An unputdownable romantasy following;a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that carnival is more sinister than it appears. Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival''s resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show.;Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army. Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he''s ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival. Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they''ll need to confront.

Autorentext

Angela Montoya

Klappentext

**“Witty, charming, and a little sinister, this is a real showstopper.” —Allison Saft, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Wings of Starlight

An unputdownable romantasy following a young woman posing as fortune-teller at a magical traveling carnival, where the handsome boy who once broke her heart resurfaces and warns her that the carnival is more sinister than it appears.**

Welcome to the Carnival Fantástico, a spectacle of magic and mischief, and the perfect haven for a runaway. Using her tricks and razor-sharp wit, Esmeralda becomes the carnival's resident fortune-teller, aiming for the lead role in the Big Top Show. Success would mean freedom from her former employer, the commander of the King’s army.

Ignacio has defected from the army and is on the hunt for evidence of his father’s corruption. But the last thing he expects to find on his father’s trail of lies is the only girl he's ever loved, spinning false fortunes at a traveling carnival.

Perhaps fortune has thrown them together for a reason. They strike a deal: she’ll help him expose his father if he helps her secure the main act. But old feelings don’t die easily, and the commander’s secret isn’t the only thing they'll need to confront.

Leseprobe
Chapter 1

Esmeralda

A sugary-­sweet breeze whirled in the air. The miniature billboard hanging above Esmeralda’s head swung on its hinges. The glittering words painted on the sign sparkled as they caught the light from glowing lanterns that never dimmed. It said:

To enter Carnival Fantástico, a person must do three things.

1. Pay the ticket fee.

Begging for a discount will not be tolerated. This is a carnival filled with mesmerizing magic, well worth the monies to get in.

2. Wear the most outrageous costume the mind can fathom.

But beware of dressing in something that sparkles. Estefan the ostrich has an affinity for all things shimmering.

3. Be young in heart, body, and mind.

The carnival is a riotous and reckless place, lasting from sunset to sunrise before disappearing into the morning horizon. There will be dazzling dangers, death-­defying distractions, and electrifying explosions at every turn. Our attractions have minds of their own and a penchant for mischief.

No admittance will be offered to bores, fusspots, or sticks-­in-­the-­mud.

Esmeralda Montero was certainly no stick-­in-­the-­mud. In fact, anyone who spent a sliver of a second with her would probably liken the soon-­to-­be-­nineteen-­year-­old fortune teller to a dandelion puff. Which was quite the opposite of any sorts of sticks in any sort of mud.

As for being a bore, Esmeralda had never let a dull remark slip from her tongue. Never forgotten to flirt and wink with charm. Some people might call her fussy, but she could easily make them forget with a twirl of her hair around her finger or a well-­timed jest to lighten the mood.

A bell clanged from the small tower to her right, followed by the familiar roar of excited guests.

Hidden in the shadows, she turned away from the billboard displaying the carnival’s rules and watched as revelers jumped up and down, shrieking and clapping with glee. The man in charge of the strong-­arm game, a worker named Ramón, pretended to be shocked that someone could possibly win. His jaw dropped, his hand flattened over his heart, and he shook his head in disbelief—­as if a hundred other guests hadn’t already swung the mallet hard enough to make the disc shoot up and ping the metal chime.

“We have a winner!” Ramón shouted. He pointed to the victor as the crowd around them swelled. “You must be blessed by magic, señor, for it is rare for one to be mighty enough to make the bell sing!”

The winner in question, a short young man in a Chihuahua costume, beamed sheepishly and toyed with his little brown tail. In a country where the spectacular was outlawed and conformity was required, being told they were special always made the guests of the carnival merrier, which made their pocketbooks open wider in return.

“Care to make things interesting?” Ramón asked with a wiggle of his painted-­on brows, causing them to look like two caterpillars dancing.

The twentysomething man dressed as a dog tilted his head, eyes shining and curious. “What do you mean?” he asked Ramón.

Esmeralda chuckled. “Here comes the hook,” she whispered to herself.

“It is rare for someone to have the strength to make the bell sing once,” Ramón said, loud enough for all to hear. “Rarer still for them to do it twice. How about this?” He leaned close to the man as if to tell him a secret. “For the price of thirty silver bits—­cheaper than the first time you paid for the game, mind you—­you may try again. If you make the bell sing a second time, I’ll let the lovely doll by your side choose any prize she desires.”

A woman sporting whiskers and a long fur coat took the man by the wrist. She batted her long white lashes. “Please try again, cariño. Please. I want a teddy bear desperately.”

The prizes within Carnival Fantástico were rather awe-­inspiring: stuffed animals that could grow to the size of a house when soaked in tea, snow globes that called forth real snow when rubbed just right, tiny toy soldiers that served their ­owner’s every command. Esmeralda’s favorite prize was the wooden pistols, which blasted glitter bombs that stuck to the skin and couldn’t be washed off for weeks.

She pulled her focus away from the crowd. The man wouldn’t win. The mysterious magic fueling Carnival Fantástico never hastily gave up its possessions.

Esmeralda scanned the bustling throng of excited patrons, searching for someone in need of her services. Her heart gave a little squeeze. The carnival had stopped only a town away from Río Norte. The city where she’d grown up, the city that had sharpened that very heart into the prickly thing it was now.

Her only comfort was knowing she wouldn’t be recognized behind her costume. Hopefully, she wouldn’t recognize anyone in return. She couldn’t handle seeing certain people from her past. Especially if they were enjoying themselves. Her nose scrunched up beneath her porcelain dove mask at the mere thought.

But she knew she’d never see him here.

People learned Carnival Fant&aacute…