February Featured Novel - Mistress of the Revolution by Catherine Delors

I have saved one of the bests for last. This is the novel that made me want to read more about the French Revolution. Mistress of the Revolution: A Novel by Catherine Delors is a superbly written epic novel. The characters are well-written, the storylines gripping, and rich descriptions flow througout its pages.

This is the story of a young noblewoman, Gabrielle de Montserrat, who makes the dreadful mistake of falling in love with commoner Pierre-Andre Coffinhal. Her brother forbids their union and forces her into a marriage to an aging and wealthy cousin who mistreats her.

After the sudden and unexpected death of her abusive husband, Gabrielle goes to Paris to make a life for her and her young daughter, Aimee. As the threat of revolution hangs overhead, Gabrielle becomes a kept woman and a lady in the court of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette. When Gabrielle is faced with the guillotine, she reaches out to Pierre-Andre, who had fled to Paris to become a lawyer when he was denied her hand in marriage. The two lovers search for a way to hold onto each other, as violence swirls around them; pulling everyone and everything into its grasp.

Told in first person by Gabrielle, this is a powerful story of forbidden love. I remember the late nights I spent staying up to read just one more page--which always turned into at least ten more pages. I couldn't put the book down, and as soon as I was done, I wanted to read it again.

You can read my full review here.

The paperback version of Mistress of the Revolution is due out at the beginning of March, so make sure you stop by Amazon.com and pre-order a copy. You can also find out more about the book and its author at http://catherinedelors.com/

You don't want to miss this one!