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Daughter of Fortune
Maria Espinosa should not have survived the 1679 cholera epidemic in Mexico City that killed her parents, already reeling from the loss of their fortune, nor should she have survived an Apache raid on the caravan transporting her to a sister in remote Santa Fe, in the royal colony of New Mexico. Rejected by her sister because she is penniless, Maria struggles to stay alive in a society unaware of impending disaster. A charismatic Tewa Indian named Popé is determined to drive the hated European overlords from the land. Maria’s refuge is no refuge at all. When Mary is taken in by a Spanish ranching family living uneasily among the Pueblo Indians, her beauty and spirit inspire a rivalry between two brothers—one a Spaniard, the other half-Indian. Will she find security and purpose in this harsh land only to lose her heart? In the midst of personal turmoil, Maria discovers a rare talent in this colony of believers. She learns how to carve discarded branches and tree stumps into statues of saints. She also learns the larger lesson: that grace can transform an object of little value into a masterpiece. But trouble lies ahead. Maria can reveal the saint buried in a block of wood. What mysteries lie deep within her own heart?
286 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1985
18 people are currently reading
217 people want to read
About the author
Carla Kelly
138 books804 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
Although Carla Kelly is well known among her readers as a writer of Regency romance, her main interest (and first writing success) is Western American fiction—more specifically, writing about America's Indian Wars. Although she had sold some of her work before, it was not until Carla began work in the National Park Service as a ranger/historian at Fort Laramie National Historic Site did she get serious about her writing career. (Or as she would be the first to admit, as serious as it gets.)
Carla wrote a series of what she now refers to as the "Fort Laramie stories," which are tales of the men, women and children of the Indian Wars era in Western history. Two of her stories, A Season for Heroes and Kathleen Flaherty's Long Winter, earned her Spur Awards from the Western Writers of America. She was the second woman to earn two Spurs from WWA (which, as everyone knows, is all you need to ride a horse). Her entire Indian Wars collection was published in 2003 as Here's to the Ladies: Stories of the Frontier Army. It remains her favorite work.
The mother of five children, Carla has always allowed her kids to earn their keep by appearing in her Regencies, most notably Marian's Christmas Wish, which is peopled by all kinds of relatives. Grown now, the Kelly kids are scattered here and there across the U.S. They continue to provide feedback, furnish fodder for stories and make frantic phone calls home during the holidays for recipes. (Carla Kelly is some cook.)
Carla's husband, Martin, is Director of Theatre at Valley City State University, in Valley City, North Dakota. Carla is currently overworked as a staff writer at the local daily newspaper. She also writes a weekly, award-winning column, "Prairie Lite."
Carla only started writing Regencies because of her interest in the Napoleonic Wars, which figures in many of her Regency novels and short stories. She specializes in writing about warfare at sea, and about the ordinary people of the British Isles who were, let's face it, far more numerous than lords and ladies.
Hobbies? She likes to crochet afghans, and read British crime fiction and history, principally military history. She's never happier than talking about the fur trade or Indian Wars with Park Service cronies. Her most recent gig with the National Park Service was at Fort Union Trading Post National Historic Site on the Montana/North Dakota border.
Here's another side to this somewhat prosaic woman: She recently edited the fur trade journal of Swiss artist Rudolf F. Kurz (the 1851-1852 portion), and is gratified now and then to be asked to speak on scholarly subjects. She has also worked for the State Historical Society of North Dakota as a contract researcher. This has taken her to glamorous drudgery in several national archives and military history repositories. Gray archives boxes and old documents make her salivate.
Her mantra for writing comes from the subject of her thesis, Robert Utley, that dean of Indian Wars history. He told her the secret to writing is "to put your ass in the chair and keep it there until you're done." He's right, of course.
Her three favorite fictional works have remained constant through the years, although their rankings tend to shift: War and Peace, The Lawrenceville Stories, and A Town Like Alice. Favorite historical works are One Vast Winter Count, On the Border with Mackenzie and Crossing the Line. Favorite crime fiction authors are Michael Connelly, John Harvey and Peter Robinson.
And that's all she can think of that would interest anyone. Carla Kelly is quite ordinary, except when she is sometimes prevailed upon to sing a scurrilous song about lumberjacks, or warble "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" in Latin. Then you m
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 41 reviews
December 19, 2016
A bleak, harrowing, vivid historical fiction based on the 1680 indigenous revolt against Spanish colonists in and around Santa Fe, New Mexico. The book cover suggests a swashbuckling bodice-ripper but the story is not at all salacious or even focused on romance. It is a story of survival and it does not hold back on depicting the most gruesome, painful aspects of the destruction that took place, one that is so horrific that I cannot fathom how the soil around Santa Fe was ever able to absorb so much blood.
The female protagonist that the author has created to weave her story around is, in the words of the other characters, formidable. Her other moniker is Maria the Fortunate, despite the fact that she endures a continuous string of tragedies, from the death of her parents from a cholera epidemic in Mexico City, to her wagon train being massacred by Apaches on its way to Santa Fe, and of course the horrors she faces during the 1680 Pueblo revolt. But the moniker is not given ironically. It is her survival, her strength, her ability not to give up and to fight not only for her life but for her happiness, when so many others would have simply faded away, that make her a worthy carrier of that title.
The two male protagonists are half-brothers. One is a full Spanish, legitimate son, head of a prosperous ranch. He is also arrogant, stubborn, and believes fully in the God-given (and King-anointed) right of ownership he has of his lands and "his" Indians. His half-brother is the illegitimate product of his Spanish father's dalliance with one of his indigenous servants. Naturally, as both sides of his heritage struggle against each other, his long simmering hatred of his precarious position and of his half-brother's dominance is ignited into a full explosion when the female protagonist becomes a subject of contention between brothers.
Daughter of Fortune is a very hard book to read because it is so bleak, dark, and realistic but is also very compelling because the author was able to create such enthralling characters, a real sense of suspense and danger, and avoid the kind of cement-block info-dumps that turn some historical fictions into tedious history lessons. I look forward to reading other books from this new-to-me author.
The female protagonist that the author has created to weave her story around is, in the words of the other characters, formidable. Her other moniker is Maria the Fortunate, despite the fact that she endures a continuous string of tragedies, from the death of her parents from a cholera epidemic in Mexico City, to her wagon train being massacred by Apaches on its way to Santa Fe, and of course the horrors she faces during the 1680 Pueblo revolt. But the moniker is not given ironically. It is her survival, her strength, her ability not to give up and to fight not only for her life but for her happiness, when so many others would have simply faded away, that make her a worthy carrier of that title.
The two male protagonists are half-brothers. One is a full Spanish, legitimate son, head of a prosperous ranch. He is also arrogant, stubborn, and believes fully in the God-given (and King-anointed) right of ownership he has of his lands and "his" Indians. His half-brother is the illegitimate product of his Spanish father's dalliance with one of his indigenous servants. Naturally, as both sides of his heritage struggle against each other, his long simmering hatred of his precarious position and of his half-brother's dominance is ignited into a full explosion when the female protagonist becomes a subject of contention between brothers.
Daughter of Fortune is a very hard book to read because it is so bleak, dark, and realistic but is also very compelling because the author was able to create such enthralling characters, a real sense of suspense and danger, and avoid the kind of cement-block info-dumps that turn some historical fictions into tedious history lessons. I look forward to reading other books from this new-to-me author.
November 16, 2016
Long, long ago, before writing her Regencies, westerns, historicals and LDS-themed romances, Daughter of Fortune was released. Before that, Mrs. Kelly had some stories issued in magazines. Without a violence filter, this historical fiction was originally written in 1985 based on a true-life incident. It would be four more years before Summer Campaign, a much lighter fare, was published.
in 1679, Maria Luisa Espinosa de la Garza was a 15-year-old orphan when she set out by wagon from Mexico City to the colony of New Mexico. Pampered and groomed, she was the daughter of wealth and position. This was shortly before her father lost his affluence and her parents died from cholera. She was traveling in order to meet and live with her only living relative, an older married sister.
Six months had passed; her trip was almost over when a band of Apaches attacked and killed everyone but Maria. It was gruesome. After the slaughter, she was saved from certain death by 19-year-old Diego Masferrer, a landowner from Santa Fe. She could tell he was young but the intense sun along with his responsibilities had aged him.
~At this point I need to mention two things. Mrs. Kelly wrote her MCs with an older aura to match the historical time period. I never thought of them as 'teenagers'. And the comment Mrs. Kelly wrote at the beginning of the 1986 hardcover edition I read, said it all: "I can make no apologies for the events or the people depicted in this novel. These things happened, no matter how we in this century view the 1680 Pueblo uprising. Seen in historical perspective, these Spanish New Mexicans lived and died in the belief that what they did was right and just. If we see their actions differently, it is because we live in a more enlightened, if not less cruel, age."~
Maria was without wealth or a dowry when she finally met and was refused by her mean-spirited, now-widowed sister. Her choices were to become homeless and a ward of the town or find Diego. She chose the latter.
In some ways I could tell without looking at the original date that this was Mrs. Kelly's first complete novel. She researched the era in an orderly fashion. The Revolt of 1680 was a rebellion of mostly Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers that used them as slaves in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. I felt an immense empathy for the various Indian tribes that went up against their enforcers even though the acts they performed were horrendous and despicable.
Read this only if you love history or are a big fan of Mrs. Kelly, as I am. There is a romance but it takes a distant second place to this tragedy.
in 1679, Maria Luisa Espinosa de la Garza was a 15-year-old orphan when she set out by wagon from Mexico City to the colony of New Mexico. Pampered and groomed, she was the daughter of wealth and position. This was shortly before her father lost his affluence and her parents died from cholera. She was traveling in order to meet and live with her only living relative, an older married sister.
Six months had passed; her trip was almost over when a band of Apaches attacked and killed everyone but Maria. It was gruesome. After the slaughter, she was saved from certain death by 19-year-old Diego Masferrer, a landowner from Santa Fe. She could tell he was young but the intense sun along with his responsibilities had aged him.
~At this point I need to mention two things. Mrs. Kelly wrote her MCs with an older aura to match the historical time period. I never thought of them as 'teenagers'. And the comment Mrs. Kelly wrote at the beginning of the 1986 hardcover edition I read, said it all: "I can make no apologies for the events or the people depicted in this novel. These things happened, no matter how we in this century view the 1680 Pueblo uprising. Seen in historical perspective, these Spanish New Mexicans lived and died in the belief that what they did was right and just. If we see their actions differently, it is because we live in a more enlightened, if not less cruel, age."~
Maria was without wealth or a dowry when she finally met and was refused by her mean-spirited, now-widowed sister. Her choices were to become homeless and a ward of the town or find Diego. She chose the latter.
In some ways I could tell without looking at the original date that this was Mrs. Kelly's first complete novel. She researched the era in an orderly fashion. The Revolt of 1680 was a rebellion of mostly Pueblo people against the Spanish colonizers that used them as slaves in the province of Santa Fe de Nuevo México. I felt an immense empathy for the various Indian tribes that went up against their enforcers even though the acts they performed were horrendous and despicable.
Read this only if you love history or are a big fan of Mrs. Kelly, as I am. There is a romance but it takes a distant second place to this tragedy.
December 13, 2013
With her parents dead (pops lost all the family fortune before biting the dust), Maria Espinosa has no family left except for an older sister who married and moved to Santa Fe. The story begins with a bang as the supply train Maria is traveling on is attacked by Apaches and she's the only one to survive. She might still be alive, but she's still a long way from safety and Santa Fe, plus there's no food and the Indians are still hanging around. She's finally rescued by Diego Masferrer and he takes her to her sister's loving arms. Not.
"If I cannot gratify my relatives and die, then I must live. There is revenge of sorts in that, she told herself as she started north on the road out of Santa Fe."
Big sis is now widowed with little money (so she says), and can barely feed and clothe her five daughters (so she says) and tells Maria she's on her own. Diego takes her in, but Maria wants no charity and works for her keep - a pretty drastic measure for a well-bred woman and descendant of the conquistadors. Maria and Diego feel an attraction, but landowners like him don't take to wife a dowerless woman, no matter how who she's descended from.
"The idea of Diego Masferrer marrying a penniless nobody would flame the fires of gossip long past the first frost."
Diego's half brother Cristobal (half Pueblo Indian) also has eyes for Maria, but Diego's having none of that. Neither here nor there, the main focus of the story is the unrest and resentment that's been festering among the natives, unhappy with their lot in life as slaves to the Spaniard colonizers - and what transpires is the the Pueblo revolt of 1680.
"Smoke was heavy in the air, mingled with the odor of cooked flesh."
I've not read this author before, and from what I understand she writes mainly Regency romances, but I would caution anyone considering this book based on experience with Kelly's later work and/or thinking this is a bodice ripping romance to perhaps think twice before picking it up. This is not a light, fluffy romance, not by a long-shot. The events of the Pueblo revolt and the Apache attack are detailed in great detail, and they are bloody and violent. This is not a light fluffy romance, and will not be suited to every reader's tastes. Grisly as some of this was, I did enjoy the book and learning about new-to-me history, but I was glad I wasn't reading it at meal time.
Digital edition obtained via library loan.
"If I cannot gratify my relatives and die, then I must live. There is revenge of sorts in that, she told herself as she started north on the road out of Santa Fe."
Big sis is now widowed with little money (so she says), and can barely feed and clothe her five daughters (so she says) and tells Maria she's on her own. Diego takes her in, but Maria wants no charity and works for her keep - a pretty drastic measure for a well-bred woman and descendant of the conquistadors. Maria and Diego feel an attraction, but landowners like him don't take to wife a dowerless woman, no matter how who she's descended from.
"The idea of Diego Masferrer marrying a penniless nobody would flame the fires of gossip long past the first frost."
Diego's half brother Cristobal (half Pueblo Indian) also has eyes for Maria, but Diego's having none of that. Neither here nor there, the main focus of the story is the unrest and resentment that's been festering among the natives, unhappy with their lot in life as slaves to the Spaniard colonizers - and what transpires is the the Pueblo revolt of 1680.
"Smoke was heavy in the air, mingled with the odor of cooked flesh."
I've not read this author before, and from what I understand she writes mainly Regency romances, but I would caution anyone considering this book based on experience with Kelly's later work and/or thinking this is a bodice ripping romance to perhaps think twice before picking it up. This is not a light, fluffy romance, not by a long-shot. The events of the Pueblo revolt and the Apache attack are detailed in great detail, and they are bloody and violent. This is not a light fluffy romance, and will not be suited to every reader's tastes. Grisly as some of this was, I did enjoy the book and learning about new-to-me history, but I was glad I wasn't reading it at meal time.
Digital edition obtained via library loan.
September 11, 2012
4/5; 4 stars; A-
Carla Kelly always teaches me some history in her books. This book is pretty dark in a lot of ways and leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that life was very hard in the 1600s in the southwest. Kelly manages to tell the history with empathy towards all points of view; the settlers, rancheros, and native people. As always, her characters are varied and interesting. I'm not sure I would be tough enough to thrive during that time!
I really debated whether or not to put this on my romance shelf. There is some romantic development in the story but its not a big part of the book. It more like love grew despite the harsh environment, much like a flower may blossom in hard, barren soil. Kind of surprising.
Carla Kelly always teaches me some history in her books. This book is pretty dark in a lot of ways and leaves no doubt in the reader's mind that life was very hard in the 1600s in the southwest. Kelly manages to tell the history with empathy towards all points of view; the settlers, rancheros, and native people. As always, her characters are varied and interesting. I'm not sure I would be tough enough to thrive during that time!
I really debated whether or not to put this on my romance shelf. There is some romantic development in the story but its not a big part of the book. It more like love grew despite the harsh environment, much like a flower may blossom in hard, barren soil. Kind of surprising.
September 29, 2010
A lot of history in this one, during the Pueblo Revolt in 1680. I thought it was very good and learned something I knew nothing about. Not a fluff read, that's for sure. A lot of violence.
maybe
September 25, 2021Need safety spoilers!
April 23, 2013
This is one dramatic and intense story!
It is based on the Pueblo Indians uprising that drove European Spanish settlers out of their colonies in New Mexico in 1680 – of which I knew nothing about. This time period is not something I would normally pick as it is far removed from my favorite Regency England. However, Carla Kelly being one of my favorite authors, I decided to venture out of my happy zone and try something different. And boy, was this different!
Maria, having survived a cholera epidemic that killed her parents, travels from Mexico City toward Santa Fe in New Mexico where her sister lives. Along the way their small party is attacked by Apache Indians and she is the sole survivor, only because she was hidden. Maria is rejected by her sister and comes to live with the kind family of her rescuer, Diego Masferrer, a Spanish overlord with many Pueblo Indians as workers. All overlords believe the Pueblo Indians are owned because the King of Spain declared it so. The violent Apaches are danger enough, but the Pueblos are rumbling waiting to explode against their Spanish masters as well. It happens and it’s not pretty.
It’s a double-edged sword: you feel for the Indians and the unfair difficulty the Spanish have forced upon them, but the determination to colonized and survive by the Spanish is also important.
The characters have heart and soul and the reader cannot help but become intensely involved with each of them. I wanted Maria, Diego, and the rest of his family to survive and be one happy family, but fate intervenes. Oh yes, and there is an evolving love story that is very important to the story. (So glad Kelly included an epilogue!)
This is not an easy story to read. It is dramatic, intense, and has several parts where the descriptive carnage is very difficult to get through. It is heart-wrenching, but that’s the way history is sometimes. I probably won’t read it again, just because of that, but I appreciate having gained the knowledge of a time and place and event that happened.
It is based on the Pueblo Indians uprising that drove European Spanish settlers out of their colonies in New Mexico in 1680 – of which I knew nothing about. This time period is not something I would normally pick as it is far removed from my favorite Regency England. However, Carla Kelly being one of my favorite authors, I decided to venture out of my happy zone and try something different. And boy, was this different!
Maria, having survived a cholera epidemic that killed her parents, travels from Mexico City toward Santa Fe in New Mexico where her sister lives. Along the way their small party is attacked by Apache Indians and she is the sole survivor, only because she was hidden. Maria is rejected by her sister and comes to live with the kind family of her rescuer, Diego Masferrer, a Spanish overlord with many Pueblo Indians as workers. All overlords believe the Pueblo Indians are owned because the King of Spain declared it so. The violent Apaches are danger enough, but the Pueblos are rumbling waiting to explode against their Spanish masters as well. It happens and it’s not pretty.
It’s a double-edged sword: you feel for the Indians and the unfair difficulty the Spanish have forced upon them, but the determination to colonized and survive by the Spanish is also important.
The characters have heart and soul and the reader cannot help but become intensely involved with each of them. I wanted Maria, Diego, and the rest of his family to survive and be one happy family, but fate intervenes. Oh yes, and there is an evolving love story that is very important to the story. (So glad Kelly included an epilogue!)
This is not an easy story to read. It is dramatic, intense, and has several parts where the descriptive carnage is very difficult to get through. It is heart-wrenching, but that’s the way history is sometimes. I probably won’t read it again, just because of that, but I appreciate having gained the knowledge of a time and place and event that happened.
August 12, 2022
Was a good book, but needed more ginger.
June 15, 2019
As a reader of historical novels, I’m often reminded how hard life was for those who lived in the 1800’s New World. However, this novel shows on every page just how dicey life was for those who lived here in the 1680s.
This is not an easy book to read; although a reader’s attention is snagged quickly, the dangers of life in this area of New Mexico are almost overwhelming. Before the end of the second chapter, our heroine, Maria Espinosa, has cheated death on two occasions: She survived the 1679 cholera epidemic in Mexico City and was the only survivor after Apaches attacked a Santa Fe-bound caravan in which Maria was traveling.
It will be a long time before I forget this book; the nature of the difficult terrain and the brooding anger of the indigenous peoples against their oppressors blended together to create an almost impossibly inhospitable climate.
Young Diego has inherited the leadership role at the Masferrer hacienda. Eking a living from such a barren country is difficult in the best of times, but Diego is fighting drought and unrest amongst the Indian population. He does not understand the discontent because he sees himself as a benevolent father to his Indian ‘children.’
Cristobol is the illegitimate son of Diego’s father and Diego’s mother’s Indian maid. Because he is Indian, Cristobol cannot inherit land or property from his white father. Diego is a few months older than his half-brother; the conflict between Diego and Cristobol is fascinating.
I was relieved that this book was only 270 pages; this book has so much emotion spilling off the pages that I was received when it ended. This is a remarkable story.
This is not an easy book to read; although a reader’s attention is snagged quickly, the dangers of life in this area of New Mexico are almost overwhelming. Before the end of the second chapter, our heroine, Maria Espinosa, has cheated death on two occasions: She survived the 1679 cholera epidemic in Mexico City and was the only survivor after Apaches attacked a Santa Fe-bound caravan in which Maria was traveling.
It will be a long time before I forget this book; the nature of the difficult terrain and the brooding anger of the indigenous peoples against their oppressors blended together to create an almost impossibly inhospitable climate.
Young Diego has inherited the leadership role at the Masferrer hacienda. Eking a living from such a barren country is difficult in the best of times, but Diego is fighting drought and unrest amongst the Indian population. He does not understand the discontent because he sees himself as a benevolent father to his Indian ‘children.’
Cristobol is the illegitimate son of Diego’s father and Diego’s mother’s Indian maid. Because he is Indian, Cristobol cannot inherit land or property from his white father. Diego is a few months older than his half-brother; the conflict between Diego and Cristobol is fascinating.
I was relieved that this book was only 270 pages; this book has so much emotion spilling off the pages that I was received when it ended. This is a remarkable story.
October 6, 2012
Die-hard Kelly fans may want to read this, her first published novel, but it's not like her later romance novels. The setting is interesting--we usually don't find historical fiction set in the 17th C. US Southwest--but it's more women's fiction or straight historical than it is a historical romance.
Nonetheless, there is a love story in it, with the kind of flawed characters that helped Kelly establish her reputation in Regencies. There are also scenes of extremely graphic violence which are integral to the story, but may not be what the reader is expecting.
Nonetheless, there is a love story in it, with the kind of flawed characters that helped Kelly establish her reputation in Regencies. There are also scenes of extremely graphic violence which are integral to the story, but may not be what the reader is expecting.
November 20, 2023
I can’t believe this was written by Carla Kelly! I have only read her regency romance which some of which I did not even finish! This was very gripping and the violence was hard to read about. I will definitely be looking into more of her books.
April 30, 2011
Haunting. Riveting. Disturbing. Amazing.
Loved this book.
Loved this book.
September 26, 2020
W - O - W !!! This is a riveting book. We were not sure of the ending. My wife and I read this as we traveled. We haven't read that many books in the car lately. We finished the last half on a long road trip to Crater Lake in Oregon. She reads and I drive. By the time we got to the national park, I am insisting we read it for awhile each time we get to the hotel. We finally finish it in the hotel at Winnemuck, Nevada, as I call it. In the hotels, I take a turn at reading, too
First, the setting of this novel is 1770 in the New Mexico colony of Spain. Who could of thought of such an unknown place to make a novel. Author Carla painted such a beautiful picture of it and how everything worked, even including some phrases in Spanish, which I interpreted for my wife, who is totally "gringo."
Such a story, so well worked out, and such a love. The love of any couple is the exposition of charity and God's true love .... the supreme reward of why we have come to the earth. Carla Kelly hits that on the head every book she writes. We know as we have read many her books. The initial Apache raid killing all of the caravan except Maria, a wonderful person pummeled by tribulation, who fought her way back to respectability and in the end to receive a gracious prize, Diego, who at the moment of their marriage, had also been stripped of everything by his own tribulation. So two similar people in love, a man and a woman, both so passionately in love but too shy to say it for fear it would be an importunity upon the other. With that "importunity," author Kelly drags us through enough suspense to last 50 pages.
There is Diego's half-Pueblo Indian brother, Cristobel, who has realized he will never get what Diego will receive from his father. Cristobel is not satisfied to be an important member of the Masferrer family and feels he must help his Pueblo people. He tries to use Maria in a ploy to hurt Diego. She is Spanish and to marry Cristobel would negate her hopes of a good life. I felt as the story line progressed that Maria would have to help Diego kill Cristobel. Diego could not do it alone. He was too loving of a person. That was one thing I got right.
The atrocities of the Indian raid were very stark. I think they showed the hate these Indians showed to the Spanish. I didn't like to read of them. The Spanish probably did some similar things years before when they subjugated the Pueblos and turned them into their slaves. That Cristobel would be so mean to his step-mother and step-sister is sad and was bemoaned by me.
I was glad they made it to safety from the Indian uprising, although there was much doubt seeing Diego and his two younger sisters and Maria sneaking through cornfields, piercing Indian attackers with arrows, and eating honey from bee boxes. This was a classic book. It is hard to believe its copyright was 1985. We have read many of her books written much closer to now. I think this is her best book I have read. That is like deciding between which baseball player is best, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. To me this is the best one. Diego was such a good man and Maria was a fine woman.
Diego and Maria are like a two piece puzzle. One complimented the other. The only thing they lacked was the passage of some time and oh, that thing that so often postpones a perfect match: the guts to say, "I Love You," and then take that leap of faith to move forward to marriage in love. And with their four children and the re-establishment of a new Las Invernes 13 years later, hopefully with the Indians as willing employees, now, rather than slaves, it looks like they have all their ducks in a row.
I can see them, on a horse, Diego and his "chiquita," and he, Maria's "corazon mio," riding a horse how they often did with her on the saddle in front of him and her leaning back on his chest as the full moon shined above on their small part of the Kingdom of Rios. It gives us all hope we can pass through problems and tribulations and eventually fulfill our destiny, not that that is the end of any of those but hopefully a long time of blessings, goodness and enjoyment, that we all seek, as we pass through time, with the faith that "our ride" will now be safer and less taxing. Thanks for the illumination, Mrs. Kelly
First, the setting of this novel is 1770 in the New Mexico colony of Spain. Who could of thought of such an unknown place to make a novel. Author Carla painted such a beautiful picture of it and how everything worked, even including some phrases in Spanish, which I interpreted for my wife, who is totally "gringo."
Such a story, so well worked out, and such a love. The love of any couple is the exposition of charity and God's true love .... the supreme reward of why we have come to the earth. Carla Kelly hits that on the head every book she writes. We know as we have read many her books. The initial Apache raid killing all of the caravan except Maria, a wonderful person pummeled by tribulation, who fought her way back to respectability and in the end to receive a gracious prize, Diego, who at the moment of their marriage, had also been stripped of everything by his own tribulation. So two similar people in love, a man and a woman, both so passionately in love but too shy to say it for fear it would be an importunity upon the other. With that "importunity," author Kelly drags us through enough suspense to last 50 pages.
There is Diego's half-Pueblo Indian brother, Cristobel, who has realized he will never get what Diego will receive from his father. Cristobel is not satisfied to be an important member of the Masferrer family and feels he must help his Pueblo people. He tries to use Maria in a ploy to hurt Diego. She is Spanish and to marry Cristobel would negate her hopes of a good life. I felt as the story line progressed that Maria would have to help Diego kill Cristobel. Diego could not do it alone. He was too loving of a person. That was one thing I got right.
The atrocities of the Indian raid were very stark. I think they showed the hate these Indians showed to the Spanish. I didn't like to read of them. The Spanish probably did some similar things years before when they subjugated the Pueblos and turned them into their slaves. That Cristobel would be so mean to his step-mother and step-sister is sad and was bemoaned by me.
I was glad they made it to safety from the Indian uprising, although there was much doubt seeing Diego and his two younger sisters and Maria sneaking through cornfields, piercing Indian attackers with arrows, and eating honey from bee boxes. This was a classic book. It is hard to believe its copyright was 1985. We have read many of her books written much closer to now. I think this is her best book I have read. That is like deciding between which baseball player is best, Mickey Mantle or Willie Mays. To me this is the best one. Diego was such a good man and Maria was a fine woman.
Diego and Maria are like a two piece puzzle. One complimented the other. The only thing they lacked was the passage of some time and oh, that thing that so often postpones a perfect match: the guts to say, "I Love You," and then take that leap of faith to move forward to marriage in love. And with their four children and the re-establishment of a new Las Invernes 13 years later, hopefully with the Indians as willing employees, now, rather than slaves, it looks like they have all their ducks in a row.
I can see them, on a horse, Diego and his "chiquita," and he, Maria's "corazon mio," riding a horse how they often did with her on the saddle in front of him and her leaning back on his chest as the full moon shined above on their small part of the Kingdom of Rios. It gives us all hope we can pass through problems and tribulations and eventually fulfill our destiny, not that that is the end of any of those but hopefully a long time of blessings, goodness and enjoyment, that we all seek, as we pass through time, with the faith that "our ride" will now be safer and less taxing. Thanks for the illumination, Mrs. Kelly
February 13, 2019
Having read several others books by this author, I had enjoyed learning more about a time in history about which I know very little so purchased this without doing due diligence. This book was written much earlier than all her other works and the voice is much more violent than I was expecting. While likely very true to actually historical events, this one was too gruesome for my preferences as I usually read for relaxation and the happily ever after typically guaranteed in historical romance.
November 29, 2018
I'm a big fan of Carla Kelly's writing and this book did not disappoint, but it was still a very hard book to read in places due to the subject matter. I had no previous knowledge of the Pueblo uprising of 1680, but Kelly put me there, in the moment. The development of Maria and Diego's relationship was slow, but realistic. I much prefer Kelly's later books set in the same geographic area and time period.
December 5, 2018
The aspect of Carla Kelly's writing that I enjoy most is the little piece of history that I learn about in the process. This book is not for the faint of heart. There is lots of killing, murder, and blood, but you get a bird's eye view into the history of the time and the dynamics of the culture along with a little romance.
June 29, 2023
This is a 3.5 book, but I gave it four because of the history included in the plot. Graphic description of atrocities were not for the faint of heart. If the author had just reduced the crying of the heroine.She sobbed her way through the book while being possibly one of the strongest characters Kelly has ever written.
June 19, 2024
I read this as a teenager in college. It made a big impression as l am fascinated by historical fiction -medieval, Native Indian etc. I never forgot the title.
. Sadly, it also always reminds me of my late friend who lent me the book.
. Sadly, it also always reminds me of my late friend who lent me the book.
November 11, 2018
An enjoyable novel with clean words. It was also interesting to learn a little about the early Rio Grande Valley History of New Mexico.
January 26, 2019
Solid writing, unflinching setting
Not overdone, rare in a romance. The succinct writing flows well. The setting of massacres is not for the faint of heart.
Not overdone, rare in a romance. The succinct writing flows well. The setting of massacres is not for the faint of heart.
November 3, 2020
sad that author ruined a good story with too much death and gore. that sprinkled with a few spanish words are not good reading.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
July 31, 2025
Daughter of Fortune (1986) is Carla Kelly’s first book, and she sure shows a gift for writing richly detailed historical fiction. She’s written a story of one young woman, Maria Espinosa and how she became involved in the Pueblo Indians uprising that drove the Spanish out of New Mexico in 1680, and kept them out for 13 years.
Maria is so very young… at age 15 she endures horrific events, atrocities… all detailed in graphic scenes in the book. She finds a savior in Diego Masferra who at the age of 20 is responsible for his whole family on their large ranch near Santa Fe. She also becomes friends with his younger half breed brother, Cristobal… he wants to marry her.
This has to be one of the most gut wrenching gruesome stories I’ve read in ages as it’s overwhelmingly filled with details of massacres, killings, rapes, tortures etc. The entire story is permeated by FEAR… all the Spanish live in fear of the Indians… Apache and Pueblo, and in the last part it reaches its culmination in the major uprising.
For me this isn’t a HR… there’s a slightly closed door scene and a HEA, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s really an historical novel. Superb writing and research and a gripping story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
Maria is so very young… at age 15 she endures horrific events, atrocities… all detailed in graphic scenes in the book. She finds a savior in Diego Masferra who at the age of 20 is responsible for his whole family on their large ranch near Santa Fe. She also becomes friends with his younger half breed brother, Cristobal… he wants to marry her.
This has to be one of the most gut wrenching gruesome stories I’ve read in ages as it’s overwhelmingly filled with details of massacres, killings, rapes, tortures etc. The entire story is permeated by FEAR… all the Spanish live in fear of the Indians… Apache and Pueblo, and in the last part it reaches its culmination in the major uprising.
For me this isn’t a HR… there’s a slightly closed door scene and a HEA, but that doesn’t make up for the fact that it’s really an historical novel. Superb writing and research and a gripping story. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
June 13, 2013
While I couldn't put the book down, I also recommend it with reservations because there were a few descriptions of gore that haunted me for days. Unlike many of her light novels, this is a drama based on actual events and meant to place the reader within the time and the atrocity that was committed. Boy, do you feel it! There is a feeling of oppression throughout the book as the rebellion builds, but the tension is slightly relieved as the heroine matures and learns to adapt to the work of her new life. I don't believe I will reread this book often, but I have to keep my copy for the sheer power of the writing and the chance to lend it to my friends.
August 21, 2016
I generally really like Carla Kelly's books, even though they aren't always clean (the not clean ones are still milder than a lot of what is out there). This book is quite clean sex wise, there is one mention but it is not explicit. However, this book has a lot of violence and gore.
Ms. Kelly has a wonderful way of making history come to life. I really liked the beginning. It was nice to have a hero that wasn't perfect. He seemed very realistic, he made some bad choices and his views on being a slave owner were how I imagine one would really feel at the time. But by the end it was so violent that I really didn't enjoy it at all. But I guess that's history for you. It's not always pretty.
Ms. Kelly has a wonderful way of making history come to life. I really liked the beginning. It was nice to have a hero that wasn't perfect. He seemed very realistic, he made some bad choices and his views on being a slave owner were how I imagine one would really feel at the time. But by the end it was so violent that I really didn't enjoy it at all. But I guess that's history for you. It's not always pretty.
March 13, 2013
Gory. I was expecting a cheesy romance novel and instead it was a cheesy-gory historical novel. I love historical novels so I was fine reading it, but I could only handle so many scalping scenes. The gory bloodage combined with the cheesy romancitical language was awkward at times. Overall I still enjoyed it though -- even though I was tired I couldn't sleep and read the last 1/2 of the book waaaay past bedtime.
July 30, 2016
I've never lived in an area that a book takes place in. It was interesting to learn about a story in history while living among the descendants. It is amazing how much has changed since that time and how this area has grown. The book itself wasn't good and was hard to read at times. It was pretty graphic with the destruction from the Indians and I found it hard to stomach at times. It made me want to go to more of the historical sights in this area.
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June 25, 2016I always like learning some history in books. I like when a book makes me go to learn more of period in history, which this did. The Po'pay uprising in 1680, driving the Spanish settlers out of the New Mexico was something I knew nothing of....and now I do. Life was very hard in the 1600s in the southwest. Kelly manages to tell the history with empathy towards all points of view; the settlers, rancheros, and native people. Her characters are varied and interesting.
December 15, 2017
Wow! What an intense story. But as Carla Kelly always does in her books, the characters shimmer with life. It was fascinating to read about this time and place and the type of people that populated it. Harsh is an understatement--the land, climate, beliefs, punishment, and retributions. A powerful, revealing book.
June 21, 2016
Maria survives a cholera epidemic, and Apache massacre and her sister's rejection. She find a home with the family of the man who finds her after the massacre. There she learns of the encomienda system that eventually leads to the Pueblo Indian uprising which slaughters most of the family she lives with and most of the folks around Santa Fe in the 1680.
November 7, 2009
Somehow this book caught my attention and became a fast read. I learned a great deal about New Mexico history--the Spanish versus the native Indians who already lived there. A good historical romance.
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