France 1510. The time of the Inquisition. During one of the most darkest periods of history, untold barbaric acts were committed in the name of God. In a small village in the south of the kingdom, the matriarch of an influential and highly prestigious family accused a beautiful and humbly born young woman of witchcraft, sending her to death by a public burning at the stake. Helen was only 17 years old, and the love of the oldest son of the matriarch. But she was not of his status. So, Elizabeth Werck sought to destroy their future the only way she knew. She accused Helen o witchcraft. Her allegation based solely on the fact that the young woman had a black cat. Due to the position of the Werck family, the Catholic Church, loyal to their wealthiest donors, didn’t even bother to investigate the accusation. During the trial, the Inquisitor, using his mandate as representative of God's will, slandered, tortured, and killed all of Helen's closest relatives, in an attempt to confirm the monstrous lie that she was a witch. Afterward, even knowing of her innocence, he personally delivered her death penalty in the public square, so that all could watch the flames as they raced up her body. Cruel and merciless happenings have a way of unleashing extreme and supernatural reactions, especially when the spirit of Helen is unable to choose between love and hate, bringing unforeseen consequences to the lives of all involved. Which do you think wins? Love or Hate? You will find out in this intensely romantic saga of two souls who remain eternally in love.
A few months ago, i was at a Broadway show with a friend. We began chatting with the woman sitting next to us, who had just started a new chapter in her life and she was very excited! She had just started a publishing company and a few weeks later both my friend and I received copies of The Curse of the Werck Family, Volumes 1 and 2.
I had never read a romance novel before (okay, okay, I did read Fifty Shades of Grey). I read non-fiction and when I want to relax with a book I turn
to mysteries, thrillers, crime. But i love to read, and this book has a historical bent: it takes place in France in 1510. So there's lots of French goth, magnificent chateaux, priests who kowtow to money and power, a magnificent, beyond the imagination romance and supernatural occurrences. The book is translated from Portugese - yes - the world all loves a good romance novel! The books reads quickly, and I didn't want to put it down! The characters are well-developed, the story magical AND spiritual. The spiritual part isn't off-putting or heavy-handed; in fact, it is very much abut and totally shares what Lin-Manual Miranda said when he won the Tony for Hamilton just days after the horrific Orlando shooting: " Love is love is love is love." That is truly what "The Curse of the Werck Family: The Battle Between Love and Hate" Volume 1 is about, and it is truly what life is about choose love, or not, but love IS the way. A most enjoyable and magical read, I thoroughly enjoyed it.
MY THOUGHTS
There is a fine line between love and hate. It's like they walk hand in hand. This is a story of two lovers, curses and reincarnation. I believe you have to enter this book with an open mind. It's fiction, it's fantasy, it's another world. Enter it and enjoy. What happens when there is love and hate at the same time? Let's go into the year 1510, France at the time of the inquisition. Religion was a force to be reckoned with back then. You followed the religion or there was a price to be paid. A young, lovely woman was in love and thus that love caused her death. She was burned at the stake. Not because she was in love, but because his family didn't approve. The young girl was a mere 17 years old and what actually led to her death was a black cat, and black cats were associated with witchcraft. Witchcraft was a crime that was often the death of many back then. Through the course of the trial, as such, all of Helen's loved ones were tortured and killed. Then Helen was taken to the public square and burned. The man Helen loved was accused by his mother but when the death from burning at the stake occurred, his mother was devastated. She didn't want the girl's death but only to separate her son and Helen. The author gives you suspense, a touch of witchcraft, love, hate and an emotional ride. Persecution for unproved circumstances. A black cat, a mother wanting something else for her son, a young woman in love and all of it destroyed by vicious lies.This may be a look at what happens when you love someone and someone else hates. When the two mix, it can cause terrible circumstances. Romantic, yes, Heartbreaking, yes! I thoroughly enjoyed this book. Takes you back in time and the hint of witchcraft intrigued me. The book was a quick read and well written. A bit of historical content of what it was like back in 1510. Remember, there is that fine line between love and hate and when you cross that line, terrible things can happen, even death.
I received a copy of this book from the author and voluntarily decided to review it.
