Agustina de Aragón by Gail Meath was a beautiful historical novel about Napoleon Bonaparte and Spain. Wow! I had no idea and I was on the edge of my seat the entire book. This was about a strong heroine who through her own determination will do whatever it takes to expel France from her beloved Spain. It was written well and I loved all the characters. The family and the culture. It had a romance that comes to so few and that kept me grounded so I could finish this war torn novel. It’s a clean romance and I highly recommend it. Again, a really good story.
Thanks Independent Publishing via NetGalley.

Barcelona, Spain, 1803. Agustina Saragossa, the youngest daughter of a bladesmith, sneaks around the military barracks, yet not to snag a husband as everyone thinks. She loathes the privileged officers and untrained peasants who call themselves soldiers. Her only purpose is to remain abreast of all military secrets as Napoleon Bonaparte swiftly rises through the French ranks.

The chance meeting between Agustina and Spanish Sergeant Juan Roca enrages her while he is instantly struck by the dark-haired beauty with fire in her blood. Relentlessly, he pursues her, despite her fury, and the sparring begins between them.

As the war between the British and French progresses, Spain becomes trapped in the middle until Napoleon deviously orders the invasion of their country. Yet, the French Emperor soon discovers the task is not so easy when Agustina and Juan heroically join the fight for freedom.

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Thanks to Netgalley for the copy!
The cover looks stunning and the premise really really good and the book itself just as great as the cover. It's all about love that I really cherish. The book just good.

Really enjoyed this read, richly descriptive and wonderfully written. I finished it quickly because I was enchanted with it. I will look for more from this author and appreciate the opportunity to read this in advance of publication. Historical fiction readers will enjoy this. Thank you.

This beautiful story of love, courage, heroism and survival left me stunned. The passion between Agustina or Rami and Juan is eternal and all encompassing. surviving war, loss of their child and heroic ongoing defense of Spain against Bonaparte's invasion. My mother was born in the Basque country and often told me of this bloody period of French aggression and massacre of civilians along with soldiers but I never knew about this wonderful heroine of these wars. The novel was a revelation to me and I thoroughly enjoyed reading it. The ending was glorious with the routing out of Napoleon's forces and the happy reunion of Rami and Juan and their subsequent happy life together with the addition of several other children. My thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for allowing me the pleasure of reading this masterpiece.

I have to admit that what first drew me to this book was the stunning cover. There was just so much passion between the two central figures that I couldn’t resist finding out who they were supposed to be. Their stance and the vibrance of their costumes reminded me a bit of flamenco, a famous Spanish dance I was lucky enough to see in Seville while visiting the region. After finishing the story I can safely say that the cover “Agustina de Aragon” is a perfect match for its plot. At its heart this is the story of one woman’s passion for her country and her family.

I had never heard of Agustina Saragossa prior to picking up this book, but she was famous enough to catch the attention of Lord Byron, who immortalized her in his “Child Harold’s Pilgrimage”. The Agustina of this novel, much like in real life, is a fiery character. Unlike what is expected of the women of her time she is not content to sit idly at home. Agustina is fiercely interested in the current political state of her country. She loves Spain and would often hang around the army barracks to learn the latest developments both at home and abroad. That is how Agustina ends up meeting the other great love of her life, Juan Roca.

Agustina seems to be a woman who can only love with her whole heart. I really enjoyed seeing passion spark between Juan and Agustina. Throughout the novel the reader sees these two united by a desire to do everything in their power to save their country from Napoleon. At the same time, there are numerous scenes that showcase how far they are willing to go to ensure each others’ safety. As a reader I spent most of the book hoping for a happy ending for the two. That’s why I found the finale perfect, even if it may not be exactly historically accurate.

Though I greatly enjoyed this book, I sometimes found myself wishing there were less detailed discussion of military matters. I understand why they were likely important, but I’m not sure they did much for the plot and were just not to my taste.The pacing also took some getting used to as there was a lot of jumping around in terms of years making it sometimes hard to keep track of the age of the characters and where they were in the story.

Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5. I greatly enjoyed learning about Agustina’s life and adventures. If you like learning about significant, but less well known historical figures or just want to pick up a good book set in Spain then I recommend giving this book a try.