By Julia Ibbotson
EDITORS CHOICE HISTORICAL NOVEL SOCIETY This engrossing historical novel by Rebecca Rosenberg follows Veuve Clicquot, a strong-minded woman determined to defy the Napoleon Code and become a master champagne maker. In 1800 France, twenty-year-old Barbe-Nicole inherits her great-grandfather's uncanny sense of smell and uses it to make great champagne, despite the Code prohibiting women from owning a business. When tragedy strikes and she becomes a Veuve (widow), she must grapple with a domineering partner, the complexities of making champagne, and the aftermath of six Napoleon wars. When she falls in love with her sales manager, Louis Bohne, she must choose between losing her winery to her husband to obey the Napoleon Code, or losing Louis. In the ultimate showdown, Veuve Clicquot defies Napoleon himself, risking prison and even death. If you enjoyed books like 'The Widow of the South' by Robert Hicks or 'The Paris Seamstress' by Natasha Lester, you'll love 'Veuve Clicquot'.
Book Rating:
There are no words that can say how good this book is. I was completely swept away by the story and the characters.
I know next to nothing about making champagne so this book was certainly very enlightening. Likewise, I do not know a great deal about the era this book is set in. I therefore found this book both informative and entertaining.
There is quite a cast of characters in this book, including Napoleon. I thought each character brought something fresh to the story and they certainly kept me engaged.
It did take me a little while to get into the style of writing, but the further I got into the story I found the writing style quite exciting and engaging.
This is a wonderful book, that I thoroughly enjoyed.
You can pick up your copy of Champagne Widows and Madame Pommery here:
Madame Pommery: https://books2read.com/u/bW6GL1
Champagne Widows: https://books2read.com/u/3kBekW
Rebecca Rosenberg
Rebecca Rosenberg is an award-winning novelist, champagne geek, and lavender farmer. Rebecca first fell in love with methode champenoise in Sonoma Valley, California. Over decades of delicious research, she has explored the wine cellars of France, Spain, Italy, and California in search of fine champagne. When Rebecca discovered the real-life stories of the Champagne Widows of France, she knew she’d dedicate years to telling the stories of these remarkable women who made champagne the worldwide phenomenon it is today.
Rebecca is a champagne historian, tour guide, and champagne cocktail expert for Breathless Wines. Other award-winning novels include The Secret Life of Mrs. London and Gold Digger, the Remarkable Baby Doe Tabor.
Author Links:
Once a year, an ancient secret walks the corridors of Greyson Hall, a place shrouded in mystery and whispered legend.
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Praise for the British Agent Series:
"Ms. McClintock succeeds in masterfully weaving both genres meticulously together until mystery lovers are sold on romance and romance lovers love the mystery!"
—InD'Tale Magazine on Alaina Claiborne
"This book was perfectly-paced with mystery, romance, adventure, and so much more. I am definitely recommending that everyone who loves historical fiction in general read this book. I cannot wait to start reading the next book in this series."
—Dreams Come True Through Reading on Blackwood Crossing
"MK McClintock has spun an enchanting tale deeply entrenched in the lands of Scotland and England that will leave you riveted to your chair until you turn the last page." —My Life, One Story at a Time on Blackwood Crossing
"Clayton's Honor by MK McClintock is a clean historical romance that will keep your heart beating and your palms sweating. This is definitely a novel that is going on my 'read again' shelf! A really good and smooth read!" —Readers' Favorite
Excerpt
Candlelight danced near the shadows within while a tempest wailed beyond the stone walls. Flames fluttered, and the subtle scent of beeswax mingled with the rosewater Grace favored after a bath. The white muslin shift clung to her skin across the shoulders where drops of water remained.
She twined the string of pearls she wore at their evening meal, momentarily focused on the gentle clack they made against the vanity’s wooden surface. Dinners were always a formal affair at the insistence of the earl, her husband of two years. Night after night, she dressed in the finest silks, sipped Madeira wine, and listened to her husband turn the plight of the Revolutionary War onto himself, where he suffered for the colonials’ impudence.
“Alexander is returning home. Perhaps as early as Christmas. This letter is dated three months past.”
Grace peered into the dressing-table mirror and watched her husband pace as he read the misplaced letter, delivered into his hands only this evening. “You have missed him.”
“You will like him, my dear. Upon his return, we will host a grand reception here at Greyson Hall.”
Grace turned to face her husband. “Spencer, dear, Christmas is but a fortnight hence, and it is a dangerous journey to this part of England in such weather. Perhaps in the spring.”
“You would deny Alexander the celebration he is due? He fought for England, our interests, and our son’s future.” Her husband approached from behind, watching her through the mirror rather than looking directly at her. His hands slid over her bare shoulders and brushed aside the heavy locks of fair hair, tickling the base of her neck. “It is what I desire, dear one.”
Grace faced the mirror and met Spencer’s dark eyes. How did they not burn a hole through the glass and into her skin? His smooth fingertips caressed the sides of her throat and gently turned her face to his. She accepted the press of his warm lips against hers and caught the exhale of his breath before he eased his head, then his body away.
“See it is done.” Spencer turned on his heel and walked to his adjoining dressing room.
He expected her to be ready for him, waiting as she always did. “A marriage of happy possibilities,” her father once promised before he succumbed to a weak heart one month after her wedding. Too despondent to live as a widow, her mother followed soon after. Whispers among society wondered if Grace’s mother realized the ice had not fully formed over the pond that took her life or if she chose that warm winter day to surrender her demons.
Excerpt from The Ghost of Greyson Hall copyright © MK McClintock.
You can pick up this novel at Amazon
MK McClintock is an award-winning author who writes historical romantic fiction about chivalrous men and strong women who appreciate chivalry. Her stories of romance, mystery, and adventure sweep across the American West to the Victorian British Isles with places and times between and beyond.
Her works include the following series: Montana Gallaghers, Crooked Creek, British Agents, Whitcomb Springs, and the stand-alone collection, A Home for Christmas. She is also the co-author of the McKenzie Sisters Mysteries.
MK enjoys a quiet life in the northern Rocky Mountains. Visit her online home at www.mkmcclintock.com, where you can learn more about her books, explore extras, and subscribe to receive news.
Book Rating:
A story of bravery, injustice and faith.
The King's Command is a compelling story about family love, unshakable faith and an edict that threatens all those who defy it.
There are several characters whose story we follow, but mostly it is about Lidie and how she risks everything for her faith. I thought Lidie was a believable character who is determined to live and praise God the way she chooses no matter what the consequence. I thought her incredibly brave, although at times I thought her life would be much easier if she recant her faith as other family members had. She occasionally has a holier-than-thou attitude, along with her mother and her father-in-law about those who did recant, which I found a little unsettling, but I guess that was how they had been brought up. I could sympathise with their plight, but I don't think I would have put my children in such abject danger. Call me a coward, but the welfare of my children would definitely come before everything else.
The story did open my eyes to the plight of the Huguenots and it was very well written. It was thankfully a book that does have a happy ending, which makes the journey Lidie went on kinda worthwhile!
You can pick up your copy of this book on Amazon
Rosemary Hayes
Rosemary Hayes has written over fifty books for children and young adults. She writes in different genres, from edgy teenage fiction (The Mark), historical fiction (The Blue Eyed Aborigine and Forgotten Footprints), middle grade fantasy (Loose Connections, The Stonekeeper’s Child and Break Out) to chapter books for early readers and texts for picture books. Many of her books have won or been shortlisted for awards and several have been translated into different languages.Rosemary has travelled widely but now lives in South Cambridgeshire. She has a background in publishing, having worked for Cambridge University Press before setting up her own company Anglia Young Books which she ran for some years. She has been a reader for a well-known authors’ advisory service and runs creative writing workshops for both children and adults.
Rosemary has recently turned her hand to adult fiction and her historical novel ‘The King’s Command’ is about the terror and tragedy suffered by the French Huguenots during the reign of Louis XIV.
Apollo’s Raven (Curse of Clansmen and Kings Book #1) By Linnea Tanner Narrated by Kristin James Publication Date: January 20, 2020 (3nd E...