The Traitor's Smile

Pimpernelles #2

by Patricia Elliott

Eugenie de Boncoeur has fled the violence of the French Revolution to find sanctuary in England at the home of her cousin, Hetta. At first, the two girls find themselves at Hetta can't understand Eugenie's preoccupation with clothes and appearance, and scorns her politics. Soon, however, they are drawn together by a shared sense of danger, for across the Channel waits the vengeful Pale Assassin, determined to claim Eugenie for himself. With her brother's life at stake, how can she refuse his dreadful bargain? But it will mean sacrificing her chance of love and returning to Paris in the grip of the Terror. Eugenie must now decide her destiny - with or without Hetta's help.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Young Adult, Historical, Romance, Adventure, Historical Romance, French Revolution

432 pages, Paperback

First published November 4, 2010

About the author

Patricia Elliott was born in London and grew up in Europe and the Far East. She has worked in publishing in London and in a children's bookshop in New York. She now teaches a course in children's literature at an adult education college. She lives in London with her husband, two sons, and a yellow labrodor named Finagal.

Reviews

[Tammy Burns · Rating 3 out of 5]

This story continues Eugénie de Boncoeur's flight from France and arrival in England during the beginning of the French Revolution. Louis XVI has been executed, Robespierre is running the government, and none of our major players are safe. Julien and Eugénie have arrived safely in Deal, England to mixed feelings. Eugénie is not certain as to how she will be received by the family she has only met one other time, especially her cousin Hetta, who is her age and shows an interest in Julien. When Guy Deschamps mysteriously appears in England as well, Eugénie knows that she must not let Julien know that he is there. Begging Hetta for her assistance she does all she possibly can to keep the two men that so distrust each other away from each other.

Hetta is an entity to herself. She is very aware of politics and the plights of others and longs to be able to support a cause like the one going on in France. Eugénie tries to tell her that change is not as romantic as some would have you think it is, but cannot seem to make her understand. Hetta meets Guy on his very first night in England, and is instantly attracted to him, not knowing that he is connected to her newly arrived cousin.

As time passes, Eugénie becomes increasingly jealous of Hetta and Julien's closeness. She also makes a stunning discovery in regards to Guy and finds that perhaps she has been too trusting of certain people. Belle, her former landlord and friend, writes her that Armand, her brother, is in jail, arrested as a traitor and awaiting to be taken in front of the tribunal and sentenced to execution. Le Fantôme, Eugénie's enemy and thwarted betrothed offers her a chance at saving Armand--return to France and marry him and he will see that Armand is released. When Julien unexpectedly leaves England, Eugénie runs into an old friend from France. Soon, by accident, Eugénie and Hetta find themselves sailing across the English Channel in a hot air balloon. From there the chase is on and they are only saved by Chouans, which is a group of rebels that are opposed to Robespierre and his group.

Will Eugénie be forced to marry Le Fantôme? Is Guy an enemy or a friend? Will Armand be rescued before the same fate is visited on him that was King Louis XVI? Will Julien be able to save his love? And will Hetta find her passion in the revolution? This book and the one before it has done a wonderful job in bringing the French Revolution to life from so many points-of-view. The author has done a great job with historical detail and merging the fictional characters with the real-life groups and people involved. This is a great book and is recommended for those who love historical books.

[Andrea · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was an interesting read. A well-written historical fiction about the French Revolution and a little on the war between France and England soon after. It's the 2nd book in a series, but you could read the Traitor's Smile and not be completely lost (the 1st is called The Pale Assasin).


Violence - there is some, but doesn't go into detail (beheading, shot)

Language - don't think there was any

Sex - nope! aren't you so glad ;)

Drugs/drinking - there is mention of various alcoholic drinks, but no
drugs, and I don't think any smoking.

[Erin · Rating 4 out of 5]

*Note: this is the second (and last) book. I didn't read book one but I was still able to thoroughly enjoy the story. There may be some elements carried over from the first one, so read it if you like. It's called "The Pale Assassin."

Set in the time of the French Revolution, we follow Eugenie, a French aristocrat who flees to Deal, England; her cousin Henrietta ("Hetta"), an Englishwoman; and Julien, a friend of Eugenie; and Guy Deschamps, aka. Le Scalpel, a French spy and assassin. Guy poses as Eugenie's friend to get her to return with him to France so she can marry Le Fantome, Raoul Goullet, the "Pale Assassin," and spider in the middle of a giant web of deceit (and who also resembles the Phantom, from "The Phantom of the Opera"- hence his nickname). There is a lot of secrecy, suspense, and of course beheadings (come on, French Revolution--there has to be Mdme. Guillotine). This is a fast-paced adventure that will take you to the heart of war-torn France.

Throughout the story points of view will randomly change, which could cause some difficulty in following the story. Very few times I found myself re-reading a few lines above just to make sure I knew who was talking.

There is a fair amount of violence: beheadings (heads do roll), blood filled streets and houses, stabbings, etc.
Language: Phrases in French throughout, often times with the English equivalent stated shortly thereafter, and a curse word used once.
Romance: There is the relationship between Eugenie and Julien, which underlies most of the book, and really comes out at the end. Hetta attracts the attention of a few men, being as spunky as she is. It's clean of any mature content.

[Maria Kramer · Rating 2 out of 5]

Eugenie has escaped from the horror of the Revolution to her uncle's house in England, safe from the attentions of Roul Goullet, The Pale Assassin. Or is she? Roul's agent the sinister and charming Guy Deschamps, has come across the Channel to being Eugenie a proposition -- she must return to France and marry Goullet, or her brother Armand will face the guillotine! Eugenie's actions will pull her cousin Hetta and love Julien into the turmoil of the Revolution, and mortal danger.

This book left me with an immense sense of wasted potential, because the premise is great, but the execution is uneven. The narration shifted between character's different points of view with disorienting suddenness. Passages of great excitement and building tension were undermined by strange plot shifts in which important events happen "off camera" with no explanation. The end of the story, with its confrontation between the characters and Roul Goullet that was built up to for the entire book, ends up being anti-climactic in the extreme. All I can think upon finishing the book is "What a shame."

Recommended for fans of:
Revolution
The Scarlet Pimpernel

[✨Nicole✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

It isn't as good as the first book (The Pale Assassin), but I enjoyed it nonetheless. Patricia Elliott is a great writer, and I couldn't keep the book down. I wanted to continue reading to see what would happen. However, the ending was very sudden and disappointing.

[Rachel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book better than the first one for two reasons: 1) there was less history and more story when compared to the first book. In the first book, Patricia Elliott makes lots of historical notes which are very informative but don’t really add to the story itself. 2) I saw a lot more character development, especially with Eugenie. Again, by the end of the first book Eugenie is forced into some more humble circumstances due to her trying to flee the dangers of France (and the Pale Assassin), but she is still the same spoiled child she was at the beginning. However, in this book she faces old and new dangers that force her to make decisions that really seem to make her grow up. By the end of this book, even though she is only sixteen, Eugenie is much more mature and sure of her self than ever.

In this book we also get to see more of the Pale Assassin, which was good as he is the main antagonist in these books.

Language: mild

Sex: some sensual looks are given to certain characters, one rakish character’s thoughts/desires are mentioned (but never acted upon), and one character offers herself to save another character but is saved by other characters.

Drugs/alcohol: smoking is mentioned, some characters drink alcoholic beverages.

Violence/gore: as per the French revolution many characters are beheaded by the guillotine, many characters are shot/stabbed by other characters, and one character falls to his death.

[Kim · Rating 3 out of 5]

Some interesting new characters were introduced. Some should have been more developed and more attention paid to the relationships. It was interesting and full of suspense, danger, and intrigue. Perhaps the first two books should have been written as a trilogy to add the suggested components.

[Sophie Wieland · Rating 2 out of 5]

(I gave this four stars the first time I read it.)

Similar to the first book in this series, this book feels juvenile and forced (especially the romance!). While it's mainly worse than the first book, I do find myself liking Hetta.

[diana]

i,,,,do not remember reading this at all. AT ALL.

[Jules · Rating 1 out of 5]

Oh LORD, this was a slog. And the worst part is that it really, really shouldn't have been, at least not for me!

Reader, here are a few things I love: female characters having adventures, sweet but spoiled girls, female characters having friendships, 18th-century history. And yet even I couldn't enjoy this. I'd been running through books at a rate of one or more a day in the past few weeks; this took me well over a week because I just couldn't bear more than a chapter or two at a time, it was so dry and dull. I liked the first one, though it was slow as well, on recollection, but this was just intolerable.

As I said, it just felt incredibly dry and very slow. More specifically, I felt like the characters were being kept at arm's length -- it was hard for me to really care about them at all. That can certainly work in a lot of books, but when love triangles are a major part of the plot, you really, really need your reader to care about the characters and be rooting for them to be happy (or not). I also really didn't care for how these are billed as major female-driven adventure stories, and yet these young women constantly needed to be saved by the men in their lives -- nor for how completely out of nowhere Hetta and Xavier's relationship felt. That was probably the worst example of Elliott telling me, rather than showing me, the developing relationship between the characters in this book, but there were, unfortunately, a lot more: HOW, exactly, do the trials and tribulations they face together take Hetta and Eugenie from disliking one another to best friends? Why did Hetta give up on Julien? And again, most damningly, why should I care?

So in a word, this book was disappointing. Incredibly disappointing. Heartbreakingly disappointing, for me, because as I say, this should have been a really easy sell for me. I wanted so, so much to love the Pimpernelles books, but when you can't sell me on your female-character-centered 18th-century adventure novel, you've taken a wrong turn somewhere, I'm very sorry to say. :(

[roanoke · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars

The Traitor’s Smile continues the story of the teenage Eugénie de Boncoeur along with her friends Julien de Fortin and Jem Cuttle as they arrive in England. Here she meets her cousin, Henrietta, a girl who is seemingly ahead of their time. The cousins are uneasy with each other at first but eventually they get along quite well. Still, Eugénie must take care of herself to keep herself safe from the horrible Pale Assassin, Raoul Goullet.

While in third person, I liked being able to have another character to revolve around instead of just Eugénie. Hetta (Henrietta’s nickname), is a most interesting character to say the least. She’s fiery and intelligent, but even so, her and Eugénie are on seemingly equal terms. While Hetta may seem a bit better in the smart zone, Eugénie has had a lot more experience than her cousin.

The rest of our lovely cast of rebels and aristocrats are here. Julien is still one of my favorite characters. As for the antagonists… Still, I have never felt such hatred for fictional characters before.

What happens in this book (as well as the first) is very realistic. Clever minds and actions are the only things that could have saved people during the terrible times in France, and even England, when war raged between the countries. It’s interesting to see a fictional perspective of a young girl about my own age during the French Revolution compared to what we’re taught in history class, however little or lot that may be.

The book was slow from time to time but when it picked up, boy, did it deliver. I still loved it. The characters are well developed for their time, and everything going on around them was written in such detail. I was so easily intrigued. I just wish school hadn’t taken up so much time so I could have read this more often and finished it quicker.

[Lisa · Rating 3 out of 5]

I enjoyed reading this book -- fast-paced plot, strong girls, plenty of action, and a glimpse into an interesting period of history -- but the ending left me unsatisfied. Although many of the personal issues had been resolved, half of the main characters embark on a new adventure on the last page. It would be a perfect setup for a third book in the series, but the author's note speculates about what might have happened to the characters afterwards, in a way that signals that there will not be another book. So it just seemed odd to me.

Another element that kept me from loving this book was the narrative point of view. Written in the 3rd person, the narrator is almost omniscient, but not quite. The point of view shifts, at times rapidly, from one character to another, depending on whose thought process is most important in the moment. It's mostly fine, but occasionally disconcerting.

However, I would be happy to hand this book to an older kid / younger teen who can't get enough historical fiction, or to an older teen who struggles with reading. It's not a terribly difficult read, and there's plenty of action and intrigue.

(Note: I received a free advance reading copy of this book from the publisher at an American Library Association Annual Conference. I was not required to write a positive review. Thank you, Holiday House!)

[Pamela Hubbard · Rating 2 out of 5]

As the sequel to the first book, "The Pale Assassin", the story continues as Eugenie flees to England and England declares war on France during the Terror. Eugenie learns all about intrigue and corruption as her and Julien navigate Deal, England, try to understand what is going on in France, and try to save Armand from a French prison. In the midst of all this, Eugenie still fears her betrothal to Le Fantome. Eugenie and Hetta find themselves back in France, escaping from those who want to kill them, and trying to find a way back to safety.
Once again, Eugenie plays the vapid, naive girl. No matter what anyone says, or what all the evidence points to, she decides to play by her own rules and almost gets herself and multiple others killed. She trusts those she shouldn't, blabs too much and doesn't seem to understand the depth of what is going on around her, even though she has been through traumatic and life-changing situations. The plot was fast-paced and suspenseful, but the dialogue was boring and sometimes hard to follow. I did love this view of the French Revolution, but the other aspects of the book were bad enough to make me only rate this 2 stars.

[Indi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Eugenie de Boncoeur and Julien de Fortin have reached the coast of English land seeking sanctuary from the violence of the French Revolution. At first Eugenie and her cousin Henrietta at at each other, both quite different. But they find themselves together as best friends after danger has arisen as the Pale Assassin have tracked down Eugenie and Julien. The Pale Assassin is determind to claim Eugenie as his bride. So when Eugenie's brother Armand is in prision, the Pale Assassin makes out that only she can save him if she agrees to marry him. She needs Julien and Hetta's help.

So this is the second book in the Pimpernelles series. There are rumours of a third book, but the second book had a clear ending and the authors note did say it was the last. Not sure. I'm hoping. But not sure?

This book had a clearer understanding throughout the book than the first. This book is just as good as the second but just edited better.

The plot is interesting and suspensful and the conflict between the two cousins at first was impressive and great to read.

Loved this book as much as the first. If not better, because it was edited better!

[lois keyser · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was awesome!!! After reading book no. 1 I started this one straight away!!Kept me in suspense all the time…and read past bedtime!! Can't wait to get book no. 3 👏

[Kris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Recommended for gr. 6-10. Historical fiction, set during the French Revolution. Second in series, helpful but not necessary to have read the first book. Helpful cast of characters at the beginning, historical note and timeline of the French Revolution at the end.

As the book begins, Eugenie has just arrived in England to live with her English relatives while she worries about her brother who is imprisoned and likely to be guillotined in Paris. She has narrowly escaped imprisonment and an evil man (the Pale Assassin) who wishes to marry her. Through a series of misadventures, Eugenie and her cousin wind up back in France on the run from the Pale Assassin and revolutionaries, but determined to save her brother. There are some bumpy romantic relationships complete with misunderstandings, underground counter-revolutionaries, and loose ends tied up at the end. The author's note speculates on what happens to the characters afterward, which leads me to believe that there will not be a third book in the series.

[Clodagh · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought about giving this book 3 stars but that would be too generous. I had some problems with this book.

1. Eugenie was very annoying. I had no sympathy for her, and I couldn't find one reason why Julien would like her. Just another example of a guy going for the pretty girl, not the one with personality. Even after surviving the Revolution she was still really dumb and spoilt.

2. It was a little boring. The blurb hyped up the book, but it turned out to be nothing like what it promised.

3. Hetta and Julien were pretty much the only likeable characters, and even they made bad decisions.

4. Not only did the main characters all live, but they also found love. In my opinion, you either find love or you live. Not both.

5. It's clearly written for twelve year olds - it shouldn't be put under YA.

6. The author seemed to think that everyone who reads this books speaks French. Wrong! I couldn't follow most of the French for the simple reason that I DON'T SPEAK IT!

[Mary Farrell · Rating 3 out of 5]

I almost didn't read this because I found the previous book in the series less than gripping, to say the least. Glad I did because I enjoyed it much more. The story moved along more quickly, not too much history getting in the way, and the plot less convoluted. That all sounds like a back-handed compliment, so I must go on to say I actually stayed up late to read this one. The second half had me hooked. I'm conflicted about the omniscient viewpoint. In some cases, jumping from one place and set of characters to another added tension and suspense. Other times it seemed to keep the main characters at arms' distance. If you love historical fiction, I would recommend this. It's an entertaining story.

[May · Rating 5 out of 5]

Such a wonderful sequel to The Pale Assassin!

The plot seems sort of convoluted, at first, which isn't bad, and seems to work quite well with the chaotic times the book is set in, so I won't try to summarize it here.

I did love it, though. The story was well-paced, and I loved Hetta's character. It's always fun to see a character grow in a book, without losing who she is as a character!

This book was fun, and exciting. I wish I could see a third book, but I've heard little of the third book, despite how it was supposed to have come out last year, and this book ends so nicely and surely, with all the loose ends tied up, that I'm not sure if a third book wouldn't detract from the series.

[Sammy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I think that this book was excellent though at times a tad slow.

Julien and Eugenie, by the stars you two are completely oblivious to each other! Honestly, say you like each other and be done with it!
Hetta and Xavier, I love those two. Very adventurous and daring. I would have loved it if there had been a bit more on them but it was not to be.
Overall I liked this installment, but I did not love it. As I said, at timed it was a tad slow but I was entranced nonetheless.
I would recommend it to any fellow readers interested in the French Revolution or events/eras like it.

[Jenna · Rating 3 out of 5]

I loved learning about the French Revolution in this sequel. What a fascinating and desperate time in history for France. This novel shows the strained relationship of France with England as the characters, aristocrat youth from France, fled to England for refuge when the working class rose and began beheading the upper class. The writing is choppy and chapters are short. I prefer more depth when I read, but the action kept at a quick tempo all the way through and that kept me reading. The ending fell flat slightly. My teen daughter loves this series. I would recommend it highly to my friend's daughters.

[Ji Mei · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was so frustrating! There was all these complex relationships between the characters and sometimes it made me so mad at the main character I wanted to shake her awake. But that was what also made this book really good. It was so real, reading about the French Revolution, and there were many things I didn't expect. The details were amazing and I liked how it came to a good end. It was sort of predictable at times, but it's easy to ignore those parts since overall, I liked it. Plus I'm glad that Eugenie ended up more strong and brave and no longer the wishy-washy aristocrat.

[Diane · Rating 3 out of 5]

The second and final book of the pimpernelle series was a bit more intriguing then the first. It captivated me longer and had a more complex climax. I enjoyed the close calls and escapes the main characters had. I also appreciated the number of characters not becoming too long of a list. It can be difficult to follow a large amount of characters but this book had just the right amount. The girls, Eugenie and Hetta, are daring and courageous, though sometimes Eugenie again becomes too careless. Overall a good read.

[Ms Bathgate · Rating 4 out of 5]

The sequel to "The Pale Assassin" introduces Eugenie de Boncoeur's English cousin, Hetta. The girls get off to a difficult start, due to political differences and rivalry for the affections of the same man. However, they are eventually united in the same causes: to save Eugenie from being forced to marry the cruel man to whom her father has promised her, and to save the life of Eugenie's brother. This is a tale of deception, friendship and romance, with plenty of adventure, set against a fascinating historical background.

[Heather · Rating 3 out of 5]

"The Traitor's Smile" continues the story of Eugenie de Boncoeur as she and Julien flee to England to escape the dangers of the French Revolution. It's been so long since I read the first book in the series that at first I struggled to get back into the story although once I did I quite enjoyed it. There is far more action than in "The Pale Assassin" and the love triangle between Eugenie, her cousin Hetta and Julien gives the book a bit of spice.

[Pamela · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love historical fiction! (I'm very glad that I was not a French aristocrat during the revolution!) This book was just as good as the first book in the series, "The Pale Assassin". The story moves along swiftly and I enjoyed all of the characters. They all had different roles to play in the events of the revolution and it was interesting to see history from different perspectives.

[Hallie]

This is a toss-up between currently reading and life's too short. Got it as a hopeful contender for 'romp' in the period (roughly) from 1660 to 1914, but I'm not sure it'll fit, and I'm pretty sure it's not my kind of book at all.

Life's too short won. So not my kind of book, and not needed for That Was Then, so...

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this sequel. Perhaps more so than The Pale Assassin, as with this one I was rather involved from beginning to end. Maybe it went a little slow to begin with, but not as much as the previous book, and although it seemed a slow read, I finished it the next day! Although it gave a satisfactory ending, I do find myself wishing for a third instalment.

[Erica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great historical fiction set during the French Revolution. I really liked the historical details and the characters. In this second part, the story takes place mostly in England. Very interesting view of the Revolution from the English side of things. Definitely takes a better young adult reader to really appreciate the story. Rather refreshing that this is it! No trilogy or series here!

[Amy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I never would have guessed that this was a sequel. It stands alone just fine. I will look for the first book though, because I highly enjoyed this one. The bad guys were creepy, the girls were brave and intelligent, and it was an interesting look at the chaotic time of the French Revolution.