The Brigands
The Brigands (The Texicans Book 1)
by Parris Afton Bonds
Reviewed by S. S. Bazinet
Description: Before there was New Mexico, Arizona, Nevada, California, or Utah, there was Texas. Molded by Old Mexico and a new rough and ready breed of hearty settlers from around the world, The Lone Star Republic was the thing of dreams—land, riches, liberty, home. For the Paladín family, it is all of those things and so much more.
English-born Lord Paladín and Irish traveler Niall Gorman are both deeply involved in the Texican campaign for independence, although neither out of purely patriotic fervor. Niall, a master horseman and crack sharpshooter from Kentucky, sees the Mexican province of Tejas merely as a means to an end—revenge. Alex Paladín, on the other hand, is a shrewd second son, despite his proclivity for extravagence. He sees an independent Texas as the salvation of his family estates—to say nothing of himself.
Seeking funds, Alex barters his baron’s title for the dowry of young Rafaela Carrera, beautiful daughter of a wealthy Spanish rum trader. Rafaela wants no part of the marriage, but finds herself shipped to the New World anyway, a prisoner of the roguish Paladín. On her journey she meets Fiona Flanigan, an Irish immigrant late of New York City’s crime-infested slums. Lured by the prospects of independence and prosperity, the fiery young lass is dead set to carve out her stake—or die trying.
With the first volume of her highly addictive Texicans saga, New York Times bestselling author Parris Afton Bonds brings us the riveting tale of four wayward souls colliding on the eve of Revolution. From the shadow of the Alamo to the bloody fields of San Jacinto, their lives and loves, hopes and allegiances, will be tested in ways none of them could ever imagine. Fast-paced and tightly-plotted, The Brigands is a triumph of historical romantic fiction that will leave you breathless.
Review: “Five, Big-As-Texas Stars For THE BRIGANDS!”
THE BRIGANDS is a historical romance and a true page turner. With beautifully drawn characters, tension and a plot that keeps the reader fully engaged, it also brings history alive. It kept me reading into the wee hours of night. I had to find out what happened to the four main characters. I also needed to find out what happened to the people who were engaged in the Texas revolution of independence from Mexico. These Texians were made up of different immigrant groups, people who came to Texas over the centuries. Their hardships and battles are described so well, I could imagine myself among them, doing my best to survive too.
English-born Lord Paladín (Alex) and Irish traveler Niall Gorman are more recent arrivals to the territory. Both have their own agendas, but neither is looking for love. Alex only entertains a marriage with young Rafaela Carrera because he needs her dowry. Rafaela despises the idea but feels she must obey her father, a wealthy Spanish rum trader. When she’s shipped off to a wretched settlement in the New World, she finds the man she’s supposed to marry, Alex, to be totally unsavory and devoid of moral values. She does discover a friend of sorts, a young woman, Fiona Flanigan. Fiona arrives on the same boat as Rafaela. Fiona, an Irish immigrant, is trying to escape extreme poverty and a squalid life in New York City’s slums. She comes to the Mexican held Texan territory with a dream of owning land.
The interwoven lives of Rafaela, Fiona, Alex and Niall are complex and enticing. None of the four expect to find love, but attraction and desire are powerful motivators for all of them. Their characters are well fleshed out with the human flaws and passions we all have. I couldn’t help but hope they all found a way to overcome their haunted pasts and take a chance on opening their hearts. But they were also in the middle of a war. Each of them had to do their best to deal with not only personal issues, but they had to try to survive in a time when their lives were often in danger. As I said before, this is a real page turner.
THE BRIGANDS gave me a very realistic, detailed and fascinating picture of what it took to achieve the first steps of independence that Texas and its settlers went through before it became a part of the United States. I’m waiting for the saga to continue in the second book. I can only hope that the author, Parris Afton Bonds, is hard at work, diligently writing the next installment. That said, I want to congratulate her on the amazing job she did in writing this first book. Splendid achievement, Ms. Bonds!
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