The Sandoval Sisters' Secret of Old Blood

Sandoval Legacy

Written by Sandra Ramos O'Briant

Genre: Historical

Book Synopsis

When Alma flees with her young lover to Texas to escape an arranged marriage with a much older man, she sets in motion a drama that will put the sisters and their legacy at risk. Pilar, a 14-year-old tomboy, is offered as a replacement bride, and what follows is a sensuous courtship and marriage clouded by the curses of her husband’s former lover, Consuelo. She will stop at nothing, even the use of black magic, in her effort to destroy the Sandoval family. The Mexican-American war begins and the Americans invade Santa Fe. The sisters are caught in the crosshairs of war from two important fronts-New Mexico and Texas. Their money and ancient knowledge offer some protection, but their lives are changed forever.

Alana Mander's Rating & Review

I have to be honest and say that the first couple of chapters of this book bored me. I could see there was a good story in there and a set of intriguing characters but I wasn't connecting with it. There is a chance that, had I not agreed to write a review, I would have given up and not read further. Boy am I glad I'd agreed to review it because, after those first few chapters, I really enjoyed it and I came to care about the sisters and their stories. With different chapters told from the POV of each sister, their individual voices and personalities really came through. They are all so different and go through so much, yet the bond between them is unbreakable and gives them an inner strength we could all do with.

There were odd moments that pulled me out of the story, such as the use of unfamiliar spanish words that I had to look up. Most of the words I could intuit the meaning from the context, but others I didn't have a clue and without looking them up the sentence or paragraph was confusing. Some of the references to the war also pulled me out of the story and sounded more like the recounting of facts rather than an integral part of the story.

The last few chapters were really emotionally charged and had me up well into the early hours because I just had to keep reading. Unfortunately the ending seemed to just fizzle out and left me a bit deflated. I can understand it was done to set up for the sequel but I think a bit more could have been done with it.

If only one of the problems I have mentioned was present I would have given this book a solid 4 stars, but because there were three issues that affected my enjoyment I have had to knock one star off. For that reason I give The Sandoval Sisters' Secrets of Old Blood 3 stars.

Review Disclaimer: Book was provided free of charge in exchange for an honest review.

Content Disclaimer: Marked mature due to violence and sex.

The Masquerade Crew