Heather’s Bookshelf: Madam in Lace
Author: Gini Grossenbacher
Released: 11/29/21
Genre: Historical Fiction
“Not long after, she exhausted her tears and brushed the leaves off her skirt. The chateau sat in reverence, reflected against the duckpond. The breeze picked up, chilling her arms. From now on, as winter approached, she would need a warmer cloak. Before leaving for the house, she peered over her shoulder at the far wall. The horse had vanished; the whispering grasses and fields stretched kilometers to the sea.”
“Madam in Lace” is book 3 in the American Madams series, but can be read as a stand alone. It takes place mostly in 1857 Paris and introduces Celeste Bazin in search of her missing mother. Soon after her arrival, Celeste meets Carlo di Rudio, a revolutionary who’s part of a group to overthrow Emperor Napoleon III.
Carlo invites Celeste to stay with him and his group where they grow close. He approaches Celeste with a planned exchange. If Celeste assists the revolutionaries, they will take her to where they believe her mother to be. She reluctantly agrees, and travels with one of the more stoic men in their group, Odeon, to their assigned location.
Somewhere along the way, Odeon becomes more than just a travel companion. The pair work to find Celeste’s Maman while soon realizing her true whereabouts and the reason for her being there. Meanwhile, the revolution continues and everyone has their role to play. Will Celeste and Odeon be successful in their missions and will they make it out of France alive?
Trigger Warning: violence, reference to prostitution and brothels, sexual situations, reference to rape, sexual situations, animal death
Overall, I enjoyed this story. The premise and setting were both intriguing and the pacing of a majority of the novel was well done. There was enough mystery and urgency to keep me moving through the book in order to figure out what was happening and who was involved. The author did a fantastic job placing the reader in 1800s Paris. It was clear she visited and shared her first hand knowledge of Paris with significant research into the dress, language, food, etc. of the time frame. The descriptions were clear without being redundant. The way the author incorporated the French phrases also felt natural. I don’t speak French and felt the author did well in translating as needed while leaving common phrasing open (like Merci or Oui). I was drawn to Celeste as a character and found her likable and sympathetic. I also found the relationship with Maman to be emotional and tragic. The other main characters were well defined as well, though not as relatable to me, personally. There were some discussions between Odeon and Celeste that were in opposition to what ended up happening at the end of the story. While I understand circumstances changed, it felt a little forced and contributed to the ending which felt abrupt. I think an epilogue would have been an excellent addition to this story. Even a short one would have wrapped up the tale and felt much more complete. As it is part of a series, reading more of the individual stories within the series may help resolve this.
I received a copy of this story in exchange of a fair and honest review.
OVERALL REVIEW:
A young woman finds herself, love, and mystery while searching for her Maman in 1800’s Paris. A likeable protagonist and well-developed setting are a little halted by an abrupt ending.
Want to learn more about the author?
Check out my interview with Gini Grossenbacher
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Find it for purchase here or Kindle Unlimited
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