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Daughters of the Empire #1
The Destiny Code
A closet Victorian psychic is outcasted when she has a vision at her presentation ball. Fleeing to foreign lands, she encounters the last person she wants to see: the dark lord of her vision.
Miss Alita Stanton's presentation to society at the Queen's Ball in Buckingham Palace ends in ruination. While on the ballroom floor she is involuntarily possessed by a prophetic trance revealing the powerful Black Panther dying on a desultory foreign battlefield. Still dazed from the nightmarish scene, Alita recounts her experience and is outcasted on the most important day of her life, destroying her dreams and confirming her conviction it is necessary to keep her true nature hidden.
Socially shunned, Alita travels to a fashionable foreign venue while wagging tongues find other prey. Once in Egypt, she meets the last person she wants to see: Valerius Huntington, Captain of the Princess Royals' 7th Dragoon Guards, the 5th earl of Ravensdale,the man of her dreams, and the Black Panther of her vision.
Lord Captain Ravensdale, motivated by duty and honor, unknowingly kills an Egyptian friend in the Battle of Tel-El-Kebir, in the process creating two orphans. Val helps win Egypt and the Suez Canal for imperial Britain while simultaneously entering the dark night of the soul.
Alita can see Val's destiny, but procuring his future would be the end to hers. The academic earl of Ravensdale and Princess Royals' captain will not marry a quack or a soothsayer. Her sight is clear on this.
Romantic historical fiction with a shade of magical realism. Characters who come alive on the page, witty dialogue, historical immersion, fast-paced action, and a touch of mystery.
The daughter of each union is the heroine of the next novel in the "Daughters of the Empire" series.
Miss Alita Stanton's presentation to society at the Queen's Ball in Buckingham Palace ends in ruination. While on the ballroom floor she is involuntarily possessed by a prophetic trance revealing the powerful Black Panther dying on a desultory foreign battlefield. Still dazed from the nightmarish scene, Alita recounts her experience and is outcasted on the most important day of her life, destroying her dreams and confirming her conviction it is necessary to keep her true nature hidden.
Socially shunned, Alita travels to a fashionable foreign venue while wagging tongues find other prey. Once in Egypt, she meets the last person she wants to see: Valerius Huntington, Captain of the Princess Royals' 7th Dragoon Guards, the 5th earl of Ravensdale,the man of her dreams, and the Black Panther of her vision.
Lord Captain Ravensdale, motivated by duty and honor, unknowingly kills an Egyptian friend in the Battle of Tel-El-Kebir, in the process creating two orphans. Val helps win Egypt and the Suez Canal for imperial Britain while simultaneously entering the dark night of the soul.
Alita can see Val's destiny, but procuring his future would be the end to hers. The academic earl of Ravensdale and Princess Royals' captain will not marry a quack or a soothsayer. Her sight is clear on this.
Romantic historical fiction with a shade of magical realism. Characters who come alive on the page, witty dialogue, historical immersion, fast-paced action, and a touch of mystery.
The daughter of each union is the heroine of the next novel in the "Daughters of the Empire" series.
- GenresHistorical Romance
448 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 28, 2012
63 people are currently reading
27 people want to read
About the author
Suzette Hollingsworth
10 books34 followersSuzette loves to hear from her readers.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
March 4, 2019
The Destiny Code is the first book in the Daughter's of Empire series. Everything from the lovely cover with the delicate coloring and elegant font fits perfectly for The Destiny Code. Without a doubt Suzette Hollingsworth has done it again!
Miss Alita Stanton is a refreshing presence in the world of historical romance. Unique, believable, interesting, and entertaining Alita is happy to beat to her own drum. Blessed or perhaps curses with the ability to "see" Alita does her best to keep her gift from society. Not even her close friends knows until Alita accidentally slips up upon receiving some shocking news. Unfortunately it gets worse for Alita, at her presentation ball she once again has a vision and all of London now knows her secret. Cast out in shame her Grandmother comes up with the solution of travel abroad to give time for things to be forgotten.
Enter Lord Captain Ravensdale, the Black Panther from Alita's vision. Tormented by having killed a friend on the battlefield the Captain has shut off his heart. Seeing an English woman who appears to need help the Captain rushes to her aid only to be bewildered by her presentation. Unsure how to handle Alita the Captain flounders around a good deal which is highly entertaining. Mesmerized by Alita but terrified of her demeanor Lord Ravensdale works at keeping his distance with little luck.
Even the side characters played a nice role in the story. Alita's grandmother came off as secure about who she is but also a bit too traditional. The barkeeper the Captain confides in also has a distinct personality and offered insight into how the local Egyptians think. Despite only having a small part Alita's distant family makes a strong impression, I fell in love with them immediately and wanted more of their story.
Mrs. Hollingsworth has an elegant writing style with a talent for providing ample amounts of detail without it being overbearing. A clear picture of the setting is painted perfectly each and every time. I never once wondered which character was talking, presenting themselves, or where the characters were. The story line progressed smoothly with plenty of humorous moments added in along with some bits of action. Overall a perfect blend of romance, clairvoyance, humor, history, and action. It is always a delight and pleasure to read Mrs. Hollingsworth work.
Miss Alita Stanton is a refreshing presence in the world of historical romance. Unique, believable, interesting, and entertaining Alita is happy to beat to her own drum. Blessed or perhaps curses with the ability to "see" Alita does her best to keep her gift from society. Not even her close friends knows until Alita accidentally slips up upon receiving some shocking news. Unfortunately it gets worse for Alita, at her presentation ball she once again has a vision and all of London now knows her secret. Cast out in shame her Grandmother comes up with the solution of travel abroad to give time for things to be forgotten.
Enter Lord Captain Ravensdale, the Black Panther from Alita's vision. Tormented by having killed a friend on the battlefield the Captain has shut off his heart. Seeing an English woman who appears to need help the Captain rushes to her aid only to be bewildered by her presentation. Unsure how to handle Alita the Captain flounders around a good deal which is highly entertaining. Mesmerized by Alita but terrified of her demeanor Lord Ravensdale works at keeping his distance with little luck.
Even the side characters played a nice role in the story. Alita's grandmother came off as secure about who she is but also a bit too traditional. The barkeeper the Captain confides in also has a distinct personality and offered insight into how the local Egyptians think. Despite only having a small part Alita's distant family makes a strong impression, I fell in love with them immediately and wanted more of their story.
Mrs. Hollingsworth has an elegant writing style with a talent for providing ample amounts of detail without it being overbearing. A clear picture of the setting is painted perfectly each and every time. I never once wondered which character was talking, presenting themselves, or where the characters were. The story line progressed smoothly with plenty of humorous moments added in along with some bits of action. Overall a perfect blend of romance, clairvoyance, humor, history, and action. It is always a delight and pleasure to read Mrs. Hollingsworth work.
July 13, 2019
Interesting
In always a fan of historical books and this one did not disappoint. Though at times the book did seem to drag, the scenes with Alita and Val made up for it. I did enjoy their banter and loved how their romance blossomed. The ending seemed rushed but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Reminded me slightly of The Mummy movie series, but with a more realistic feel.
Recommend for anyone who wants a good historical fiction on a rainy day.
In always a fan of historical books and this one did not disappoint. Though at times the book did seem to drag, the scenes with Alita and Val made up for it. I did enjoy their banter and loved how their romance blossomed. The ending seemed rushed but enjoyed it nonetheless.
Reminded me slightly of The Mummy movie series, but with a more realistic feel.
Recommend for anyone who wants a good historical fiction on a rainy day.
December 10, 2022
I love the setting -- mostly Egypt in the late nineteenth century. But somehow the characters themselves never quite came to life for me, although the story hook - a woman who could feel the emotions of others and "see" their experiences - was just unusual enough for me to want to see where the writer was going. This evidently the first of a series with the connecting link being the daughter of the heroine of one book being central to the story in the next. Didn't like this one well enough to keep going, though, despite all the interesting tidbits about the heyday of Egyptian Victorian archaeology.
October 9, 2019
3.5 stars
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews