What do you think?
Rate this book
A Land in Turmoil #1
In the Shadow of Vargas
When William MacLeod, a member of an American fur trapping party, is forced into Spanish New Mexico to seek help for a wounded companion, he finds love and encounters a vengeance that will test his power to fulfill the promises he made.
Maria de Cordero, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy hacienda owner, is promised in marriage to another, but she makes the fateful mistake of falling in love with the young American. When her secret visit to MacLeod’s jail cell is discovered, the man who lustfully awaits their marriage, Miguel Griego, captain of the governor’s own militia, seeks his revenge against this insult to his name. Can MacLeod find a way to escape, and save Maria from what her family believes is a fate worse than death.
Maria de Cordero, the beautiful daughter of a wealthy hacienda owner, is promised in marriage to another, but she makes the fateful mistake of falling in love with the young American. When her secret visit to MacLeod’s jail cell is discovered, the man who lustfully awaits their marriage, Miguel Griego, captain of the governor’s own militia, seeks his revenge against this insult to his name. Can MacLeod find a way to escape, and save Maria from what her family believes is a fate worse than death.
324 pages, Paperback
Published December 16, 2015
About the author
Edmond Bergeron
5 books5 followersAs I remember it, life began on top of a load of furniture in a sleigh drawn by a team of horses on a bitterly cold day. My mother was walking alongside in the snow when the moment arrived. She claims it was Valentine’s Day, and of all people, she should know.
I attended a one-room school house outside of the French Canadian town of Mascouche, Quebec, and later in the metropolis of Montreal. At some point, an overworked school teacher wrote a note home to my mother to say that someday I would be a writer. The rest of the family laughed.
I attended a one-room school house outside of the French Canadian town of Mascouche, Quebec, and later in the metropolis of Montreal. At some point, an overworked school teacher wrote a note home to my mother to say that someday I would be a writer. The rest of the family laughed.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 25, 2019
I knew from the first chapter that I would enjoy this book. Mr Bergeron's writing has a way of grabbing my attention and drawing me into the lives of his characters.
William MacLeod, an American fur trapper in 1820s Spanish New Mexico, falls in love with the gorgeous Maria de Cordero and for Maria it is love at first sight. But Maria's influential father promises her in marriage to Miguel Griego who she knows is not only despicable and vulgar but evil itself. Maria comes up with a plan which destroys Griego's lust for her which ends the marriage plan but leads Griego to sell her to the equally contemptible Apache Romero.
In Romero's hands, Maria is abused by any man who will have her but she never gives up hope that MacLeod will come looking for her. Keeping his promise to rescue Maria takes MacLeod on a chase through hostile country and the rugged Sacramento Mountains as he is captured and tortured unmercifully by Romero.
A young Indian woman helps MacLeod escape and hides him out until he heals enough to resume his search for his beloved Maria, a search that is hampered by Griego, Romero and the governor himself all who want MacLeod dead.
This first book in the "Land in Turmoil" series is exciting and captivating. I am struck by the research conducted by this author to bring his story to life with authenticity and authority. It is masterfully written and I highly recommend it.
William MacLeod, an American fur trapper in 1820s Spanish New Mexico, falls in love with the gorgeous Maria de Cordero and for Maria it is love at first sight. But Maria's influential father promises her in marriage to Miguel Griego who she knows is not only despicable and vulgar but evil itself. Maria comes up with a plan which destroys Griego's lust for her which ends the marriage plan but leads Griego to sell her to the equally contemptible Apache Romero.
In Romero's hands, Maria is abused by any man who will have her but she never gives up hope that MacLeod will come looking for her. Keeping his promise to rescue Maria takes MacLeod on a chase through hostile country and the rugged Sacramento Mountains as he is captured and tortured unmercifully by Romero.
A young Indian woman helps MacLeod escape and hides him out until he heals enough to resume his search for his beloved Maria, a search that is hampered by Griego, Romero and the governor himself all who want MacLeod dead.
This first book in the "Land in Turmoil" series is exciting and captivating. I am struck by the research conducted by this author to bring his story to life with authenticity and authority. It is masterfully written and I highly recommend it.
April 10, 2020
Excellent depiction of the Frontier
If you like action-packed historical novels with a western flavour, you've come to the right place. In the Shadow of Vargas by Canadian-born author E. Paul Bergeron is chock-full of action, fast-paced and exciting. It is also not short on violence, which is typical of the period and the harsh territory, so let that be a warning to anyone whose sensibilities tend to be shaken by life on the frontier. This novel is not for the faint-hearted, but I can vouch (being myself a bit of a chicken in the violence department) that it is more than bearable and the journey well worth a few squeamish moments.
Before I came across In the Shadow of Vargas, I confess I wouldn't have bothered with Western historical fiction depicting Native American Indians in an unfavourable light, mainly because I'm a huge fan of their history and culture and have long since felt appalled at the way they were treated by European settlers throughout history. Even after reading an alternative view in Bergeron's novel, I am still of the firm belief that the extermination of Native American Indians was the world's greatest genocide, which, in large part, still remains unacknowledged and unredressed to this day.
That being said, there are always two sides to a coin and no true lover of history should allow personal bias to stand in the way of a higher perspective. The author of this novel does an excellent job of clearing up a few misconceptions on that score. He shows us a mellower aspect of white Americans and a not-so-mellow one of both Mexicans and Indians alike. He gives us the realities, unvarnished and unromantic, just the bare facts showing the Indians up at their most vicious, which explains why they were so feared and hated by the whites. Apaches and other tribes, such as Comanche, Navajo and Utes, were equally as merciless against white Americans and that is a historical fact that cannot be denied.
Set for the most part in New Mexico in the 1820s, just before gaining independence from Spain, this novel highlights the primitive, almost bestial way of life in the region and its corrupt governance.
All the characters are very well-rounded and realistic. The hero, William MacLeod, is a fur-trapper, a lucrative but risky trade in those dangerous times. A likeable fellow, it's easy for the reader to identify with and root for him. He comes off a very realistic hero even when it appears to be near impossible for one lone man to prevail against vicious adversaries such as the likes of Apache leader Romero, and Miguel Griego, captain of the governor’s militia and former betrothed to MacLeod's woman, Maria de Cordero. But he succeeds in defeating both in a manner that is believable.
It is always a pleasure to read historical fiction that's well-written and well-crafted, and one that is rich in historical trivia without in any way intruding on the story. In the Shadow of Vargas is a very enjoyable read that I won't hesitate to recommend to anyone.
If you like action-packed historical novels with a western flavour, you've come to the right place. In the Shadow of Vargas by Canadian-born author E. Paul Bergeron is chock-full of action, fast-paced and exciting. It is also not short on violence, which is typical of the period and the harsh territory, so let that be a warning to anyone whose sensibilities tend to be shaken by life on the frontier. This novel is not for the faint-hearted, but I can vouch (being myself a bit of a chicken in the violence department) that it is more than bearable and the journey well worth a few squeamish moments.
Before I came across In the Shadow of Vargas, I confess I wouldn't have bothered with Western historical fiction depicting Native American Indians in an unfavourable light, mainly because I'm a huge fan of their history and culture and have long since felt appalled at the way they were treated by European settlers throughout history. Even after reading an alternative view in Bergeron's novel, I am still of the firm belief that the extermination of Native American Indians was the world's greatest genocide, which, in large part, still remains unacknowledged and unredressed to this day.
That being said, there are always two sides to a coin and no true lover of history should allow personal bias to stand in the way of a higher perspective. The author of this novel does an excellent job of clearing up a few misconceptions on that score. He shows us a mellower aspect of white Americans and a not-so-mellow one of both Mexicans and Indians alike. He gives us the realities, unvarnished and unromantic, just the bare facts showing the Indians up at their most vicious, which explains why they were so feared and hated by the whites. Apaches and other tribes, such as Comanche, Navajo and Utes, were equally as merciless against white Americans and that is a historical fact that cannot be denied.
Set for the most part in New Mexico in the 1820s, just before gaining independence from Spain, this novel highlights the primitive, almost bestial way of life in the region and its corrupt governance.
All the characters are very well-rounded and realistic. The hero, William MacLeod, is a fur-trapper, a lucrative but risky trade in those dangerous times. A likeable fellow, it's easy for the reader to identify with and root for him. He comes off a very realistic hero even when it appears to be near impossible for one lone man to prevail against vicious adversaries such as the likes of Apache leader Romero, and Miguel Griego, captain of the governor’s militia and former betrothed to MacLeod's woman, Maria de Cordero. But he succeeds in defeating both in a manner that is believable.
It is always a pleasure to read historical fiction that's well-written and well-crafted, and one that is rich in historical trivia without in any way intruding on the story. In the Shadow of Vargas is a very enjoyable read that I won't hesitate to recommend to anyone.
September 6, 2019
In The Shadow of Vargas is set in New Mexico just before the point at which U.S. citizens were even welcome into what was then Mexico. But that doesn’t stop the larger-than-life fur trapper protagonist William MacLeod from heading there. His strong sense of justice prompts his original entry and his impulse to aid the helpless prompts him to stay, gets him in trouble, and then saves him in the end. The woman he falls in love with along the way is a strong character in her own right and she helps to give a nice twist at the end of this story which left me surprised and wondering what happens in the sequel, The Search for Diego. If you’re looking for a traditional western set in New Mexico before the American invasion, I recommend In The Shadow of Vargas.
March 28, 2020
In the Shadow of Vargas ( 1 )
This is a very good read that keeps getting better as it goes along. The first part starts put a little oddly but gets better as it goes along. All in all a very good story.
This is a very good read that keeps getting better as it goes along. The first part starts put a little oddly but gets better as it goes along. All in all a very good story.
March 18, 2016
Canadian-born E. Paul Bergeron shows his fascination with America's Southwest in this exciting first in a new action-adventure series set in Spanish New Mexico. William MacLeod is part of a fur trapping party deep in New Mexican territory when they are ambushed by Indians. When two of his companions are killed and another severely wounded, MacLeod is forced to abandon the furs and seek help in Taos. A violent confrontation with a band of Apaches pits MacLeod against the tribe's leader, Romero, a brutish thug who has been terrorizing the missions and settlements of New Mexico. When MacLeod arrives at an hacienda owned by a wealthy Spaniard named Don Agustín de Cordero, he makes the acquaintance of Don Agustín's daughter, Maria, a beauty whose education and knowledge of English far exceed women of her social class. But Maria's wealth make her a target for scheming suitors such as Miguel Griego, whose own father doubts his worthiness to marry Maria, "If I were a younger man, I might send your mother to Mexico and take this woman myself. You have done nothing to earn such a treasure." Indeed, Miguel Griego's list of misdeeds include debauchery and human trafficking. When Griego discovers that MacLeod and Maria are romantically involved, he swears vengeance, and MacLeod is forced to abandon his original plans to save the woman he loves. Packed with action, adventure, and richly-drawn characters, In the Shadow of Vargas is a thrilling page-turner with an engaging and suspenseful plot.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews