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The French Maidens #2
Lysette
SHE WAS THE MOST WILLFUL, EXASPERATING, DESIRABLE WOMAN HE HAD EVER MET.
Lysette, the Marquise de Ferrand, was young, widowed and penniless. In 1636, the French countryside was in turmoil as Lysette attempted to make her way to her brother's home and safety. When rescued by Andre, Comte du Crillon, she cares not that he is married. With her face as her fortune, she is sure she can ensnare him.
But there is another man --a man who knows that it is only in his arms that Lysette will become a woman.
Lysette, the Marquise de Ferrand, was young, widowed and penniless. In 1636, the French countryside was in turmoil as Lysette attempted to make her way to her brother's home and safety. When rescued by Andre, Comte du Crillon, she cares not that he is married. With her face as her fortune, she is sure she can ensnare him.
But there is another man --a man who knows that it is only in his arms that Lysette will become a woman.
- GenresHistorical Romance
313 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published January 1, 1983
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About the author
Ena Halliday
3 books5 followers(Sylvia Baumgarten)
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Louisa Rawlings
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Sylvia Halliday
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
January 24, 2021
Please understand before you read my review that there are spoilers! If you continue reading then you accept that this is My opinion on this story. And now on to my review.This story takes place right during King Louis the XIII of France's rule. I picked up this book because my mother recommended it to me as a possible book that I might like. The amount of abuse in this book is cringe-worthy! The fact that the heroin just goes along with it makes my blood boil! I hated it, hated it, hated it! The heroin was completely unrelatable! The love triangle in this book just was right out of Gone with the Wind. I almost feel like the author copied the love triangle with Rhett, Scarlett, and Ashley.
Now the story-telling is very solid! The author paints a beautiful picture of the French country side. The story sucks though! From this point on in my review there will be triggers for those who have experienced physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Which is why I had a very hard time reading this book and also why I hated this book so much.
The story starts off with Lysette just trying to make ends meet after her 1st husband has passed away. Mass poverty, famine and pestilence are present in her village. The real action starts not long after Lysette's introduction in the novel. There is a wealthy family that controls the village's economy. The villagers are becoming resentful and restless due to the taxes from the family, the Crown and the high food prices. So the villagers organize and decide while the family is in town that they are going to get justice. Warning this is where it gets bad! Lysette just happens to be trying to leave town to go to her brother's home to live there for a time until she can get back on her feet financially when all hell starts to break loose! The family is also of noble ranks and is getting ready to leave the village as well. The men of the village abduct the husband and wife and I shit you not force the husband to watch, as several women of the town, hold down his wife while the men and boys rape her! All the while Lysette is under the over turned carriage and is forced to watch the horrific scene unfold in front of her for hours! She has to stay quiet lest she be found and she would be next.
She then meets a man who helps her flee after this scene is done and over with. Not long afterwards her and the man stop at a tavern, he gets her drunk and then rapes her. She ends up married to this guy! She rationalizes the rape and the continued abuse even though there is no history of abuse in her family life before this! But the author tries to rationalize Lysette staying due to the fact that she witnessed her lady-in-waiting is being abused by her husband and her lady-in-waiting says that it's love even though she knows damn well that it's not. Lysette is also chastised by her now very unwanted husband for going and getting an abortion and birth control in the book. Now, I know that back then it was deeply frowned upon especially with Noble ladies in France but it was just so horrific that I could not stand it!
I read it through the book to the end even though I did not like the book just to see what would happen. Just to see if things worked out in the end for her and I just could not for the life of me grip the reality of such a situation. I understand abuse happened often during this era, I've been through it myself but it was just so bad she has multiple chances to leave and I feel that she should have taken it instead of accepting what was happening to her as if she could do nothing about it. She realizes that her husband is friends with Andre and decides that she is going to try a break up his marriage to Marielle and convince him to marry her. There is so much more I could write about on this story but I just can't continue or concentrate any further. This entire story was just so contrived. I truly feel bad for the heroin even though she was just an awful character. I may come back and continue furthering this review but not at this point in time am I going to continue reviewing this book.
Edit: I came back to proofread my review because I have a better working phone now than when I originally wrote this review. As well as to say the the ending was so disappointing that when I think of this book i want to burn it!
Lysette by the end is an absolutely despicable character and I feel bad for Marielle because she is the only character who seems semi normal and compassionate towards others! André is a notorious womanizer, Lysette is just awful, and her husband is a horrendous abuser! Marielle almost freaking dies from a miscarriage and a Lysette can think of is herself! And that scene is supposed to be Lysette's redemption arc! Good lord! If giving up my jewelry, giving people who depend on me work man's compensation for injuries I literally helped create due to my own selfish desires and hiring people to do needed jobs gave me a simple redemption/ get out of jail free card, I would totally do it! Lysette gets an almost literal pass after all the chaos she created! God, I hate when authors don't try to care. This was one of the worst books I have ever had the displeasure of reading in my life!
Now the story-telling is very solid! The author paints a beautiful picture of the French country side. The story sucks though! From this point on in my review there will be triggers for those who have experienced physical, emotional, and sexual violence. Which is why I had a very hard time reading this book and also why I hated this book so much.
The story starts off with Lysette just trying to make ends meet after her 1st husband has passed away. Mass poverty, famine and pestilence are present in her village. The real action starts not long after Lysette's introduction in the novel. There is a wealthy family that controls the village's economy. The villagers are becoming resentful and restless due to the taxes from the family, the Crown and the high food prices. So the villagers organize and decide while the family is in town that they are going to get justice. Warning this is where it gets bad! Lysette just happens to be trying to leave town to go to her brother's home to live there for a time until she can get back on her feet financially when all hell starts to break loose! The family is also of noble ranks and is getting ready to leave the village as well. The men of the village abduct the husband and wife and I shit you not force the husband to watch, as several women of the town, hold down his wife while the men and boys rape her! All the while Lysette is under the over turned carriage and is forced to watch the horrific scene unfold in front of her for hours! She has to stay quiet lest she be found and she would be next.
She then meets a man who helps her flee after this scene is done and over with. Not long afterwards her and the man stop at a tavern, he gets her drunk and then rapes her. She ends up married to this guy! She rationalizes the rape and the continued abuse even though there is no history of abuse in her family life before this! But the author tries to rationalize Lysette staying due to the fact that she witnessed her lady-in-waiting is being abused by her husband and her lady-in-waiting says that it's love even though she knows damn well that it's not. Lysette is also chastised by her now very unwanted husband for going and getting an abortion and birth control in the book. Now, I know that back then it was deeply frowned upon especially with Noble ladies in France but it was just so horrific that I could not stand it!
I read it through the book to the end even though I did not like the book just to see what would happen. Just to see if things worked out in the end for her and I just could not for the life of me grip the reality of such a situation. I understand abuse happened often during this era, I've been through it myself but it was just so bad she has multiple chances to leave and I feel that she should have taken it instead of accepting what was happening to her as if she could do nothing about it. She realizes that her husband is friends with Andre and decides that she is going to try a break up his marriage to Marielle and convince him to marry her. There is so much more I could write about on this story but I just can't continue or concentrate any further. This entire story was just so contrived. I truly feel bad for the heroin even though she was just an awful character. I may come back and continue furthering this review but not at this point in time am I going to continue reviewing this book.
Edit: I came back to proofread my review because I have a better working phone now than when I originally wrote this review. As well as to say the the ending was so disappointing that when I think of this book i want to burn it!
Lysette by the end is an absolutely despicable character and I feel bad for Marielle because she is the only character who seems semi normal and compassionate towards others! André is a notorious womanizer, Lysette is just awful, and her husband is a horrendous abuser! Marielle almost freaking dies from a miscarriage and a Lysette can think of is herself! And that scene is supposed to be Lysette's redemption arc! Good lord! If giving up my jewelry, giving people who depend on me work man's compensation for injuries I literally helped create due to my own selfish desires and hiring people to do needed jobs gave me a simple redemption/ get out of jail free card, I would totally do it! Lysette gets an almost literal pass after all the chaos she created! God, I hate when authors don't try to care. This was one of the worst books I have ever had the displeasure of reading in my life!
Displaying 1 of 1 review