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Fabulous Fiction Firsts #817, Taking Paris by Storm

by muffy

mademoiselle_revolution

Mademoiselle Revolution *  by Zoe Sivak (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook). 18 year-old Sylvie de Rosiers, the daughter of a white coffee plantation owner and an enslaved woman, enjoys the comforts of a lady in the 1791 French colony of Saint-Domingue society, though never quite fully accepted by the island elites.  When forced to flee the island for Paris with her beloved half-brother Gaspard during the slave revolt that leads into the Haitian Revolution, they find shelter with their Aunt Euphemie, 

There the siblings befriend young Elisabeth and Eleonore Duplay, and Sylvie especially, is drawn to their tenant Maximilien Robespierre and his mistress, Cornélie Duplay, and unwittingly, into another revolution. When the Reign of Terror descends, Sylvie must decide whether to become an accomplice while a new empire rises on the bones of innocents…or risk losing her head.

"As the Rosiers draw near the fringes of power, they must navigate the shifting sands of racism, unexpected romance, tyranny, and the people's trust in authority…. Sylvie is sympathetic, mercurial, and flawed, impulsively bolting from conflicts and into danger. Sivak's debut novel is replete with rich details of eighteenth-century life, her characters freely mingling with historical figures and events. Readers will appreciate the tour through French history. “ (Boolist)

“A richly imagined work of historical women’s fiction incorporating themes of diversity and equality very relevant today, this thrilling debut will give book clubs much to discuss.” (Library Journal)

caribbean_heiress_in_paris

A Caribbean Heiress in Paris * *  by Adriana Herrera  (also in downloadable eBook and audiobook) is the first in the projected Las Léonas Series.  

Luz Alana Heith-Benzan inherited her family’s centuries-old rum business in Santo Domingo but her fortune remains in the hands of her absent guardian until she marries.  So with three hundred casks of her best rum, her younger sister and her two best friends, she sets sail for Paris and the 1889 Exposition Universelle, in the hopes of expanding the business into European markets. However, she finds buyers and shippers alike refuse to do business with a woman, never mind a woman of color.

Enters James Evanston Sinclair, Earl of Darnick, who turns his back on his father’s dirty money and dirtier politics, and builds himself a whisky empire.  Realizing they both have something to gain from a marriage of convenience--Luz would be able to access her inheritance, Evan could gain control of his late mother's distillery, the deal is done. 

“While their relationship is meant to be just a business transaction, they would both like to act upon their physical attraction. Soon, emotions and passion blur the line between business and pleasure. Herrera kicks off an enticing historical romance series with this lush, diverse feminist tale. Racism and sexism are tackled head-on in ways that feel both appropriate to the time and relatable to today. Paris and Scotland are vibrant settings, and the large cast is filled with interesting, nuanced characters, from friends to foes. With fascinating historical detail, suspenseful drama, and scorching hot intimate moments, this story hits all the notes of a superb romance, while the setting and characters make it fresh and exciting.” (Kirkus Reviews)

"Adriana Herrera’s novel is as layered, spiced, and intoxicating as Luz’s rum, but its most effective aspect is the sobering ways it layers indictments of colonialism and slavery amid luscious romance and revenge. Adriana Herrera's stories of brilliant and mission-driven Afro-Latinx heroines are not to be missed." (Entertainment Weekly)

* * = 2 starred reviews

 * = Starred review

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