You can get this book used through Amazon and I wholeheartedly recommend it as well worth the time and trouble, Kindle and iPads notwithstanding. Think of it as early steam punk.
I always know when I pick up an historical romance by Penelope Williamson that I'm going to have an adventure, feel my heart break at some point and be left with a belief that for some of us at least, true love can be found even if it's costly. This one is no different. In addition, her attention to historic detail, her wonderful ability to paint vivid word pictures and her ability to make you live through the lives of her characters are gifts only rarely found in romance fiction.
This story takes place in France, in Paris and its environs, at the dawn of the French Revolution in the 1780s. It's the story of Gabrielle who is poor but endowed with noble blood and beauty all men admire. At the tender age of 16, she loses her young husband and her mother on the same day. Pregnant and alone, she runs from her husband's father the duc de Nevers who would take her child and banish her to a cloister--or, should she not want that, prison. She escapes from him and his lackey, a creepy lawyer named Louvois, and manages to barely scrape out a living until she is rescued from life in the slums of Paris by a kind pawnshop owner who becomes a father of sorts to her. Through her work for him, she meets the dashing and mysterious Maximilian de Saint-Just, a brilliant scientist and bastard son of the comte de Saint-Just, who has turned his apartment into a science lab and is blowing things up as he seeks to discover a fuel for his hot air balloon. In addition to all that, Max has devoted his life to casting dirt on his father's name and is involved in spying for the cabal, an underground network of smugglers out for their own profit. But when Max meets and falls in love with Gabrielle, he wants to be a different man. They will face many challenges and both hide secrets that will tear at their love--all while the country is plunging into revolution and Max is uncovering new scientific discoveries. Wow!
This story takes place in France, in Paris and its environs, at the dawn of the French Revolution in the 1780s. It's the story of Gabrielle who is poor but endowed with noble blood and beauty all men admire. At the tender age of 16, she loses her young husband and her mother on the same day. Pregnant and alone, she runs from her husband's father the duc de Nevers who would take her child and banish her to a cloister--or, should she not want that, prison. She escapes from him and his lackey, a creepy lawyer named Louvois, and manages to barely scrape out a living until she is rescued from life in the slums of Paris by a kind pawnshop owner who becomes a father of sorts to her. Through her work for him, she meets the dashing and mysterious Maximilian de Saint-Just, a brilliant scientist and bastard son of the comte de Saint-Just, who has turned his apartment into a science lab and is blowing things up as he seeks to discover a fuel for his hot air balloon. In addition to all that, Max has devoted his life to casting dirt on his father's name and is involved in spying for the cabal, an underground network of smugglers out for their own profit. But when Max meets and falls in love with Gabrielle, he wants to be a different man. They will face many challenges and both hide secrets that will tear at their love--all while the country is plunging into revolution and Max is uncovering new scientific discoveries. Wow!
It's a riveting tale that will sweep you away to 18th century France--an important time in history. And, since I promised to find them for you, I can also say it's a keeper!
Below is a list of more of her historical novels. Many of them are on my “Best” lists. I highly recommend them.
* Beloved Rogue (May 1988)
* Hearts Beguiled (June 1989)
* Wings of Desire (August 1989, written under the name Elizabeth Lambert)
* A Wild Yearning (1991) - Winner of RITA Award
* Keeper of the Dream (April 1992) - Winner of RITA Award
* Once in a Blue Moon (May 1993)
* Heart of the West (April 1995)
* The Outsider (July 1996)
* The Passions of Emma (September 1997) - Nominated for RITA Award
Below is a list of more of her historical novels. Many of them are on my “Best” lists. I highly recommend them.
* Beloved Rogue (May 1988)
* Hearts Beguiled (June 1989)
* Wings of Desire (August 1989, written under the name Elizabeth Lambert)
* A Wild Yearning (1991) - Winner of RITA Award
* Keeper of the Dream (April 1992) - Winner of RITA Award
* Once in a Blue Moon (May 1993)
* Heart of the West (April 1995)
* The Outsider (July 1996)
* The Passions of Emma (September 1997) - Nominated for RITA Award
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