Monday, January 22, 2018

A Refuge Assured



Despite her former occupation as a lacemaker to royalty, Vivienne Rivard manages to escape the guillotine, flees France and its roiling revolution, and finds herself in Philadelphia.  She finds work as a baker and a room in the French Quarter, but soon feels the need to flee yet again to protect a young boy left in her care.  Will a new French settlement in the wilderness of Pennsylvania finally bring her the peace, safety, and family she has always craved?

Liam Delaney fought in the American Revolution, but struggles to accept the oppressive laws and taxes the newly formed government has begun to impose on the people.  Despite his desire to live peacefully on his farm near the French asylum settlement, he continually finds himself torn between protecting his rights and defending his country.  Though Liam and Vivienne soon form a friendship, that may very well lead to more, neither one seems to ever feel truly safe.  Can their love survive such turbulent times?

Jocelyn Green shows readers a fascinating glimpse of revolutionary France and post-revolution America in A Refuge Assured.  Between the shocking violence and gore of the French Revolution, the struggle to establish an American government, and the complicated relationship between the two countries, I learned a great deal that challenged my view of history.  While I understood Green's graphic and realistic portrayal of the French Revolution, I wonder if she also over-romanticized the toppled French monarchy.  Did they deserve gruesome deaths?  No.  Were they innocent of wrongdoing?  Equally, no.  Perhaps my rebellious American roots run too deep, but I had a difficult time feeling compassion for the "poor, displaced" French aristocrats who found themselves still living in luxury in America.  Vivienne's choice to live among and align herself with them sat ill with me.  Such a decision seems to fly in the face of her hard-working, determined, and self-sufficient character.  That said, Vivienne was otherwise a worthy protagonist, and Liam a perfectly swoon-worthy male lead.  With compelling characters, plenty of intrigue, and wonderful historical detail, A Refuge Assured is certainly worth reading.

I received a free copy from the publisher.  No review was required, and all opinions are my own.

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