Reyna Grande has captured such a beautiful and devastating story in A Ballad of Love and Glory. Recounting the tale of the Mexican-American War of 1846 and sharing a story of love and loss and all of the heartbreak in between.

This book was a beautiful book that puts so much into perspective about a war that isn't known well enough. War is hard, no matter where or when, but it is so important to make sure the stories, even the fictional ones, are shared, so that those atrocities are not forgotten. This was not the easiest book to read, but it is so worth it. Highly, highly recommended. Easily five stars.

Thank you to NetGalley for sharing this ARC with me in exchange for an honest review.

this was a heart wrenching story about love and war and the story of Mexican people and their fight for freedom. It was a beautiful read! I didnt realize the role that Ireland played in the war and was taken aback by th love found in this book.

3.5 stars. Thank you to Net Galley and Atria for an ARC in exchange for my honest review. This book tells a story of the Tejanos, those caught between the Americans and Mexicans during the mid 1800s when there were many battles and wars for the land that would become Texas and Mexico. As with much of America history, we took lands from those that lived there before our arrival. We took the land that would become Texas so that slavery could continue as the South and North were heading for the Civil War. We meet Ximena, a curandero or healer, who has lost her husband to the war. And John Riley, an Irishman who has left the American army by crossing the Rio Grande after being treated and lied to by the Americans. At their first meeting, there is an attraction but John has a wife back in Ireland and Ximena feels she must be true to her deceased husband. The author tells the story of these two characters as she shares the history of the US/Mexico wars from the perspective of those who lived in the border area, the tragedy it brought to their lives and the love and life they found among these times..

**I received an advanced reader's copy from the publisher through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review**

This is a slow burning novel set during the US-Mexican War in the 1840s, a war that is quite honestly not really discussed in US school history texts (other than it‘s the war before the Civil War). I had no clue about the Irish battalion that fought on the side of Mexico! I need to better educate myself!

This story follows an Irishman and a Mexican woman navigating the war and finding each other. It‘s a love story but also a war story that highlights the racism and prejudice faced in the US military. There are some graphic scenes in the novel, so not for the faint of heart. There were sections that felt overly drawn out, but I had to know what happened to the characters (I did know how the war ended from my limited knowledge). If you want to see a perspective of war from someone who is not the victor, this is a must read.

A very thorough and well-researched historical, but I was not particularly invested in the characters.

**eARC provided by Netgalley and publisher

Set in 1846 in Mexico in the battle over the area surrounding the Rio Grande, this historical novel follows a curandera, Ximena, who encounters an Irish immigrant, John Riley, who deserts the Yankee army to join Mexican forces and creates the St. Patrick's battalion. Both work together through the destructive war for the fate of Mexico. In doing so, an attraction between them blooms and an unexpected union is created through the struggle.
I don't typically gravitate towards historical fiction; HOWEVER, the story of Mexico's valiant fight to keep their land and country intact was fascinating. Though based on a historical battalion, battle, and people, it demonstrates Reyna Grande's research and talent in character development. Told from Ximena and John Riley's alternating POV, this book offers a necessary perspective on immigration, migration, and sacrifices made for honor. In the author's note, Grande acknowledges the tenuous relationship between the U.S. and Mexico due to Manifest Destiny, which is an important part of history folks like to forget about...
Ok the bad...I didn't care much for the romance between Ximena and John - it reads more like a platonic friendship - with the dramatic romantic scenes of telenovelas.

Reyna Grande’s historical novel about a Mexican army nurse and an Irish soldier during the Mexican-American War is inspired by true events and historical figures. The year is 1846. After the controversial annexation of Texas, the US Army marches south to provoke war with México over the disputed Rio Grande boundary.​

Ximena Salomé is a gifted Mexican healer who dreams of building a family with the man she loves on the land she calls home. But when Texas Rangers kill her husband, becomes a battlefield nurse, a character immortalized in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier.

Meanwhile, John Riley, an Irish immigrant in the Yankee army, is sickened by the unjust war and the unspeakable atrocities committed against his countrymen by nativist officers. In a bold act of defiance, he swims across the Rio Grande and joins the Mexican Army—an act punishable by execution. He forms the St. Patrick’s Battalion, a band of Irish soldiers willing to fight to the death for México’s freedom.

John and Ximena cross paths and begin a passionate love affair, even though he has a wife and son back in Ireland. Historical figures include John Riley, who led the Batallón San Patricio, General Lopez de Santa Anna, General Zachary Taylor, and US Army officer Braxton Bragg.

This is a very educational book. The battle over Texas is a forgotten war rarely written about in fiction. It is disheartening that noncitizen Irish soldiers fought for the Yankee army and were so badly treated that many deserted and fought for the Mexicans, in part because they couldn’t practice their Catholic religion.

A Ballad of Love and Glory is a beautiful love story filled with complex characters and vivid history. Intense, horrific scenes are well described by the author, so it might not be a good fit for those sensitive to violence. 4 stars.


** Thanks to NetGalley and publisher for providing a review copy of this book. The opinions are my own.

I really loved this book. I loved learning about a time in history I had very little knowledge of and especially this specific aspect of the Irish immigrants. I think the first 1/3 of the book was the strongest. It pulled me in right from the start but towards the middle started to lose me with all the battles. Then the last part I felt was so rushed. I guess you could say the pacing was a bit off for me. But I still really enjoyed it and will look for more works by this author.

Inspired by the true story of the Irish regiment that fought alongside the Mexican Army during the Mexican-American War, this historical saga follows the love story of a Mexican army nurse and an Irish soldier fighting for survival. John Riley, an Irish immigrant who joins the U.S. Army after escaping the famine and poverty of his homeland, soon finds that his commanding officers are not so welcoming to incoming Irish. Forced to the breaking point by the atrocities he sees committed, John deserts and joins the Mexican Army, forming the St. Patrick’s Battalion. There he meets Ximena, a skilled healer who joined the war effort after Texas Rangers forced her family off their land. Together they are swept up in a dangerous conflict, but their love may not be enough to survive the brutal conditions of war.

Published in the April 2022 edition of Appleton Monthly Magazine "Great Reads"

DNF - There isn't much to say, I know people will adore this but, ultimately it just wasn't for me so I will step aside for those readers to whom this story will be their cup of tea.

I love Reyna Grande! I'm adding this title to our Hispanic Heritage month display. Her voice is one that needs to be heard and she's such an inspiration to young hispanic women.

Thank you NetGalley for a copy of this book. I like reading historical fiction. Especially when it is so well written with great characters. The story combines war with the love of an Mexican army nurse and an Irish solder. I couldn't put the book aside and highly recommend reading it

Well researched and beautifully written book Set during the war in Mexico in the 1800’s between the US and Mexico. Part romance and part historical fiction, I learned a lot from one of my favorite writers.

Pub date: 3/15/22
Genre: historical fiction
In one sentence: In 1846, healer Ximena and soldier John find love in the shadow of the Mexican-American War.

I love when historical fiction teaches me about time periods I didn't learn about in school - and this book did just that! Grande's writing brought Mexico to life, including the beautiful landscape and the big personalities like Santa Anna. John Riley is based on a real person - an Irishman who deserted the US Army to fight for Mexico, eventually forming St. Patrick's Battalion, an Irish regiment.

I was so invested in this story from the first page - in addition to my text ARC, I picked up a library audio copy, and I loved the narration of both POVs. This is a high-stakes story, and I think historical fiction readers will enjoy it! 4.5 stars rounded up!

Thank you to Atria Books for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

This is a well-researched historical novel about the Saint Patrick’s Battalion of the American-Mexican War of 1846-48. My knowledge of relations between the two countries did not extend beyond the Alamo and Davy Crockett until I read this novel. Recommended.

This is a story about a war that is long forgotten and probably won’t be talked about. Yet this author Reyna Grande weaves fact and fiction to tell a tale of how Mexico and Texas fought and then troops from the U.S. came to take up arms against Mexico. Ximena who has seen land taken away by family members killed now is hoping her husband comes home after leaving to fight against the Americans wanting to protect their ranch a ranch that has been in his family for generations. When overcome with sadness and sorrow she knows her husband is dead. It is days later that the men have brought his body to her. Knowing she must leave she takes up the journey along with her Nana where she goes to be a nurse to care for the Mexican soldiers with the remedies she has learned over the years from her Nana.
John Riley fighting with the U.S. is originally from Ireland he along with others are on the other side of the Rio Grande. He left a wife and son back in Ireland with the hopes of bringing them over one day. He grows despondent over the treatment of the Irish soldiers for small offenses of being drunk or talking back. Being whipped, branded and other punishments are cruel and the reason why he and others left Ireland. While others have gone over to fight with the Mexicans he has stayed and fought. After seeing enough he leaves across the river one night as well and joins the Mexican Army. they form the St. Patrick brigade and will fight when they can and when they have cannons and ammo, most of the time though they are retreating. It is here that he meets Ximena and they are drawn to each other. Riley is given more responsibility in the Mexican Army because of his experience with being in the British Army. Riley and Ximena have a wonderful love story with Ximena fighting for their love and to be together. This is a wonderful story well researched and worth anyone's time to read.

In 1846, the United States, after annexing Texas, marched into Mexico over disputed land around the Rio Grande River. Along with the stereotypical soldiers, the U.S. army also included Texas Rangers—not the lawmakers of today—but a rowdy, lawless, and cruel group of men. It also included a number of immigrant soldiers, many from Ireland who had come to American to escape famine in hopes of providing a better future for their families. Instead, the US officers treated them terribly, punishing them ruthlessly.

When the Mexican generals invited the Irish to desert the US military and take up arms against them, fighting with another Catholic country against oppressors as greedy as Britain, John Riley, based on a real person, heeded the call. With his experience, he was quickly promoted and made leader of a battalion, which he named the St. Patrick’s Battalion.

Ximena (based on a character in a John Greenleaf Whittier poem), a healer who had lost her husband to the war, joined the Mexican army as a nurse, immediately is drawn to Riley, but, with a wife and son at home, he resists the attraction. Still, as the Mexican and US armies clash, the two are drawn closer as the stakes rise and Mexico fights for its future in an unjust war.

Before reading A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande (publication date March 15, 2022), I knew next to nothing about the Mexican-American War. Grande’s depiction of the fighting, the wounds, and the aftermath are grim and realistic, and she so vividly imagines the long retreats without food and water. Her portrait of Riley’s imprisonment as a POW is as sharp and affecting. At the same time, she balances these at times difficulty to take images with a celebration of the Mexican people and land.

As hard as it could be to read, I really valued the book as I learned so much about this war and this time in history and about the poor leadership and corruption on both sides. The role of Catholicism and the parallels between Mexico and Ireland in their relative conflicts with the US and Britain were also fascinating. What I liked least in the book was the love story between Riley and Ximena. I’m not sure if I didn’t feel the chemistry between them or if it was just too overpowered by the larger actions at play. Even so, I think this is a well-written piece of historical fiction that offers and important insight into the Mexican-American War, and I’d recommend it to those who want to know more about it.

As a proud, proud first-generation Latina, this story I wish was told more and not just as a footnote in American history. What better way to learn more about this war than with an unforgettable BEAUTIFUL romance!! A Ballad of Love and Glory was everything I wanted and so much more. This book took me so long to read, not because it was boring but because I never liked the story to finish. Reyna Grande did a fantastic job with the character development in this story! A Ballad of Love and Glory by Reyna Grande was a very well-researched historical fiction novel about the United States and Mexico’s chilling tale of war between 1846-1848. Lyrical and beautiful. A lush and moving book about immigrants, love, war, relationships, and survival. What makes this book even better is that it is based on real people, natural events, and history. Like a lot of American history, the story of the Mexican-American war has been white-washed through history - I never knew that Americans weren't the leading soldiers in this war but also Irish immigrants. It’s a book about war and doesn’t shy away from some depictions of what things were really like. There’s a lot of violence, a lot of death, and a lot of suffering. I wasn’t quite expecting that, to be honest, and it made the book pretty heavy at times. I had difficulty picking it up a few times, knowing I was descending into a land of death and destruction, but I also couldn’t stay away.

[2.5/5 stars]

Set against the backdrop of nineteenth century Mexico during the land dispute for Texan territory, A BALLAD OF LOVE AND GLORY is a love story between John Riley, an Irish immigrant in the US army, and Ximena, a Mexican healer who lost her husband to war.

Part romance, part historical fiction, we follow the Mexican-American war (Yankees x Mexican army). This is a story about oppressor and oppressed; second chances and to be treated as foreigner in your own land. One witnesses that freedom always comes at a cost and how patriotism and desire for glory fuel people in the war-context. However, amidst the cruel reality of war, there are still determination, resilience and transcending love. Grande exposes an important event in Mexican history yet overlooked in American history; she also gives further insights into US-Mexican border and the role of deserters.

I appreciated being immersed in Mexican culture and history plus there were moments where I felt transported to Mexico. The romance was slightly abrupt, inspiring and more satisfying towards the end. That being said, I thought that the plot was poorly executed and it often felt like I was having a dense history class (the battlefield scenes were quite tedious). The writing was lyrical yet overly descriptive and the story mostly lacked emotional depth. Finally, the last 20% was intense and more engaging.

Inspired by actual events, while I enjoyed some aspects of this book and the author's note enriched my reading experience, unfortunately this book was a miss for me.

cw: injury detail, war atrocities, violence

Beautifully written historical fiction novel. Set during the war in Mexico in the 1800’s between the US and Mexico. I loved the use of the maps to visualize where the wars took place and the paths they went.