1957: Aspiring photojournalist Valeria Anzures returns to her hometown of Quito with a secret purpose: to discover the truth about how her parents really died. The disastrous 1949 War of the Worlds show caused a mob to torch her family's radio station—and the newspaper run by their closest friends, the Monteros. The tragedy shattered the families’ relationship—and left the station on precarious financial ground. Now, expected to save her family’s legacy through an arranged marriage, Valeria will risk everything to find out the truth. Even if it means allying with the man she's always loved—but who now treats her like a stranger.
For Matías Montero, the scars of that night run deep. He saved his mother but blames himself for not rescuing his father. As a journalist, he views Valeria as a rival. Still, they’re both on the same mission. Perhaps, together, they can unearth the past their families and friends would rather remain buried.
Valeria and Matías soon find trusting each other is as dangerous as the attraction they can't resist. Between their families’ mutual hatred, duplicitous witnesses, and insidious lies, and ruthless manipulations, exposing the real story will put their future on the line—and ignite revelations no one saw coming.
Lorena Hughes is the award-winning author of The Queen of the Valley, The Spanish Daughter, and The Sisters of Alameda Street. Born and raised in Ecuador, she moved to the United States when she was 18 to study fine arts, mass communication, and journalism. Publishers Weekly has called her work “as addictive as chocolate” and the WashingtonPost deemed The Spanish Daughter an “imaginative historical drama filled with sibling rivalry and betrayals.” The Spanish Daughter has been a Kindle Amazon Bestseller in Hispanic American Literature, an Amazon Editors’ Pick, and a Publishers Marketplace Buzz Books Selection. For more information please visit: lorena-hughes.com.