Innocents of Marbella
by R. C. Mogo
Pub DateSep 19 2024 | Archive Date Sep 29 2024
Black Rose Writing
Christian| Historical Fiction


Netgalley and Black Rose Writing sent me a copy of Innocents of Marbella for review.


15th Century.


As a result of a traumatic incident, Zahra flees to France, leaving her baby sister behind in Marbella. She begins her divine journey toward redemption years later when a young girl appears on her doorstep.


A grumpy and ill-tempered Englishman is on the hunt for his abducted niece when corrupt church officials accuse him of sorcery and jail him.


When Zahra is interpreting at the trial of historical serial killer Gilles de Rais, the young girl is snatched from her bedchamber. Zahra rescues Kempe from jail, only to face betrayal as he plunges her into a deadly inferno. .In fact, Zahra's story has just begun, instead of reaching its end.


I give Innocents of Marbella five out of five stars!


Happy Reading!

As a child, Zahra fled her home in Marbella after a traumatic event never to look back. She is now 19 and interpreting for the trial of a serial killer. She has also taken in a child in need. When the girl is kidnapped, Zahra will do anything to protected her, even release a man from prison who is deemed an accomplice of the serial killer. This is were Zahra's adventure begins and quite an adventure it was!

This story was full of excitement and suspense! It was a unique story set during the 14th century. I love how Mogo shows the cultures of both France and Marbella during the time period and how they differ. This story was similar to the bible story of Moses, but with an original twist. I loved the characters and the suspense! The romance was sweet with a bittersweet ending. This book got a little preachy at times, but the story was exciting to read and kept me turning the page until late into the night. I really enjoyed this and is perfect for those who like a Christian adventure!

Stephen, the white Christian male lead, takes a lot for granted — and does a very good shell game of “You won’t give me time to tell you,” when Amira asks him questions which would have been, perhaps, the time to tell her rather than to blame her for not intuiting the answer? He has fallen in love with an older version of Zahra from the future and so feels justified in his right to kiss this younger version who reacts with startlement and outrage. He does not apologize for this. Later, he informs her that the two of them are married because he married the other Zahra. He loves her, God loves her, and this revelation leads her to apologize for hitting him when he tried to kiss her without her permission.

I do not often read Christian romance because I do not enjoy the power dynamics between the couples. (To be fair, this sort of power dynamic doesn’t work for me in even secular romances.) However, I will say that the writing is, all things considered, decent. The religious aspect, on the other hand, is a bit of an issue for me. Why is it everyone who is not Christian seems to be portrayed as weak at best, downright e-vile at worst? All of the Arabic peoples, with few exceptions, are evil, indifferent, or stereotypes. It just lacked the nuance I would have liked to have seen.

The overall plot, with missing children and a piece of cloth that performs miracles driving Zahra to consider her faith, whether she believes in a general deity or a more specific Christian diety is decently done. The romance, however — the main reason I read romance books — didn’t work for me. I just don’t like seeing a woman put herself into a lesser position so that her lover/husband can be higher than her to be to my taste. I prefer equal relationships; but that’s just my opinion. However, if that isn’t an issue for you, or if you enjoy the very paternalistic love interest, you could do worse than this book.

Thank you to Net Galley and the publisher for the ARC.

I enjoyed this book! Good writing and great pace. A story of self reflection and discovery. Zahra finds herself facing many challenges when it comes to trusting Faith. She is educated in many subjects and speaks several languages, so she tends to lean on her knowledge of academia. The author gives us contrasting perspectives of the different characters feeling when it comes to religion. The reader will stay engage throughout the book wanting to know what’s going to happen next. The subject matter of the plot may be triggering.

Innocents of Marbella by R.C. Mogo

★★★★★

✅ 15th Century Christian Time-Slip Novel
✅ Enemies to more!
✅ Hero Seeking Vengence
✅ Forced Proximity

I wish I could go back and re-read this book as if it was the first time all over again. Just, wow! What an amazing, explosive, enrapturing read! I would give this book ALL THE STARS if I could! It absolutely deserves a 5 star rating and then some! I realize I’m using all of the exclamation points but I can’t help it - this book is just that good! Because of the adult themes (not explicit because this book is clean - just heavy) in this book, I wouldn’t recommend it to anyone under the age of 18.

Do you like Christian fiction that heavily shows the supernatural power of God? CHECK! Do you enjoy page-turning action where you can’t guess what is going to happen next? CHECK! Do you love character depth with beautiful stories of redemption through Christ? CHECK! Do you love strong, protective main male characters who would do anything, including sacrifice themselves, to save those they love? CHECK! This book has everything. Everything! Swoony romance, heart-pounding action, moments of despair and loss, beautiful stories of healing and redemption - I mean c’mon, what more could you want?!

There are some very gritty and dark topics addressed in this book. The author absolutely calls sin what it is and doesn’t beat around the bush about it. Some of these moments are used to grow our characters (and grow them closer to Christ) while others are just a picture of the evil that we all know is present in this world. While some of these subjects may be hard to digest, the beautiful way in which the author wraps the story in God’s unlimited mercy and grace really shines a light to how Christ works in the every day, here and now. Both of our main characters go through such huge transformations from beginning to end but I particularly loved Stephen’s transformation. His love for Christ and his unwillingness to give up on those he loved and to constantly point them back to Christ truly warmed my heart as I read along!

I could ramble forever about this book. Long story short, GO BUY THIS BOOK! You won’t regret it. I 100% believe this should be one of THE books of 2024.

Thanks to the publisher's generosity, I was given a free advanced copy to read and review. All opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.