Book review : The Smuggler's Escape by Barbara Monajem

The Smuggler's Escape
Perilous Secrets book #1
by Barbara Monajem
My rating: ★★★☆☆

I'm giving it 3 stars which may seem like a good enough rating, but it isn't becauseactually it must be read as 2.5

____ THE PLOT ____ THE BACK COVER READS:
1795, England. After escaping the guillotine, Noelle de Vallon takes refuge with her aunt in England. Determined to make her own way, she joins the local smugglers, but when their plans are uncovered, Richard, Lord Boltwood steps out of the shadows to save her. Too bad he’s the last man on earth she ever wanted to see again.

Years ago, Richard Boltwood’s plan to marry Noelle was foiled when his ruthless father shipped him to the Continent to work in espionage. But with the old man at death’s door, Richard returns to England with one final mission: to catch a spy. And Noelle is the prime suspect.

Noelle needs Richard’s help, but how can she ever trust the man who abandoned her? And how can Richard catch the real culprit while protecting the woman who stole his heart and won’t forgive him for breaking hers?

_____________________________

Reading this "romance" novel was like eating soup with a beautiful appearance, but a bland taste: the cover and the plot allowed us to imagine romance and passionate love between dangers and adventure.
None of this!
It could have been a nice novel full of adventures, feelings and some hot and sensual scenes... but instead it's just a jumble with a lot of annoying repetitions, no exciting adventure/action, no romance, but just thoughts constantly turning to sex and two protagonists who consider it "fun" to argue and insult each other, chemistry between the two perceived by the reader =0

The dialogues are mostly witty and this occasionally gave me hope that the plot could become more engaging and interesting, but there would also have been depth of feeling...
Unfortunately, the author thought she would attract more fans by focusing the entire book on the constant thought of sex and lust.
The author thought that to make the book romantic it was enough to write a couple of times that the hero "wanted to protect his beloved from hanging at any cost" (adding then that she was his and only his and he wanted her back in his bed).
... Too bad.
I have no doubt that there are readers who probably enjoy this type of romance (Seriously? This is a romance book??? yuck!).
I, on the other hand, am the classic type of person who appreciates hot and sensual scenes, but hates vulgar ones and definitely needs to read about true romance made up of deep feelings.
Yes, I'm the classic type of person who labels these types of novels as: rubbish!

The basic idea wouldn't be bad, but there are several concepts that are too repetitive, a lot of confusion and the story is more developed towards superficiality than interesting and engaging content.

In the introduction the author says that she wrote it when she was very young and then rewrote it as an adult and published it.

My thoughts: you can see that she wrote it at a very young age when she was still inexperienced. It doesn't look like he rewrote it...it looks like he edited it and changed it a little here and there but in my opinion she didn't do a good job.


__ THE 2 MAIN CHARACTERS ____ :
The main characters do nothing but argue and suspect each other, as well as feeling strongly sexually attracted to each other, recalling their sexual experience that occurred 2 and a half years earlier.

The LOVERS--> to ENEMIES--> to LOVERS cliché is nice to read if well developed and a little spice in a relationship has always made things more exciting.
BUT IN THIS BOOK it is really tiring to read the accusations that the two make towards each other without explaining the reasons for their wrong actions...SO UNTIL THE VERY LAST PAGES OF THE BOOK

The thing that I didn't like even more is that both are aristocrats but behave in a slutty and vulgar way and both (especially him) consider the love relationship fun only with insults and sex (but what was the author thinking about when she decided to publish this book ????? )


___ ADVENTURE/ACTIONS ___
So...in addition to the adventure-inspiring cover, the story goes that "our hero" worked as a British spy and is now working on one last task and "our heroine" turns to smuggling.
All the adventure and action there is is moving barrels from one place to another, continuously throughout the length of the book.
Is this a spoiler? No, but if it were I tell you: save your time for better novels!

___REPETITIONS___ :
"his disastrous plan", "bed", "he will make you very happy in bed" and "lust" are repeated over and over again.
Already 25% of the way through the book, I assure you that you will be fed up with reading these sentences/words.

___ KISSING AND LOVEMAKING ___
The thought of past kisses and the sex had by the two protagonists are two other repetitions that we find from the beginning to the end of the book.

----> The kisses stolen during the story have nothing sensual or exciting and the scene in which he kisses her, WARNING SPOILER ___ ___ gropes her and partially undresses her in the courtyard in the middle of the afternoon with people nearby, I honestly didn't like it.
It gave me no emotions and I didn't like it, not because I'm a bigot, which I'm not, but because the male character had no regard for her lover's reputation, but only thought about satisfying "his cravings" SPOILER END ___ ___

---> But the vulgarity doesn't end there, the sex scene WARNING SPOILER ___ ___ is carried out by the two main characters to escape arrest (and in the meantime they have the excuse to do what they wanted to do from the beginning of the book): it takes place in the room of an inn, knowing that the excisemen would enter and when they enter "our hero" talks to the excisemen while the sexual act continues and while she's keeping moaning because she is reaching orgasm " SPOILER END ___ ___, what a disgusting novel, it made me vomit.

__ THE SIDE CHARACTERS __
None worthy of note. A set of characters who pop up like mushrooms, here and there in the book, say a couple of lines (mostly rude) and then disappear into thin air, without really having a role in the story.
As I said, the book is a hotchpotch.

_____________________________

In the introduction the author even praises herself by saying that in her initial youth novel there was a lot of good material... yes maybe there was, but dear author, you should have developed the plot by putting a little more heart into it, instead of focusing on lust to sell more copies.

In my opinion the book lacks quality (wow, sometimes I can be a bitch, but I'm tired of being understanding in my reviews, after all, books are costing money!)

Thanks for reading my rant and my opinion on the book. English is not my native language, so please forgive me if you find errors of form or grammar in my text.

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Book review : Petteril's Corpse by Mary Lancaster

Petteril's Corpse
by Mary Lancaster
Lord Petteril Mysteries series book #2

My rating: ★★★☆☆
3.4 because it was a little better than installment #1 that I rated 3 stars, but I certainly can't round it to 4

Nice enough cozy mystery (but nothing really captivating) to read when you want something less challenging, very short and certainly better than number one in the series which didn't engage me at all.

It would almost be better to read them one after the other, because although there are 2 different mysteries to solve, the main characters have their own personal story that develops over the course of the books.
Since the books are very short, reading them days apart does not allow me to delve deeply into the stories and feel involved neither in the facts told nor the characters.

__ PLOT ___ Regency era England.
The new Lord Petteril and his new assistant April, a former thief on the streets of London, first dressed as a boy and now finally in women's clothes, find a naked corpse with a dagger in the chest, on the road to reach one of Petteril's residences.

The local magistrate, Robert Lindon, has no idea how to proceed with such a heinous crime. Of course Petteril too doesn't know how to proceed, but curiosity pushes him to help, naturally with the assistance of the enterprising April.

Identifying the body is difficult enough. Suspecting that the culprit is one of the local nobles, some of whom were Petteril's childhood friends, is even more difficult.
___________________________

MY OPINION ABOUT THIS INSTALLMENT #2

---> 😃 😃 As I already said above, this second book was more engaging than the first, not only because I now know the main characters and I am starting to be more curious and interested in the development of their personal lives, but above all here the mystery was finally more complicated and only at the end I got an idea of who the culprit could be, but I still wasn't sure.

There are at least 7 suspects and each time the events bring new clues that could incriminate one or the other.

---> ☹️ ☹️ Unfortunately, being a short book, the plot is interesting but not sufficiently developed to involve me passionately.

---> ☹️ ☹️ We also have a couple of romantic moments that are so short and flat that they didn't give me any emotion.

---> ☹️ ☹️ No ironic and funny jokes and this is another point that doesn't allow me to get excited about this series.

---> ☹️ ☹️ Another thing that disturbs me a little is that in book #1 WARNING SPOILER referring to BOOK #1 !___ we met (Ape, i.e. April disguised as a boy) and she looked 10 years old... then once identified as a girl she looked between 14 and 18 years old. In this second book, which is set a few weeks or at most a few months after the events of book #1, April looks between 16 and 20 years old.
On the cover of book #1 there is a child (Ape), on the cover of book #2 and in the following ones, there is clearly an adult girl... EXPLAIN TO ME HOW A girl dressed as a boy can look 10 years old and then 20 ?
The writer could have described a young 15 year old petty thief boy who would later turn out to be a 20 year old girl...but the way the author put the story really doesn't make much sense!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ) SPOILER END___ ___

I don't know if I'll read the following books in the series, I still have to decide.

Curious about BOOK #1 review ? Then read it : BOOK #1 "Petteril's Thief"

Thanks for reading my opinion and please forgive my bad English since it's not my mother language.

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Book review : Cup of Blood by Jeri Westerson

Cup of Blood
Crispin Guest Book #7
Medieval noir by Jeri Westerson
Actually a prequel of book #1

My rating: ★★★★★
4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

Installment #7 in the amazing ( at least to me ) Crispin Guest medieval mystery series, which offers action, adventure, suspense, historical characters and legends and even a pinch of wisdom and good feelings.

It's actually the real episode #1, in fact it is a leap back in time, when former knight Crispin Guest first meets his future apprentice Jack Tucker in 1384 London.

However, the author immediately explains in the introduction, that this was her first novel in the series, but the publishers didn't accepted it because the same theme was already covered by another book that was highly publicized at that time and so the series began with Veil of Lies.


____ THE PLOT___ 1384, London.
Little Jack Tucker is a twelve year old, without a family, who has been living on the streets since he was only 8.
Jack sleeps wherever he can and survives thanks to his lively intelligence and by being a cutpurse.
Just when he pickpockets a handful of customers in a tavern, among them he finds one who is the classic type who "can't be fooled": Crispin Guest, a former knight, deprived of title, lands and knighthood and estranged from court for treason.
Crispin chases Jack, catches him and instead of showing himself arrogant and merciless like many others, he gives Jack the opportunity to redeem himself, returning the stolen property and promising never to do it again.
One of those robbed at the tavern turns out to be a corpse who died from poisoning.
Crispin, also known as the Tracker, the one who finds things (and/or people and unravels mysteries), begins to try to see clearly and is then hired by various people to find a legendary and very precious object connected to the dead man.
Jack, who wants nothing more than to sleep in a safe place and has never known goodness and kindness, has immediately become fond of Crispin and will insist on staying with him until even the Tracker decides within him that all in all he reciprocates the affection by Jack.

________________

I was very pleased to find Jack as a child, with all his spontaneity and desire to please the one he considers his mentor and in a certain sense his hero.
---> ACTUALLY, AFTER FINISHED READING THIS PREQUEL, I thought it was good, both for me as a reader, but also for the author's success, to start the series with Veil of Lies and the next 5 books , because this one, despite containing all the elements that I usually love in this series, is a little weaker in each of those aspects, which in the other books are more emphasized and which have a greater emotional impact on the reader (certainly on myself ).
I could therefore say: a good read, but less impressive than the other books.

If I hadn't read the previous books (which would actually be the following ones) I wouldn't have been able to appreciate this one, which in reality doesn't shed much light on the unfortunate story that led to Crispin's removal from the court of Richard II, nor on the emotional drama that he lives internally and that constantly conditions his work, his days, his relationships with other people, especially those from his past.

WHAT I LOVE IN THIS SERIES and WHAT I USUALLY FIND IN EACH BOOK is:

- The fast-paced pace at which the story unfolds, the unexpected twists that always change the perspective of things, continuously alternating the possible culprits between the various suspects, who are usually always at least four or five or even more.
I love the right mix between adventure and action scenes ( so well detailed in every shot and movement that it feels like watching a movie) and moments of inner reflection that are still valid and applicable to today's world;

I ALSO REALLY LOVE THE TWO MAIN CHARACTERS:

- A 30 years old fascinating hero, but not without flaws and weaknesses, whose best quality is knowing how to make his sense of justice and honor prevail even when he would like to abandon himself to different and more convenient solutions.
The fact that he is a flawed hero, sometimes a little too self-pitying, with a penchant for wine and beautiful, winking women(who also often clouds his judgment) makes him less fictional and more real.
After all although in life experiences he can consider himself a mature man, he still has all the impetuosity and passion of a young man.

- A second main character who is none other than another hero in a small format whose genuineness and joy of living, given from a young age, manages to balance the bitterness and disillusionment that we find in the adult Crispin (due to his bad life experiences in the last 7 years ).
His witty and sometimes ironic jokes in an almost irreverent way towards Crispin and his women of the moment, lighten even the most dramatic situations and give an air of pleasant freshness.
His considerations, always made immediately and without mincing words, sometimes reverse the situation between him and Crispin: Jack becomes the wise adult and Crispin the child who has to review his behavior... It's very funny!

Crispin and Jack are like two sides of the same coin.
They live in the same world of poverty, cold and hunger, hard and heartless characters and only a few others who are charitable and yet their visions of life and the world are starkly opposite: Crispin always sees the glass half empty regretting the past and Jack always sees it half full appreciating every little good thing that comes his way.

I love their partnership because they complement each other and each of them gives something to the other: Crispin helps Jack grow with honesty and courage and teaching him a sense of honor as well as reading and writing, giving him what is most similar to a father's affection (in the course of the books) and for his part the child reciprocates with deep affection and devotion, not only getting him out of trouble more than once, but also helping him find his self-esteem, making him understand, in his naive ways and with his words of a street child, that even if the material goods in Crispin's life have changed and no longer have the same value, the value of his person has not changed at all.
As with Crispin, it is easy for all of us to fall into self-pity and consider ourselves failures. People like Jack help us look at ourselves in the mirror with more forgiving eyes, rediscovering the desire to start from scratch, with the means we have and what we are, in that moment.


___ THE MYSTERY TO SOLVE ____
Usually the mystery in each book concerns both a historical or legendary object (usually sacred relics to which particular powers are attributed or parchments whose lines can evoke monsters of ancient popular beliefs) and one or more murders that occur in relation to the wanted object.

Everything always starts out quite simply, but the more Crispin searches for the truth the more complicated things become, involving many characters, including real-life characters.

Except for book 3, the details of the murders are never described in a gruesome way, but they are certainly more detailed than in this first book and have much more weight on the whole story.
:-) Every time the culprit is unexpected!

___ HISTORICAL CHARACTERS, HISTORY AND LEGENDS ___
In all the books I read before this one, together with the fictional characters we find various historical figures who are not merely mentioned, but are cleverly inserted into the story with actions and dialogues and sometimes even participating in the investigations or being suspected of being the culprits.

Even with regards to historical details and popular beliefs regarding certain myths and objects, the author provides us with many interesting notions, both during the course of the story and in the afterword.


___ MEDIEVAL LONDON'S ATMOSPHERE___
The dark descriptions of medieval London are so vivid , almost real with its bad smells near the River Thames, its infamous neighborhoods in contrast with the pomp of the court, the terror that the cells of Newgate, the prison, aroused in Jack and also in Crispin who had been tortured there, the continuous humidity of the air and the cold that penetrates mercilessly through the layers of worn and patched clothes....
I ALWAYS FELT LIKE DIRECTLY TRANSPORTED TO THE PLACE!


:-( WHAT WORKED A LITTLE LESS IN THIS BOOK:

----> MYSTERY: not only did I understand who the murderer was before Crispin did, but sometimes it almost seems that the murder takes a back seat and the emphasis is more on the reappearance of the Templars (while the history books tell us that they had been massacred and the order eliminated 75 years before), on the search for the Holy Grail and above all on the hunger for power and greed of the various characters (as well as Crispin's gluttony due to the effect of women on him).

---> BACKGROUND : Although here too the busy comings and goings of the traders are described, the smoky and dark atmosphere of the tavern, the biting cold... in the books written later (but published previously) the author dedicates herself a little more meticulously to the surroundings and atmosphere descriptions.

---> HISTORICAL PART AND LEGENDS ___ in this episode we have a fiction within fiction: we return to the pursuit of the Holy Grail inspired by the poem Parzival by the German poet Wolfram von Eschenbach.
The return of the Templars thanks to the trick of a "secret and never made public pardon" by Pope Clement V (which, thanks to the Vatican's discoveries in 2002, seems to have actually happened) is certainly interesting, but unlike the other books, here we go less in depth regarding the historical facts and also the myth of the Holy Grail, not much is said, as I have already said, the story focuses more on the lust for power and the corruptibility of people, even those animated by the best resolutions.

---> TIME INCONSISTENCY : Considering book #1 Veil of Lies is set in 1383 and that this episode is the prequel to that book, it cannot be set in 1384 as stated in the first line of the first chapter.
For me it's not a problem, because I give more value to the content of books than to an oversight... but for the most fussy it can be strange.

CONCLUSION:

__ Did I enjoy reading the book? YES very much,
every time I read a book in this series it's like meeting two dear friends that I adore, in fact I consider the sexy Crispin my medieval boyfriend.
Once I have finished all 15 books, I will happily reread them a second and third time.

However the books written later (but published before) have a stronger and more engaging emotional impact in all aspects and book #1 Veil of Lies deserves to be in place #1 because it is the one that best defines the characters, their soul and the whole situation.

__ Readable as a standalone? Yes, there are no cliffhangers,
but the story is certainly more enjoyable if you read at least numbers 1 and 2 first.

__ Clean language.

__ Crispin spends the night with a woman and then there are a couple of kisses, but no descriptions.

__ No gruesome details about the deaths.

Considering the last 3 points, this is (so far) the only Crispin mystery that isn't a cozy mystery, but comes close.

Thank you for reading my opinion and please be patient with my English, it is not my native language.

------> Each book is readable as a standalone, but if you read them in order your enjoyment will be doubled !

If you want to know more about PREVIOUS BOOKS, you can read my reviews here :

BOOK #1 "Veil of Lies"

BOOK #2 "Serpent in the Thorns"

BOOK #3 "The Demon's Parchment"

BOOK #4 "Troubled Bones"

BOOK #5 "Blood Lance"

BOOK #6 "Shadow of the Alchemist"


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Book review : Vienna Wolfe by Mary Lancaster

Vienna Dawn
by Mary Lancaster
The Imperial Season book #4

My rating: ★★★★★
Actually 4.5 rounded up to 5 stars.

Very short story but very nice clean romance.

____ THE PLOT ___ 1814, Vienna.
Colonel Francis Wolfe, military hero and unexpectedly new Earl of Warenton after the recent death of his brother, is ready to do his duty and marry a woman, his equal, who would be the perfect Countess of Warenton to present to the world.
Too bad that the beautiful Sylvia Renleigh is also a cold and calculating girl that he would never want in his bed, in any case not after meeting the sweet, lively and spontaneous French refugee Elise.
Elise de Sancerre, like many French nobles, now finds herself in a situation of extreme poverty, tyrannized by Sylvia and her mother.
Thanks to a rescue from an injury and a masquerade ball, the flame of true love will prevail over every convention and hypocrisy of the aristocracy.
_________________

This is installment #4 in a series named "The Imperial Season".
I adored the first 3 books in the series ( all rated 5 stars by me ), all with a usual book length , all readable as standalone but all connected one to each other not only by the setting but also through the characters, so they're more enjoyable if you read them starting with book 1.

----> This is definitely a STANDALONE .

When I saw this one was only a short story, with the same setting ( 1814 Congress of Vienna ), but not linked to the others, I don't know why, but I felt so disappointed that I put it aside.
I also decided not to read it at all... until yesterday, when I needed something short to read, something not very demanding but which made me dream a little.
WELL, I LOVED IT !!
SO BAD IT'S TOO SHORT !! (That's why I consider it only 4.5 and not really 5 full stars )


____ THE HEROINE, Elise, 26 years old, is dreamy and spontaneous, just like many of us, when we imagine that the man of our dreams will finally come to take us away on his white horse.
She says what she thinks before even considering that perhaps it is not covered by the rules of etiquette and is so humble that she doesn't think for a moment that her dream could really come true.
... Do you know? It sometimes happens that the heroines of novels are too sweet, too beautiful and desired by everyone, too humble, too good, too this and too that... I LIKE ELISE, I find her pleasant in everything, and she deserves to be happy!

____ THE HERO, Francis is the soldier who never thought about marriage, he enjoyed the good life with women, he always held the military corps in high regard and less the civilian world, but he is a kind, intelligent and sometimes playful man.
Maybe now, at 38, he finally wants to settle down, but not out of calculation... he realizes that he wants a bond made of love.

___ KISSING AND ROMANTIC SCENES ___
This is a short story, so there isn't enough, but the two scenes (the central one and the final one) with kisses first stolen, then sweet, then passionate, their making love and the words he says to her, they are very beautiful and very sweet.

Dear Mrs. Lancaster, why didn't you write a book instead of a short story?
I loved it but it's too short!
Dear writer, you are one of my favourites, so I ask you:
Please, could you write a series with these two characters together, who, even if they are now married, have wonderful adventures (and perhaps investigations) in every book of the series?
A bit similar to Crime and Passion series, but without changing couples every time, focus on the love story of these two! I would be so happy !
... I know you won't read the review, I know you won't please me, but I tried anyway!

Thanks to all for reading my opinion and please forgive any errors you can find in my text, English is not my mother language.

READ ALSO "The Imperial Season" BOOK #1 - BOOK #2 - BOOK #3:
#1 Vienna Waltz
#2 Vienna Woods
#3 Vienna Dawn

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Book review : Petteril's Thief by Mary Lancaster | Light Mystery for a Cozy Afternoon

Petteril's Thief
by Mary Lancaster
Lord Petteril Mysteries series book #1

GENRE: #CozyMystery #YoungAdult #HistoricalShortStory

My rating: ★★★☆☆

3 full stars, which bodes well for the next books in the series

This isn't a long length novel, it's a short story ( only 157 pages ). I knew, before I started reading, that the "novella" format is very often disappointing for me ( except those ones by Agatha Christie ), because it doesn't allow for much character development, but it's a good start for a light enjoyable series.

It took me a little while to get into the story, however in the second half of the story there has been an unexpected twist that finally took my attention.
Since this is book #1 in a series, I suppose all characters and events will get more interesting and captivating in the following short installments.

____ THE PLOT ____  
In the spring of 1812, Piers Withan is dragged from his beloved Oxford to be the new Viscount Petteril.
Burdened by responsibilities he doesn’t want and the remnants of a family who don’t want him, he is saved from an irredeemable mistake by Ape, the small thief burgling his house.

The former Viscountess Petteril, Piers' aunt and wife of the late Lord, is now looking for an important family heirloom, a gold necklace with rubies that has disappeared.
However, the necklace was not among Ape's stolen goods, so who was it?
Are the culprits other criminals or someone within the greedy and indebted family?

---->  clean language
---->  suitable for cozy mystery lovers and young adult mystery lovers

_____________________________

MY OPINION

____ ABOUT THE MYSTERY ____

the mystery is really light and not at all challenging, which is obvious in a short story, however there could have been a little suspense at least for two or three pages.
Usually this disappoints me, but the writer concentrated a pinch of suspense on another topic:
the private sphere of the characters and therefore I never thought of abandoning the book, I wanted to know the solution to "their problem"!

____ ABOUT THE CHARACTERS ____ 

I suspect Mary Lancaster was inspired by a classical mystery, none other than "These Old Shades" by Georgette Heyer, but while I didn't like that book, I've found the same topic here interesting, but I need to use a spoiler to better explain :

___ WARNING: SPOILER____

As in Heyer's book, a rich nobleman finds a boy living on the streets, takes him home and takes care of him by giving him a job on his staff.
In the course of the story the boy turns out to be a young woman, who, having lived for many years as someone of the male sex, no longer wants to go back to living with a feminine lifestyle, made up of clothes with petticoats and a bodice and behaviors more suited to the female sex (as well as different types of tasks within a staff of servants).
-----> While in Heyer's book I couldn't stand the girl, because she was in love and obsessed with her savior and I couldn't stand the fact that despite the huge age difference, they eventually became a couple, in Lancaster's book the girl feels grateful and attracted to her savior , but not in an obsessive and mean way towards the other characters.
Furthermore, the age difference here is acceptable, given that Petteril is also a young man and above all he is a lovable and kind-hearted guy.

___SPOILER END ____

As I have already said, the characters do not have much chance of being well developed in short stories, but Mrs. Lancaster, the author, managed to define each of them so well with just a few descriptive traits (of their way of being and thinking). This is what convinced me to continue with the story, also wanting to read the next books...
I have read several books by Mary Lancaster, I usually love her writing style and I know she will manage to develop the characters and their backgrounds, book by book, making them more and more interesting.

__ THE MAIN CHARACTER ____

Piers Withan, the knew LORD PETTERIL:
what I like about him is the fact that not being destined to inherit the title, he was able to follow his nature as a lover of books, dedicating himself to study and teaching.
However we discover that he is not just a bookworm, but having grown up with a brother and two older cousins, he has learned to defend himself both verbally and physically.

He is an intelligent and kind young man ( handsome too ) and relates to his new staff in a very friendly way, offering to help them with "a certain thing" in which humble people at that time were usually lacking (find out by reading the book!)

___ THE SECOND MAIN CHARACTER __ APE

, the young thief and street urchin:
despite having to look after himself from an early age, stealing under the directives of dangerous criminals, we immediately see his desire to have an honest life.
This character immediately won me over for his inner wisdom despite his young age and will be the character who will give you the most surprises in this first book and in the next one and perhaps even the ones after (yes, I have already peeked into the plots of the back covers !! )

___THE OTHER SIDE CHARACTERS __

some amiable and some unbearable, but I'll be happy to meet them all again in the next Petteril's adventures.
humor and ironic jokes !
What I usually like in cozy mysteries, where obviously the mystery is light and the suspense is minimal, is the humorous atmosphere that usually permeates the whole story: funny moments, ironic jokes every now and then... that playfulness , which makes the reader smile and laugh and keeps him glued to the book because he is having fun, even though there is no complicated puzzle and no love story.
So: no complicated mysteries, no love stories (but who knows in the future...), no humour.
This explains my miserable 3 star-rating.
I'm confident though, the series will improve.

Thanks for stopping by and reading my opinion. Please forgive my English, sionce it's not my native language.

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Book review : A Hussar's Promise by Griffin Brady | Epic Polish Hussar Romance! ⚔️💖

A Hussar's Promise
The Winged Warrior #2
by Griffin Brady

GENRE: #HistoricalAdventureRomance #EpicHistory #WingedHussars
📍 Setting: Kingdom of Poland | ⏳ Era: 1614 (17th Century)

My rating: ★★★★★

💖🏰⚔️😃 A wonderful read: 5 full stars so well deserved!

This is book 2 in The Winged Warrior series and just like the masterpiece first installment, it has been an absolutely wonderful, gripping, and breathless reading!

📜 THE PLOT IN SHORT | THE FORTRESS ON THE BORDER

Kingdom of Poland, circa 1614. The story of this second book opens with Jacek Dąbrowski, now a hardened captain of the legendary Winged Hussars, who is currently guarding a remote fortress on the very edge of the Kingdom of Poland—a bleak place that seems entirely forgotten by God.

The bitter truth is that Lord Eryk, once his respected commander, mentor, and trusted friend, deeply betrayed him by forcibly marrying Oliwia—the woman of Jacek's heart—under heavy coercion, exiling Jacek to keep him as far away as possible.

Lady Oliwia is now the official lady of the castle and lives surrounded by luxury and high privileges. Yet, being separated from the only man she has ever truly loved, she feels profoundly unhappy and broken inside. However, fate—combined with the wicked machinations of some very evil people—suddenly shuffles the cards once again. Jacek and Oliwia seem to be granted a miraculous second chance... but mocking destiny and the deadly cruelty of their enemies are quick to strike back!


⚔️🏰 ** ______________________ ** 🏰⚔️

While sequels can sometimes prove deeply disappointing, I had absolute, unshakeable faith in the author's narrative abilities. I was already completely and emotionally invested in the tragic story of these two main characters (after reading "THE HEART OF A HUSSAR" — Read my full REVIEW HERE), and I honestly couldn't wait to see how it unfolded, especially since the first volume left us hanging on a massive cliffhanger!

This book could perhaps be read as a standalone novel since it is highly enjoyable on its own. BUT I STRONGLY ADVISE YOU—OR BETTER, I BEG YOU TO READ BOOK 1 FIRST! Not only will this grant you a much broader, richer vision of the whole sweeping lore and a deeper understanding of every ongoing conflict, but because you will be able to enjoy a thousand times more all the beautiful, stolen moments and the wonderful, passionate love scenes that this sequel offers.

|💘 THE ROMANTIC BLOSSOMING AND INTENSE PASSION

The first part of the book is largely and beautifully dedicated to the powerful feelings of love, raw passion, total devotion, and intimate lovemaking. The descriptions are extensive and detailed, yet they are executed with immense elegance, never falling into vulgarity, giving the reader all the deep intensity that these two soulmates experience in their privacy.

Everything is written so masterfully that we can almost feel the racing heartbeats of Jacek and Oliwia, the physical thrill of their passion, and the pure happiness exploding inside their souls. I freely admit that I never wanted to leave those beautiful chapters, and I placed many physical bookmarks in my copy just to reread those specific pages in the coming days!

Reading book 1 will also allow you to fully comprehend how unbreakable Jacek's willpower is to overcome the thousand thrilling vicissitudes and dangerous adventures that will violently involve him during the second half of this book.

When I say that the story is deeply "compelling," I am not exaggerating at all! The overall pace of the book is incredibly fast, at times almost frenetic, and it will drag you into a vortex of shattering twists and turns that will keep you in pure suspense: bloody battles, ravenous political plots on the part of greedy enemies, traitors, cold-blooded murderers, a literal psychopathic killer, daring nighttime escapes, and a long journey worthy of Ulysses' epic Odyssey!

With each passing chapter, I desperately longed for the solution to all their problems. I turned the pages, reading avidly and hungrily, and just when I finally glimpsed the warm light at the end of the tunnel, the author managed to make me jump all over again!

|🛡️ ACTION, ADVENTURE, AND VIVID CINEMATIC REALISM

I honestly don't know how, living in our modern era and without looking at film scenes, an author manages to describe complex combat scenes in such a vivid, detailed, and tactical way, complete with every single inner thought and raw emotion that the characters are enduring at that precise second!

I truly believe that in addition to an in-depth, rigorous historical knowledge, it takes an extraordinary natural talent to convey to the reader not just the visual scene, but all the sensory vibrations, positive and negative, that derive from it.
I can state with absolute certainty that the author, Mrs. Griffin Brady, possesses both qualities in abundance. Now, I don't feel as if I merely watched a historical movie at the cinema, but something much deeper: as if I myself had personally experienced every single trial alongside Jacek, savoring the crushing fatigue, the blinding fear, the anguish, the resilience, the raw strength, the anger, the hope, the burning jealousy, the agonizing uncertainty, and finally, pure happiness.

Oliwia is no exception to this rule!
She, too, will have to face and overcome unexpected, brutal tests that will bring out the fiercely strong woman hidden within her soul. Instead of sinking her, these trials will leave her increasingly combative, resolute, and unbreakable.

Even the historical backgrounds where the scenes take place are depicted in an excellent, atmospheric manner, with rich details that not only help us reconstruct the scenery in our mind's eye, but allow us to perceive the heavy smells, the metallic sounds, the direct contact with the body, the flashing lights, the deep shadows, and all the organic sensations that come from them.

I have sometimes read historical books where the overly long and detailed descriptions bored or exasperated me—well, this is most definitely not the case here!
The writer's style is fluent, gripping, and deeply engaging, to the point that now that I have closed the book, I already feel an intense, sweet nostalgia for these characters and their epic adventures.

👥 THE CHARACTERS | MATURITY, LOYALTY, AND BROTHERHOOD

Book #1 beautifully began with a 22-year-old Jacek and a 15-year-old Oliwia. This sweeping narrative takes place over a span of 4 tumultuous years, during which the main protagonists grow significantly—not only in age but through intensely difficult experiences and grand sacrifices.

In this direct sequel, we find them decidedly matured, far more aware of their deep feelings, and laser-focused on their long-term goals. Now, both finally possess the crucial chance to take full control of their destiny. However, nothing will be easy or smoothly within reach; in fact, calculated, evil people and dangerous traps continually hinder their path to happiness. Only their immense willpower and the profound love that unites them will guide them toward a hard-earned happy ending.

Of course, there are also plenty of lighthearted, cozy moments, during which I absolutely loved their witty exchanges, balancing halfway between playful jealousy and intense flirtation!

I utterly adore the two main characters, and I must confess I deeply love their circle of friends too:

• Henryk | Jacek's best friend: Charming, dashing, and a notorious lover of all women, yet possessing a genuine heart of gold.
I laughed out loud every single time he gets just a little bit too close to Oliwia and Jacek silently wants to strangle him—and yes, a couple of times I wanted to strangle him too! But in the end, Henryk always proves to be a deeply devoted, fierce, and sincere brother-in-arms.

• Jacek's Soldier-Brothers: Their intense bond allows the reader to truly breathe in the raw feelings of unwavering brotherhood, battlefield loyalty, and military camaraderie, packed with funny teasing and roaring laughter, while also beautifully sharing the deepest communal pain and mutual help during their darkest, hardest hours.

• A Wonderful Supporting Cast: I also really liked the other supporting figures, such as Oliwia's younger brother, who honestly cannot wait to grow up and become a fiero hussar soldier himself.
The fiercely faithful castle cook with her clear soft spot for Jacek, the kind-hearted priest, and Oliwia's loyal personal maid... each of them masterfully contributes to creating a warm, welcoming family atmosphere that stands in stark, dramatic contrast to the villains always lurking in the shadows, ready to strike treacherously.

🛑 AGES 16+ | A GRIPPING FICTION FOR SENSITIVE SOULS

Connecting directly to the villains I just mentioned, it must be stated that in this sequel, we are dealing with a disgusting, slimy traitor and a literal, psychopathic serial killer!

There are not only heroic deaths in battle here, but a real, cruel, premeditated murder and other perverse, dark attitudes. Although these scenes are written without ever going into exaggeratedly gruesome or bloody details, they could perhaps deeply trouble the most sensitive of readers. Therefore, I would say this novel is ideal and highly readable for ages 16 and up.

The language remains exceptionally clean throughout. The author brilliantly manages to convey the rough, contemptuous, and nasty attitudes of brutal, lawless men without ever resorting to modern, vulgar swear words. I truly, deeply appreciated this stylistic choice! It keeps the epic patina intact.

🏰 THE WINGED HUSSARS | WHERE FICTION MEETS REAL HISTORY

While the main characters and their personal love story are naturally the brilliant fruit of the author's rich imagination, the wonderful, terrifying heavy cavalry of the Winged Hussars really existed in our history!
They were all proud nobles, rigorously trained in the deadly use of multiple weapons ever since they were children.
Many historical battles mentioned by the author and several character names are entirely real.

Image found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

Furthermore, the structural layout of Biaska Castle is directly inspired by real, majestic Polish fortresses (of which beautiful ruins still remain today), all of them structurally set along the famous, breathtaking path known as the "Trail of the Eagles' Nests" (Szlak Orlich Gniazd), including the gorgeous Bobolice Castle (take a look at the stunning historical pictures below!).

At the very end of the book, you will find a small, incredibly helpful guide dedicated to the real events, genuine historical figures, castles, and locations that breathed life into the plot.

Ogrodzieniec Castle on the fabled Eagles’ Nests Trail.
Image source from www.polandtraveltours.com. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

Bobolice Castle. Image found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

As an extra treat, the author also includes a small, detailed dictionary explaining the specific weapons and type of traditional clothing of the time, along with a quick pronunciation guide to master the names and words in their original Polish language.

👉 BONUS TRIVIA: On the AUTHOR'S OFFICIAL WEBSITE (www.griffin-brady.com), you will discover a fascinating blog packed with many deeply interesting articles regarding the glorious history of the Kingdom of Poland in the 17th century, the geopolitical events that made it immense, and the true lore of the Hussars! It is a goldmine for history buffs.

🏺⚔️📜 ** ______________________ ** 📜⚔️🏺

Thank you all so much for stopping by and reading my passionate opinion! I sincerely hope I have still managed to express my deep thoughts effectively and have done true justice to both this beautiful novel and its immense, talented writer.

I will most definitely be reading book #3 of the series! However, I will take a strategic, short reading break of about ten days just to savor and enjoy this beautiful happy ending a little longer, before diving back into the obstacle-filled, chaotic adventures of our two favorites!

BACK TO THE BEGINNING | READ THE PREQUEL:

👉 BOOK #1

"THE HEART OF A HUSSAR" — Click here to read my full review!

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES | READ THE SEQUEL:

👉 BOOK #3

"THE HUSSAR'S DUTY" by Griffin Brady — Click here to read my full review!

---

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---

And here is the beautiful Jacek of my mind! The true magic of books is being able to vividly imagine the faces of our favorite characters 😉. For me, he is none other than the handsome Henry Cavill, pictured here when he was very young on the set of The Tudors television series.

Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

🏺⚔️📜 ** ______________________ ** 📜⚔️🏺

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Book review : The Heart of a Hussar by Griffin Brady | A Gripping Tale of Honor and Passion ⚔️💖

The Heart of a Hussar
The Winged Warrior #1
by Griffin Brady

GENRE: #HistoricalAdventureRomance #EpicHistory #WingedHussars
📍 Setting: Kingdom of Poland | ⏳ Era: 1610 (17th Century)

My rating: ★★★★★ + 1⭐ Special Golden Star
😃A wonderful read: 5 full stars so well deserved !

I am proudly adding one Special Golden Star ⭐ to my maximum rating because this novel is an absolutely amazing masterpiece of historical fiction.

The raw adventure and the slow-burn romance are incredibly compelling, and I truly believe it’s the best historical novel I have read so far this year.

I would like to start by saying that I usually prefer to choose shorter novels (around 300 pages or a little more). However, the unique historical setting, so different from the usual ones, immediately attracted my curiosity.
Even though I started reading the first sentences with the secret fear that I would get bored because the book was too long and too distant from my usual cozy comfort zones (historical mysteries and clean romances), I have to tell you that I was completely, utterly involved in the story from the very first page to the very last one!

📜 THE PLOT IN SHORT | MUSCOVY, 1610

Jacek Dąbrowski is a twenty-two-year-old Polish nobleman and a proud cavalry officer of the legendary Winged Hussars. He dreams of gaining rich land possessions and glory thanks to his pure valor and military merits.

One day, during a brutal military campaign on Muscovite soil—at the time a fierce enemy of Poland—he heroically saves fifteen-year-old Oliwia and her little brother from the cruel clutches of enemy soldiers who were looting and razing a local village to the ground.

Since the two young people are left completely without parents or relatives, Lord Eryk, Jacek's wise commander, decides to take them back to his majestic castle, where he makes them his personal proteges.

The return journey is long and grueling. Jacek and Oliwia, traveling together on the same horse, slowly begin to get to know each other. Without even knowing it, they beautifully lay the solid foundations of what will become an unbreakable lifelong bond.

Between sweeping military campaigns, luxurious life at the castle, obvious rivalries, and dangerous enemies hidden in the shadows, courtly parties, passionate stolen kisses, grand dreams, and bitter disappointments, this gripping story takes place over a span of 4 years. It builds up to the exact moment Jacek realizes that his dream has fundamentally changed—but just at that precise moment, fate decides to play a very cruel joke...

⚔️🏰 ** MY HONEST THOUGHTS ** 🏰⚔️

⚠️ WARNING | FINAL CLIFFHANGER & SEQUEL INBOUND

Before starting to read the novel, I scrolled through some online reviews. They were all incredibly enthusiastic, but as we bookworms know, this can sometimes turn out to be a dangerous trap because it creates sky-high expectations!

However, thanks to those reviews, I understood in advance that the book would end with a FINAL CLIFFHANGER—something that I usually don't like at all!
But here, I willingly wanted to take a leap into the dark, simply because the setting and the unique subjects of the story—the legendary Winged Hussars of Poland in the 17th century—intrigued me far too much!

If we add the fact that there was the tag #romance attached, my heart was already completely kidnapped.

In the author's defense, I must admit that she honestly warns the reader about this in the very first pages of the book. Furthermore, the official sequel was published only a single month after the release of the first volume, because it was originally supposed to be a tight duology. In my specific case, I consider myself incredibly lucky to have also found a third volume, which the author decided to write in 2023 to expand the universe!

🦅 THE WINGED HUSSARS | THE ELITE OF SEVENTEENTH-CENTURY CAVALRY

They were a legendary heavy cavalry formation highly active in Poland and throughout the Polish–Lithuanian Commonwealth from 1503 to 1702.

The absolute distinctive feature of the Husaria were their iconic "wings"—wooden supports beautifully decorated with real eagle or goose feathers, secured directly to their saddles or to the rear plates of their heavy armour. These wings were intentionally designed to produce a loud, terrifying rustling sound during a charge to demoralize and terrify the enemy forces.

The hussars ranked as the undisputed elite of the Polish cavalry. In fact, they all came strictly from noble families and were fiercely raised since early childhood to master horse riding and the deadly use of many different weapons.

It has been incredibly interesting for me to learn all these historical facts about this elite military body, and about a European territory of which I honestly knew little to nothing, except for its 20th-century post-war history. I really had no idea that the Kingdom of Poland was so immense and powerful at that time! It was a wonderful historical revelation.

Image found on the web.
All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners: @Byron Hamilton 2012.

⚔️ BATTLES, MILITARY STRATEGIES, AND AUTHENTIC WEAPONRY

What I honestly didn't expect from this novel were the incredibly vivid descriptions of roaring battles, military actions, and complex strategies, alongside detailed layouts of weapons and traditional outfits of the era (both for soldiers and civilians).
I certainly didn't expect that they would fascinate me so deeply—I found the historical accuracy stimulating and truly impressive!

Image found on the blog: oldeuropeanculture.blogspot.com.
All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

I have read several other books featuring war scenes, and previously, only the brilliant author Stella Riley managed to truly fascinate me, while other writers usually bored me to tears.
If I had known beforehand that there were so many intense military clashes described, I probably would have skipped this book entirely... But I am so glad I didn't know, BECAUSE THE AUTHOR DID AN EXCEPTIONAL JOB! Griffin Brady managed to flawlessly combine all her deep historical and technical knowledge with the pure magic of fiction.
She built up incredible suspense, raw emotions, and a sense of full participation within me, as if a time machine had teleported me exactly there, in that place, at that time, standing right beside those people!

Every weapon, specific outfit, noble rank, and military hierarchy is written with its original term and seamlessly explained within the story. BUT PLEASE, DON'T BE AFRAID OF GETTING CONFUSED! For the reader's convenience, the author has thoughtfully included a small dictionary for each Polish word cited.

You will even find a quick guide chapter that helps you pronounce the names correctly (trust me, after the first ten pages, everything becomes natural and very easy).

Image found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

👥 THE CHARACTERS | INTENSE, REAL, AND MULTI-FACETED

Both the two main protagonists and the side characters are developed excellently. We are able to vividly visualize not only the physical appearance of each individual, but also their distinct character traits, their raw emotions, their hidden thoughts, their burning aspirations, and their silent fears, alongside their fierce will to resist adversity and conquer their dreams. The author managed to make them so intense and profound that they feel absolutely real.

The dialogues are brilliant, often interspersed with short, private thoughts written in italics, which have the beautiful advantage of completing the conversations and making the exact scene that the characters are experiencing incredibly vivid.

Furthermore, the ironic, playful banter between Jacek and his best friend Henryk, among the soldiers, or between Jacek and Oliwia... provides a lovely, light touch from time to time that thoroughly entertains the reader.

💘 THE LOVE STORY | A REWARDING, SLOW-BURN PASSION

As regards the romantic part of the plot, it officially blooms just after the 50% mark of the book, while the first half beautifully builds some romantic tension and subtle premises, even if the main characters are not exactly aware of it yet.

I freely admit that during the first half of the book, I was constantly wondering when the protagonists would finally fall in love, and at one point, I even thought that the tag #romance was not entirely appropriate for this fiction. But that doubt lasted only for 5 seconds! As soon as the two protagonists began to realize that they were deeply attracted to each other, I was heavily rewarded for all my waiting. The second half of the book is beautifully and largely dedicated to the deep love feelings of these two young souls.

BUT EXPECT NO BOREDOM! You will find funny scenes, exciting moments, you will suffer right along with them, and even more, you will fiercely hope together with them.

👑 JEALOUSY, INTENSE INTRIGUES, AND CONSPIRACIES

In addition to facing ruthless enemies in battle, the protagonists find themselves heavily involved in difficult, dramatic events due to the petty jealousy, presumption, envy, desire for power, revenge, arrogance, and selfishness of certain characters.

These situations create a huge amount of tension throughout the narrative, eventually reaching an explosive climax that determines definitive (or almost definitive) turning points not only for Jacek and Oliwia, but also for other major characters.

Therefore, this historical novel is deeply compelling not only regarding the fierce action and the romantic aspect, but also thanks to all these other rich elements cleverly inserted as a gripping subplot.

• 📜 Historical fiction SUITABLE FOR EVERYONE, including young adults.
• Despite the harsh time period and the war theme, the author masterfully managed to deliver a clean novel featuring:
• Clean, elegant language (with no modern swear words).
• Sweet, deeply romantic kisses.
• Epic battles and historical sacrifices detailed without gruesome or unnecessarily bloody descriptions.

🏁 FINAL VERDICT | DO I RECOMMEND THIS BOOK?

An absolute, resounding YES! I recommend it 100% if you love rich historical fiction.

Please, don't be scared by the fact that you will have to read the sequel to feel completely satisfied. You will turn the pages one after the other, completely fascinated by everything that is told by the author and experienced by these unforgettable characters!

I've already eagerly started reading book #2, and I honestly can't wait to dive into book #3 as well!

Thank you all so much for stopping by and reading my passionate opinion! I truly hope that my English has managed to properly convey what was intended to be a grand praise for this wonderful novel, and a sincere thank you to the writer.

⚔️🇵🇱🏰 ** ______________________ ** 🏰🇵🇱⚔️

THE ADVENTURE CONTINUES | READ THE SEQUEL:

👉 BOOK #2

"A HUSSAR'S PROMISE" by Griffin Brady — Click here to read my full review!

👉 BOOK #3

"THE HUSSAR'S DUTY" by Griffin Brady — Click here to read my full review!

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🎭 A LITTLE OFF-TOPIC | MY VISUAL IMAGINATION

While I was reading this thrilling novel, my mind instantly gave Jacek the unmistakable, handsome features of a young Henry Cavill (specifically his look from The Tudors series)! The author's description corresponds perfectly: dark hair, sapphire blue eyes, and that captivating, slight frown in his intense gaze.

With the qualities of a fierce warrior and a man of incredibly sound principles that the writer beautifully gave him, combined with the striking appearance of Henry Cavill, tell me, friends... how could I possibly not fall completely in love with Jacek? 😉


Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.


Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

...But the two pictures below are my absolute favorites! This is exactly how I vividly imagine Jacek at the precise moment he falls hopelessly in love with Oliwia:

Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

Henry Cavill picture found on the web. All image rights are reserved to their rightful owners.

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Book review : A Revolution of Hearts by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

A Revolution of Hearts
by Ronda Gibb Hinrichsen

My rating: ★★★★☆
This must be read as 4.5 stars

--- I loved it and after finished it I feel like I'm missing the charaters.----

It's a lovely clean adventure-romance set between France and England in the late 18th century and related to the well known "Scarlet Pimpernel" ( by Emma Ocrzy / Emmuska Orczy ).
I read and appreciated E. Orczy fiction novels, so this is one thing that made me choose to read this book.

Despite the awful cover ( too dull colors,too much grey color in the background and not at all charming people ) that is suggesting something very dramatic, this is a lively romantic novel with a hint of adventure and of course a happy ending.

__THE PLOT__ Early 1789. Paris
Mademoiselle Dacia de Prideaux and her brother Marcel, from a rich and aristocratic family, are going to the theater.
While she only thinks about love and can't wait to meet her boyfriend again, her brother is taken by the new political currents, led by Robespierre, who would like to see the monarchs deposed and would like equality between the social classes.
That same night, 2 shocking events happen: her lover will marry someone else and Marcel will be killed by someone of his own political persuasion (this is not a spoiler, we know this right away).
Witnessing the murder and accused by the murderer of being the murderer, Dacia has to flee France and thus begins her adventure in England.
An adventure that is anything but easy, made up of physical effort, disguises, false identities and dangers... But in all this another aristocrat with a heart of gold, an adventurous soul and broad views will help her in her new path: Master Richard Harris, a close associate of Sir Percy Blakeney, the famous Scarlet Pimpernel.

__________________________________________

While in the start the story looked a little bit dull to me ( the chapters at the theater, while she was looking for her loved one ) after the murder ( about 20% through the book) all became interesting.


_ THE SETTING __
This is not a challenging novel (we can compare it to the usual regency romances), but the author has managed to give the reader a precise idea of the time and background in which the story took place, making the atmosphere alive and real, thus how the feelings and emotions of all the characters are fully perceptible.

Talking about the background in which the events take place and the atmosphere that the story gives us, the book can be divided into various sections:

__ Pre-revolutionary France and the first troubles shaking the country: the leaflets circulating with the new anti-monarchist ideas, the secret meetings of those who want to change history, the police and the first skirmishes and revolts underway.

__ The escape to England, Dacia's fear and anguish of being captured, the pain of her brother's death and the flashbacks of those moments, the fear of the unknown in an unknown world, the adventure together with strange characters that others they are simply men dedicated, by choice, to saving people in danger of their lives.

__ Life at Master Harris' estate, a bit of Downton Abbey set in the late 1700s, with servants, haughty aristocrats, balls and theatrical rehearsals of a Shakespeare comedy.

__ Imminent danger and action including rescue and total reversal of current situations.

__ Finally declarations of love and the only kiss of this slow-burn (very slow, too slow) romance and happy ending.

__ THE 2 MAIN CHARACTERS _
I liked both although in my opinion there is too little interaction between the two in the book.

😀 🌷The first half of the book focuses more on DACIA:
and it can be said that she is the only protagonist.
---> I liked her because as a wealthy and privileged person she found herself forced to take on the role of a very humble person and to take on all the hardships, pains and sacrifices of that type of life.
First she worked as a waitress and then as a scullery maid, but despite the humiliation she didn't complain, on the contrary, she learned the meaning of sacrifice and understood how she too, in her previous life, without realizing it, had been haughty and very demanding with her their servants, without taking their feelings and self-love into consideration.
The author focuses several times on these considerations and between the lines invites the reader to reflect 8 and I liked it ), because if it is true that today we (or should) all have the same rights, there is still a big gap between very wealthy people and poor and humble workers who often suffer the arrogance, arrogance and boastfulness of those who have more money and more power (even in our normal daily lives).

😀 🌷 When RICHARD (Master Harris) finally enters the scene
we still have too few scenes to know him well and the interactions between the two are few and devoid of the warm emotions that should instead constitute the romantic and sweet part of the story.
So, even after meeting the character, it was initially difficult for me, the reader, to fall in love with him and if the plot on the back cover had not revealed to me the name of the male protagonist of the couple, up to 75% I would not have even known who he was, since courtship was absent.
Richard has another girlfriend, not out of love, but imposed by his father and so for a good part of the time he tries to find points in common with her.
He behaves ambiguously with Dacia, as if he had a soft spot for her, but didn't realize it... but I would have liked the author to accentuate this unconscious attraction more.
When "falling in love" finally begins, I loved it but we are quite far into the book and so for me it wasn't enough.
The author inserts glances between Dacia and Richard during the story, but they are not enough to create an expectation complete with butterflies in the stomach for the reader, it all arrives later ( so that's why it is "too" slow-burn to me )
This is the main reason why I didn't give 5 stars, but since the whole story as a whole involved me and I liked it, I sincerely think that the book deserves a full 4.5

__ A PINCE OF HISTORY____ Have you ever heard of the "Cagots" in France?
I didn't and I learned, from this book, that the Cagots are pariahs (people of the lowest social status, living in isolation from the majority), that in the Middle Ages they lived on both sides of the Pyrenees and that popular superstition saw them as object of contempt and horror, partly inspired by the visceral fear felt by populations exposed to leprosy.
I LOVE TO LEARN THINGS by reading historical fiction !!!!


---> RECOMMENDED for those who love clean romances that are sweet and adventurous at the same time.
---> NOT RECOMMENDED for those looking only for romance and hot scenes

__I WOULD LIKE __ to read a series of book with this couple as main characters about their adventures rescuing people along with Walter ( Richard's brother ), Mr. Carter ( Richard's former valet and aid in his adventures), Marguerite ( Dacia's french best friend ) e of course Sir Percy Blackney.

FREE DOWNLOAD: you can download a free ebook of a short sequel-novella of this story ( named "Sergeant Jake and his Lady "), by subscribing to the author's newsletter on her website ( https://www.rondahinrichsen.com/ ---> click on FREE BOOK ).
I did it and of course I've already read it ( nothing very amazing but nice to read, so many thanks to the author for the giveaway )

THANK YOU all for reading my opinion and please forgive my English since it's not my language 😉

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