This is a fascinating French historical fiction set in Revolutionary Paris.

Livia is an honorable doctor's daughter, far from her Italian homeland, forced into a cold marriage with a diplomat to the crown. Her husband's occupation forces her into French high society, making her wish she could return to simpler times, healing people at her father's side. Through her husband's connections, she meets Elisabetta, courtesan to Napoleon III. They forge an unlikely friendship as Elisabetta appreciates Livia's naivete and honesty, as threats to the Crown and conspiracies constantly surround her. After Livia saves her life from a botched assassination attempt on Napoleon, the two become inseparable friends.

I really enjoyed this book. It was engaging from the first page and I was reluctant to put it down. While it was obvious the story is about the partnership between Livia and Elisabetta and the power they wield in a world of political intrigue, I really liked the realistic growth of the relationship between Livia and her husband, Niccolo. It was a gradual and mutual development of trust and admiration of their histories. Masterson has a way of making her characters jump off the page and you find yourself rooting for their success and sympathizing when they've experienced low points.

I would willingly read anything else by Meghan Masterson and look forward to her other books.

I received this book from NetGalley for an honest review.

This was just the most beautiful book, from it's gorgeous cover to the immersive storyline. I haven't read anything quite as engaging as this in recent years! If you enjoy historical fiction this books definitely one for you! A most definitely ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

I love period pieces, especially those that take place in the 19th Century. This is a story about Livia, the daughter of a doctor, who has a fascination with poisons. The story follows her in the present as she has recently married and moved to Paris, and in the past four months as she recounts the story of her hastily marriage and exit from Italy. The books is also historical fiction that focuses on Italy’s struggle for independence from the Austrians and the need to get the aid of Napoleon III and the French. Such a good read.

I haven’t read much historical fiction set in the days of Napoleon III’s empire. I liked Livia. She was gutsy, honest, and a healer. I really enjoyed all the excerpts at the beginning of each chapter and all the herbal remedies Livia used in the book. I really liked Niccolo.. He was an upstanding loyal man, willing to love his family no matter what. The political intrigue part of the book kept my interest. I think readers will identify with the themes in the novel: betrayal, deception belied with goodness and honesty. I enjoyed reading this book.

An enjoyable historical fiction novel. I was transported to Paris in the mid 1850s with the Carbonari (Italian radicals) plotting against the French Emperor, Napoleon III, in an effort to get him to back them in their attempts to release Piemonte from Austrian rule.
A doctor’s daughter from the Italian countryside, Livia and her new husband arrive in Paris, sent by Conte Cavour to try to influence the French Emperor. Livia soon finds a friend, Elizabetta, the Emperor’s mistress, who takes Livia under her wing.

This is also a slow-burn romance between a husband and wife in their marriage of convenience. As a physician and avid gardener, I appreciated the details of botanicals, poisons, and their uses. This was an engrossing, richly-imagined historical novel about women in a man’s world.