Cindy Vallar's Blog - Posts Tagged "french-revolution"

The Sugar Sacrifice by Lyle Garford

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


When Baron Jean Baptiste Raimond La Chance arrives in St. Lucia in December 1792, he introduces the innovative guillotine to the enlightened citizens of the French island. His assistants, who arrived first, are agents who explained the rights of man to the slaves and confiscated any property belonging to royalists. He should deal with two consequences of freeing the slaves – the decrease in food and sugar production – but he’s more interested in punishing anyone who impedes the Revolution’s agenda. His first target is Marchel Deschamps. Not only is this naval officer a traitor, who refuses to divulge where a cache of gold is hidden, but his father was responsible for ruining La Chance’s family. Once La Chance learns all he needs to know from Deschamps, the traitor has a date with Madame Guillotine.

The summons from the British spymaster in the Caribbean is a welcome diversion from the normal routine of running the Navy Dockyard on Antigua, but Commander Evan Ross and Lieutenant James Wilton also know it means they must risk their lives once again for king and country. The turmoil in France has had a ripple effect that has now spread to their own backyard; and with no word from St. Lucia, they are ordered to go to the island, locate Deschamps, find out what’s going on there, and rescue him if necessary. Speed is of the essence, but with war on the horizon between England and France, they are hampered in quickly leaving Antigua. Nor can a British warship just sail into the French port, so they must convert a navy ship to an American trading vessel, disguise themselves as traders, and acquire a handpicked crew that includes not only seamen, but also a lock picker, a forger, and a burglar. Also accompanying them is Manon, James’s girlfriend, who grew up on St. Lucia and whose father still lives there. While on St. Lucia, she and her father disappear and the attempt to rescue Deschamps is derailed. Out of options, Evan returns to Antigua for more help, but James remains behind to search for Manon.

The Sugar Sacrifice is a roller coaster of excitement that has readers sitting on the edges of their seats and holding their breath. It’s a stunning tale of consequences, courage, loyalty, and heartache into which rays of hope still beam. Some readers may not gain a full understanding of the title until the Author Notes at the end, even though Garford hints at the reason early in the story. Others may find the violence difficult to read, but it is historically accurate and never gratuitous. Garford achieves what all historical novelists strive toward – portraying history in a way that makes it come alive and puts readers in the midst of the action. In fact, the horrors of the guillotine are so vivid readers will hear the blade drop. Whether newcomers to the series or already fans, readers of this third book in the Evan Ross tales will find this one as entertaining as the first and eagerly await the forthcoming title, The Sugar Rebellion.




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The Avengers of the King by Jean Drault

My rating: 3 of 5 stars


On their way to rescue Louis XVI in 1793, Pierre Lézardière accompanies another man to the rendezvous, but Cécile Renault realizes that he’s not a royalist. He is Sénar, a police officer of the revolution. She must warn their leader, a man of two faces. To some he is Citizen Manaud. To others, Baron Jean de Batz. Monsieur Baron believes there are other traitors in their midst; their plan goes awry and the king is guillotined. Now, they concentrate on freeing the queen and her loved ones before they meet a similar fate.

Sénar follows the royalist leader and is astounded to find that he lives inside the notorious penitentiary, La Force. Yet when the warden opens the prisoner’s cell, another man is locked inside. Sénar is determined to solve this mystery, for it will permit him to pursue the woman he loves. There is also another rival for her affections – Robespierre, a powerful revolutionary whose name is synonymous with France’s Reign of Terror. Alas, she loves a third man.

Originally published in 1911 in French, this novel is rife with duplicities, blackmail, manipulation, romance, vengeance, and sacrifice. Many characters were true participants in the French Revolution, and Drault stays true to history while interweaving facts with plausible fiction. Familiarity with the French Revolution is a plus, but not required. The translation flows well, although the older writing style contains offensive language and frequent asides to readers. Keeping track of who’s who can be difficult since many characters have aliases. Perhaps not everyone’s cup of tea, but Drault intricately interconnects threads and deftly unifies them by story’s end in expected and unexpected ways that rouse the reader’s curiosity.


This review originally appeared in Historical Novels Review (Issue 102, November 2022) at https://historicalnovelsociety.org/re...



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Sailor of Liberty by J.D. Davies

My rating: 5 of 5 stars


The voyage is to be sedate, a quiet sail into Saint-Malo and Philippe Kermorvant will step ashore with little fanfare. Fate decrees otherwise. The enemy emerges from the fog and unleashes a devastating volley that kills the captain. His matelots persuade Philippe to rescue them from the onslaught. He agrees and uses his experience commanding American and Russian ships to trick the enemy long enough to get away.

It is Year Two of the French Republic, although his many friends know the time as 1793. Some think his dream folly, but it is a pursuit he cannot give up. It gives his life purpose, something he lost when grief consumed him. Surely, the Republicans will grant his request, especially with the many letters of recommendation that he carries. Especially since his father was Verité, a hero, a legend, a forward-thinking Frenchman who espoused freedom long before the citizenry rose up against the monarchy. But nothing is guaranteed, particularly when the Committee of Public Safety dares even to behead Citizen Louis Capet, the former king of France. The same fate may become Philippe’s, a fact he understands since he is the Vicomte de Saint-Victor.

That possibility becomes all too real when someone close to Philippe denounces him as a traitor to the Republic and a mob comes to arrest him. Although given a chance to escape his prison, he prefers to meet Madame Guillotine. This decision, combined with his betrayer being denounced with irrefutable evidence, leads to Philippe’s freedom and the granting of his dream. He will captain Le Zéphyr, a 32-gun frigate manned by several hundred men. An easy task for someone with his experience, n’est-ce pas?

Perhaps not. His second-in-command denounced his predecessor to the Committee and expects to be given command himself. The crew is a mix of able seamen and landsmen, but each believes he has the right to question any order the captain gives. The representative of the Committee neither likes nor trusts Philippe. He must patrol regions of France where loyalists eagerly await a British invasion in support of their cause. Mutiny ripples through French warships, while English warships blockade the coast. It is only a matter of time before one, or more, of these enemies attempt to thwart Philippe.

Philippe may look through rose-colored glasses, but he does understand what’s happening in France. He is a flawed hero in this regard, but this makes him real and results in the truths he witnesses being all the more horrific. Many stories that depict the French Revolution and Napoleonic Era unfold from a British perspective, which makes this new series fresh and unique because readers experience events from the French point of view. The villains are dastardly and deserve our loathing, but Davies portrays them as products of their time and illustrates how tenuous a path Philippe must weave to navigate such treacherous waters. As always, Davies’s knowledge of history and the maritime world are seamlessly woven into the story, and he vividly and realistically portrays the brutality of war and revolution. This first entry in The Philippe Kermorvant Thrillers is a bewitching tale in and of itself, but the unexpected twist at the end promises many more provocative tales to come.




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(This review originally appeared at Pirates and Privateers: http://www.cindyvallar.com/JDDavies.h...)