Palaces of Desire by Karen Alexander

After the death of her father, Nicole de Clervaux becomes the ward of the ever-so-handsome, filthy rich, powerful Duke of Falkland. William brings her to Versailles, where the decadent lifestyle of the rich and famous are a bit of a shock for a sheltered girl from the country, and it doesn’t help much to have a guardian right in the thick of it all. Nicole runs afoul of one of William’s mistresses and after being caught in a compromising position not of her making, and is packed off to the family estate in Bordeaux. With a revolution in full swing, things get a bit tense in France and William slips her out of the country and packs her off to his family castle in the north of England – but can our intrepid heroine stay put for her own good like she’s told to?

No, she can’t. Despite the night of passion they shared in Bordeaux, William and Nicole just aren’t able to talk to each other, although to be fair William’s on bunches of super-secret missions for King George. Nicole feels unwanted and finds a ship to take her back to Bordeaux and safety (fool, there’s a revolution on). Anyhoo, Nicole gets herself landed in prison and any day could be her last before she’s sent off to the guillotine with the other aristocrats.

Oh heck, there’s a whole lot more, but it’s getting tedious trying to recap it so I’m going to stop. There’s a surprise appearance at the prison, a secret wedding, an escape gone awry, a quick trip to Egypt with Napoleon, lots of misunderstandings and many, many episodes of *reports of my death have been greatly exaggerated*. During it all, Nicole analyzes ever big misunderstanding to the nth degree with her perpetual could-have/should-have/would-haves. Argh.

Ooops, one more thing – sexual content. Fairly tame compared to other books from this period, but there are a few seriously cheesy moments that will have you chuckling a bit.

You are like a frightened young doe in the forest, afraid to let the stag mount her and plunge his virile member into her warm depths.” Roger spoke the words deliberately to stimulate and humiliate her, to allow her to recognize herself as a dumb female beast that had no other hope than submission to the dominant male.”

😀

Not great, but not bad either. Library only.

The Last Love by Thomas B. Costain

“I have a deep-seated feeling-a premonition, if you like-that all through my life , no matter what I become or where I go, I am fated to have trouble with England and Englishmen.”

After his escape from Elba, after the 100 days and his defeat at Waterloo, came Napoleon’s last exile on the remote island of St. Helena. The house he’s supposed to reside in is rat infested and most definitely not ready for occupation, so he spends his first two months in the garden pavilion of local merchant William Balcombe. Balcombe’s daughter Lucia Elizabeth (Betsy) is the only one to speak French (she does some of the translating) and the two develop a great friendship despite the difficulties the Balcombes encounter from the new hardline governor for consorting with the *enemy*.

Not having read much about Napoleon, this was a bit of history I’d not heard of before and might never have but for a lucky find whilst scrounging the used book store, and I’m very glad I picked it up. This isn’t a book with high action/adventure, and while there is some political double-dealing of sorts, that isn’t the main focus of the book – that would be the friendship between young Betsy and Napoleon. Whether he was a ruthless tyrant or brilliant soldier, I  really liked reading about this unique friendship with “Betsee” seeing him through her eyes, as well as hearing him reflect back on his life – my favorite was his childhood in Corsica and relationship with his siblings (Oh, that Pauline was quite a scamp).

To avoid spoiling I’ll not go further into what happens towards the end (sniff) as their relationship changes a bit as Betsy grows up (loved the chats about women’s clothing and who was better at making them, the French or English). Definitely recommended for those interested in all things Napoleon. Other books on the topic,

To Befriend an Emperor: Betsy Balcombe’s Memoirs of Napoleon on St Helena

St. Helena Story Mabel Emmerton Brookes

Betsy and the Emperor by Staton Rabin (supposedly there’s some chat of making this into a movie)

And speaking of movies, there was one made in France available on DVD with subtitles.

The Princess of Nowhere by Prince Lorenzo Borghese

Tags

House of Borghese, Pauline Bonaparte

   

Pauline Bonaparte is renowned as the most beautiful woman in Europe. Recently widowed, older brother Napoleon wants her to make an advantageous marriage – and Prince Camillo Borghese just might fit the bill – and he is very interested despite the rumors he’s heard about her very busy bed. The two marry and begin a stormy on and off again relationship as the very proper Prince Camillo is forced to take a walk on the wild side with his new bride.

So, sounds like the makings of a rich, meaty historical novel you’d love to sink your teeth into, doesn’t it? First off, if I’d done a bit more research not on the book, but the author beforehand I’d probably have stayed clear. Here’s the deal – the author is a descendent of that same Borghese family (although not directly from Camillo and Pauline) – and while he’s worn a lot of career hats I think this is the first time he’s written a book. According to Wik Lorenzo Borghese has been on The Bachelor and also works in the family’s cosmetics business and other business enterprises. Not exactly the background that suggests serious historical novelist to me.

On to my overall impressions – while the book isn’t *bad* by any means, it certainly isn’t great either. First and foremost, the blurb on the back promises this is told from the POV (third person) of Sophie Leclerc, a cousin of her first husband. Guess what, Sophie isn’t even in the picture much of the time and she’s most especially absent when Pauline and Camillo have to have hot hot hot sex (although not terribly hot for this reader, no chemistry there).  We really don’t get to know Sophie that well, let alone understanding her lifelong devotion to Pauline considering some of the treatment she receives. Camillo Borghese is a perfect gentleman with impeccable courtly manners, while Pauline screams SLUT SLUT SLUT SLUT. A bit partial to one side of the family, perhaps?

Those quibbles aside, I think where this really falls short is we really don’t get a feel for the real Pauline. The story begins when she’s a widow, we don’t *see* her as a young girl, nor do we find out what brought on her wild sexual behavior – or was it all rumor and innuendo? There are large periods in her life that are glossed over with a few pages of imagined letters from her, including the period where she joined her brother during his exile in Elba, yet we get page upon tedious page of her dying days and reunion with her perfect husband, including more hot sex – ‘natch. In the end, this is a novel that just teased me with what could have been (would someone please write that story?) and leaves you wanting more. This might do if you are in the mood for something *lite*, but this will stick with you just about as much as cotton candy at the fair – you’ll just be left hungry for something more substantial.

Thanks for Librarything’s Early Reviewer program for my copy.

Tamarisk by Claire Lorrimer

Tamarisk’s mother Mavreen went to Russia in search of her lover Gerard de Valle (an officer in Napoleon’s army) and is feared dead. Never fear, it takes more than a Russian winter to stop our gal, like a cat she always lands on her feet. Mavreen arrives home and shocks Tamarisk to the core when Gerard is introduced not only as her mother’s intended, but that he’s her real father! You know that’s not going to go over well and since our heroine is fifteen you know that there’s going to be tons of teenage angst, right? Raise your hands if you were a perfect joy to your parents at that age, I dare ya.

Tamarisk thinks she’s in love with her mother’s former lover (who only loves Mavreen and is much too old for the daughter anyway), and she does really stupid things to get him to marry her that get her into really stupid situations. Again and again and again and again.

“It was pretty stupid of me, I know…”

Yes. It. Was.

As for Mavreen and Gerard and their own personal HEA after all those years of strum and drang and separation?

 “She would not spoil the harmony of the moment by reminding him that throughout those twenty-three years they had spent less than one month together; that if the truth were to be admitted, neither knew the other very well.”

Uh oh. Unfortunately I really can’t tell you a whole lot more than this as the finer details would spoil a lot of what happens in the first book in this trilogy, Mavreen (review here).  This was an OK read, Tamarisk just didn’t have the *verve* that her mother had and her little escapades got old real fast – let alone how she’s always able to get off on her own even when she’s being watched like a hawk. In some ways this felt like a *set-up* book for the last in the trilogy, Chantal, and from taking a peek at the cast of characters I think we might be in for quite a ride. Pirates. Ship wrecks. Evil slave traders. Gerard’s deliciously nasty natural son Antoine.  And just you wait until you see that cover…

FTC? Paperbackswap.

Mavreen by Claire Lorrimer

 Mavreen is the illegitimate daughter of Sir John Danesfield, a result of an affair with his daughters’ governess. Sir John learns of the existence of a child years later, and hoping for a son he heads for the Sussex farm where the child is living and despite the disappointment of a girl (gasp!), he is so impressed with Mavreen’s intelligence and indomitable spirit that he makes arrangements for her proper education. Sir John also has a young ward, Gerard de Valle (Gerard’s mother put him into Sir John’s care during the height of the French Revolution), and Mavreen has loved him since she was a youngin’. When he matures, Gerard returns to France to fight for the royalist cause and eventually returns to England years later to find a very grown up and most delectable Mavreen. Of course it’s true love until death do they part, but Gerard needs a rich heiress to help restore his family home and being a penniless by-blow Mavreen is pretty much out of the running.

What follows are plentiful ups and downs and too-brief reunions amidst looooooong separations as our pair of lovers battle fate, amnesia, ill-advised marriages, the Napoleonic wars, the Russian winter and more. Despite some OTT situations that might seem a bit of a stretch (you would think that finding one soldier in Napoleon’s army in a country as vast as Russia would be like finding a needle in a haystack but our Mavreen she can do it all ;)), this was still an enjoyable romp. Note: whilst our heroine is stubborn and independent to a fault and she does have quite the adventurous life, this is not your usual foot-stamping TSTL always needs the hero to get her out of her latest pickle kind of heroine. Our Mavreen takes care of herself, with a little help from her faithful servant Dickon. This is the first in a trilogy, the next two being Tamarisk and the last Chantal (oh, wait until you see that cover).  There’s a bit of telling instead of showing here and there, but otherwise a solid entertaining romance with a good dollop of history.  From the page listing at Fantastic Fiction Lorimer has quite an interesting backlog of historicals/romances and she also writes under the pseudonym Patricia Robbins.

Marianne and the Crown of Fire

Tags

juliette benzoni, Napoleonic Wars

 Crown of Fire picks up immediately where Lords of the East left off, as Marianne and her merry band of loyal friends take the long road to Moscow so she can warn Napoleon of a treasonous plot against his Russian campaign. Once in Moscow, they find the city in panic and the citizens fleeing at the word of the Emperor’s approach. Separated from the rest of their group, Marianne and Jason cross paths with old foe Count Chernychev. Male egos and tempers fly and the two men duel, with Jason landing in the clinker (no spoilers, that’s on the jacket) and Marianne’s left to shuffle for herself – and just like a cat she always (well, almost always) lands on her feet.

The embittered Moscow residents plan to burn the city to the ground rather than yield it to the invading army, and let’s just say that our heroine definitely jumps out of the frying pan into the fire this time. Even if she can escape the burning city, there’s still a long road to travel as Russia’s deadly winter begins its bitter grip on the countryside – there’s little food, the horses are dying and plenty of marauding Cossacks are bent on revenge against all things French. Plus there’s still a very ticked off  Napoleon somewhere on the road behind her (and when she ticks him off she doesn’t mess around ;)).

Will our heroine survive this latest peril? Will Napoleon strangle her when he gets his hands on her? Will Jason escape prison and search for his beloved Marianne, or will he continue to be the jealous jerk he’s been in the last two books? Will Marianne finally get over her blind devotion to Jason, wake up and smell the coffee and realize where her true destiny and happiness lies? Gawd, I sure hope so.

This was just as much fun as the previous books in the series, although I am glad it’s finally over – a person can only take so much high adventure, returns from the dead, near misses and emotional turmoil – and all of that before she hits her twentieth birthday! There were a couple of things I wish had been resolved better instead of leaving the reader hanging wondering what really happened. We never do find out what you-know-who was really up to in Russia, what happened to Dr. Leighton and Marianne’s missing jewels, nor the mystery of the diamond and the identity of the person who retrieved it. Perhaps there was another book written and/or planned that never made it to this side of the pond? All in all this series was jolly good fun and I do want to hunt down Benzoni’s Catherine series one of these days. These books were wildly popular in France and have been put to film. I found this clip from the first episode on YouTube,

The series in order,

1. Marianne (also found in two volumes as Bride of Selton Hall and The Eagle and the Nightingale)
2. The Masked Prince
3. The Privateer
4. The Rebels
5. The Lords of the East
6. The Crown of Fire

Marianne and the Lords of the East

Tags

Aimée du Buc de Rivéry, constantinople, Lady Hester Stanhope, Odessa, ottoman empire

There comes a point in a series, especially one about which little is known, that putting too much of the plot into the review is bordering on spoiling the earlier books in the series. Because of that, this review is going to be a bit short (although I found some awesome covers to make up for it ;)).

Now safely landed in Constantinople, Marianne prepares to meet with Aimée du Buc de Rivéry, cousin of Josephine Bonaparte and Queen mother of the Ottoman Empire, to deliver a personal message from the Emperor Napoleon. Mission accomplished, high on her list of things to do are getting rid of something she very much doesn’t want to have, finding Jason Beaufort and sailing off into the sunset, but another surprise return from the dead puts a definite kibosh on that plan. And what a doozie that is – I suspected that person was a-coming back from the dead, but the big reveal sure surprised the heck out of me (loved it though).

Marianne and gang eventually high tail it to Odessa, where she picks up on some choice information that could have dire consequences on Napoleon’s Russian campaign and they’re on the road to Moscow. Like the other books, the action picks up at the start and never lets up. Benzoni really does a great job putting her story and characters in with real life ones – along with Aimée we get brief glimpses of Hester Stanhope, the Duc de Richelieu, The Black Pope along with a hint of a new mystery surrounding the main diamond from that diamond necklace (can’t wait to see what that’s all about). Only one more book until the grand ride is over.

The series in order,

1. Marianne (also found in two volumes as Bride of Selton Hall and The Eagle and the Nightingale) 
2. The Masked Prince 
3. The Privateer
4. The Rebels
5. The Lords of the East
6. The Crown of Fire

Marianne and the Privateer by Juliette Benzoni

Tags

juliette benzoni

What fun! This begins where Marianne and The Masked Prince left off with Marianne returning from her mysterious wedding to the Prince Sant’Anna of Tuscany and she’s now the toast of Paris society. Whilst attending a grand ball given by the Austrian ambassador, Marianne meets old friend Jason Beaufort and this time the light bulbs go off (finally) and she realizes he is the one man for her until death do they part – but you know there’s going to be complication or two, don’t you?  The ball quickly turns to disaster from a poorly placed candle and Marianne, along with the rest of Parisian high society, are scrambling for their lives and she’s definitely in need of rescuing. Will it be Jason or Napoleon? Or perhaps the handsome Russian?

With Jason currently unavailable (can’t tell you why) Marianne moves on with her life and accepts the attention of Russian Count Chernychev – although she may have bit off more than she can chew with this flirtation. After quite a busy night with comings and goings in and out of her bedroom window (another return from the past, an assault and a duel!), Marianne is tricked into believing Jason is in dire danger and only she can save him, but is it all just a trick? Are there greater forces at work than merely the need for revenge against Marianne?

No, I’m not giving it all away, all of the above takes place in the very beginning. Marianne might be a bit too headstrong and stubborn for some reader’s tastes (I’m guessing she’s eighteen by now), and I have to admit wanting to slap her on occasion, but her scrapes and pitfalls are so much fun I don’t care. My favorite scene and picture a very stern, much annoyed Napoleon giving Marianne a dressing down for her latest escapade,

“You are a perfect menace Madame, and if I did not take good care you would disrupt the whole of my Grand Army altogether. If they’re not fighting duels over you, they’re killing people for you.”

Hehe. Benzoni does a great job setting her scenes and details, as well as placing her fictional characters in with real historical characters. A deadly fire, a kidnapping, wrongful imprisonment, rape, duels, a nail-biting escape from an impenetrable prison, you name it the book has it – and she still has to deal with that mysterious husband in Tuscany, as well as the ticked-off Emperor himself. The action starts from the get-go and never stops and frankly I wish I had the next one (Marianne and the Rebels) sitting on the pile waiting for me. Don’t let those racy covers fool you (I just love them), any sex you’ll find in this one is very very tame by today’s standards. The series order of those I have read so far,

1. Marianne (and may also have been published in two volumes as The Bride of Selton Hall and The Eagle and the Nightingale).
2. Marianne and the Masked Prince
3. Marianne and the Privateer.

Marianne and the Masked Prince by Juliette Benzoni

  There are times when you come across a cover that leaves you shaking your head wondering WTF was the publisher thinking anyway and this is definitely one of them. I promise you, there is nothing like that scene in the book anywhere.

The Masked Prince picks up right where book #1 left off (review here) with Marianne recovering from the shock of the oh-so-surprising return of someone long thought dead from her past – but he’s disappeared and not even Napoleon’s secret police can find him. And if that’s not enough, Marianne has to face the fact that her beloved Napoleon is going ahead with his plans to marry Marie Louise of Austria and get himself an heir.  I’m thinking you can guess that this doesn’t go down very well at all, especially when Napoleon is too busy sparking his new bride to give her much attention at all – and  eventually does a few things in retribution that really set off the imperial temper. 

Never fear though, our intrepid heroine will soon find other things to keep herself busy, including but not limited to being blackmailed (I can’t tell you without giving away the ending from book #1) and a marriage of necessity to a very mysterious Italian prince – what disfigurement could be so horrible that he’ll let no one see him, not even his new bride?

I found this one just a wee bit slower than the first, but still darn near unputdownable, and I have to tell you her new husband and his home in Tuscany is one spooky place and there’s plenty of things that go bump in the night. I think some readers might find Marianne’s actions regarding Napoleon at bit self-centered (she is still only seventeen), but you’ll see how in the end she gets a rude awakening in the path to true love that brings a new maturity to her character. 4/5 stars and I’ve already placed my hold on book #3 Marianne and the Privateer. From the jacket description I think we’ll be seeing more of the American Jason Beaufort. Woo hoo! These books are out of print but don’t forget to check your library and/or Interlibrary Loan.

Marianne by Juliette Benzoni

  Her parents guillotined during The Terror for their loyalty to Marie Antoinette, Marianne d’Asselnat is whisked out of France by her godfather Gauthier de Chazay and taken to live with her maternal Aunt Ellis at Selton Hall in England. Ellis adores the infant on site and raises her as her own. On the brink of womanhood at seventeen, her aunt’s dying wish is for Marianne to wed Francis Cranmere, the son of an old friend and the story begins on her wedding night in 1809 – a wedding night that goes horribly awry with the turn of a card – and Marianne’s peaceful world is thoroughly turned upside down and inside out. 

I really can’t tell you much more without giving it all away (and you don’t want to miss the fun) but circumstances send our heroine to France and after plentiful toils and travails ends up the beloved mistress of the Emperor Napoleon himself. Don’t worry though, there’s still plenty of action left for this royal mistress including unexpected returns from the past, abductions, and perhaps a ghost or two that goes bump in the night. And what about that mysterious American who won the game of cards and the secret he carries that could mean further danger for Marianne? So dangerous he dares not tell her? Does Jason wish her harm or does he want nothing more than to carry her off to America and safety?

This was a blast to read, the action picked up from the get go and rarely stopped until the very, very surprising twist at the end (I did not see that one coming). Better qualified as historical romance than historical fiction, there are still plentiful details of the surroundings, clothing and food – and I really liked seeing the *inside* look at Bonaparte at work and at play.  Marianne was just about the perfect heroine for me, she had plenty of *sand* and used her wits to get herself out of sticky wickets instead of waiting for an available man to do it (well….most of the time). Nice change, that. This is the first in a series and thanks to the folks at Fantastic Fiction along with a pal at Goodreads this appears to be the order,

1. The Bride of Selton Hall (1969)
1. Marianne (omnibus) (1969)
2. The Eagle and the Nightingale (1969)
3. The Masked Prince (1971)
4. The Privateer (1972)
5. The Rebels (1973)
6. The Lords of the East (1974)
7. The Crown of Fire (1976)

Do click on those links and see the other covers. The copy I received via ILL was published G.P. Putnam and Sons and includes three parts, the first of which is Bride of Selton Hall and the last is The Eagle and the Nightingale so perhaps different editions are broken down further (if anyone knows, feel free to comment). If you find you are having a hard time tracking these down at a reasonable price, but don’t forget Interlibrary Loan – they can be found.  Benzoni also wrote a “Catherine” series that I hear is even better and I believe is set in the medieval period – although the last of them was never translated into English. 4/5 stars.