Helpful Score: 2
Marco Mondragon is a brand inspector (responsible for registering and checking cattle brands) for the Spanish Crown. Our hero is a 31 year-old widower, who comes from a line of brand inspectors. Eight years before the story opens, Marco went away for 2 weeks on Spanish Crown business. When he returned, Marcos twin sons and wife, Felicia had died from cholera.
When Felicias little dog (that kept Marcos feet warm at night) died, Marco decided to get another one while he was on business in Santa Fe. When Marco arrived, he accosted a lovely young lady, Paloma Vega, who was chasing a small, yellow dog, Trece.
Marco soon learns that Paloma lives in terrible conditions with the family of her uncle. Paloma became an orphan when a Comanche raiding party killed all the other members of her family. Now Paloma is a servant in her uncles home.
Although she is treated shabbily by her uncle and his family (no shoes, not enough to eat, no cloak), Paloma is a hard-working, earnest young woman who is doing the best she can.
One of Palomas jobs is to ride herd on the 13 puppies; unfortunately, Trece has a mind of his own.
Paloma is devastated when Marco buys her favorite pup, Trece, from her miserly uncle. He charges Marco an outlandish price, one peso (remember, this is ~ 1780). Marco is at the uncles home because one of his close friends, Alonso, is marrying their tempestuous daughter.
This is a lovely book; the main characters are engaging and honest. Paloma is poor (but her uncles family is not) and shy; when she gets together with Marco, her true nature and bravery shine through.
The reader sees Marco as a beleaguered rancher and brand inspector who is lonely. He has been alone for 8 long years because he is afraid to love again. Although Marcos life on his rancho is comfortable (and even a bit luxurious), he wishes he had a wife.
This is a gently written book about New Mexico while it was still a Spanish colony. Ms. Kelly has obviously done her research; I learned a considerable amount of history about the children of the Conquistadores and the Comanche people. Make no mistake; there are some incidents in this book that some folks will want to skip or will find somewhat gruesome. However, Ms. Kelly accurately portrays the uneasy peace between the Spanish and the Indians during these early years.
When Felicias little dog (that kept Marcos feet warm at night) died, Marco decided to get another one while he was on business in Santa Fe. When Marco arrived, he accosted a lovely young lady, Paloma Vega, who was chasing a small, yellow dog, Trece.
Marco soon learns that Paloma lives in terrible conditions with the family of her uncle. Paloma became an orphan when a Comanche raiding party killed all the other members of her family. Now Paloma is a servant in her uncles home.
Although she is treated shabbily by her uncle and his family (no shoes, not enough to eat, no cloak), Paloma is a hard-working, earnest young woman who is doing the best she can.
One of Palomas jobs is to ride herd on the 13 puppies; unfortunately, Trece has a mind of his own.
Paloma is devastated when Marco buys her favorite pup, Trece, from her miserly uncle. He charges Marco an outlandish price, one peso (remember, this is ~ 1780). Marco is at the uncles home because one of his close friends, Alonso, is marrying their tempestuous daughter.
This is a lovely book; the main characters are engaging and honest. Paloma is poor (but her uncles family is not) and shy; when she gets together with Marco, her true nature and bravery shine through.
The reader sees Marco as a beleaguered rancher and brand inspector who is lonely. He has been alone for 8 long years because he is afraid to love again. Although Marcos life on his rancho is comfortable (and even a bit luxurious), he wishes he had a wife.
This is a gently written book about New Mexico while it was still a Spanish colony. Ms. Kelly has obviously done her research; I learned a considerable amount of history about the children of the Conquistadores and the Comanche people. Make no mistake; there are some incidents in this book that some folks will want to skip or will find somewhat gruesome. However, Ms. Kelly accurately portrays the uneasy peace between the Spanish and the Indians during these early years.
