Review: A Scarcity of Condors by Suanne Laqueur

Title: A Scarcity of Condors
Author: Suanne Laqueur
Series: Venery #3
Publication: December 16th 2019
Genre: Adult, Romance, LGBTQ
Purchase it on: Amazon
Rating: 5/5★

Juleón "Jude" Tholet has survival in his DNA. His father, Cleón, lived through imprisonment and torture during Pinochet's military coup in Chile. His mother, Penny, risked everything to gain her husband's freedom and flee the country with their newborn son. But as a closeted gay teenager growing up in Vancouver, Jude is targeted by a neighborhood bully called El Cóndor, culminating in a vicious hate crime that forces the Tholets to flee their country again.

Jude cautiously rebuilds his life in Seattle, becoming an accomplished pianist, but his his wings have been clipped and he cannot seem to soar in his relationships. Only family remains a constant source of strength and joy, until a DNA test reveals something that shocks all the Tholets: Jude is not their child.

Stunned by the test results, the Tholets must dig into their painful past, re-examine their lives in 1973 Santiago and the events surrounding Jude's birth story. It’s a tale rooted in South America’s Operation Condor. It spreads through Pinochet’s terrifying regime of detention camps, torture, disappeared civilians and stolen children. The journey forces Penny Tholet to confront the gaps in her memory while Cleón must re-live an ordeal he’s long kept hidden away in a secret world. The tale ends with Jude digging through his genetic code in a quest to find his biological parents. Are they alive? Or are they among Los Desaparecidos—the Disappeared Ones?

Suanne Laqueur’s third book in the Venery series explores the desperate acts of love made in times of war, and the many ways family can be defined.

I've been trying to write this review for a few days now. Sometimes I find it so hard to do a review of a book I immensely loved because I feel like I can't find the right words that will convey how much the book touched me and with A Scarcity of Condors it's no different. 

In my experience this author never writes about easy things. I love reading about the themes she writes about even though they are often very hard to read and punch me in the gut, basically. This story also had a rollercoaster of emotions for me and it just touched me to the core. It may even be my favorite book of Suanne Laqueur so far and it's definitely in my top 5 of 2019. 

The story really had me emotional, screaming inside for the characters because of course I fell in love with each and every one of them and I just wanted them all to be happy and okay but life often doesn't really go that way as almost every person knows I think. But anyway, all my rambling aside, I would without a doubt recommend this book to everyone. It's just one of those books (and series) that you just have to read.

And also, The Beatles. Lots and lots of Beatles references making this story even more special and important to me.

Overall, how can I give this masterpiece anything less than five amazing stars? If you're not reading Suanne Laqueur's books then what the hell are you doing with your life because this woman is one hell of a talented author. I love her writing so much and I especially enjoyed this latest books of hers. A Scarcity of Condors is a must-read. 

About the author:
A former professional dancer and teacher, Suanne Laqueur went from choreographing music to choreographing words. Her work has been described as "Therapy Fiction," "Emotionally Intelligent Romance" and "Contemporary Train Wreck."

Laqueur's novel An Exaltation of Larks was the Grand Prize winner in the 2017 Writer's Digest Awards. Her debut novel The Man I Love won a gold medal in the 2015 Readers' Favorite Book Awards and was named Best Debut in the Feathered Quill Book Awards. Her follow-up novel, Give Me Your Answer True, was also a gold medal winner at the 2016 RFBA.

Laqueur graduated from Alfred University with a double major in dance and theater. She taught at the Carol Bierman School of Ballet Arts in Croton-on-Hudson for ten years. An avid reader, cook and gardener, she started her blog EatsReadsThinks in 2010.

Suanne lives in Westchester County, New York with her husband and two children.
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