Saturday, August 26, 2017

Review: Patty Apostolides’ HELENA’S CHOICE – Historical Romance set in 19th century Greece

Set in Greece in 1837, this is the story of Helena Cadfield, who has just returned from boarding school in Paris to her home in Oxfordshire where she learns her father has died in Greece while excavating treasures on her late mother's property. She wants to go to Greece to claim her inheritance, but she needs funds, so she takes a position as a governess with a family that, fortunately, moves to Greece.

Unaware of Helena’s existence, Dr. Aristotle Mastoras accepts the offer from the Archaeological Society to lead the project investigating the house of the late Dr. Cadfield. Helena meets Aristotle at a court ball in Greece, where she is watching over her charge.

Many obstacles interfere with their growing affection for each other: jewel thieves, Helena’s former suitor back in England and a German woman who has claims on Aristotle. Will Helena stay in Greece or return to her beloved Oxfordshire?

This is a romance set in a post war Greece, a country hurting but trying to recover. Told at a leisurely pace, the author conveys many details of Helena’s world: her loss of family, her misfortunes and her dawning future. Helena is a resourceful woman and Aristotle a man who knows what he wants. You get a good sense of what Greece was like at the time as Helena and Aristotle search for treasure.

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