out to discuss their favorite books. In the second, Macy is working as a doctor and engaged to a single father, and she hasn’t spoken to Elliot since their breakup. But a chance encounter forces her to confront the truth: what happened to make Macy stop speaking to Elliot? Ultimately, they’re separated not by time or physical remoteness but by emotional distance—Elliot and Macy always kept their relationship casual because they went to different schools. And as a teen, Macy has more to worry about than which girl Elliot is taking to the prom. After losing her mother at a young age, Macy is navigating her teenage years without a female role model, relying on the time-stamped notes her mother left in her father’s care for guidance. In the present day, Macy’s father is dead as well. She throws herself into her work and rarely comes up for air, not even to plan her upcoming wedding. Since Macy is still living with her fiance while grappling with her feelings for Elliot, the flashbacks offer steamy moments, tender revelations, and sweetly awkward confessions while Macy makes peace with her past and decides her future.
With frank language and patient plotting, this gangly teen crush grows into a confident adult love affair.Pub Date: April 10, 2018
ISBN: 978-1-5011-2801-1
Page Count: 416
Publisher: Gallery Books/Simon & Schuster
Review Posted Online: Jan. 22, 2018
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 1, 2018
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.
A promise to his best friend leads an Army serviceman to a family in need and a chance at true love in this novel.
Beckett Gentry is surprised when his Army buddy Ryan MacKenzie gives him a letter from Ryan’s sister, Ella. Abandoned by his mother, Beckett grew up in a series of foster homes. He is wary of attachments until he reads Ella’s letter. A single mother, Ella lives with her twins, Maisie and Colt, at Solitude, the resort she operates in Telluride, Colorado. They begin a correspondence, although Beckett can only identify himself by his call sign, Chaos. After Ryan’s death during a mission, Beckett travels to Telluride as his friend had requested. He bonds with the twins while falling deeply in love with Ella. Reluctant to reveal details of Ryan’s death and risk causing her pain, Beckett declines to disclose to Ella that he is Chaos. Maisie needs treatment for neuroblastoma, and Beckett formally adopts the twins as a sign of his commitment to support Ella and her children. He and Ella pursue a romance, but when an insurance investigator questions the adoption, Beckett is faced with revealing the truth about the letters and Ryan’s death, risking losing the family he loves. Yarros’ (Wilder, 2016, etc.) novel is a deeply felt and emotionally nuanced contemporary romance bolstered by well-drawn characters and strong, confident storytelling. Beckett and Ella are sympathetic protagonists whose past experiences leave them cautious when it comes to love. Beckett never knew the security of a stable home life. Ella impulsively married her high school boyfriend, but the marriage ended when he discovered she was pregnant. The author is especially adept at developing the characters through subtle but significant details, like Beckett’s aversion to swearing. Beckett and Ella’s romance unfolds slowly in chapters that alternate between their first-person viewpoints. The letters they exchanged are pivotal to their connection, and almost every chapter opens with one. Yarros’ writing is crisp and sharp, with passages that are poetic without being florid. For example, in a letter to Beckett, Ella writes of motherhood: “But I’m not the center of their universe. I’m more like their gravity.” While the love story is the book’s focus, the subplot involving Maisie’s illness is equally well-developed, and the link between Beckett and the twins is heartfelt and sincere.
A thoughtful and pensive tale with intelligent characters and a satisfying romance.Pub Date: Feb. 26, 2019
ISBN: 978-1-64063-533-3
Page Count: 432
Publisher: Entangled: Amara
Review Posted Online: Jan. 2, 2019
Kirkus Reviews Issue: Feb. 15, 2019
Review Program: Kirkus Indie
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