In THE ANATOMY OF MAGIC, J.C. Cervantes takes us to Mexico and the magical hacienda "la Casa de las Flores," where a family of women have woven their magic for generations using the enchanted flowers they grow on their beautiful flower farm.

This sweet novel focuses on Lily Estrada, a weaver of memory magic. Lily is heading to the family hacienda after a tragedy occurred during what should have been a routine operation in her work as an obstetrician in Los Angeles. She needs to be home with her loved ones to heal from her heartache, but as is soon revealed, she still has not recovered from a different kind of tragedy that happened a decade ago. Lily will need to confront it if she is to move on; for the last 10 years, she has forced herself to diminish memories that would have caused her pain.

"Escape for a while into the beautiful world of magical flowers, heady aromas, lovely scenery, gorgeous horses, and a feel-good tale of love, forgiveness and family."

As we learn about Lily's romantic heartbreak --- the boy she grew up with and fell in love with broke her heart when he abruptly told her he didn't love her --- we see how she has hardened her heart. Lily didn't have the support of her close-knit family; she used her magic to shield her feelings for Sam so they wouldn't know. That worked in her favor, she thought, when he abandoned her. At least she didn't have to face her family with explanations she didn't have.

But now, as she returns to her birthplace to heal, Lily must confront Sam, who has come back to La Ventana, a small town in the Mexican highlands, to run a horse ranch. Will Lily find the fortitude to ask Sam why he behaved the way he did? What possible reason could he have had to be so cruel? And when Lily unintentionally sets off a catastrophe on her family's magical flower farm, what will it take to make it right? Will Lily, even with the help of the other Estrada women, be able to fix the horrible wrong that she wrought?

Cervantes' writing is filled with poems and cryptic "magical" images as the first-person narrative makes Lily's feelings and the purpose behind her actions crystal clear. We can see the mistakes she makes, the regret she feels, and the love she has for Sam and her wonderful family. The setting makes us want to go out and plant scented flowers. Even though we can't have our own magical flower farm, just inhaling the scent of aromatic lavender, peonies and roses is a kind of magic of its own. Cervantes also explores the very real human need to fix our mistakes. Just what will someone give up for those they love?

Although THE ANATOMY OF MAGIC is a romantic fantasy, it's filled with some deeper questions about life, sacrifice and resilience. And while the book is, in a way, a sequel to THE ENCHANTED HACIENDA, it's about another sister with a completely different plot. Only the setting and the family members are the same. So while newcomers to the Estrada family will be able to enjoy this story on its own, those who read the first book will revel in a return to that enchanted, serene place. Escape for a while into the beautiful world of magical flowers, heady aromas, lovely scenery, gorgeous horses, and a feel-good tale of love, forgiveness and family.