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Webster Fields Trilogy #1
Princess Ces'alena
Book one revolves around the world of Manny and Lena, as they struggle to live and love in a world where such passion, loyalty and devotion between a master and his slave is forbidden and taboo. Together with every breath they take, they go against convention to keep true what they deeply feel between them. A desire, an obsession so strong, they will pay the price of hell to stay together. Their story, is a real love story! As many readers have stated, it is one you won't soon forget! A quote from a reader. "I have to say, that in the genre of IR fiction, romance - Mercedes Keyes is a breath of fresh air! The depth of passion between these two characters is heartrending. Princess Ces' alena is truly a superior read!!! I look forward to the rest of the series." C.Gnatt
476 pages, Paperback
First published February 28, 2005
83 people are currently reading
172 people want to read
About the author
Mercedes Keyes
25 books137 followersBorn in the south, Mississippi - grew up back and forth between there and Chicago, where she went to school. Keyes married early in life and gave birth to three beautiful children, two daughters, and a son. Currently, she has 7 grandsons and 1 granddaughter
She lives in Colorado now - after relocating from England where she used the backdrop of the small island to learn more about the world's historical past. A past that she's made a point to write about, as Ms. Keyes is a lover of history.
Currently, she is working on Saoirse - her sixth historical with Cromwell's reign that brought about Irish slaves - which will be followed by Fancy Free - another historical surrounding Cora's Daughters - the Fancy Series.
She can be found @ amberswann.org - where she continues to slowly build a world of quality interracial literature!
Drop in and join her blog!
http://amberswann.blogspot.com
She lives in Colorado now - after relocating from England where she used the backdrop of the small island to learn more about the world's historical past. A past that she's made a point to write about, as Ms. Keyes is a lover of history.
Currently, she is working on Saoirse - her sixth historical with Cromwell's reign that brought about Irish slaves - which will be followed by Fancy Free - another historical surrounding Cora's Daughters - the Fancy Series.
She can be found @ amberswann.org - where she continues to slowly build a world of quality interracial literature!
Drop in and join her blog!
http://amberswann.blogspot.com
Ratings & Reviews
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Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews
June 22, 2010
Mine! I wrote it! I love it still! What can I say, LOL
August 22, 2012
This is a great book but not your typical love story, Lena and Manny truly loved each other but did not come to it as free people. Manny the son of a slave owner, therefore a slave owner himself who comes in possession of Lena. Lena now owned by Manny is afraid her first night owned by him he takes her because she was so lovely he just had to have her.I was pissed when I read that but as the story goes on you discover that hey truly fall in love and Manny treats Lena as a wife. Laws at the time are against them Manny becomes a slave to his love for Lena. His father makes him marry a white woman with the threat he will sell Lena and their Child so Manny does what his father request. The story gets really emotional for both Lena and Manny after his marriage to a woman he cannot love ( Katherine). Because he marries her(Katherine) the suffer greatly I will not tell you how but the lady is truly a bitch on wheels. This book ends on a cliffhanger, will Manny and Lena find Happiness the deserve ? You will have to read the complete saga to know the answers . I am on the second book and right now I am happy but i won't tell you why. Read this book it is good and makes you root for all the characters in this family.
February 1, 2011
This story held my rapt attention. It is creative. It is expressive. It is sensuous without sleaze. And the pace was perfect. The writing style is simple as is the prose. I would have liked a tighter editing job, but the errors aren't so bad that I was detracted from the reading. I'm looking forward to the second episode of this soap opera. It's a delicious read.
July 7, 2021
Could not stop reading, a real page-turner!!!
July 8, 2009
Romance about an African princess that was sold into slavery in the US and her owner that fell in love with her. This book is the first in the trilogy. Gold Raven is 2nd and Family Reunion is 3rd. As far as I know they are only available for downloading.
June 22, 2013
This one of my all time favourite series. My mother and I still talk about the characters as if they actually existed! The historical connections are accurate and the writing pulls you in right after the first page.
April 2, 2009
I loved this book. Well written and well researched. I could not put it down! :)
September 21, 2013
And so thus started my lover affair with this author and this series.
Review to come when I have the time to write it right.
Review to come when I have the time to write it right.
January 4, 2014
Excellent as always. This author can do no wrong in my eyes. All her work is brilliant. This is a 3 book series and this is book 1.
September 2, 2016
Wow! Really enjoyed this book. I couldn't put it down. It evoked all types of emotions. Great story telling.
September 10, 2021
I enjoyed the story but...
My sympathies were with Katherine. Manny chose this girl as a means to an end without being upfront with her. Plus being married to him in that time rendered her "stuck" to him. How did he expect her to not want children of her own? If she left him and took up with someone else society would consider her a pariah. Though I liked Lena, her attachment/ love for Manny made me roll my eyes a few times. Instead of marrying Katherine, he could've taken Lena and his son away from that environment. Move to another state. Perhaps live as a couple but pretend that she was his employee/ slave. Smh. There's so much he could have done to avoid the Katherine drama. As a woman I felt badly for how Katherine was used and expected to just accept it.
My sympathies were with Katherine. Manny chose this girl as a means to an end without being upfront with her. Plus being married to him in that time rendered her "stuck" to him. How did he expect her to not want children of her own? If she left him and took up with someone else society would consider her a pariah. Though I liked Lena, her attachment/ love for Manny made me roll my eyes a few times. Instead of marrying Katherine, he could've taken Lena and his son away from that environment. Move to another state. Perhaps live as a couple but pretend that she was his employee/ slave. Smh. There's so much he could have done to avoid the Katherine drama. As a woman I felt badly for how Katherine was used and expected to just accept it.
June 15, 2018
Captivated
I have never read a book that have you so captivated and trust me I have been reading since God made time . Lena and Manny my heart broke a thousand times for them if love like theirs really existed in this world all our lives will be rich but not from money , I am really mad at Manny he keeps making the same mistake over and over again , why didn't he got rid of Katherine always leaving her to do as she pleases , hope in the next saga she is finally gone for good ..... to you the writer I salute you on wonderful and fantastic book...can't wait to read the next chapter ...
I have never read a book that have you so captivated and trust me I have been reading since God made time . Lena and Manny my heart broke a thousand times for them if love like theirs really existed in this world all our lives will be rich but not from money , I am really mad at Manny he keeps making the same mistake over and over again , why didn't he got rid of Katherine always leaving her to do as she pleases , hope in the next saga she is finally gone for good ..... to you the writer I salute you on wonderful and fantastic book...can't wait to read the next chapter ...
December 21, 2017
I absolutely loved this book.There was so much going on with this book. It does span over time. Eventhough, those types of books are not my favorite this was absolutely great. I loved both the characters, Manny and Lena. Watching them and their family saga was wonderful. I cried, smiled, and got angry , but enjoyed every minute.
May 16, 2019
Masterpiece
This book is a masterpiece, it's like a beautiful pearl you find hidden inside a shell . So unexpected, well written. I am in love with this author, her fan for live. I enjoyed this book so much and have purchased the other two in the series. Buy it, I will recommend it completely you wont regret it.
This book is a masterpiece, it's like a beautiful pearl you find hidden inside a shell . So unexpected, well written. I am in love with this author, her fan for live. I enjoyed this book so much and have purchased the other two in the series. Buy it, I will recommend it completely you wont regret it.
February 3, 2019
Genuine love
Love invisible has a 💪 of a hurricane .It can't easily extinguish like a forest fire burn anything in its path Three Cheers for this love 💘 story
Love invisible has a 💪 of a hurricane .It can't easily extinguish like a forest fire burn anything in its path Three Cheers for this love 💘 story
November 14, 2019
Loved it!
This is my 2nd time reading this book and there’s so much I can say but all I will say is these 2 have and will go through hell for their love. In the end it’s worth it.
This is my 2nd time reading this book and there’s so much I can say but all I will say is these 2 have and will go through hell for their love. In the end it’s worth it.
May 24, 2022
Exciting pre-Cival war inter racial romance drama
This is a well written page turner! Can't wait to continue reading about this amazing family in the next book!
This is a well written page turner! Can't wait to continue reading about this amazing family in the next book!
June 1, 2022
Exceptional
Absolutely a great read. I was on the edge of my seat and can't wait to see what happens next
Absolutely a great read. I was on the edge of my seat and can't wait to see what happens next
June 19, 2022
Very interesting plot, significant details not completely historically realistic or feasible. Fun read.
July 27, 2022
What the hell did I just read. Don't judge a book by its cover, clearly.
August 9, 2023
I just want to get to the next book to find out what happens to that witch Kathrine. I will be quite upset if she gets off unscathed, Mrs. Keyes!🤷🏽♀️
April 9, 2016
Well this book left me reeling. I liked it. I liked it a lot, actually. There were complex characters, a developed full plot, love, heartbreak, passion, regret, etc. There was all kind of emotions in this novel. You feel something.
This is a full body interracial, historical, romantic drama. It was a bit slow to boil but once it got cooking, I could not put it down. The first ‘heartbreak’ was very well written and powerful. My eyes watered. I felt sorrow and rage. I wanted to strangle the antagonist. So job well done on that.
On the other hand, there were a few issues: diction, scenarios and length.
-Some of the language was a bit off. I’m pretty sure ‘Hitting it once’ was not common vernacular for the 19th century.
-Some of the character’s behavior and certain scenarios seemed so fanciful at times it seemed improbable. Lena, a captured slave, was able to physically assault a white man without so much as a scratch? Or how Kayleen talked to white masters of the plantation.
-The organization of the book was also clunky. The chapters were very long without any definitive breaks. It all seemed to run together. The book was also very long. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good complex meaty story, but it was a bit much. There are two parts to the story but there really should have been two books. I started skipping through some parts because I just wanted to know the outcome and/or wanted to finish the book.
I will agree with the one review that said the book became repetitive in some aspects. The main characters do quite a bit of back and forth, but it is as lovers do. There were two climaxes in the story, reached by similar means. So it made you question if the characters were stupid or if the story was just too contrived? But this is a written story, fiction, isn’t all the drama contrived? I think the problem is that author used a similar plot device so it seemed less organic than the first time.
I will refrain from too many details and making this too long. There were a few glitches but overall the story made you feel something (a couple things) and at the end of the day that is all you can hope for from a book. I enjoyed it, would recommend it and will continue reading Ms. Keys.
This is a full body interracial, historical, romantic drama. It was a bit slow to boil but once it got cooking, I could not put it down. The first ‘heartbreak’ was very well written and powerful. My eyes watered. I felt sorrow and rage. I wanted to strangle the antagonist. So job well done on that.
On the other hand, there were a few issues: diction, scenarios and length.
-Some of the language was a bit off. I’m pretty sure ‘Hitting it once’ was not common vernacular for the 19th century.
-Some of the character’s behavior and certain scenarios seemed so fanciful at times it seemed improbable. Lena, a captured slave, was able to physically assault a white man without so much as a scratch? Or how Kayleen talked to white masters of the plantation.
-The organization of the book was also clunky. The chapters were very long without any definitive breaks. It all seemed to run together. The book was also very long. Now, don’t get me wrong, I love a good complex meaty story, but it was a bit much. There are two parts to the story but there really should have been two books. I started skipping through some parts because I just wanted to know the outcome and/or wanted to finish the book.
I will agree with the one review that said the book became repetitive in some aspects. The main characters do quite a bit of back and forth, but it is as lovers do. There were two climaxes in the story, reached by similar means. So it made you question if the characters were stupid or if the story was just too contrived? But this is a written story, fiction, isn’t all the drama contrived? I think the problem is that author used a similar plot device so it seemed less organic than the first time.
I will refrain from too many details and making this too long. There were a few glitches but overall the story made you feel something (a couple things) and at the end of the day that is all you can hope for from a book. I enjoyed it, would recommend it and will continue reading Ms. Keys.
August 8, 2014
Princess Ces'alena is an epic tale full of passion, empathy, sorrow, and the frailties of human nature. Mercedes Keyes has the extraordinarily rare ability to create a literary vortex in which the reader of her stories will be instantly sucked in and consumed until the story has reached its conclusion. And even then: you are left pondering the story and its implications long after having read it in the first place.
Princess Ces'alena was the first book I read by this author several years ago and it was a pleasure to explore and re-read this new, revised edition. Like before, I got pulled into the tornado that is the Webster saga but it was refreshing to read the polished product. It was also a breath of fresh air to read an interracial drama not tinged with pornographic sex scenes. The characters sizzle and their chemistry is on fire. That being said, we get just enough of what we need to know and see without closing the book, feeling too hot and bothered ourselves. I've read books that are too tame to be a romance and too trashy to be romantic. This book strikes the perfect balance of love and passion. I appreciate that because if I want to read mommy porn, I can easily go read Fifty Shades. I want to read an all-encompassing, enrapturing love story and that is precisely what Princess Ces'alena offers. Enjoy it!
Princess Ces'alena was the first book I read by this author several years ago and it was a pleasure to explore and re-read this new, revised edition. Like before, I got pulled into the tornado that is the Webster saga but it was refreshing to read the polished product. It was also a breath of fresh air to read an interracial drama not tinged with pornographic sex scenes. The characters sizzle and their chemistry is on fire. That being said, we get just enough of what we need to know and see without closing the book, feeling too hot and bothered ourselves. I've read books that are too tame to be a romance and too trashy to be romantic. This book strikes the perfect balance of love and passion. I appreciate that because if I want to read mommy porn, I can easily go read Fifty Shades. I want to read an all-encompassing, enrapturing love story and that is precisely what Princess Ces'alena offers. Enjoy it!
September 8, 2019
This was a REALLY rough read. Great story kept me going. It’s probably some truth to this also. Not saying this particular theme though but the situation. The non consensual parts where the H just took from the h if she wanted it or not. I am going to label the h understanding as Stockholm syndrome. I usually drop a book with non consensual and racism in it because it just makes me angry that I can do nothing. I do know it’s a book but I can not help but think out real life situations that someone in reality might be experiencing. But I thought I’d brush up on my hidden history or sum form of it I should say. I would recommend to individuals who can stomach possibly triggers. Great job to the author.
Displaying 1 - 25 of 25 reviews