Top Ten Tuesday: Historical Fiction Novels set in France

 Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week's theme is Books Set in/Take Place During X (Pick a place, time, era, etc. Examples: Books set in Europe/Italy/Australia/Chicago, books set in Regency England, books that take place during the 1900s, books set in imaginary worlds/post-apocalyptic/dystopian worlds, books set on the ocean, books set it castles, books that take place during WW2, etc.)

On a recent post Deb from Readerbuzz asked me to do a post on historical fiction set in France. Challenge accepted Deb!

When I read books set in France, they are most often either contemporary stories about people moving to France (usually from the UK) or they are set during WWII. For the purposes of today's exercise I am going to mostly books avoid set during WWII as I could probably do multiple TTT posts on that theme. The books I have chosen are mostly shown in chronological order. There are some relatively old books on the list too!

Let's get started.

The Summer Queen by Elizabeth Chadwick - Eleanor of Aquitaine is a woman who I have read quite a bit about. I find her completely fascinating. Did you know that she is the only woman who was queen of both France and England and a major landowner in her own right? This is the first book in a trilogy about her life and it starts in 1137

The Confessions of Catherine de Medici by C W Gortner - Catherine de Medici is another fascinating woman from history, although her life and actions are much darker. A member of the famous Italian Medici family, Catherine married the man who became Henri II. This books starts in 1527 and charts the tumultuous reigns of both her husband and her son. We visited the beautiful chateau at Chennonceaux when we went to France a couple of years ago. This was one of her homes after she confiscated it from her husband's lover following his death. (My review)

The Dark Queen by Susan Carroll - This is the first in the Faire Isle trilogy which is set in the 1570s during Catherine de Medici's reign. In theory, this is a romance, but it is firmly based in history, albeit with a bit of witchcraft thrown in. This whole trilogy is excellent and I was obsessed with them for a while. (My review)

Angelique by Sergeanne Golon - If you want to read a rip roaring, huge and epic novel try this series which was originally published in 1957. This book starts in 1648 and Angelique gets into all sorts of adventures throughout the series. At various times she is welcomed at the highest levels of court, at others she lives with the poorest of the poor. At one point later in the series she is even captured by pirates. Towards the end of the series it all gets a bit silly but the early books are spectacular.  (My review)

An Astronomer in Love by Antoine Laurain - Antoine Laurain is the first of three French authors I have in this list. In this book Antoine Laurain tells the story of Guillaume Joseph Hyacinthe Jean-Baptiste Le Gentil de La Galaisiere, astronomer to the Academie Royale des Sciences who is chasing the first of two Transits of Venus which occurred during the 1760s.  (My review)

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland - This book is the first in a trilogy that tells the story of the woman who we now know as Josephine Bonaparte. This story starts 1777 when we first meet young Rose, a planters daughter from Martinique in the Carribean. This author has also written about a couple of other infamous women who were mistresses of kings (My review)

Champagne Widows by Rebecca Rosenberg  - This story starts in the late 1790s and tells the story of a young woman called Barbe-Nicole Ponsardin, who we now remember more famously as Veuve Cliquot - the widow Cliquot. This tells the story of how this remarkable woman revolutionised the champagne industry. (My review)

For the King by Catherine Delors - Set in 1800, this book tells the story of an assassination plot against Napoleon. Delors is a French author. I read a couple of her books and really liked them but apparently never reviewed them! 

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - What a huge book this is! It took me a good couple of months to gt through this story that starts in 1815 and follows the political upheaval through to the 1830s. This story would be as well known through the musical and movies as it from the book, but I am glad that I took the time to read it a few years ago. (My thoughts)

A Bakery in Paris by Aimie K Runyan - This is the most recent historical novel that I have read set in France (as at the time when I am writing the post any way). This is a dual timeline set in the 1870s and in the immediate aftermath of WWII in 1946. I did say I was going to avoid WWII but I really wanted to include this book because of the 1870s storyline which is about the Prussian siege of Paris and the subsequent uprising of the Communards. (My review)

I am sure that there are lots of other books I could have included on this list. What books would you add?

I am also sharing this post as part of Paris in July, hosted by Emma at Words and Peace.

Top Ten Tuesday: Books Set in Paris

Welcome to this week's edition of Top Ten Tuesday which is hosted by That Artsy Reader Girl. This week is a freebie topic.

A couple of months ago, I did a TTT post all about books set in places I would like to visit. The surprising thing was that there were no books set in Paris on that list, but there as a reason for that. I already knew that for this freebie topic I was going to combine Top Ten Tuesday with Paris In July and feature books I've read set in Paris.

Die for Me and Until I Die by Amy Plum - These are the first two books in a YA paranormal series set in Paris. This is one of those cases where the cover gods smile on an author not once or twice. I did enjoy the books but haven't read any more.

Anna and the French Kiss by Stephanie Perkins - This is another YA book but no vampires or werewolves in sight. In this book a young girl moves to Paris to go to school. A while ago someone on a TTT post mentioned that there is going to be a special edition cover so I just had to buy it.

For the King by Catherine Delors - I read this book years ago and enjoyed it. It is set in Paris when a police inspector must investigate a failed assassination attempt against Napoleon.

Paris, My Sweet by Amy Thomas - A New York girl moves to Paris for a year and goes on the hunt for the perfect dessert! This is one book that made me yearn to go to Paris.

The Chocolate Kiss by  Laura Florand (or really any of her books)- I mentioned The Chocolate Thief last week, but all of her books are set in France and often feature lots of food. If you like a bit of romance featuring hot French guys with delicious food, this is an author for you!

French Milk by Lucy Knisley - This is a graphic novel about a young woman's trip to Paris with her mother. It's not my favourite Lucy Knisley book but it did make me want to visit. Then again, you're possibly noticing that is a theme for all the books in this post!

The Little Bookshop on the Seine by Rebecca Raisin - A bookseller swaps her life in small town America for a busy bookshop in Paris. This was my first novel by Rebecca Raisin, but I have read another couple since, and will read more.

Almost Paris by Sarah Turnbull - An Australian woman makes an implulsive decision to move to Paris to live with the French man she has just met. This book explores the cultural differences that she encountered. (review here)

The Many Lives and Secret Sorrows of Josephine B by Sandra Gulland - Sandra Gulland has written a number of historical fiction novels set in France. This is the first in the trilogy focussing on the life of Josephine Bonaparte.(review here)

Les Miserables by Victor Hugo - I am not sure what I need to say about this book other than it is a story of the French revolution.

Currently Reading: For the King by Catherine Delors

I have been thinking about ways I can share reactions and thoughts about a book without necessarily writing a review, so I am thinking that I might start writing a few "Currently Reading" posts. They will mostly be commentary on things like book trailers, or covers, with the synopsis or random thoughts. Who knows really, could be anything. Don't worry, there still will be some reviews!

For my first post I wanted to share the cover for Catherine Delors upcoming release For the King (coming out on July 8). When I first saw the cover for this book online, I liked it, but it was when I saw the actually cover, that I realised just how gorgeous it is. This is because when you look at the whole cover you can see the clever way that the picture wraps around the spine on the dust jacket.

Catherine Delors just posted on her blog showing the whole dust jacket, so you can see the whole image, and also how the colour on the back of the book reflects the colour of the dress on the front. Click on the link above for a larger version of the picture below.


Kudos to the cover designer of this book!

For a taste of what this book is about, here is the book trailer:

Double Teaser Tuesday

This week I thought I would share two teasers. One is from a book that I just started, and the other is from a book that I just finished, and really enjoyed.

The first teaser comes from page 138 of For the King by Catherine Delors. This book centres around a failed assassination attempt against Napoleon Bonaparte in Paris in 1800. I have to say this cover looks good, but in real life it is absolutely gorgeous, with the woman in the dress wrapping around the spine of the book. So pretty!

It is about time, Madame Coudert, for you to realize that what you want, or don't want, doesn't matter in the least." His voice was down to a hiss now. "I am asking you to something for the cause, and I fully expect you to comply."

The second teaser comes from The Shadowy Horses by Susanna Kearsley which I finished earlier today. This is the third book I have read from this author, and they have all been excellent so far, including this one!  I need to get hold of her entire back list so that I can have them here for whenever I need to fall into a book and lose myself in her world.

The teaser comes from page 242:

" Well you do choose your moments, don't you? I mean, we're practically standing on a drunken man, and my students are just round the corner, and Peter could be back at any minute..."

"Just experimenting."

Teaser Tuesday is host by Miz B at Should Be Reading. Head on over to find out all about it, and how to join in!