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American Dynasty #1
The Vallette Heritage
An American Royal Family Rising To Greatness On The Tides Of Passion!
This is the mighty chronicle of the Vallettes — the men who set the wheels of American industry in motion, who had the vision and daring to make and seize the wealth of a nation...the proud women who matched their mates in courage and ruthlessness...a family that moved through the years, making their own rules — lusting, loving, risking all again and again in the perilous games of passion and power.
This is the mighty chronicle of the Vallettes — the men who set the wheels of American industry in motion, who had the vision and daring to make and seize the wealth of a nation...the proud women who matched their mates in courage and ruthlessness...a family that moved through the years, making their own rules — lusting, loving, risking all again and again in the perilous games of passion and power.
512 pages, Paperback
First published April 1, 1981
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About the author
Janet Louise Roberts
77 books34 followersSee pseudonyms Louisa Bronte, Rebecca Danton & Janette Radcliffe. Some of the listed titles are more straight romance than romantic suspense.
Janet Louise Roberts was born on January 20, 1925, in New Britain Connecticut, the daughter of a missionary in a conservative church. She wrote contemporary, historical, and gothic romances, as well as occult horror romances such as The Devil’s Own, Isle of the Dolphins, Lord Satan, and Her Demon Lover. She used pseudonyms for several of her works.
Roberts died on June 11, 1982 in Dayton, Ohio.
Janet Louise Roberts was born on January 20, 1925, in New Britain Connecticut, the daughter of a missionary in a conservative church. She wrote contemporary, historical, and gothic romances, as well as occult horror romances such as The Devil’s Own, Isle of the Dolphins, Lord Satan, and Her Demon Lover. She used pseudonyms for several of her works.
Roberts died on June 11, 1982 in Dayton, Ohio.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 18, 2024
Because they were Huguenots, the Vallette's fled via port of Le Havre, France in October 1795 to arrive in Boston, Massachusetts three-plus months later. They chose to settle in the state of Virginia because at that time, Virginia landowners automatically meant U. S. citizenship. The book is divided into three time-periods: 1795 to 1906, 1860 to 1880, and 1909 to 1919. As a reader, I found the first two parts more intriguing than the third part. Fortunately, the author included a detailed family tree at the front of the novel, and with four generations of Vallette's, this was truly a help in checking kinship among all the characters.
The author, Louisa Bronte (real name: Janet Louise Roberts) had to know her history with quite a bit of research to write this historical fiction. During the War Between the States, due to location the state of Virginia saw division of which to support, the North or the South. The Vallette's struggled with which side to support in their gunpowder business. The author also outlined that the women's role during World War I -- women working in factories, holding meetings to raise funds for overseas, rolling bandages, helping in the Red Cross (Chapter 34) --further their effort to secure suffrage for U. S. women in 1920.
The author used the idiom "dog in the manger" - a person who spitefully refuses to let someone else benefit from something for which he or she has no personal use (Chapter 29).
My FAVORITE penned by the author in this novel (Chapter 31), four-generation Luke speaking to his new bride Barbara: "Some of the ancients believed that on birth, a soul is parted into two different halves. One searches the world for the other half of himself, the part that will fit perfectly into his half, to make one soul again. Until he finds it, he is incomplete. If he tried to mate with the wrong half, he is forever rasped and irritated by the ill-fitting mating. But we two, we met and became one whole soul. I truly believe that. You are the one I was destined to find, to complete myself, as I complete you." (Chapter 31)
If one enjoys historical fiction, this little-recognized novel is a good read.
The author, Louisa Bronte (real name: Janet Louise Roberts) had to know her history with quite a bit of research to write this historical fiction. During the War Between the States, due to location the state of Virginia saw division of which to support, the North or the South. The Vallette's struggled with which side to support in their gunpowder business. The author also outlined that the women's role during World War I -- women working in factories, holding meetings to raise funds for overseas, rolling bandages, helping in the Red Cross (Chapter 34) --further their effort to secure suffrage for U. S. women in 1920.
The author used the idiom "dog in the manger" - a person who spitefully refuses to let someone else benefit from something for which he or she has no personal use (Chapter 29).
My FAVORITE penned by the author in this novel (Chapter 31), four-generation Luke speaking to his new bride Barbara: "Some of the ancients believed that on birth, a soul is parted into two different halves. One searches the world for the other half of himself, the part that will fit perfectly into his half, to make one soul again. Until he finds it, he is incomplete. If he tried to mate with the wrong half, he is forever rasped and irritated by the ill-fitting mating. But we two, we met and became one whole soul. I truly believe that. You are the one I was destined to find, to complete myself, as I complete you." (Chapter 31)
If one enjoys historical fiction, this little-recognized novel is a good read.
May 1, 2020
More sex and romance than I like with my history but I guess that's her thing. I read this book because it was given to me by my grandfather years ago because he was interviewed by the author during her research. I was curious as to how her research and mine into the Vallettes matched. Not very often but a few things that made me believe that she at least knew some basic information about my family history. Anyway I am sure this book appeals to many who like this type of historical fiction and it did move quickly so I give it 2 stars based on that and not on my evaluation of its accuracy.
abandoned
April 6, 2012Bah!
October 12, 2014
it was ok not great
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews