Review: Delightful blend of fact and fiction
Rating: 4 out of 5
Date: 10 18, 2013
James Mitchell, Lord Penventen, meets his match in the beautiful, educated and artistic Selina Rosewall. Close to being on the shelf, Selina attends her first London ball and dances the barely acceptable yet wonderfully intimate waltz with Lord Penventen. Suddenly, working as a companion no longer has the same appeal. James is almost engaged to a lady-in-waiting, Abigail, when Miss Rosewall dances into his arms and his heart is never the same. Together they must face blackmail, political intrigue and an unknown adversary who wants to draw England into a war, just as France is ripping herself apart under the guise of the cult of Reason. As James's summer house party draws to a close, danger looms over their growing attachment to one another. Secrets, lies and the safety of the realm threaten to keep them apart and they must fight for England, and for the sake of each other.I enjoyed the blending of real and fictional characters and the well researched background of this story. The motif of the moon that appears throughout linked well with Selina's character.The first novel of author EE Carter incorporates historical characters and events in a romantic suspense story that takes readers from the rugged Cornish coast and smugglers luring ships onto the rocks, through the ball rooms and political intrigues of London and into the heart of revolutionary Paris. English Prime Minister, William Pitt, rubs shoulders with Sir Percy Blakeney, whose appearance and sense of humour were highly entertaining; I loved his choice of costumes for his co-conspirators at Pitt's masquerade ball, and if that isn't historical fact, it should have been!At nearly 350 pages, this is a longer read; just right for Xmas holidays. Treat yourself and lose yourself reading this great story. It is delightful.