Blurb

After a self-imposed exile in Argentina, Juan Moreno is ready to return home to California, wiser, wearier, and a widower. But the night before his departure, a wealthy landowner’s daughter appears in his simple room with a gun and demands that he kidnap her.

Eliana Suarez never wanted to leave home; the pampas are deep in her blood. But when her cruel father insists she marry a man even crueler than he is, she must flee. Luckily for her, one of her father’s gauchos is leaving Argentina—and only if she can convince him to take her along, will she be saved.

Juan never could resist a lady’s desperate appeal and soon they’re racing to Buenos Aires, barely two steps ahead of their pursuers. They’ll have to deal with outlaws, anarchists, and her father’s fury in their flight to freedom and safety. But no matter how fast they run, they can never escape their growing attraction… and their own hearts. 

Review

This is my first book by Genevieve Turner and my first historical set in Argentina/California in 1905. I loved everything about it - the  easy and twisty flow of the story, the engaging plot and writing, the depth of characterisation and and the interesting supporting cast. The author plays with a bunch of tropes making me examine my own attitude towards them. It'a mix of virgin heroine, forced proximity, road trip (sort of), cinnamon hero. It's a very character driven story and I loved both the hero and heroine and found their character journey (both literal and metaphorical) really interesting and empowering.

On the surface Eliana is this sheltered rich girl with no experience of real life and no direction in life, and she starts with the only goal to run away from an arranged marriage. Yet, what we discover,  is her inner strength and determination which came as a surprise to herself and to Juan who admired her for that. She comes to realise what she wants from life and finds the strength and words to articulate it clearly. He acts a teacher to her in a way, helping her find herself, but at the same time this provokes him to re-examine his own moral grounds and opinions and see some truth about his own character. I loved how different aspects of freedom of choice and consent (in sexual and other situations in life) were presented in the story.

Juan is my favourite kind of beta hero - strong and ready to act but ultimately caring and respectful of Eliana's wishes. In a way both of them bring the best in each other and it's something that i loved about their relationship. 

The story tackles an issue that's extremely topical all over the world, but in the US especially - immigration and exile. There is a scene of Eliana  being kept in adetention centre at the border and refused entry in the US, which might be difficult for some readers. As an Eastern European myself who is still living in her hometown, I'm in the position of an outsider but still found this very heart-breaking. I found her reflections on living in exile and making a new unfamiliar place your home very poignant and touching. 

I highly recommend this romance to anyone looking for a different historical read - compelling, empowering, moving, topical. This is an unforgettable journey from Argentina across the ocean to California, from being alone and on the run to settling down and building a home and family. 

Purchase links: Amazon / Kobo / B&N