Coterie
The Levantadas
Young women who were trafficked, abandoned, and left to die in the Sonoran dirt. Some of them didn't stay dead. Each book follows at least one of them.
Rocket
The Fire That Learns to Burn Without Consuming
“Maybe love is more important than competence. Maybe caring enough to try,
even when you’re scared you’ll fuck it up, is better than letting perfect
be the enemy of good.”
The title character of Book One. Her fire nearly consumed her.
The question is what remains when the burning stops.
Babydoll
The Girl Who Teaches Others How to Live
“You’re becoming someone who gives a shit, papi. Someone who understands
that protection means more than control.”
The title character of Book Two. Survived things that would have broken most.
Became someone who finds ways not to break others.
Blondie
Compulsive Liar
“A woman will lie about anything, just to stay in practice.”
The title character of Book Three. She’ll lie about anything.
She’ll also die for the people she loves, which is a shorter list than
you’d think.
Copal
Daughter of the Mountains, Keeper of Wounds
“I give of myself, not because I want to, but because you don’t
give me a choice.”
She heals people who don’t deserve it, protects people who
can’t protect themselves, and carries wounds no one ever thought to treat.
Marigold
The Thorn Beneath the Halo
“If I don’t believe in something, I become like them. So I choose
to believe in mercy — even when it hurts.”
She chose mercy when cruelty would have been easier. She keeps choosing it.
It hasn’t stopped hurting.
Cactusflower
The Lost Daughter
“Some wounds can’t heal, no matter how much love surrounds them.”
She knows this better than most.
Ray “King” Cross
He Was Wrong About Which Side He Was On
“This is my place. Question is, who the fuck are you?”
He used to prey on women. Found them young, desperate, alone, and
made sure they stayed that way. Then Babydoll found him. She didn’t
kill him. She took him. Now he belongs to her in every way that matters,
and she’s teaching him slowly, with no mercy, what it felt like to be
the one who couldn’t run.
