A Refuge Assured

February 1, 2018

In this evocative tale, Vivienne Rivard, a Parisian lacemaker for the court of Marie Antoinette, barely escapes with her life as the French Revolution breaks out. Boarding a ship to America, she lands at the French settlement of Azilum in Pennsylvania. There she meets Liam Delaney, a veteran of the American Revolution, who is gradually pulled into the Whiskey Rebellion of 1791. Both long for safety and security, but when Vivienne becomes the caretaker for a young boy believed to be the Dauphin, heir to the French throne, life becomes complicated and dangerous. VERDICT Green (The Mark of the King) has written a complex, compelling historical romance that brings a less-familiar part of American history to life. Its themes of faith and perseverance will appeal to many readers of the genre.

Copyright 2018 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from January 1, 2018
French lace-maker Vivienne Rivard once kept the queen in the latest fashions, but in 1792, violent revolutionaries see her trade as treason to the new French Republic. She escapes to Pennsylvania only to face hostile extremists in Philadelphia's French Quarter. Liam Delaney served in the Revolutionary War but now finds himself forced to choose between the liberty he fought for and the law that seems to negate it. When they fall in love, both Vivienne and Liam try to find a middle way on precarious ground until the hunt for France's missing heir ignites rumors that the boy king may be hiding in their midst. Vivienne and Liam will risk everything to secure their refuge. Green (The Mark of the King, 2017) outdoes herself in this grand novel, which instantly ranks as a must-read work of historical inspirational fiction. As Green poignantly captures the dangerous conflict between liberty and order in postrevolutionary societies, she does not gloss over atrocities committed in the name of change. Her characters and their predicaments are captivating, especially Vivienne, a female protagonist with both moral and political resolve. Green's writing is almost overwhelming in its sensory detail and very special power, and readers will remain breathless to the very end.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2018, American Library Association.)