The Mexican countryside is studded with scenes of horror as American forces bear down on an unprepared Mexican army in 1846. As a nation teeters under staggering loss, an Irish soldier and a Mexican nurse join forces to save their people and themselves. Until President James K. Polk issues orders for the U.S. Army to push into the Rio Grande to regain control of a strip of land, Ximena Salomé and her husband, Joaquín, live a life of contentment: He takes care of their ranch, and she is a respected healer in their community. When the Texas Rangers burn their home and kill Joaquín, Ximena escapes and vows to honor his memory by volunteering as an army nurse on the battlefields. John Riley, an Irish immigrant who joined the U.S. Army to send money home to his impoverished family, is angered by the atrocities committed by the Americans and disgusted by the way he and the other immigrant soldiers are treated. In a daring move, he abandons his unit by swimming across the Rio Grande to join the Mexican army. He and Ximena cross paths on the battlefield, and as the ill-prepared Mexican army suffers loss after loss, the couple find solace in each other's presence. Juxtaposed with the wartime atrocities, their passionate love affair infuses a gritty story with a dose of humanity and hope. When John becomes the leader of the Saint Patrick's Battalion, comprised of immigrants like him, the peril intensifies. With themes of immigration and hostilities at the U.S-Mexico border, the story offers parallels to our current political climate. Inspired by real characters and events, this sweeping saga brings to light a lesser-known war with complex protagonists. Copyright (c) Kirkus Reviews, used with permission.

In her latest novel, following her second memoir, A Dream Called Home (2018), award-winning Grande brings to life the turbulent battles over Texas that culminated in the war of 1848 between the U.S. and Mexico. Ximena is a young woman with healing gifts whose family has lost land, life, and honor in the conflict. John, a young man with a starving family in Ireland, is based on the real-life hero who led the Batallón San Patricio or St. Patrick Brigade. The point of view alternates between these two simpatico characters, while other historical figures feature prominently in the drama, including the infamous General Lopez de Santa Anna, eccentric General Zachary Taylor, and the insufferable U.S. army officer Braxton Bragg. Grande has taken great care with her research, which is evident in her powerful portrayal of various battles and the execrable treatment the Irish and other immigrants suffered at the hands of the U.S. troops, prompting their defection to fight alongside their Catholic brethren. While the sad outcome for Mexico is immutable, that of John and Ximena is anything but certain.

Inspired by the life of an Irish immigrant who served in the Mexican Army in 1846 and a Mexican nurse immortalized in a poem by John Greenleaf Whittier, Grande (A Dream Called Home) delivers a worthy old-fashioned epic of romance and war. After Ximena's husband, Joaquin, is killed by Texas Rangers, she becomes a nurse during the Mexican-American War. John Riley, an Irish immigrant who initially serves in the U.S. Army, resents the harsh way his kinsmen are treated by officers. He deserts to Mexico, where General Santa Anna places him in charge of a unit made up of other Irish deserters called the Saint Patrick's Battalion. Riley and Ximena meet during the defense of Matamoros. Despite having a wife and son back in Galway, Riley begins an affair with Ximena that continues through the Mexican army's many defeats. An American victory almost certainly ensures that a captured Riley and his fellow San Patricios will be hanged, so Ximena embarks on an extraordinary effort to save his life. With a backdrop of American arrogance and Mexican corruption along with the nicely imagined relationship between Riley and Ximena, the author sharply illuminates the heroism of her characters. It's a great story and a revealing look at a lesser-sung chapter of American history. Agent: Johanna Castillo, Writers House. (Mar.)

With U.S. troops surging toward the Rio Grande in what would become the Mexican-American War, Texas Rangers kill Mexican healer Ximena's husband, and Ximena becomes an army nurse to help her country resist the unprovoked invasion from the north. Irish immigrant John Riley also serves the cause, so shocked by the U.S. Army's treatment of his fellow Irishmen that he swims the Rio Grande to join the Mexican army, eventually leading a company of immigrants and expatriates, mostly deserters, dubbed the Saint Patrick's Battalion. Ximena and John care for each other, but will their love survive these fiery times? From National Book Critics Circle finalist Grande; with a 100,000-copy first printing.