"The Priest took me hostage for 24-hours. If I wasn't reading late into the night or stealing moments to read during the day, I was-- and still am-- thinking about this captivating tale.

Mauricio is a compassionate and intelligent young man who had been born a slave in a society ruled by women. His life is lonely and hopeless behind the walls of The Temple, the confines of which he hadn't been outside of his entire life. But he is resigned. He was born into slavery and would die in slavery-- unloved, insignificant, suppressed. Until, a Temple guard's mistake changes everything.

This is a story of forbidden love between a slave and a "pure breed" woman, who transcend prejudice and hatred to find a soul mate. It is brilliantly written, vivid, and elicits strong emotion. I was completely sucked into Mauricio's bleak existence, rooting for him, worried for him, wishing hell fire on his oppressors, drinking in his few moments of happiness, and concocting alternative storylines, all the while hanging onto the hope of a happy ending-- which I won't tell you if he had or not.

The other aspect I appreciate about this story is its innocence and the author's tact. The Priest is a true romance, and one I won't soon forget. Goes without saying, I look forward to reading Book 2 in The Ginecean Chronicles, Pax in the Land of Women. I fully anticipate sleep deprivation." E.L.S

"With so many stories that attempt to make true love seem complicated, it's refreshing to read something that proves that it is one of the most simple things a human will ever experience - and almost certainly the most powerful.

In `The Priest (The Ginecean Chronicles #1)', Monica La Porta does a fantastic job of creating a society that seems to be the opposite of reality and then proving that it's a lot more like the world we live in than we'd like to admit.

The characters are vivid and believable. They will take you to the extremes of love and hate, but will never tell you until you arrive... and maybe not for a little while after.

We see the world we live in. We see the good, the evil and the complacent. But we see it only from the tiny spot where we stand. Monica La Porta proves this in `The Priest' and presents us with an invitation to take a closer look at some of the social, ethical and moral decisions we make and why.

I absolutely loved `The Priest' and I'm looking forward to the rest of the The Ginecean Chronicles." G.R. Bliss

"Within the first two pages, I became immersed in the story, and believed entirely in a world called Ginecea. The elegant prose used throughout means this novel would have worked for me as a simple "Star Crossed Lovers" romance. But Ms. La Porta's vividly drawn characters and their interaction with each other transform "The Priest" into something very special. Deftly introducing themes of prejudice and hatred born of ignorance, counterbalancing the worst of human behaviour with the very finest: Courage to question perceived wisdom, humility to admit to being wrong, hope that the future can change, but above all love.

This is a story I didn't want to end, and will return to savour again and again." Tinkertoo "Tink"

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