The Empire of Yearning — Oakland Ross

It is 1864, and Mexico is bankrupt and riven by civil war. After a dangerous army officer survives a bungled assassination attempt, young, bookish Diego Serrano is inadvertently pulled into a drama of loyalty and deceit that unfolds against a backdrop of imperial splendour and brutal conflict. Diego is forced to make a soul-wrenching choice, and his decision will have seismic consequences for himself and his nation.