Simply enthralled with her Francesca Cahill novels, I decided to give Brenda Joyce’s other hist-ros a read
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And although this one features a Russian prince (you may or may not know but I am not a fan of royalty plots) it also features an unusual heroine, which I adore.
Unlikely though the pair may be, they do what all great hist-ros should do: make the reader believe in the romantic notion of one true love for each person.
While I can’t give too much of the plot away without being a total spoiler, and can say that the unexpected helps pages fly seamlessly through another thick and quick read.
Here is what the back of the book tells you:
“Carolyn Browne was a poor bookseller’s daughter and an enlightened thinker, delighting London with her scathingly witty columns, written under the name Charles Copperville. Penetrating the ton’s gilded salons in male disguise, Carolyn soon throws her barbs at the wrong man- the enigmatic Russian Prince, Nicholas Sverayov.
His notoriety, extravagances, and indulgent disregard for social convention fuel Carolyn’s outrage. Nicholas has moved through the balls and soirees of high society effortlessly, a natural target of gossip, envy, and desire. but Nicholas is furious to find himself lampooned by Copperville, and quickly discovers Carolyn’s dearly held secret. Now, as the two spar, a new game begins- a game of deception and pride, of longing and chance.
As Nicholas sweeps Carolyn from the teeming streets and gala ballls of Regency London to the splendor and majesty of St. Petersburg, against all the odds the unlikely lovers embark upon a whirlwind of passion and peril until there is no turning back- for the stakes have changed, demanding no less of them than the unwavering courage to claim the love of a lifetime.”
She not a super sexed up author, which those who prefer more emotional lovin’ in their hist-ro will welcome, and she seems to have a great grasp on history…at least enough to please the history buff.
Overall, I think Brenda Joyce is talented.
I only wish for more Francesca!!
