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tly bred noblewoman adrienne lafayette becomes her husband s political partner in the fight for american independence but when their idealism sparks revolution in france and the guillotine threatens everything she holds dear adrienne must choose to renounce the complicated man she loves or risk her life for a legacy that will inspire generations to come a daring visionary 1914 glittering new york socialite beatrice astor chanler is a force of nature daunted by nothing not her humble beginnings her crumbling marriage or the outbreak of war but after witnessing the devastation in france and delivering war relief over dangerous seas beatrice takes on the challenge of a lifetime convincing america to fight for what s right a reluctant resistor 1940 french school teacher and aspiring artist marthe simone has an orphan s self reliance and wants nothing to do with war but as the realities of nazi occupation transform her life in the isolated castle where she came of age she makes a discovery that calls into question who she is and more importantly who she is willing to become intricately woven and beautifully told the women of chateau lafayette is a sweeping novel about duty and hope love and courage and the strength we find from standing together in honor of those who came before us amazon pre order add to your goodreads list sign up for stephanie s newsletter q a with stephanie dray what made you fall in love with adrienne lafayette and why do you think readers will fall for her as you did thanks to a popular musical the marquis de lafayette is known to a new generation as america s favorite fighting frenchman and there s good reason for that he s easily the most lovable of our founding fathers and his wife whom he called his dear heart is just as lovable if not more so adrienne was our french founding mother so right up my alley as a heroine but at first i worried she was too sweet devoted and forgiving in short too gentle for a novel little did i realize that more than any other historical heroine i ve ever written adrienne fought and sacrificed for her principles courageously threw herself into danger confronted tyrants and endured trials that would have broken lesser mortals she truly humbles me and when i talk about the lafayette legacy i think of it as every bit as much hers as it is his how long did it take you to write this book did the story evolve as you researched or did you always know you wanted to take on the lives of these particular women i was always interested in lafayette an interest that grew as laura kamoie and i co authored america s first daughter and my dear hamilton i think i had the germ of the idea for a lafayette novel at least seven years ago but i had other projects in the way and i was always in search of an angle that would be fresh and unique that came to me when i discovered that lafayette s castle in auvergne which had been purchased and renovated by americans served to shelter jewish children from the nazis knowing how deeply the lafayettes both felt about religious freedom i knew this would have pleased them and it touched me i was then determined to know which americans had purchased the chateau and when i found out yet another glorious chapter in the lafayette legacy was born that s when the story took shape for me about one special place on this earth where generation after generation faith has been kept with principles of liberty and humanity i find that very inspirational now more than ever the book is centered around lafayette s castle the château de chavaniac and the pivotal role it played during three of history s darkest hours the french revolution and both world wars if you could have dinner with any three people dead or alive at chavaniac who would you choose and why believe it or not this is actually a difficult choice because so many incredible men and women passed through those doors i d have to start with the lafayettes though i hope they would not serve me pigeons which were a favorite at their wedding banquet to join us for dinner i d choose the colorful stage star of the belle epoque beatrice chanler because she was a force of nature without whom chavaniac might not still be standing actress artist philanthropist decorated war relief worker and so called queen of the social register she was as mysterious as she was wonderful and even after all the startling discoveries i made researching her larger than life existence i have a million questions about the early life she tried so hard to hide i can t wait for readers to meet her thewomenofchateaulafayette stephaniedray stephaniedraycoverreveal coverreveal historicalfiction 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels 20th century france stephanie dray versailles wednesday june 17 2020 mailbox monday sisi empress on her own by allison pataki in this sweeping and powerful novel new york times bestselling author allison pataki tells the little known story of empress elisabeth of austria hungary the princess diana of her time an enthralling work of historical fiction set during the golden age of the habsburg court sisi is a gripping page turner for readers of philippa gregory paula mclain and daisy goodwin married to emperor franz joseph elisabeth fondly known as sisi captures the hearts of her people as their fairy queen but beneath that dazzling perception lives a far more complex figure in mid nineteenth century vienna the halls of the hofburg palace buzz not only with imperial waltzes and champagne but also with temptations rivals and cutthroat intrigue sisi grows restless feeling stifled by strict protocols and a turbulent marriage a free spirited wanderer she finds solace at her estate outside budapest where she enjoys visits from the striking hungarian statesman count andrássy the man with whom she s unwittingly fallen in love but tragic news brings sisi out of seclusion forcing her to return to her capital and a world of gossip envy and sorrow where a dangerous fate lurks in the shadows through love affairs and loss sisi struggles against the conflicting desires to keep her family together or to flee amid the collapse of her suffocating marriage and the gathering tumult of the first world war in an age of crumbling monarchies sisi fights to assert her right to the throne beside her husband to win the love of her people and the world and to save an empire but in the end can she save herself crazy rich asians by kevin kwan book 1 when rachel chu agrees to spend the summer in singapore with her boyfriend nicholas young she envisions a humble family home long drives to explore the island and quality time with the man she might one day marry what she doesn t know is that nick s family home happens to look like a palace that she ll ride in more private planes than cars and that with one of asia s most eligible bachelors on her arm rachel might as well have a target on her back initiated into a world of dynastic splendor beyond imagination rachel meets astrid the it girl of singapore society eddie whose family practically lives in the pages of the hong kong socialite magazines and eleanor nick s formidable mother a woman who has very strong feelings about who her son should and should not marry uproarious addictive and filled with jaw dropping opulence crazy rich asians is an insider s look at the asian jetset a perfect depiction of the clash between old money and new money between overseas chinese and mainland chinese and a fabulous novel about what it means to be young in love and gloriously crazily rich china rich girlfriend by kevin kwan book 2 it s the eve of rachel chu s wedding and she should be over the moon she has a flawless asscher cut diamond a wedding dress she loves and a fiancé willing to thwart his meddling relatives and give up one of the biggest fortunes in asia in order to marry her still rachel mourns the fact that her birthfather a man she never knew won t be there to walk her down the aisle then a chance accident reveals his identity suddenly rachel is drawn into a dizzying world of shanghai splendor a world where people attend church in a penthouse where exotic cars race down the boulevard and where people aren t just crazy rich they re china rich rich people problems by kevin kwan book 3 kevin kwan bestselling author of crazy rich asians and china rich girlfriend is back with an uproarious new novel featuring a family driven by fortune an ex wife driven psychotic with jealousy a battle royal fought through couture gown sabotage and the heir to one of asia s greatest fortunes locked out of his inheritance when nicholas young hears that his grandmother su yi is on her deathbed he rushes to be by her bedside but he s not alone the entire shang young clan has convened from all corners of the globe to stake claim to their matriarch s massive fortune with each family member vying to inherit tyersall park a trophy estate on sixty four prime acres in the heart of singapore nicholas childhood home turns into a hotbed of backbiting and intrigue as su yi s relatives fight over heirlooms astrid leong is at the center of her own storm desperately in love with her old sweetheart charlie wu but tormented by her ex husband a man hell bent on destroying astrid s reputation and relationship meanwhile kitty pong married to china s second richest man jack bing still feels upstaged by her new stepdaughter famous fashionista colette bing in this sweeping tale that takes us from the elegantly appointed mansions of manila to the secluded private islands in the sulu sea from a kidnapping at hong kong s most elite private school to a surprise marriage proposal at an indian palace that is caught on camera by the telephoto lenses of paparazzi kevin kwan hilariously reveals the long buried secrets of asia s most privileged families and their rich people problems 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels 21st century mailbox monday monday october 28 2019 mailbox monday allison pataki the accidental empress new york times bestselling author allison pataki follows up on her critically acclaimed debut novel the traitor s wife with the little known and tumultuous love story of sisi the austro hungarian empress and captivating wife of emperor franz joseph the year is 1853 and the habsburgs are europe s most powerful ruling family with his empire stretching from austria to russia from germany to italy emperor franz joseph is young rich and ready to marry fifteen year old elisabeth sisi duchess of bavaria travels to the habsburg court with her older sister who is betrothed to the young emperor but shortly after her arrival at court sisi finds herself in an unexpected dilemma she has inadvertently fallen for and won the heart of her sister s groom franz joseph reneges on his earlier proposal and declares his intention to marry sisi instead thrust onto the throne of europe s most treacherous imperial court sisi upsets political and familial loyalties in her quest to win and keep the love of her emperor her people and of the world with pataki s rich period detail and cast of complex bewitching characters the accidental empress offers a captivating glimpse into one of history s most intriguing royal families shedding new light on the glittering hapsburg empire and its most mesmerizing most beloved fairy queen buy it on amazon here 1 comment email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels 19th century allison pataki austria mailbox monday sisi the accidental empress friday september 06 2019 in my mailbox this week ribbons of scarlet hello historical fiction lovers i know it has been a really really long time since i have posted anything here but do not think for one second i have forgotten about you i took a break from books because i was making some major changes in my life now that things have settled down i accepted this beautiful arc from sophie perinot to read i am excited about this one because of the authors that collaborated to bring this read together many are long time favorites i have already started it and i already can tell it is going to be a great read even though i am only a few pages into it it will be available for purchase on october 1 2019 pre order here on amazon i look forward to posting my review on six bestselling and award winning authors bring to life a breathtaking epic novel illuminating the hopes desires and destinies of princesses and peasants harlots and wives fanatics and philosophers six unforgettable women whose paths cross during one of the most tumultuous and transformative events in history the french revolution ribbons of scarlet is a timely story of the power of women to start a revolution and change the world in late eighteenth century france women do not have a place in politics but as the tide of revolution rises women from gilded salons to the streets of paris decide otherwise upending a world order that has long oppressed them blue blooded sophie de grouchy believes in democracy education and equal rights for women and marries the only man in paris who agrees emboldened to fight the injustices of king louis xvi sophie aims to prove that an educated populace can govern itself but one of her students fruit seller louise audu is hungrier for bread and vengeance than learning when the bastille falls and louise leads a women s march to versailles the monarchy is forced to bend but not without a fight the king s pious sister princess elisabeth takes a stand to defend her brother spirit her family to safety and restore the old order even at the risk of her head but when fanatics use the newspapers to twist the revolution s ideals into a new tyranny even the women who toppled the monarchy are threatened by the guillotine putting her faith in the pen brilliant political wife manon roland tries to write a way out of france s blood soaked reign of terror while pike bearing pauline leon and steely charlotte corday embrace violence as the only way to save the nation with justice corrupted by revenge all the women must make impossible choices to survive unless unlikely heroine and courtesan s daughter emilie de sainte amaranthe can sway the man who controls france s fate the fearsome robespierre historicalfiction militaryhistoricalfiction h istoricalfictionanthologies warfiction katequinn stephaniedray laurakamoie e knight sophieperinot heatherwebb allisonpataki frenchrevolution no comments email this blogthis share to x share to facebook share to pinterest labels 18th century allison pataki france french revolution heather webb kate quinn mailbox monday ribbons of scarlett sophie perinot stephanie dray monday june 19 2017 mailbox monday feast of sorrow by crystal king feast of sorrow by crystal king set amongst the scandal wealth and upstairs downstairs politics of a roman family crystal king s seminal debut features the man who inspired the world s oldest cookbook and the ambition that led to hi...