Author: Regan walker
Publisher: Boroughs Publishing group
Pages: 192
ISBN: 9781938876004
Genre: Historic novel
Rating: 4.5 out of 5
Source: Review copy
Buy links
Summary
The
intrepid daughter of an earl leaves Regency London for the Parisian court
of Louis XVIII, where she finds adventure, mystery, and above all, love...Hugh Redgrave Marquess of Ormand and only son of Duke of Albany loves to be the adventurous Nighthawk working for crown Prince rather being a lover and a husband but with Mary he finds his walls crumbling down...Together they explore many important things and the main drive to each other finding true love....
The novel opens dramatically with Nighthawk sneaking into Napolean's general's private space stealing highly confidential documents consisting of Napolean's army advances...There are things about a book that appeals to you from the beginning and this novel had every ingredient to grip me into it....Lady Mary Campbell is not taken away by the glitz and glory of the ball, nor she finds any solace in gossips..It is solely for the sake of her dear Uncle who gave her life a new direction by encouraging her to read a lot and letting her to ride the black stallion midnight...Yet., she is taken away by a tall, and dashing man staring intently upon her and she knows nothing would be the same from then on...Surprisingly that is exactly Hugh feels after he sets his eyes upon Lady Mary gliding away in the ball like a Swan so elegantly .,something in her set ablaze in him ..He pursued her much to the amazement of his own struggling will to keep love at bay....He is even more attracted to her as he is introduced to her officially, her knowledge about varied range of books, ideas on world politics and her opinion on mundane things casts a magical aura around him, with every single acquaintance., they cross that normal line as he struggles to behave like a gentleman ., yet his reputaion as a rake comes in between them not letting Mary to pursue her heart for the fear losing her heart..Things are pushed to a larger arena as Mary accompanies her Uncle to Paris for a diplomatic venture, she uncovers certain secrets right through the area of action getting herself into big trouble than she couldn't even have imagine...Rescuing Mary and being enthrusted of her safety by her Uncle, Mary and Hugh are forced to confronts their true feelings for each other ., things don't come up to a happily ever after tale without few other twists and turns that I enjoyed...
The characters of the novel are well developed though one between Mary and Hugh are the best ., Mary is unorthodox for her time., riding in breeches and boots, immersing herself in philosophy and world politics rather spending time grooming herself... She is quite easily put off with girly things and never looks forward to attend any ball, she even postponed her season as a debutante to be with her Uncle and sweeps some secret from meeting for the benefit of her Uncle earning her a nickname "the swan" from Prince Regent...Hugh on the other side is rusty , debonair and an intelligent man who stays away from the luxury of being a Duke to be useful to the Prince spending his time away from his home and continent immersing himself into some danger and thrill and it is too obvious that to see the spark to between Hugh and Mary...Mary's Uncle a diplomat to crown Prince is a kind and a father figure to her who takes her into under his protective wing after her father's death., while her mother is a soft and slender woman who has given up on her daughter to keep her in line like other girls of her age...Elizebeth is Mary's best friend., it is her she is comfortable apart from her family , book and midnight..There are few Lizzy-Mary moment filled in fun girly moments ...Lizzy eyes on Lamberth who happens to be Hugh's best mate and like him earned a name of rake..Walker has been able to beautifully built a period romance taking the reader into 18th century with all ..The lives in Paris and London is brought alive by London's social circle streets, coffee shops and Paris's rich gallery and people...Real characters like Prince Regent, Germaine De Stael ,Vicomte Decazes form the part of the novel giving it a real touch of non-fiction....Walker has worked her way to describe each of the scene and the surrounding to perfection that I felt like watching the characters through garden, streets and riding rather than just reading...An amazing dose of drama, romance, betrayal, melancholy, surprise, friendship makes the book for a wonderful read... I am very much looking forward to read the next part of the Trilogy...
About the author
As a child, Regan loved to write stories, particularly about adventure-loving
girls. But by the time she got to college, more serious pursuits were
encouraged. One of her professors thought her suited to the profession of law.
Regan says, “I became a lawyer because I thought it would be better to be a
hammer than a nail.” Years of serving clients in private practice and several
stints in high levels of government gave her a love of international travel and
a feel for the demands of the "Crown" on its subjects. Hence, her
first romance novels involve a demanding Prince Regent who thinks of his
subjects as his private talent pool. Regan says her stories will always involve
adventure as well as love.
Regan lives in San Diego with her Golden Retriever, Link, who she
says inspires her every day to relax and smell the roses.
Her links
website: www.reganwalkerauthor.com/
Twitter http://www.twitter.com/BoroughsPubGrp
Disclosure:
I am a member of I.O blog tours..I received a copy to review..I have not received any payment from any third party and the opinions expressed in my blog are my own..
This is a very interesting period of world history and this novel sounds like it could be fun.
ReplyDeleteThe portrayal of a smart and independent women in this era is interesting. Mary Wollstonecraft was writing and advocating for woman to take on a stronger role in the world around this time and it sounds like the Mary's character may have been influenced by her.