Tuesday 20 August 2019

A Georgian Romance.




Review by Francine.

On occasion the unusual falls into one’s lap, so to speak, and this charming novel set in Georgian England (City of Bristol and Somerset) is a gem read. The heroine, Bess of mixed racial heritage, has reached the time of life in which blossomed young women attract the attention of male eyes. Although she is street wise in so many ways Bess tends naive in matters of the heart, and overwhelming momentary desire and disappointment leaves her bereft. Whilst her position in the Liston household was at best tolerable before the master expired, with the death of the mistress her situation becomes dire, as dire as the daughter of the house, Artemisia Liston.

Richard Liston has already assumed his role as head of the immediate family, his sister thus marked for an expedient marriage and less costly to his ailing purse. As for Bess, the unpaid servant, dare he dispose of her with profit in mind? Rebellious Artemisia has other ideas to that of her brother’s plans, and caught up in the whirlwind of Artemisia’s battle with her brother, Bess in the meanwhile is propositioned, not once, but twice, and learns the bitter truth love and lust are closely allied but the former is often devoid of the latter. Where a good deed administered to another party leads to disappointment in love for Bess, the truth is unknown, as unknown as the absolute truth behind why old Mr Liston brought her to his house in Bristol. Curiosity is a wondrous thing, but dig too deep dead bones may surface and present a wholly different picture than Bess has believed. Amidst the shock of reality, both young women find a true path to love and romance despite moments of envy and little jealousies along the way. Whilst I am not a fan of first-person narrative, the narrative flows with vitality, despair, and every nuance of Bess through her eyes, thoughts, and words, she battles societal prejudice and embraces men and women of integrity and kindness: kindness her forte.


Book's Premise:


Bristol, England, in the early Nineteenth Century. The slave trade has been abolished but slavery itself has not yet been outlawed. Bess, a young woman of mixed heritage, has an ambiguous position in the home of the once-eminent Liston family. Raised and educated alongside the family’s children, Richard and Artemisia, she has been increasingly confined to the role of a domestic servant since the death of Joshua Liston, the household’s head. When Richard Liston instigates an introduction between Captain Adam Bryce, a Royal Naval officer of repute, and his sister, Artemisia, Adam shows greater interest in Bess. Pressed by Artemisia to stalk Adam, Bess’s problems begin. And when the ailing matriarch, Elizabeth Liston, presents Bess with an impossible choice, the weaving of a web of deceit commences that will ultimately push Bess and Artemisia’s friendship to the brink .As the scene shifts to rural Somerset, things are far from serene: Sebastian Weston, occupant of the grand Milton Abbey, means to hold both Bess and Artemisia in his thrall. Rivalries ensue, the bond between Artemisia and Bess being strained by their allegiances to the men in their lives. Charting the turbulent waters of family commitments and amorous liaisons, it’s hard to fathom who to trust and whom to love.

WWI Christmas Romance



Francine’s Review:

A poignant tale of a Canadian soldier’s lot within the trenches of the Somme during WWI, not least the appalling conditions in which he and fellow men live day to day on what seems as though borrowed time. All the while the dreadful immediacy of death from snipers’ bullets, and dreams of home mingle as war explodes all around him. Every nuance of his feelings are duly reflected in first-person narrative, thus the reality of his existence is close-up and personal as Harry braves his situation. 

Although he’s no coward any excuse to escape the trenches is looked upon as a godsend, and make the most of momentary freedom he does. But one slip of the hand and he has no idea love will blossom from a purposeful encounter to retrieve an item he treasures. Nor can Rosemary Legrand, a widow, living a remote and somewhat frugal existence, imagine a visitor at her door will turn her life inside out and upside down. Here are two people caught in a war ravaged landscape, no one knowing when or if they will see dawn again. Their individual hardships test their spirits and resolve to survive as best they can. From friendship love can blossom, but war is an unpredictable beast, and whilst both can dream of togetherness, dare they believe it possible? This is truly a lovely, lovely story of true grit, determination, and love that succeeds against the odds of all that stands in the way to prevent a happy outcome.


Book’s Premise:

When the Great War is over, will their love be enough? After two years at the mercy of the Canadian Expeditionary force and the German war machine, Harry ran out of metaphors for death, synonyms for brown, and images of darkness. When he encounters color among the floating islands of Amiens and life in the form of a widow and her little son, hope ensnares him. Through three more long years of war and its aftermath, the hope she brings keeps Harry alive.

Rosemarie Legrand’s husband left her a tiny son, no money, and a savaged reputation when he died. She struggles to simply feed the boy and has little to offer a lonely soldier, but Harry’s devotion lifts her up. The war demands all her strength and resilience, will the hope of peace and the promise of Harry’s love keep her going?

Amazon

Georgian Romance - French Revolution



Reviewed by Francine:

All in all, the premise of this Georgian novel tells the story, to a point, but there is an underlying thread from the previous book that is long in the coming of its reveal. The prologue provides a modicum of the previous book, whilst the why of it remains a mystery throughout Moonstone Conspiracy. Nonetheless, the book admirably stands alone as a thrilling and fast-paced “second chance” romantic adventure. As a sequel to Moonstone Obsession, and not having read the former I could liken Lady Abigail to Becky Sharp, the reckless heroine from Vanity Fair (Regency era) and I did surmise Abigail as fairly self-obsessed with little or no conscience when anything or anybody stood in her way to that of which she desired in the previous book.


Abigail indeed leads an existence verging on the dangerous regardless of her parents, regardless of men who fall by the wayside or wisely look elsewhere for a wife. Equally the backdrop to the story involves the French Revolution, not least the “Elusive Scarlet Pimpernel” who enters centre stage here and there, and the hero, Daniel Ridgeway, is no lesser a spy and man of action than the former. Thus Abigail meets her match in Daniel, and the Pimpernel’s ruthless streak perhaps in part brings Abigail to her senses, that one has to give a little if one wishes to get away with the ultimate prize and win the day!




The Book’s Premise:

Revolution in France, rebels in England, and one woman caught in the crossfire...The powerful sequel to Moonstone Obsession

For her unwitting participation in a plot to embezzle the Exchequer, Lady Abigail Houghall has spent the last two years exiled to the city of Bath. A card sharp, sometime mistress, and target of scandalous gossip by the London Beau Monde, Lady Abigail plots to escape her gilded cage as well as the prudish society that condemns her. But the times are not easy. France is in chaos, the King has been executed, and whispers of a similar revolution are stirring in England. And because of Abigail’s participation in the robbery plot, the Spymaster of England is blackmailing her into passing him information about the members of London’s upper crust.


When dashing English spy Daniel Ridgeway takes a seat at her card table and threatens to expose her for cheating, Abigail has no choice but to do as he demands: seduce the leader of the revolutionaries and learn what she can about their plot. As she’s drawn deeper into Daniel’s dangerous world—from the seedy backstreets of London to the claustrophobic catacombs of a war-torn Paris—she realizes an even more dangerous fact: she’s falling in love with her seductive partner. And the stakes of this game might just be too high—even for her.