Title: The Queen’s Dressmaker: A heartbreaking historical romance novel in the time of Marie Antoinette
Author: Meghan Masterson
Publisher: Bookouture
Copyright: March 19, 2021
ISBN: 978-1800193888
ASIN: B08SW3F6YK
Format: E-Book, 292 Pages
Genres: Historical Fiction, Historical Romance, Historical Fiction Inspired by Historical Events
Summary
Everything sparkles inside the French court, and nothing shines brighter than Queen Marie Antoinette. But on the grim streets of Paris, the people are starving and revolution is in the air. Soon one woman must choose between her queen or the man she loves.
As part of Marie Antoinette’s household, Giselle ensures the queen is always perfectly dressed in opulent gowns, without a feather or ruffle out of place. Being so close to power comes with benefits, and Giselle admires the queen’s kindness and style. But her position also makes her a perfect target for enemies of the Crown…
The palace of Versailles shimmers with gilt, crystal, mirrors and silk. Life within its walls is governed by a complex set of rules that are a million miles away from Giselle’s respectable, but modest, upbringing in Paris. On a visit home to her own family, Giselle is caught in the middle of a violent street riot. When dashing Léon comes to her aid, she falls madly in love with the young, idealistic revolutionary, as the French capital burns around them.
Giselle begins sewing the tricolor rosettes of the revolution, which she conceals beneath her clothes. Guiltily hiding them from the queen, who has only ever shown her friendship, she arranges secret meetings with her new love whenever she can slip away from her duties. But outside Versailles, people are angry and soon the mob breaks down the doors of this enchanted palace, forcing Giselle’s two worlds to collide.
With the lives of the royal family at stake and Léon rising within the ranks of the revolutionaries, Giselle faces a heart-wrenching choice. She is asked to help the monarchs escape France but this means risking the guillotine herself… Will she take the chance to save the life of her beloved queen? And can she do so without betraying the man she loves?
Review
In the twilight years of the French monarchy, Giselle serves Queen Marie Antoinette and helps her to perfect her appearance. Outside the palace walls, the common people are in uproar and protest in the streets. At Versailles, the facade of normalcy exists but Giselle starts to see that everything is not as it seems. The closer Giselle gets to the queen the more she sees the heavy burdens that weigh on her shoulders. One day while caught up in a violent riot, she meets the prepossessing Léon, a young man who believes in the revolutionary ideals. A romance blossoms between Giselle and this mysterious young man despite their difference of opinion. She sympathizes with the queen and the rest of the royal family when it is unpopular to do so. Will Giselle be able to survive the violence and brutality of the French Revolution?
The Queen’s Dressmaker is a tale about loyalty and love. It is the balance between these two that drives the story. Giselle faces a conundrum: loyalty to the queen she adores and the love she feels for a young revolutionary. This book was one that I enjoyed immensely. It certainly has a very unique and interesting take on the last years of the Ancien Régime and the nascent French Revolution. It was fascinating being able to glimpse into both worlds through Giselle’s eyes. Overall, the characterization was impressive, especially with the depiction of the historical figures such as Marie Antoinette and her devoted friend, Madame Campan. As for the fictional characters, I was very fond of Léon with his confident and sometimes devil-may-care personality. I unfortunately was not as fond of Giselle as a character. She came across as being loyal but flighty and inconsistent, at times. The pace of the story was consistent and the plot was fairly solid. Needless to say, this story was one that immediately pulled me in. The struggles of the Reign of Terror felt so real!
I graciously received this complimentary copy of The Queen’s Dressmaker by Bookouture and Netgalley. All ideas and thoughts expressed herein are my own.
