Review: Historical Romantic Suspense at its Finest!
Rating: 5 out of 5
Date: 06 26, 2014
What a wonderful imaginative story that brings three women from three time periods into a historical romantic suspense that is both memorable and enchanting...almost supernatural...The book begins in the present with Diane and her husband buying a home in the country. She is the one who pushed for it since he was a fireman who was away from home, especially during the time of war. She was totally satisfied with her new home and hoped her husband would adjust to it since he liked living in the city...That was not to happen though... especially when an old girlfriend followed them to the area and now lived in a nearby town...Helene was to work with a local doctor and all arrangements had been made. Only thing was she had no idea who knew who she really was; that is an agent from another country. Her contact, of course, did and had worked with her to get established but he was later killed and knew nobody else to help her until... she met a certain farmer who was the son of one of her patients...The doctor and housekeeper were hospitable but the doctor took her immediately on his rounds, assigning the ones she would be doing from then on. She bicycled to each of those placed on a daily basis and things were beginning to settle in, except she hadn't found a place to hid her radio, until finally she located the perfect hiding place--with a little help with her saw...But it is Clothilde who I would describe as the person who started the story.  She and Edward...You might call Edward a "Monk of the Run..." He had left the monastery where he had lived and fled after some tragedy, although what that was never came out.  He had arrived in an area under the rule of the Montgommery's... But was so involved inhis prayers that he appeared ill... Clothilde found him and whispered tbat he could not stay where he was, that there werealways soldiers riding through...After they had talked a little, she led Edward to a sort of cave that she had found long ago but had kept a secret...There she nursed him back to good heatlh...but it was through his instructions to her that she was able to nurse him. Edward had apprenticed and learned much about healing, but didn't feel he was that good to help others--now he was helping himself... And soon he was helping others in the village by curing Clothilde's mother first... Thereafter they both starting collecting plants from the woods and Andrew started writing down as much as he remembered. Everything was going well until the Seigneur, the lord of the manor, became very ill... He wanted Clothilde to come to their home and nurse him. She had no choice and from describing what was wrong, Edward was able to send medicines with her... But the Seigneur had not followed all the instructions about his eating and drinking...He died and Clothilde was accused and put in prison!Three scenarios, but before the end of the book, those three times would have been crossed with each other in quite remarkable ways...So what do we get? Romance, betrayal, secret agents, murder, romance, war, nursing and healing, medical training/teaching, discovering and solving a long-term secret, baking and catering and a final romance. Now see if you can match up what each of the women were involved with! LOL... Actually, the key thing that connects them is their locations in France and their being near the chapel in the woods. The only hint--the chapel did not exist before these three women lived...I think I'd call this historical romantic suspense--it's the closest I'd think of to cover the variety of material. Got to say I was intrigued all the way through and there wasn't a clue that would help you project the climatic ending...yet you will love, Just Like I Did!Highly recommended!GABixlerReviews