Cry of the Bells

Carolina Lindsay, nicknamed Cara, is hurt and lonely; her father has died and her fiancé has deserted her. She wants to travel to her aunt’s home in California and make a fresh start, escaping the bigotry and prejudice of Boston. Cara’s trip is fraught with trouble, and she makes the trip only to find her aunt dead and her Uncle Henry heartbroken. She has also unknowingly placed herself in danger by coming to her uncle’s home.

Don Miguel Navarro is a wealthy landowner, a man among men. He needs a companion for his wife Desira, who is ailing, and Cara fits the bill. Miguel is not a cruel man, and he is at a loss about how to deal with his wife. He’s let others oversee her care, and it is being handled badly. Cara comes with ideas on how to improve the situation and meets with resistance, even though she has Miguel’s approval. A kernel of desire starts to take root between her and Miguel.

Cara soon falls into the rhythm of this alien world of ranch life. She learns many things, and is making progress with the child-like and damaged Desira Navarro. Strange “accidents” befall Cara, and mysterious deaths plague the ranch. What evil lurks among them?

Cry of the Bells is a picturesque and stark look at a complex potpourri of characters in the harsh environment of old West hacienda life. Miguel is dark and forbidding; he’s suffered immeasurably. Cara is youthful, innocent, and unprepared to deal with all that her living at the ranch entails. The cast of supporting personalities in this book are extremely well done, with a wide spectrum of ages, races, cultures and temperments. The fine and tangible sexual tension between Miguel and Cara grows, and the danger she’s in only heightens its power and seductiveness. Dee Ann Palmer pulls readers into her story, and makes them feel and see what she’s written with incredible clarity.

Reviewed by: Michelle