7th May 2015, Piatkus, Paperback, Review copy
Content:
some violence, some romance, major peril, tissues needed
Summary from Piatkus
The gorgeous fourth novel from award-winning historical
fiction author, Charlotte Betts, set in London and Paris during the time
of the French Revolution.
1792. As a teacher at her parents' Academy for
Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her
life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling
Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world.
Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively
travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and
fearing for Madeleine's safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d'Aubery
offers her shelter at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.
Chateau
Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a
place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum
and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take
control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to
secure a chance at future happiness.
Nayu's thoughts
This
book took me by surprise. I was heavily intrigued as to how Madeleine
ended up in a vaguely random chateau with someone she barely knew,
and as her life crumbled around her I sat with tissues wishing that
life was different. Madeleine has such a passion for life that I
can't think of anyone who wouldn't like her. Okay, there are a few
characters who don't, but they aren't compassionate people and they
are selfish, egotistical and money hungry. They wouldn't dream of
taking to the grapevines and nurturing grapes – getting their hands
dirty isn't in their vocabulary.
Thankfully
kindness and helping others is in the forefront of Madeleine's nature.
She is happily optimistic, which is needed at more than once place in
this book. I honestly thought that I'd struggle a bit with the
historical side of things, that descriptions of places/events would
drone on and there would be space between action. I didn't and there
wasn't.
I was so keen to find out what happened next that
descriptions whizzed by as I joined Madeleine in fleeing terrifying peril,
trying to make a difference, and helping her best friend cope with
her huge mistake. The deception and lies that are told will make you
shake your fists in fury at certain characters, but trust me when I
say that justice is extremely sweet at the end. This is staying
firmly on my shelf for rereading, I'm glad I gave it a chance and I'll be keeping an eye out for more of Charlotte's books since they convey history at the side of a grand adventure.
Find out more on Charlotte's website.
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