A forgotten war. An unforgettable romance. 1846 - Mexican American WarAn Army nurse, An Irish Immigrant. What were the chances that they would meet? Ximena Salomé is a Mexican Healer; John Riley is an Irish immigrant fighting in the Yankee army. Disillusioned with the war and atrocities, he forms the St. Patrick’s Battalion. This is when they meet and attraction blooms.Lyrical and beautiful. A lush and moving book about immigrants, love, war, relationships, and survival. What makes this book

This story is set between 1846-48. Ximena is a Mexican healer whose life was practically destroyed in the Spring of 1846. The dispute lead to a full-out war over a strip of land between the Rio Grande and the Rio Nueces Her husband was killed by Texas Rangers, her home ruined and with no place else to go she becomes an army nurse going from battlefield to battlefield. This is her contribution to help Mexico and honor her late husband.John Riley is an Irish immigrant serving in the U.S. army. He

Reyna Grande is an incredible writer. There was so much history to learn reading this book. I had no idea that in 1846, the US wanted to expand Texas and take land that belonged to Mexico. Ximena’s life is changed so much. Her husband Joaquin is killed tying to fight to stop the aggression toward his beloved country. An Irish man, John Riley had originally joined the US Army, but is appalled by their actions. He decides to defect and help save Mexico. It was hard to read this at times since the

Reyna Grande’s, A Ballad of Love and Glory, is a historical fiction novel about the Mexican American War (1846 – 1848) which is an important and compelling part of our history that is finally brought to light in this story. In this novel we are able to understand more of what happened during this conflict through the eyes of the main characters, Ximena, a Tejana, and John Riley, an Irish immigrant and a United States army soldier. Ximena, her husband, her grandmother and their neighbors suffer t...

HF readers will love this. Beautifully written. All the feels. One that is hard to put down.

Thank you to Reyna Grande for providing me a copy of her latest book Ballad of Love and Glory. I am now offering my honest review.I loved the book as I did Grande’s Distance Between Us. Grande researched the history of the war and the nonfictional men on both sides of the conflict. She brought Mexico alive through descriptions of the trees, shrubs, and flowers that curandera Ximena used to heal diseases and wounds. I felt like I was there, watching the sunset over the arid plains and smelling th...

In 1846, the Mexican-American war started, fought over the land near the Rio Grande River and it was a long and bloody battle. Ximena Salome follows in her Nana Hortencia’s footsteps, she’s a healer and has visions about the future. Her husband Joaquin owns a horse ranch, he tells Ximena not to worry about the hostilities and concentrate on having a family. When the Texas rangers kill him, burn the house and out buildings and she wants justice. Ximena and her grandmother decide to help the wound...

A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande was was a very well researched historical fiction novel about the United States and Mexico’s chilling story of war between 1846-1848. I knew little to nothing about the Mexican- American War before I read this book. This was also the first book I have read by Reyna Grande but she impressed me very much with her talent for storytelling. At one of her readings in 2013, Reyna Grande was questioned by an attendee about her knowledge of the Saint Patrick’s B...

Please take my review with a grain of salt. This book is beautifully written, but I just found it so boring. I thought it was going to be more about Ximena and John Riley, but it was more about the war and the battles and the hardships of the battles. Also, I really didn’t like how their relationship came about. This is a simple case of a book being not for me, but I can definitely understand why others are loving it so much. I was just expecting a little more romance and adventure, but it was m...

I have just read A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande in the year 1846.The storyline focuses on the Mexican American War and is part Historical Fiction part romance.The US army provokes war with Mexico over the boundary of the now California/Texas border and the Rio Grande.The main characters are Ximena Salomé, and John Riley, an Irish immigrant. Ximena is a Mexican healer, whose husband is killed. John Riley is in the Yankee army. He crosses over the river and joins in the Mexican army.Th...

Some stories need to be told, even if they’re just a fiction take on the original tale, the one that was also fabricated by the usual suspects, you know, by the historians in charge of supposedly telling it like it is. Reyna Grande’s A Ballad of Love and Glory is one of those fictional takes on a historical time in our past that will help correct a faulted script and bring some light into the minds on both sides of the tale. It’s a book scheduled to be published next year, on March 15, 2022, to

Happy Publication Day! 03/15/20224.5/5Combining fact and fiction, Reyna Grande’s A Ballad of Love and Glory is a beautifully penned novel set against the backdrop of the Mexican American War (1846-1848). The story begins in March 1846 with Ximena Salome Benitez y Catalan, standing at a port on the Gulf of Mexico watching as Yankee ships pass through the inlet and the cavalry of the Army of Occupation of the United States of America make an entrance.After Texas becomes the twenty-eighth state of

I hate to walk away from a book sent me by the publisher, especially through Edelweiss. But, I kept trying to read this novel but it didn't sit well with me. The theme and plot sounds very interesting and it concerns a time in history that more Americans should understand in full including American aggression against Mexico and the treatment of the Irish immigrants. But the writing and characterization just didn't connect with me. Sorry.

A Ballad of Love and Glory is inspired by actual events and explores the conflicting meanings of courage and loyalty.Gulf of Mexico, 1846. Ximena, for eight months, has been hearing rumors of war between US and Mexico, after the Republic of Texas became the twenty-eighth state in the Union, thus leading to a dispute over this strip of land between the Rio Grande and the Rio Nueces. As long as they remain away from her and don’t disrupt her daily life, then life feels normal. But things change wh...

The synopsis for this book immediately drew my interest. There is so much about history that was glossed over in school and the St. Patrick’s Battalion was one of these things. While a fictional account, the details the author includes are reflective of her research and knowledge of this historical period.Reyna Grande’s prose is beautiful. The artful details paint an elaborate picture and convey the characters’ experiences in such authentic ways. I would classify this as a true historical fictio...

The Saint Patrick BrigadeIn the year of 1846 the Mexican-American war was fought over the Annexation of Texas and the boundary of the Rio Grande River. This is a forgotten war, but it was fought all the same.In the American army were many immigrants from foreign countries fighting as soldiers for the Americans. They were treated very cruelly over ever minor incident, beaten, branded and other inhumane treatment. One soldier, John Riley, an Irish immigrant fighting in the American army defended t...

A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande. Pub Date: March 15, 2022. Rating: 3 stars. This novel takes place during the Mexican- American War and has heart, grit and timely scenes throughout. I love historical fiction, so I was excited to see this book and learn about a time in history I knew little about. The story follows Xemina, a Mexican healer and John Riley, a soldier in the Yankee Army and their struggles, survival, fight and ultimately their passion in their relationship. At its core, t...

A novel about a little-explored era of USA history, this is a real gem. Read it for the love story, read it for the exposure of American "nativism" in the 1840s, and read it to better understand the events of what is called in our history books "The Mexican-American War." But definitely read it.

“We Irish know what ‘tis like to be oppressed by an aggressive neighbor.” Reyna Grande can really write. This is the first of her novels I have read, but it surely won’t be the last. My thanks go to Net Galley and Atria Books for the review copy; this book is for sale now. A Ballad of Love and Glory encompasses two genres, romance and historical fiction. It’s the story of John Riley, an Irish immigrant to the USA in the mid-nineteenth century, who is met at the dock by military recruiters that w...

Solid 4 stars!!Grande uses two real people a) Irishman John Riley of St. Patrick’s Battalion, deserter of the US Army and b) Xemina a Mexican Army nurse to create a fictional story to shed light on the Mexican-American War in 1846.I’m not a history expert so I can only say it feels very well researched and informative. The book is clear concise and has pretty good pace, alternating in linear dual POVs. There are many deep in the trenches wartime scenes and I never was confused with the political...