I loved Genevieve’s fierceness and independence. I learned a lot about the Revolution and the story was very moving.
Many thanks to Le Vin Press and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

Wow! I'm so glad that I live when I do. Genevieve is quite the fighter and her adventure is one to remember.

This was a moving, very emotional novel that took place in France. Royals were facing the guillotine and the whole country was in danger. It was well written and I really enjoyed it. It’s an endearing historical fiction with a strong female protagonist and heartbreak at times. It’s book 2 of this series but can be read as a stand-alone.
Thanks IBPA via Netgalley.

Thanks to netgalley for supplying this advanced copy for the purpose of review.

Set during the French revolution this was an exciting and interesting read. I'm not familiar with this subject so found it to be fascinating. This was a roller coaster of a book which I thoroughly enjoyed.

Following Genevieve Fouquier-Tinville, daughter of the Public Prosecutor of the revolutionary government of 1793 France, Debra Borchet brings her readers into the heart of the French Revolution and the perils of Madame Guillotine. Genevieve, forced to dress as a man for safety and an education, persuades her father to let her work for him, and she uses this position to protect some from the guillotine. Her actions bring her in contact with someone from her more recent past, a meeting which will change the course of her life. The second book in the Chateau de Verzat series, Borchet has created a masterful, fascinating, compelling, and immersive sequel that continues to raise the stakes and invest readers in Genevieve’s story. The characters really shine through the pages of the novel as Borchet introduces her readers to new and familiar faces, adding complexity and character growth to many of them. Genevieve is a fascinating, lively, and courageous heroine whose story and journey are immersive and understandable. As for the setting in the French Revolution, Borchet brings the intensity, anger, and fear of the period to the pages of this novel, and she uses the settings and intensity to raise the stakes of Genevieve’s actions.

I completely loved this book, I did not know much about the French Revolution before this book. I love a strong, Courageous, self-reliant, and independent woman; Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville was this and much more. Debra Borchert's description and plot have me waking up at 1:30 a.m. wanting to read more as she could put the reader in another time in history. The many twists and turns in the story were entertaining and heartfelt at the same time the poor people of that time.

“If I had the same rights as a man, I would not have to dress like one.” This statement from the book said it all, I am so pleased I was born during my time, not with these poor women. Geneviève was a selfless heroine who may have broken the laws of the time but did it for the wellbeing of others. This powerful story is set in France and starts in 1793. Paris.

I was not aware that this was book two of the series where some of the characters talked about during this book are from book one. As I was not aware of this at the time I can strongly say this is a stand-alone read but as it is always great to start on book one you may want to do that one first "Her Own Legacy".

No one ever accused the social justice warriors of the French Revolution of moderation. In her Château de Verzat series, author Debra Borchert blends fact with fiction and personalizes the chaos, carnage, and brutality of the period through the stories of memorable heroines. Book 2, Her Own Revolution (4.5 stars from our team), centers on 17-year-old Geneviève, the daughter of public prosecutor Antoine Fouquier-Tinville, who pronounces death sentences for the Committee of Public Slaughter... oops...Safety.

A determined young woman, Geneviève had been impersonating a man to attend university until her cover was blown by fellow-student Louis de Lagarde, an aristocrat hiding his noble birth. Although she has reason to hate him for ruining her dreams, when she sees his name on a list of the condemned in her father's office, she embarks on a dangerous scheme to save his life and that of his pregnant mistress, Magdeleine, whom she befriends. All the while, she is planning to leave France and join her lover Henri Detré in America, where he fled with his sister, Joliette de Verzat, whose story was told in Book 1 of the series.

It's 1793. Some sixty women's clubs have just been shut down. Olympe de Gouges, feminist author of the Declaration of the Rights of Woman and of the Female Citizen (1791) is under arrest and soon to go to the guillotine like so many others who supported the revolution. Geneviève experiences, on a personal level, the trampling of women's rights by the new republic they helped found. Abuse of power and the twisted logic of tyrants is a central theme of the narrative. Geneviève gets nowhere trying to prick her father's conscience over flagrant cruelty and injustice. In response to the execution of a six-year-old, he trots out the rationale of every perpetrator in history who just 'follows orders' - "If I did not, what would become of me?"

Geneviève's quest to save innocent lives and find love and happiness spans three years, taking the reader through the Reign of Terror to the Thermidorian Reaction (when Robespierre was executed), and the subsequent stabilization of France under the Directory. With part of her story centered on the Chateau de Verzat in the Loire Valley, Ms. Borchert touches upon the Vendée insurgency, when the conservative rural population of the area protested conscription and extremist anti-Catholic policies. Framed as royalist rebels, they were targeted by Paris for extermination and the military was unleashed on the region, mass-murdering some 200,000 men, women, children, and elderly before political turmoil in Paris put the brakes on their efforts. Interesting historical factoid:  Vladimir Lenin explicitly emulated the French tactics in his suppression of peasant and worker insurrections, such as the Kronstadt Revolt, even referring in his diary to the peasants he drowned in the Volga as his Vendéans.

Her Own Revolution is as much a narrative of the French Revolution as it is the story of the characters caught up in its horror and excess. For some readers, this could make for a grittier read than expected. Geneviève's love story brings some unexpected twists, however it feels secondary to her coming of age as a self-determining woman and survivor. At times, the plot feels drawn out, with some labored points and repetitive elements. While the timeline is flagged through chapter sub-headers, it felt disjointed, comprising scenes strung together episodically in sequence, rather than evolving through intrinsic continuity.  The same was true for a couple of character arcs that lacked crucial milestones which could account for dramatic change.  Geneviève herself arrives in the story oddly mature. and sexually active outside of marriage at only 17 years old, although still youthfully naïve in some dynamics. I remained invested in her for having the courage to follow her conscience while also exercising common sense about the perils of doing so.

Ms. Borchert's writing is polished and professional. I'm picky and was frustrated occasionally with overuse of activity fillers when simple dialogue tags would suffice. The author makes adept use of similes to bring her characters to life, but at times lards the goose too much for my liking. Within one scene, for example, Geneviève's stepmother Ettie "sat like a hen on a nest" and "patted her serviette at the corners of her mouth, like a satisfied cat licking cream from its whiskers" and "sat beaming, waving her fan before her face like a flag."
Fashion history buffs may question the use of 'reticule' - these did not replace pockets in France until after the Revolution drew to a close in 1799.

These minor quibbles detract only slightly from a larger tapestry that combines memorable imagery and historical detail to deliver the kind of immersive, satisfying read that speaks of an author's commitment to research and hard work. 4.5 stars from me, rounded up.

During times when basic human decency is an act of heroism, we all want to believe we could be a Geneviève. Her Own Revolution gives readers the opportunity to step into those shoes vicariously. I highly recommend it!

Regency Chronicle thanks the author, Le Vin Press and NetGalley for an advance copy of this book.  Cover image courtesy of LeVin Press © 2023.  Review by Meredith Thompson © 2023 The Regency Chronicle. Posted online by Pam Baker for Regency Chronicle.

Her Own Revolution by Debra Borchert is action packed from the beginning. Genevieve’s terror of the totally dark Paris underground, her tension bribing her way into Paris’s worst prisons, the horror of the guillotine pushed the story forward. Borchert described the French Revolution as one of the worst nightmares people have ever endured. This is so worth reading.

3.5 / 5

If you love French history, especially the times of the Revolution, pick up this book. If you don't, find your happiness elsewhere because 70% of the story is just about the revolution itself.

I would have given it 4 stars for it was well written and you can tell the author has done her research throughly, but I can't overlook the 50 chapters necessary for the plot to get good. You shouldn't have to reach 70% of a book for the story to get interesting.

Genevieve was a fascinating character but I wish we got to see her development more, she felt like the exact same person through the years and when I expected her to show anger and rage at one particular situation, she reacted like the type of person she's tries so hard not to be.

The romance part took an extra long sweet insufferable time coming but you can see the MMC falling first a while before, which we love. Also, the "plot twist" was very much predictable yet it felt extra satisfying to read it as it happened.

Picked up on many French errors, like "Le prosécutor / Thèrése / Excusé moi" etc which I'll be communicating to the author/editor. They weren't that numerous overall though, still it would have been great to get a French person to proofread.

Random thought for the older brother, whose name I'm not sure we even know. Does he exist just so that Genevieve can wear his clothes????

Finally, let's not forget the weird obsession with overweight older women : "her swollen flesh almost engulfing her wedding ring" and "her fleshy neck reminded me of an old tortoise". so brutal

A strong story that has a selfless female character that sets out to save people she can by dressing as a man to attend university and become a clerk to her father. A serious book dealing life and death not a quick frivolous read. A well researched book based in the French Revolution. This was ruined a little bit by the modern swear words and slang used which is a shame. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

"Her Own Revolution" by Debra Borchert is not a historical fiction but could easily have been a true event. Genevieve Fouquier-Tinville is a strong female character. During a tumultuous time in France's history when people are being guillotined for any imaginable crime against the government, Genevieve (Gen/Jean) must face difficult decisions and place herself in danger to correct what she sees as wrongs, even when it involves family.
Taking on the role of a man, will Gen/Jean be successful, or will she be caught and sentenced herself? Will she be loyal to her convictions, or will she be loyal to family?
I almost didn't finish the book because it seemed to develop slowly at the beginning. I am so glad I stuck with it because I could not put it down once I reached a certain point.

A copy was provided for my review, but all opinions are my own.

I wanted to read this book because of its intriguing premise (I am a big fan of The Scarlet Pimpernel). Though it wasn't entirely my cup of tea, it is still generally well-written, and I think many people will enjoy it.

The book is, as far as I can tell, very well-researched. It is an immersive historical story set during the French Revolution. I appreciated that the heroine has to struggle with some difficult decisions, and repeatedly risks her own safety to help others. Overall, the heroine is interesting and nuanced. I also liked that instead of placing romance at the forefront of the book, it was mostly about helping others.

The relationship between one character and his daughter, and between another character and her brother, were very sweet. There is also a fun friendship between Genevieve and Simon (though Simon at one point seems utterly childlike, and at other points, magically knows everything needed to save the day).

There are a few reasons, however, that this is not a five-star novel for me. The heroine's step-mother is very tropey, in my opinion, and could have used more development. For my personal taste, the book was a little too graphic at times, but that wouldn't bother everyone. A character also goes through a HUGE change that I did not find immediately convincing. I am all for a good redemption arc (I love Jean Valjean's, for example!), but at first, there was no explanation or significant time-lapse to justify the change. It is only explained later.

Overall, this is a good historical novel. It is predictable in some places but surprising in others, and has multiple interesting characters.

I read this book for free through NetGalley, and was not required to provide a positive review. This review was cross-posted on Goodreads one month before the book's scheduled publication date.

Wow wow WOW. I did not expect to love this as much as I did. This book made me FEEL to my bones- I don’t know how else to explain it! Geneviève is such a WONDERFUL protagonist; I would happily follow her through 3 more books.

Thank you Le Vin Press & NetGalley for this ARC!!

1793. Paris. Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville selects her clothing based on activities. Frustrated by restraints on women's rights, Geneviève dressed as a man to attend university. She also knows just how to dress and act to charm her father and appease her stepmother at dinner when she wishes to convince her father, a Public Prosecutor, that she can be helpful as a court clerk and delay another diatribe from her stepmother about eligible suitors and marriage. Little did Geneviève realize that her desire to earn money for passage to join her lover in America would instead have her dressing as a man to help save lives from the guillotine. Committed to the quest to save the innocent Geneviève begins "Her Own Revolution."

Geneviève is a selfless young woman, putting her dream on hold because she cannot turn away from those who need her assistance, some who do not even know she will help them. Courageous, compassionate, self-reliant, enterprising, a woman that inspires and a woman one aspires to be. This is historical fiction at its best. Descriptive in immersing the reader in another time and place, building the tension of suspense, and showing the humanity of individuals willing to sacrifice for the greater good. Regardless of how little they have, they will do all that is possible. The addition of the romantic thread sparkled.

When adding my review on GoodReads, I realized that this title is Book 2 in the series. I became so entranced and immersed in this well-written novel that I must read Book 1, "Her Legacy," and I hope the author has started writing Book 3.

A map of Paris at the time of Geneviève's story precedes the story. The "Author's Note" helps clarify decisions following conflicting facts discovered during research. I found that research to be meticulous through the strength of atmospheric writing in setting, plot, character development, and dialogue.

Readers will be appreciative of the "cultural events and websites helpful to (the author's) research and cultural understanding" as provided in "Acknowledgements." "Uncle Louis's Lentil Soup, a soup of Chateau de Verzat," and "Discussion Questions" are available at the novel's end. I encourage visiting the author's website to enjoy many delights, including more tempting soup recipes.

Thank you to Debra Borchert, Le Vin Press, and #NetGalley for the opportunity to read an eARC of this book.

#HerOwnRevolution #NetGalley.

Set in France in the 1700's this novel gives us a powerful woman whose compassion and courage during the French Revolution a book that is hard to put down. Able to convince her father, the Public Prosecutor, Geneviève Fouquier-Tinville she fights for those she loves and many more, helping to keep them from execution. I noticed the release date for tis novel if July 14th, Bastille Day in France...how fitting. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.