Her Own Revolution
Series: Château de Verzat Series #2
Author: Debra Borchert
Genre: Historical Romance
Setting: Paris and a Loire Valley vineyard during the French Revolution
Release Date: July 14, 2023, by Le Vin Press
Pages: 422
Format(s): ebook, paperback
Summary:
A Woman Forges a Treacherous Path to Save Hundreds from the Guillotine
If Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville had the same rights as a man, she wouldn’t have to dress like one, which she does to attend University—forbidden to women. By swearing her commitment to the revolution, she succeeds in convincing her father, the Public Prosecutor who condemns thousands to the guillotine, to hire her as a court clerk. But she intends to earn passage to join her lover, Henri, in America.
Tasked with copying lists of names scheduled for execution, she reads Louis LaGarde, a fallen noble whom she despises for having exposed her as a woman when they both attended University. Believing him innocent, she replaces his name with one already dead, saving his life. But she realizes that unless she forges a treacherous path, hundreds more will perish at her father’s hands.
When a Revolutionary hunts her down, she must accept LaGarde’s help, yet she denies her attraction to him out of loyalty to Henri. She fights for her life and the lives of those she’s come to love, but she must face the truth of her own heart.
Excerpt
Paris
August 3, 1793
If I had the same rights as a man, I would not have to dress as one.
After waiting for Cook to leave for the market, I raced through the kitchen, down the servants’ stairs, and into the cellar. The pungent odors of ripe apples, stale wine, and fusty onions thickened the air. I pulled out my bundle from behind the vinegar cask and unbuttoned my gown.
The irony of having to masquerade as a man to have equal rights made me want to spit in Robespierre’s face. I wrapped a strip of cloth tightly around my breasts. All the talk of Liberté, Egalité, Fraternité. I pulled on my brother’s tunic.
Liberty? All women were free to do was starve. I stepped into my brother’s breeches and knotted a ribbon at my waist.
Equality? Pah! Our latest government passed a law enabling all men to vote. I tied my neckcloth.
Brotherhood? What about sisterhood? I shoved my arms into the waistcoat. After four years of governmental discussion, girls were finally guaranteed an elementary education. But universities were still closed to women.
Voices from the kitchen stilled me. If my stepmother caught me, she’d send me to a nunnery. My fingers grew numb from grasping the frock coat lapels. Her heavy footsteps headed for the dining room. I shook out my stiff hands.
We had won the right to divorce, but how were all the divorced women supposed to support their children? The memory of Lisette, my former neighbor, standing amongst the prostitutes gathered at the banks of the Seine, calling and taunting sailors, chilled me.
I stomped my feet into the too-big boots. An unmarried woman’s signature was still worthless. But not in America—there women could own businesses and property. I should have gone to America with Henri. I should not have been so stubborn. I had been his mistress for a year, why had I refused to accompany him as one? I adjusted the breeches, trying to ignore my own nagging voice: He never said, I love you.
Château de Verzat Series
About the Author
Debra’s debut novel, Her Own Legacy, is the first in a series that follows headstrong and independent women and the four-hundred loyal families who protect a Loire Valley château and vineyard, and its legacy of producing the finest wines in France during the French Revolution. Her Own Revolution is the second book in the Château de Verzat series. A graduate of the Fashion Institute of Technology, she weaves her knowledge of textiles and clothing design throughout her historical French fiction. She lives in the Pacific Northwest with her family and standard poodle who is named after a fine French Champagne.
Giveaway
Prize: (3) Signed copy of Her Own Legacy (first book in series), plus Médicis Premium Sugared Almonds, Château de Verzat Soup Recipe Cards, Note Cards featuring Debra’s photographs taken in France, US ONLY
Tour Organized by:
To find all the tour information, click the banner at the top of the page.
Have you signed up to be a Tour Host? Click Here to Find Details and Sign Up Today!
Thank you for dropping by! So, what do you think of Her Own Revolution by Debra Borchert? Check out the other stops and enter the giveaway.
Until the next time,
Happy Reading!
Thanks so much for inviting me to your wonderful book trove. I hope I’ve given your followers a peek at Paris!