From the walled gardens of Charleston to the vast prairies of the American West, the saga of the Lazare family continues.Charleston, South Carolina, 1840s. Unable to marry, Catholic priest Joseph Lazare and his soulmate Tessa Stratford risk a dangerous love affair, betting their lives on the ignorance of her husband and betting their souls on the forgiveness of God.Young David Lazare, Joseph’s … orphaned nephew and Tessa’s ward, struggles to make a life in Charleston. But David is haunted by secrets he’s determined to keep, above all a terrible choice he made as a ten-year-old boy on the Oregon Trail.None of them realizes that two thousand miles away, a lost Lazare has found a new family in the rapidly changing American West. He wants only to be Cheyenne, but as white emigrants and soldiers threaten the people he loves, his blond hair becomes a question he must answer–or die trying.Will the truth unite the Lazares–or destroy them?For fans of THE THORN BIRDS and Sara Donati, LOST SAINTS is the second book in the sweeping Lazare Family Saga that transports readers from the West Indies to the Wild West, from Charleston, Paris, and Rome into the depths of the human heart. The series begins with Book 1, NECESSARY SINS.
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Lost Saints is Book Two of the Lazare Family Saga. You don’t have to read the first book to enjoy the second book, but I strongly recommend you read Necessary Sins first and then read Lost Saints immediately afterward.
This is what I said about Necessary Sins: Necessary Sins is a meticulously researched, fast-moving book. It is also an epic, multi-generational, decade-spanning family saga. I was hopelessly hooked from the beginning and it held my interest throughout. It took me to places I hadn’t been before and introduced me to situations I hadn’t thought to imagine. The main character is richly portrayed, complex, and imperfect. The writing makes you care about his struggles, and the other characters in the book are just as engaging. You can tell this author has made an enormous personal investment in crafting this sensational novel. I’m sure it was a labor of love, and it probably took years to write. The result is a work of art that was well worth creating.
In a prologue to Lost Saints, the author gives a hint of things to come. It is set in the Cheyenne Nation in 1840. We meet Zeya, a young woman whose husband also married her sister. Zeya is, by far, the less favored wife. During a “sacred” ceremony, Zeya couples with the Chief Priest, and ends up expecting a son.
The first half of the book is set in Charleston, South Carolina, and picks up where Necessary Sins left off. It is 1843. The main character, Joseph Lazare, is a Catholic Priest who continues to struggle with the conflict between his desire for Tessa, the love of his life who is unhappily married to another man, and his vow of celibacy. Their relationship is tortured and complicated. Fans of historical romance will particularly enjoy the first half of the book. Do Joseph and Tessa end up together? You’ll have to read the book to find out. As the author writes in Chapter 19, “There were only so many secrets her garden could keep.” Joseph and Tessa’s story stuck with me, as the author writes in Chapter 21, “like seaweed snagging against a pier.”
The second half of the book opens at Independence Rock in Wyoming, in 1841. If you haven’t seen this natural attraction, you should google images of it. The second half of Lost Saints feels more like a western than a romance novel. A new main character emerges. From this point forward, the protagonist is Zeya’s son, and we follow him from birth to adulthood. You might wonder how the second half relates to the first. Not to worry, the author’s plot twists will take you there, like the twists and turns of the Sweetwater River. You will find the three main characters, Joseph, David, and Zeya’s son all have a very difficult time becoming comfortable, as they say, “In their own skins.”
This author’s writing is full of beautiful sentences, like this one, “She reminded him of still winter nights when the snow fell without sound and everything seemed to pause, even his own heartbeat.” Don’t let that tranquil sentence fool you. It was a beautiful, fleeting moment in the life of a troubled young warrior. Where does that life ultimately take him? I’m hoping to find out in Book 3, and I can’t wait.
Once again, Bell has outdone herself. The story continues to unfold, winding itself around mysteries and forgotten pasts of other characters. Bliss, survival, guilt, shame, hubris. There are huge lessons learned when things go from good to bad in the blink of an eye.
The characters start out familiar, and that’s what makes them so irritating. Like family, I feel like I hold them to higher standards than most people should. Joseph still struggles between his love of religion and his love of Tessa, and he makes some shattering decisions. Or lack of them, I suppose. But I couldn’t even get angry enough to put the book down, which is why I do think it’s important to read them in order.
When mysteries unravel elsewhere and new faces emerge, or old faces have a new shadow over them, things come full circle and the anticipation of the next book rises.
I devoured most of the last few chapters in a matter of hours and found myself useless when the final words hit me. I need to know what happens and it’s not even a cliff hanger. Even if it were, I trust this author will not disappoint in getting us the next book.
I love discovering new authors! This summer, I discovered Elizabeth Bell. Her debut novel, Necessary Sin(and first in the Lazare Family Saga) was compared to The Thorn Birds and I loved it!! I could NOT wait for the second book, Lost Saints. I was lucky to snag an early review copy. Lost Saints continues the story of Joseph and Tessa and their forbidden love but also introduces the reader to the baby abandoned in the west by a young David. This baby is found and adopted by the Cheyenne and named Esh(after the sky and the color of his eyes). The second half of the book focuses on Esh’s life as a Cheyenne. As much as I loved the first book, I have to say I love the second even more! Elizabeth Bell expands the story of the Lazare family in an entirely different direction in this highly addictive series. I can’t wait for the next book and to find out about the next chapter in the Lazare family. I did receive an early copy of the book from the author but all opinions are my own.