The Queen of the Valley
A Spellbinding Historical Novel Based on True History
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4.0 • 1 Rating
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- $16.99
Publisher Description
“An engrossing, suspenseful family saga.” —Chanel Cleeton, New York Times bestselling author of Next Year in Havana on The Spanish Daughter
Set amid Colombia’s unparalleled beauty and inspired by the real-life 1925 Cali earthquake, this riveting novel from the award-winning author plunges three strangers—a photographer, a young Spanish chocolatier in disguise, and a Palestinian-Colombian nun—into a perilous search for the missing owner of a legendary hacienda—a man at the center of the explosive secrets each of them carries—amidst an emerging cholera epidemic.
“Engaging. For fans of historical fiction and works by Christina Baker Kline and Lisa Wingate.” —Booklist
Driven and recklessly daring, Martin Sabater follows his lifelong dream of owning a cacao plantation in Valle del Cauca. But on the night of a spectacular gala, he disappears—and is never seen again. Now his hacienda is a budding Catholic hospital saving lives during an emerging epidemic. And novice nun “Sor Puri” is there to uncover the truth behind Martin’s disappearance. But her real identity—and her past with the heartbreakingly charismatic Martin—will put far more than her perilous search at risk.
A professional photographer, Lucas Ferreira is Martin’s best friend since boyhood. He has his own reasons for helping the determined, alluring nun. But what this reserved man won’t reveal about his thwarted dreams and unrequited passion could prove key to the past—or a lethal trap.
Martin was head nurse Sor Camila's only love—until an unfortunate mistake changed the course of her life forever. Now, Martin's home is an unexpected chance for her, Lucas, and Puri to set the past right. But with their secrets unearthing explosive memories and wrenching lies, can they survive the truth about Martin—and the consequences that will forever alter their destinies?
“Vivid …This book will appeal to readers who enjoy family conflict, historical details, and the exploration of lost love.”— Library Journal
“A tale as rich and complex as the finest chocolate.” —Marisel Vera, author of The Taste of Sugar
PUBLISHERS WEEKLY
Hughes revisits Spanish-born chocolatier Puri in the kinetic sequel to The Spanish Daughter. In 1925, Puri, whose full name is María Purificación de Lafont y Toledo, travels from her adopted Ecuador to Colombia to try to find her cacao supplier and onetime lover, Martin Sabater, after his shipments of cacao beans unaccountably cease. Soon after Puri steps off the train, ruffians rip her dress, and the nun who had been her seatmate lends her a habit to wear. Puri arrives at Martin's hacienda and learns it has been turned into a hospital by Farid Manzur, a haughty, ambitious doctor and old boarding-school chum of Martin's, who claims Martin was killed by a jaguar. As a cholera outbreak rages, Puri pitches in to treat the afflicted, despite her lack of medical training. She also keeps up her disguise as a nun, which puts those around her in a confessional mood as she tries to uncover what really happened to Martin. Meanwhile, romance blooms between Puri and one of her patients, who is another close friend of Martin's, and their forbidden love adds more tension to the suspenseful story. Hughes's fans will devour this delectable confection.
