Publisher: Shadow Mountain Publishing,  June 6, 2023

Format: ebook

Pages: 368

Rating: 5/5 stars

Summary (Goodreads):

A soldier and a young woman, on opposite sides of the revolution, must run for their lives across a war-torn France in this gripping novel of friendship, love, and survival.

France, 1794

Maxence Étienne, a soldier for the République, believes fiercely in the revolution that is bringing liberty to France. But even though the monarchy has fallen and Maxence is part of a great cause, he is still searching for a place to belong.

Armelle Bernard is a young woman from Breton whose father was sentenced to death for hiding counterrevolutionaries. She decides to confront the priest who betrayed her father, and as the conflict escalates, she herself is ordered to be executed—an order to be carried out by Maxence.

Maxence has seen his share of violence and bloodshed, but he also carries a tragic secret and can’t bring himself to carry out his assignment. In allowing Armelle to escape, he is forced to combat a fellow soldier, who dies in the struggle.

Though Armelle and Maxence are strangers and on opposite sides of the revolution, they find themselves united as fugitives of the new republic. Now they must find a way to trust each other as they search for a path to peace, and to freedom.

My Review:

Read if you like: French Revolution history, forced proximity, opposites attract.
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While this isn’t necessarily part of a series, you might want to read the first book, Beyond the Lavender Fields first.
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Maxence is a revolutionary soldier who is ordered to execute a woman. When he lets her go instead, Armelle breaks him out of prison and the two begin a journey together.
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I loved this book so much. The development of Max and Armelle’s relationship was superbly done and I loved the French Revolution setting. I couldn’t stop reading and needed to know how their story ended.
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Thank you Shadow Mountain Publishing for the copy of this book.