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Secrets of Versailles #1
Twiceborn
Everyone has secrets . . . but some secrets can kill.
Angélique, a sheltered young woman, gives birth to twins, Antoine and Hugo, who, though born at the same time, have been fathered by two different men. Twenty-five years later the twins both fall in love with the same woman and the brewing rivalry between them reaches the breaking point.
Antoine, a successful captain of the French army but a man estranged from God, is accused of disloyalty to the state religion by his jealous brother, Cardinal Hugo. He is given a royal ultimatum to prove his loyalty: either betray the woman he loves or see his mother killed and family lands confiscated to the crown.
Meanwhile, Hugo weaves plans of his own which threaten to bring the monarchy of France to its knees, little suspecting the cataclysmic forces his actions will unleash. Rich in scriptural allegory and explosive action, Twiceborn is an epic drama of love, redemption and the power of God.
Angélique, a sheltered young woman, gives birth to twins, Antoine and Hugo, who, though born at the same time, have been fathered by two different men. Twenty-five years later the twins both fall in love with the same woman and the brewing rivalry between them reaches the breaking point.
Antoine, a successful captain of the French army but a man estranged from God, is accused of disloyalty to the state religion by his jealous brother, Cardinal Hugo. He is given a royal ultimatum to prove his loyalty: either betray the woman he loves or see his mother killed and family lands confiscated to the crown.
Meanwhile, Hugo weaves plans of his own which threaten to bring the monarchy of France to its knees, little suspecting the cataclysmic forces his actions will unleash. Rich in scriptural allegory and explosive action, Twiceborn is an epic drama of love, redemption and the power of God.
264 pages, Paperback
First published October 14, 2017
2 people are currently reading
360 people want to read
About the author
J.P. Robinson
5 books37 followersJP Robinson is a Black author of historical fiction. A former pastor and educator, JP seamlessly fuses relatable situations with rich, authentic depictions of the past. He holds a Bachelor’s degree in English and French and a Master’s degree in Education. JP’s novels have been praised by industry leaders such as Publishers Weekly and repeatedly secured the #1 spot on Amazon’s historical thrillers category. With origins in journalism, JP writes for Focus on the Family and has been published by Guideposts.
He is a frequent guest speaker at writers conferences as well as radio programs. JP has been married for over 18 years to the love of his life with whom he has three children.
He is a frequent guest speaker at writers conferences as well as radio programs. JP has been married for over 18 years to the love of his life with whom he has three children.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
April 19, 2018
If it’s drama and intrigue you’re after, look no further. I mean, twins fathered by two different men? There’s your first clue. (And believe it or not, it’s biologically possible. There’s even a name for it: heteropaternal superfecundation.) Now put these men in the indulgent court of Louis XIV, the ‘Sun King’, and sow the seeds of discontent, because while the brothers are unaware of their unusual paternity situation, their parents are. Jean-Phillipe de Limoges forgave his wife for her infidelity, but he’s never been able to embrace the twin who is obviously not of his seed. But revenge and ambition are volatile bedfellows, and twenty-five years is more than enough time for resentment to come to a head when one has continually sought to earn his father’s love but never received it…
Coupled with the drama and intrigue are some strong spiritual themes. Faith versus religion, the far reaching consequences of deception, our response to temptation, love and sacrifice versus ambition and selfishness. At times I thought the desire to communicate certain messages drove the story a little too obviously, but I was definitely intrigued to see how the story would end.
As dramatic and engaging as this story was, however, there were a few elements that weakened it for me. The first was the head-hopping. I prefer to stay in one character’s point of view for any one scene, and found it distracting to change throughout. The second was that the characters didn’t quite manage to become real to me. I was engaged in their story, but in the same way I might be engaged in a fairy-tale. Given the historical setting of the story, I was hoping for a little more complexity in the characters.
The third point contributed to the second, and that was the use of miracles. Regardless of where you stand on the subject of miracles theologically, as a plot device they’re fraught with problems. In this case, they were too self-serving to the plot to come across convincingly, adding to the sense that I was reading an epic fairy-tale rather than historical fiction.
That said, the author has a strong writing style and a flair for drama and action, and I look forward to seeing what he produces as he continues to hone his craft.
I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
Coupled with the drama and intrigue are some strong spiritual themes. Faith versus religion, the far reaching consequences of deception, our response to temptation, love and sacrifice versus ambition and selfishness. At times I thought the desire to communicate certain messages drove the story a little too obviously, but I was definitely intrigued to see how the story would end.
As dramatic and engaging as this story was, however, there were a few elements that weakened it for me. The first was the head-hopping. I prefer to stay in one character’s point of view for any one scene, and found it distracting to change throughout. The second was that the characters didn’t quite manage to become real to me. I was engaged in their story, but in the same way I might be engaged in a fairy-tale. Given the historical setting of the story, I was hoping for a little more complexity in the characters.
The third point contributed to the second, and that was the use of miracles. Regardless of where you stand on the subject of miracles theologically, as a plot device they’re fraught with problems. In this case, they were too self-serving to the plot to come across convincingly, adding to the sense that I was reading an epic fairy-tale rather than historical fiction.
That said, the author has a strong writing style and a flair for drama and action, and I look forward to seeing what he produces as he continues to hone his craft.
I received a copy of this novel from the author. This has not influenced the content of my review, which is my honest and unbiased opinion.
September 26, 2017
Twiceborn is filled with history, explosive action, evil, good, romance, and politics (of historical France).
A woman gives birth to twins, Antoine and Hugo, fathered by two different men. Throughout their lives, there is rivalry between them but when they fall in love with the same woman, their rivalry reaches the breaking point.
As in all lives, the lives of Antoine and Hugo intertwine with the lives of other characters in the book and the rivalry between them leads to struggles for others who know, love and trust them. Some of the characters find that their trust in either of these men is misplaced.
JP Robinson has created strong characters who captured my interest from the beginning of the first page, and he weaves a tale that kept me turning pages, sometimes well into the night, until the very end. There were many times that I was on the edge of my seat; times where I gasped in surprise and shock; and times I cried for the characters I loved, and sometimes I rejoiced with them. The characters in Twiceborn will live in my memory for a long time.
Twiceborn is rich in scriptural allegory as well and I recognized familiar Bible stories woven throughout. Twiceborn is an epic drama of love, redemption and the power of God.
I look forward to seeing what JP Robinson has in store for me in Book 2 of the “Secrets of Versailles” series.
A woman gives birth to twins, Antoine and Hugo, fathered by two different men. Throughout their lives, there is rivalry between them but when they fall in love with the same woman, their rivalry reaches the breaking point.
As in all lives, the lives of Antoine and Hugo intertwine with the lives of other characters in the book and the rivalry between them leads to struggles for others who know, love and trust them. Some of the characters find that their trust in either of these men is misplaced.
JP Robinson has created strong characters who captured my interest from the beginning of the first page, and he weaves a tale that kept me turning pages, sometimes well into the night, until the very end. There were many times that I was on the edge of my seat; times where I gasped in surprise and shock; and times I cried for the characters I loved, and sometimes I rejoiced with them. The characters in Twiceborn will live in my memory for a long time.
Twiceborn is rich in scriptural allegory as well and I recognized familiar Bible stories woven throughout. Twiceborn is an epic drama of love, redemption and the power of God.
I look forward to seeing what JP Robinson has in store for me in Book 2 of the “Secrets of Versailles” series.
September 27, 2017
I finished reading this book and was very pleased.
I felt that it was well written and exciting. The characters were relatable, and I like that their faults were emphasized as well as their strengths. I have been going over this time period in school, and I was extra pleased to see how the author represented it.
The corruption of that time period (especially between the clergy/monarchy) was great- and I think really the ray of light was in the dutch. I also like that John Calvin was mentioned several times. I really feel that reformers were a huge part of that time period. It's amazing the way the Lord used them! But back to the story.
Twiceborn had be on my toes guessing in suspense what was going to happen. It was exciting and I had a hard time putting it down. I kept finding myself wondering what would happen in each chapter when I was supposed to be doing other things.😂
The story was so sad in many ways- but also had its joy sprinkled around in it. Their were some really funny dialogue moments/actions.😂 And those moments cracked me up.
Another thing that I think the author pulled off really well- was how pretty much everyone had an agenda. It really built up the tension as the reader wonders: "Who's going to win?".
I also loved how J.P Robinson presented the gospel in the story. Skyla is the main character in the story and while she's strong in her faith, I like that Skyla wasn't perfect. The author did a good job showing her weaknesses along with her strengths- and I think she wouldn't have been very believable if she didn't have any flaws. I appreciate it when people don't make their main characters too perfect. Real people have real flaws!
To summarize, the book is great! You should read it :D .
I felt that it was well written and exciting. The characters were relatable, and I like that their faults were emphasized as well as their strengths. I have been going over this time period in school, and I was extra pleased to see how the author represented it.
The corruption of that time period (especially between the clergy/monarchy) was great- and I think really the ray of light was in the dutch. I also like that John Calvin was mentioned several times. I really feel that reformers were a huge part of that time period. It's amazing the way the Lord used them! But back to the story.
Twiceborn had be on my toes guessing in suspense what was going to happen. It was exciting and I had a hard time putting it down. I kept finding myself wondering what would happen in each chapter when I was supposed to be doing other things.😂
The story was so sad in many ways- but also had its joy sprinkled around in it. Their were some really funny dialogue moments/actions.😂 And those moments cracked me up.
Another thing that I think the author pulled off really well- was how pretty much everyone had an agenda. It really built up the tension as the reader wonders: "Who's going to win?".
I also loved how J.P Robinson presented the gospel in the story. Skyla is the main character in the story and while she's strong in her faith, I like that Skyla wasn't perfect. The author did a good job showing her weaknesses along with her strengths- and I think she wouldn't have been very believable if she didn't have any flaws. I appreciate it when people don't make their main characters too perfect. Real people have real flaws!
To summarize, the book is great! You should read it :D .
June 24, 2018
A real nail biter
An excellent novel, well written and I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it to anyone, but especially to those who enjoy historical fiction.
An excellent novel, well written and I really enjoyed it. I would highly recommend it to anyone, but especially to those who enjoy historical fiction.
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews