Most of the historical fiction I read takes place in England but I do enjoy crossing “the pond” to visit France now and again. I thank Kate Murdoch for sending me a copy of her book, The Orange Grove at no charge for my honest review. Be sure to click the heart button if you like this post and to share/save it
About The Orange Grove:
Blois, 1705. The château of Duc Hugo d’Amboise simmers with rivalry and intrigue. Henriette d’Augustin, one of five mistresses of the duc, lives at the chateau with her daughter. When the duc’s wife, Duchesse Charlotte, maliciously undermines a new mistress, Letitia, Henriette is forced to choose between position and morality. She fights to maintain her status whilst targeted by the duchesse who will do anything to harm her enemies. The arrival of charismatic tarot reader, Romain de Villiers, further escalates tensions as rivals in love and domestic politics strive for supremacy. In a society where status is a matter of life and death, Henriette must stay true to herself, her daughter, and her heart, all the while hiding a painful secret of her own.
About the Author:
Kate Murdoch is the author of Stone Circle. She exhibited widely as a painter both in Australia and internationally before turning her hand to writing.
Her short-form fiction has been published in various literary journals in Australia, UK, US and Canada.
Stone Circle is a historical fantasy novel set in Renaissance Italy. It was released by Fireship Press December 1st 2017. Stone Circle was a First in Category winner in the Chaucer Awards 2018 for pre-1750’s historical fiction.
Kate has been awarded a KSP Fellowship at the KSP Writers’ Centre in 2019 to develop her third novel, The Glasshouse.
Her novel, The Orange Grove, about the passions and intrigues of court mistresses in 18th century France, is published by Regal House Publishing.
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My Opinon:
This isn’t so much historical fiction as it is a character study or maybe a relationship drama. While it takes place in 18th century France the drama between the mistresses of the Duc D’Amboise is full of everyday petty jealousies and the normal interactions between women vying for the attentions of a man. Until he brings home a new, young mistress.
Suddenly this young woman draws all of his attention and the others, his wife included are not happy. How they all deal with the situation is the crux of the story. They do get some help from a fortune teller along the way.
The book is not historical fiction in the sense that it takes the reader to an important date in history or shares the life of a famous king or queen. It does take you into the past for a fast paced read with some occasional violent and some racy situations. The different mistresses are quite a houseful and I wonder that the Duc was in his right mind but, hey – that’s me. No matter, the book is a very diverting way to spend an afternoon and heaven knows we all need a diversion these days.
Rating:
4
