The Bravados
The Bravados (The Texicans Book 3)
by Parris Afton Bonds
Reviewed by S. S. Bazinet
Description:
When seventeen-year-old Drake “The Rake” Paladín shows up at the Barony with seven-year-old Angel, a marker for her mother’s bet, the Paladín family is outraged. The young girl believes that she now belongs to Drake, and he will marry her when she comes of age. Refusing to give details of who her relatives may be, the Paladíns are forced to ask a Texas Ranger for help in hopes of finding the girl’s true home. When her family is finally located years later, she turns out to be the daughter of Alex Paladín’s lifelong nemesis, Rod Obregon. The stakes only grow higher when Angel herself refuses to return home.
Meanwhile, Obregon’s own detective has been searching for the missing child as well, It is only a matter of time before he figures out who “The Rake” really is and brings Obregon to their gates for vengeance, having already lost his sister to the Paladíns years before.
Just when the tempestuous Angel grows into the only woman who can lasso the rambling man Drake has become, Mother Nature claims an even greater vengeance… one that could destroy them all.
With the third volume in her critically-acclaimed Texicans saga, New York Times bestseller Parris Afton Bonds weaves a spellbinding tale of love, hate, revenge, and reconciliation set against the milieu of the turn of the twentieth century. From the streets of Dallas to the oil fields of Louisiana and the blood-soaked jungles of Cuba, the Paladíns find themselves caught in the great struggle between the traditions of the past and the technologies that will shape the future. Can bonds of blood withstand such tides of change? What about the feuds of ages long past? With true-to-life characters, high drama, and painstaking authenticity, The Bravados is a masterpiece of epic romance.
Review: “Texas history comes alive thru the saga of the Paladín family!”
The Bravados is the third book that I’ve read in the TEXICANS series. It’s been an exciting experience to watch the characters change as time goes by. In the first book, the original twosome, Fiona Flanigan and Alex Paladín, fell deeply in love and married. By the third book, their children are grown and have adult children of their own. As these young men and women try to find their place in the world, some marry and others leave home and begin careers. However, the good and not so good traits that started with Fiona and Alex are passed down. Their children and grandchildren must deal with all they’ve been modeled. In the case of a long standing feud between the Paladín and the Obregon families, its impact negatively affects many who are striving to succeed. However, a Paladin family member also has an indomitable spirit to persevere if they believe in themselves.
The characters and their many stories are beautifully woven together to form a grand tapestry that expresses all of our human frailties and our triumphs. Elements of love, hate, ambition, strength and grit in the face of seemingly unsurmountable odds are all there to bring the reader into a period of history that was tumultuous, fast-changing and exciting. How could it be otherwise when you’re reading a book by Parris Afton Bonds? The author is extremely adept at not only romance, but she’s very skillful in portraying the bloody battles in Cuba and the 1900 Galveston hurricane. Powerful events come alive so completely, you’ll feel like you were there experiencing them just like her characters. This third book in the series could be read as a standalone and is highly recommended!
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