“It is better to die on your feet than live on your knees.”- Emiliano Zapata

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Esperanza lives a charmed life. The daughter of a wealthy landowner, her parents are thrilled when she attracts the attention of the handsome and mysterious Don Raúl, opening the door to a glittering life of opulence for them all.

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However, Don Raúl turns out to be a far cry from the gallant prince Esperanza had hoped for. Rude, arrogant and snobbish, his drunken antics at his father’s extravagant baile fail to impress her despite her parents’ best matchmaking efforts. In a desperate attempt to escape his unwanted advances, she finds herself in the arms of charismatic street musician Arturo, lighting a spark between them that neither his overprotective brother, Esperanza’s socially ambitious parents nor even the jealous Don Raúl himself can extinguish.

 

As their friendship blossoms, Artie proves himself to be everything that Don Raúl is not- warm, kind, courageous, and above all, driven by a longing to see the people of Mexico living in freedom and equality. Against her better judgement, Esperanza soon finds herself falling in love with the charming street boy and vows to do all she can to help him escape the poverty and oppression that he and his brothers have always been forced to endure. 

 

As Esperanza and Artie’s feelings grow stronger, however, so too do the whispers of revolution. When a tragic accident in one of the local gold mines devastates the town and tears Artie’s family apart, Esperanza is horrified to discover that the man responsible is the very same Don she is supposed to be marrying. 

 

Determined to help the oppressed mine workers, Esperanza faces choices she hoped never to make as she resolves to stand against her future husband and join Arturo in the fight for Mexico’s freedom. But in these brutal times where a single careless word could cost her the lives of those she loves most, will the price of freedom prove to be more than she is willing to pay?

 

Artie’s Courage is a gripping swashbuckler of a romance that will set your pulse racing from the very first page. Based on real historical events, this story of love and courage in the face of adversity follows characters on an emotional journey through laughter and tears, passion and heartbreak in a thrilling page-turner which will keep readers guessing through every twist and turn.

 

This is the first novel of The Musician’s Promise trilogy.