Vellum Voyages

4 helms

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A Loveswept title! I'm so glad they are publishing again & have branched out into historicals. I didn't realise they were publishing historicals until I came across "To Steal a Heart". It's all very exciting as I devoured these from my local library when I was in high school and they really cemented my love for romance novels :) It felt like a happy reunion reading a Loveswept & what a great debut for K.C Bateman! As well as writing romance and c-owning an auction house, she also appears in Bargain Hunt which I love watching! Double yay! Romance & historical information, what an arsenal she has under her belt!

This book is well written and fast paced with interesting characters and an intriguing historical period of the French Revolution. It was an absolute delight to read! Marianne Bonnard works for a circus in Paris as a tightrope walker. She is also the best thief in Paris! Nicolas Vallard, a spy for Joseph Fouché of The Secret Police, needs her skills for an important mission. He catches her trying to plant incriminating papers in his home, plotted by her evil cousin Duval who controls Marianne & her sister Sophie's lives. Forced into servitude to Duval, Marianne is always looking out for her sister & looking for ways to escape his clutches. This presents itself in the way of Nicolas Vallard who rescues them both but also steals Marianne's heart in the process!

I loved both Marianne & Nicolas! Marianne is a feisty heroine & I admired her strength, courage & attitude. She's a hard woman to break even though life had been unkind to her. Nicolas is a strong hero who is strong, driven and sensual. Just the perfect match for Marianne! The characters & language were very modern with a historical backdrop. I didn't feel thoroughly immersed into historical France but had France as the setting. It didn't bother me too much, but it was definitely noticeable. I loved the last scene of the book which was the proposal! I found it utterly romantic & he proposed with a necklace! My husband proposed to me the same way with a necklace instead of a ring, so I might be biased ;)

A thoroughly enjoyable read & I'm really looking forward to reading about Raven & Heloise in the next installment :)