KIRKUS REVIEWS' BEST BOOKS OF 2021
B.R.A.G. MEDALLION HONOREE
A lyrical, magical tale of romance and adventure that sweeps from Spain to the Scottish Hebrides in the year 1825.
Can a girl who wants to heal others heal her own heart?
“A rich, original, and engrossing drama featuring a remarkably engaging hero.”—Kirkus Reviews (starred review)
Spain, 1825. The young and poetic Sofia-Elisabete Fitzwilliam, a British-Portuguese girl, lives in a world of restrictions and expectations, where repression is the order of the day. Her acts of freedom are to find humor in the absurd and to see magic in the mundane. The girl is drawn to a longing to heal others, but her own heart is troubled. Once abandoned by her mother, she struggles to trust people, and doubts whether she’s worthy of love. When her mother attempts to sell her into an arranged marriage, she feels betrayed.
With family ties pulling her in different directions, Sofia-Elisabete rebels against tradition by running away. Ferdinand VII’s Spain is certainly no female paradise for one so bold as she, or a girl who is forever finding trouble and prone to misadventure. Sofia-Elisabete loves a Scotsman, Kitt Munro, who treats her as an equal and can offer her a new life in England. But Kitt is torn between family duty and his love for her. Can she ever let go of her past and trust Kitt’s love and the healing power in her hands?
A heartfelt and funny coming-of-age story, this historical romance is blended with magical realism.