Book Review: The Shadows of Versailles: An Affair of the Poisons Book One by Cathie Dunn #HistoricalMystery #Versailles #BlogTour #CoffeePotBookClub @cathiedunn @maryanneyarde

 

The Shadows of Versailles

An Affair of the Poisons Book One

By Cathie Dunn

Publication Date: November 20th, 2020. Publisher: Ocelot Press. Page Length: 251 (ebook) / 277 (pb)Genre: . historical fiction / mystery

Dazzled by Versailles. Broken by tragedy. Consumed by revenge.

When Fleur de La Fontaine attends the court of King Louis XIV for the first time, she is soon besotted with handsome courtier, Philippe de Mortain. She dreams of married life away from her uncaring mother, but Philippe keeps a secret from her.

Nine months later, after the boy she has given birth to in a convent is whisked away, she flees to Paris where she mends gowns in the brothel of Madame Claudette, a woman who helps ‘fallen’ girls back on their feet.

Jacques de Montagnac investigates a spate of abducted children when his path crosses Fleur’s. He searches for her son, but the trail leads to a dead end – and a dreadful realisation.

Her boy’s suspected fate too much to bear, Fleur decides to avenge him. She visits the famous midwife, La Voisin, but it’s not the woman’s skills in childbirth that Fleur seeks.

La Voisin dabbles in poisons.

Will Fleur see her plan through? Or can she save herself from a tragic fate?

Delve into The Shadows of Versailles and enter the sinister world of potions, poisoners and black masses during the Affairs of the Poisons, a real event that stunned the court of the Sun King!

Book Rating:

📚📚📚📚📚 ⭐ = A book in a million.

📚📚📚📚📚 = I could not put this book down. I Highly Recommend.

📚📚📚📚 = A really great read.

📚📚📚 = It was enjoyable.

📚📚 = It was okay.

📚 = Um...! 😕

My Review

The Shadows of Versailles

📚📚📚📚📚

Poison, Intrigue and Plot—nothing and nobody is as they seem in the Sun King's beautiful Palace of Versailles.

As soon as I read the blurb I knew that this was a book that I wanted to read. I adore the history of this period, and I have long been fascinated with Louis XIV reign. His reign, as anyone who knows about this infamous monarch, was not without its scandal and controversy. The Affairs of the Poison was a major murder scandal that saw many of the aristocracy charged with witchcraft and poisoning. Add to this dangerous mix of potions and revenge was the Black Mass - a santanic groups of dangerous men and women some of which held high positions in the Catholic Church. This, is the backdrop that Cathie Dunn has used for her fabulous novel.

Fleur de La Fontaine is the heroine of this story. Having grown up in a convent she is not prepared for the grandeur of Versailles, or the licentious men who hid their lustful intentions behind ridiculously colourful attire. Nor, was she prepared for how harshly her mother would treat her. Like a lamb to the slaughter, Fleur must accept her future without complaint, but the only man that interests her is Philippe de Mortain. He is gentle, kind and a complete contrast to the men her mother has so far thrust upon her. And although he is not as finely dressed as the other courtiers, Fleur is seduced by the promise of a happy-ever-after in his eyes. But of course, nothing in Fleur's life is ever simple, and she is forced to watch as her dreams go up in ashes and her happy-ever-after future blew away. Oh, how I felt for Fleur. She is so appallingly abused that I could not help but sympathise with her plight. Her mother is wicked beyond belief and there really is no one for Fleur to turn to. Fleur sufferers a great deal of abuse and trauma throughout this novel and although she is given a chance of starting again with a man who would, if given the opportunity, love her deeply, despite the difference in their station, she cannot let go of the past and her grief drives her to despair and into the arms of those who are only to happy to help her exact her revenge, and thus the Palace of Versailles is once again the treacherous stage where the aristocracy is no longer safe.

The fast-paced narrative kept me up most of the night. I was almost immediately invested not only in the brilliantly depicted historical setting but also in the characters themselves. There is a realism to this novel, a sense of time and place. I honestly forgot where I was when I was reading this book, which is always a good sign.

There are several subplots running through this novel, as well as some fabulous foreshadowing that only becomes clear once you have read the final paragraphs. I thought this really helped to keep the reader hooked—it certainly kept me reading. 

I thoroughly enjoyed every minute of The Shadows of Versailles and I cannot wait to get my hands on Book 2!

You can find this book on Amazon where it is also available on #KindleUnlimited.

Cathie Dunn has been writing for over twenty years. She studied Creative Writing, with a focus on novel writing, which she now teaches in the south of France. She loves researching for her novels, delving into history books, and visiting castles and historic sites.

Her stories have garnered awards and praise from reviewers and readers for their authentic description of the past.

Cathie is a member of the Historical Novel Society and the Alliance of Independent Authors.

After nearly two decades in Scotland, she now lives in the historic city of Carcassonne in the south of France with her husband, two cats and a rescue dog. 

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