Wednesday, February 28, 2018

Review: A Refuge Assured by Jocelyn Green

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About:

Vivienne Rivard fled revolutionary France and seeks a new life for herself and a boy in her care, who some say is the Dauphin. But America is far from safe, as militiaman Liam Delaney knows. He proudly served in the American Revolution but is less sure of his role in the Whiskey Rebellion. Drawn together, will Liam and Vivienne find the peace they long for?

My Thoughts:

A Refuge Assured is a novel that takes a look at the horrors of the French Revolution through the eyes of a woman whose very life is threatened due to her occupation of making lace for the queen. Author Green gives us a realistic historical look at what it may have been like to live during the Reign of Terror when the powers that were in charge decided to take God out of everything. They went so far as having eight day weeks and renaming the days and months for what they considered reason. As I read this, I could not find any rhyme or reason as to how anyone could or would want to live in a place that seemed to be ruled by a mob mentality that followed no moral code.

Vivienne flees to the United States for safety and for her very life. She ends up in the French Quarter of Pennsylvania and is most determined to make her way in the U.S.A. There was so much history in this book, a lot of it that I did not know much of and so I just gobbled it up. While the French were having their bloody revolution, the political views here in America were also divided concerning France and the tensions that were leading to the Whiskey Rebellion. Liam, a militiaman who had fought for the independence of America, was also questioning the America government’s rules concerning taxes that were being imposed on poor people. He oftentimes did not recognize the democracy he had so risked his life for.

Besides the very meaty history, we are also drawn into a mystery concerning the young prince of France. Was the young boy France had in custody the true prince, or was the real Dauphine hiding in America? There was so much in this story from Vivienne coming to grips with her past and parentage to Liam coming to grips with deep topics like when is it time to stop fighting for freedom and begin to obey the laws that democracy has now established? Lots of good stuff and I haven’t even mentioned the romance!

If you are looking for a historical book with meat on its bones, look no farther than author Green’s.

I was provided a complimentary copy of this novel. I was not required to post a positive review and all views and opinions are my own.

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