by Isabel Cañas
First published 2022
Beatriz has lost everything. The Mexican War of Independence took her father's life and destroyed her home. When Don Rodolfo Solórzano offers marriage, she accepts despite whispers about his first wife's mysterious death. His countryside estate promises the security she desperately needs. Hacienda San Isidro becomes her prison instead of her sanctuary. Rodolfo leaves for business in the capital. Beatriz hears voices in the night. Invisible watchers track her movements through empty rooms. Her sister-in-law Juana mocks her fears but refuses to enter the house after dark. The cook burns protective incense and marks doorways with symbols against evil. Something killed the previous Doña Solórzano. Now it wants Beatriz. She turns to Padre Andrés, the young priest who serves the estate. He harbors forbidden feelings for her and practices witchcraft alongside his religious duties. Together they must confront the malevolent force that claims the hacienda. Beatriz sought refuge in marriage but found only darkness waiting.
Genres: historical-fiction, mystery, gothic-horror, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, dark, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, gothic-romance, unreliable-narrator
Setting: Hacienda San Isidro, Mexico
Period: Mexican War of Independence
345 pages · Kindle Edition · Berkley
Content warnings: death, violence