This was an interesting and enjoyable novel, covering the journey of a young woman dealing with a range of prejudices based on colour and place in society. I enjoyed the historical background and character development. I had not read the first book in the series, but I did not struggle to understand what was going on at all. I look forward to finding out where Veronique's life journey takes her in the next installment.

It was a really interesting premise but unfortunately I DNF'd at around 30%, which sucked because I wanted to like it more than I did. I think me and the book just didn't vibe this time. I'm sorry!

Wow! Not a typical read for me but a moving story with a good mix of fact and fiction. If you like history this is a unique take.

Set in the years preceding the French Revolution, Patti Flynn brings readers to the chateau of Madame du Barry, the late Louis XV’s mistress. Following Veronique Clair (and, tangentially, her fellow apprentices and others who work at Louveciennes), Flynn brings the tenuous political situation, class hierarchies, and the racial politics (and the additional oppression faced by Black women at the time) to light in this historical fiction novel. Flynn’s characters drive the book forward as the heart of the novel, and the evolution of characters and their relationships draws the reader further into the story. Flynn’s location, the chateau at Louveciennes, is equally fundamental to the story as a setting for the various tensions and conflicts of the novel; the grandeur of the chateau, when contrasted with the hard labor that Veronique does, immediately allows the reader to understand the situation. Veronique is a compelling protagonist with a relatively mysterious backstory, and her relationships (past and present) are equally investing, while the other background characters have their own complex, established backstories, personalities, and relationships. Veronique’s Moon is a fascinating, fun introduction to the world of pre-revolutionary France full of beautifully vibrant settings and complex characters.

A beautifully woven historical fiction novella. We are immersed into the life of Véronique who is apprenticing to be a servant at the chateau of Madame Jeanne du Barry, mistress to the former King Louis XV. A former excellent quality seamstress she has given this and an engagement up to come here. Though life is not easy she is a strong woman and encourages others in the face of adversity. I want to read more by the author and this publisher. I enjoyed the book and found it hard to put down.

I was given a complimentary copy of this book.
All opinions expressed are my own.

3.5 Stars
A satisfying conclusion to Veronique's Journey.
This book starts right where book one left off. Veronique sets off to become an apprentice. Leaving behind her family and a failed engagement.

Once she arrives, she is faced with many trials and regrets.
She has to conclude, are these just growing pains or has she made the wrong decision starting anew.

This book left us with hope for Veronique's future. You must read book 1 to get full grasp of book 2.

Excellent writing. When I requested this, I was surprised that it was the second in the series. However, I was satisfied. I will pick more from this author.

"When I was very little, my mother told me that every living being will be tested at least once in life by something that shakes them to their very core and transforms them into something else. Just like a butterfly, she told me, that was once a vulnerable caterpillar. You, Mademoiselle, seem very untested; I'm sure they smell it on you like sweet lavender. You are the caterpillar those of us who have transformed many times envy, wishing we had our innocence back, or wishing we'd had it at all.”

Another beautiful installment in this historical series.
We pick up where we left off in the first book. Véronique is traveling with two other women to become trained servants at the chateau of Madame Jeanne du Barry, mistress to the former King Louis XV.
The scenery of this novel is so fun. We are living amongst the servants as they teach these new charges to cook, clean, host dinner for Madame and her guests. The drama, friendships… it’s so entertaining. I especially love Salanave, the head cook. She’s witty with great banter, and truly keeps everyone in line.
Véronique is yet again finding herself, her place, and dealing with the situation she’s landed herself in. She makes friends along the way, loses them as well, and is progressing to become the headstrong, independent woman I’ve come to love.
I can’t wait for the third book in the series, which touches more on the life of Louis-Benoit Zamor, page to Madame du Barry.
This short series is historically accurate, fresh, and has characters I will think about for a long time!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher who provided me with an ebook copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All of these thoughts and opinions are my own.

Pleased!

The follow-up to Véronique's Journey, Véronique's Moon is equally well-written, entertaining and page-turning. It picks up where her journey from Burgundy begins to follow her dreams of becoming a renowned seamstress in France for society's elite. The road is paved with a few bumps, surprises, and bruises along the way. And by the time she arrives to the home of Madame Jeanne du Barry, Véronique is forced to learn the power of choice as she finds it more difficult to gain her footing than she'd began to believe.

She'll have to decide what happiness looks like for her. What it looks like to sacrifice what you know for what you love. And most importantly she'll have to confront herself before she'll ever begin to walk in her truths.

I really enjoyed this second novella and the cast of characters the main character met along the way I found to appealing and entertaining. Thank you to NetGalley for sharing a copy with me in exchange for an honest review.

Thanks, Netgalley and Gilded Orange Books for access to this arc.


I zipped through this novella in just a few hours. The unique setting and characters grabbed me. Life is not easy for servants in this age and for Veronique this is triply true not only due to her station but also the color of her skin and because she can read. The friction it causes with some of the other staff isn't easy to read about at times but Veronique does find friendship with a mentor. The few times she encounters other people of color drives home how socially alone she is and the diminished prospects she faces because of that.


Here though is a strong woman who is proud of who she is. She is aware of the horrors her enslaved father escaped and that others still face. As I read the story, I couldn't help but think of the current social issues and protests occurring in France now. The novella ended with more that can be told about Veronique's life and choices and I hope that there will be more additions to this series as well as look forward to the planned trilogy about Louis Benoit Zamor. B

⭐️3.75/5

“Guy told me once that being a dreamer was my best trait. I don’t know if that’s true. I only know I don’t know how to live without my dreams.”

To be honest I had no idea what to expect. As a (more recent) rule I don’t read the synopsis, I like to be surprised, to see if I can figure out what’s going on w/o any clues. So, I was pleasantly surprised when it dawned on me that this was a historical fiction.

I was captivated from the start. I suppose the length of the book gave the author little room for unnecessary detail which I enjoyed. Immediately, we were thrust into the story and I couldn’t put the book down until I uncovered the root of it all.

There was so much to grapple w, racism, freemen vs slaves, classism, the plight of women in poverty, the utter disregard of humanity. But the author did a good job of linking all of these themes without losing the essence of the story, which is - to chase the moon, to dream again. Allow yourself some compassion and time, and then challenge yourself to dream again. When we trust our ability to decide for ourselves, we are free.

I only wished the book was longer because there were so many unanswered questions, so much left to explore. What happened to Guy? Did Véronique ever see Sonia again? What happened w the noblemen? No answer.

I comforted myself that perhaps there would be a sequel. There will be, but not for this story. Instead the three part series will follow the page and his story. A thrilling read, I have no doubt but not exactly the story I hoped to read 🤭

Happy reading!
Love & Rockets,
Katie

Having read Patti Flinn’s “Véronique’s Journey” I couldn’t wait to get my hands on the second instalment “Véronique’s Moon.” The story picks up when Véronique is on her way to the home of Madam Jeanne du Barry – the former mistress to French King Louis XV – to train as a servant. Having given up an attractive offer of marriage that would have set her up for life, Véronique is determined to make her own way in the hopes of establishing herself as a seamstress to ladies of quality.

But when Véronique arrives at Madam du Barry’s chateau she realises that her status as an apprentice servant and her skin colour marks her out for abuse. Although Patti Flinn does not deal in racial trauma, she does present a realistic portrait of what it would have been like for Véronique – a beautiful Black woman whose poise and ability to read and write sets her apart from the rest of the servants. To protect herself, Véronique keeps to herself although this only earns her the resentment of her fellow workers. Véronique also allows self-doubt to get in the way of her forging a career as a seamstress. A fear that she is unable to overcome until the end of the novel.

I really enjoyed the racial politics at play in “Véronique’s Moon” as well as the class/gender tensions. Véronique isn’t the only apprentice servant sent to Versailles. Midway through her journey to Madam du Barry’s home Véronique is joined by two other young women, who must also earn their way in life. One of them, Chloe, is dead-set on using her physical attractions to find herself a husband or alternatively set herself up as a mistress to a wealthy noblemen. When Véronique catches Chloe sleeping with a servant to get a taste of the ham served to Madam du Barry’s wealthy guests she is horrified. But when Chloe turns on her saying that as a poor white woman she has few options, and that Véronique as a poor Black woman has virtually none it really opened my eyes to the few opportunities available to women at that time. It doesn’t help that the third apprentice servant receives a severe injury to her face and is asked to leave as the guests only want to be surrounded by pretty things. As Chloe observes, this servant will now have to labour and “labour hard” because her facial disfigurement will all but exclude her from most forms of domestic service.

Overall, I absolutely loved this. Patti Flinn did a fantastic job and I can’t wait to read more about Véronique’s journey. I’d love to know whether she is able to fulfil her ambitions especially as the French Revolution is just around the corner.

"That's you always chasing the moon; chasing the impossible."
Many thanks to Netgally and the publisher for giving me the opportunity to read this extraordinary piece of work as an exchange for an honest review.

Veronique's Moon is a beautifully woven piece of art, about an African European young woman who was born and raised in France. She decided to leave her family and her village escaping a marriage proposal from a rich intellectual man who was a very good catch for any other girl like her. Veronique had her own dream which was to become a Dressmaker for the noble ladies and she left everything behind in order to chase that dream.

This book is fascinating, heartwarming and beautifully written. The writter had used powerful as well as attractive writing style that made me visualise the description of any scene as a colourful beautiful painting.
The characters, especially the main ones were very well-built and convincing, each character had served the plot significantly.
Veronique the protagonist, was very powerful, self confident, intellectual young woman with dignity during an era that never respects or appreciate a woman holding these traits. The fact that reminded me of the most powerful feminine characters in classical literature..Jane Eyre and Liza Bennett.

I can't really find the perfect words to describe this book, but I just hoped it would be much longer to give the reader the chance to get deeper in Veronique's soul and traits, as well as her Moon, oh I mean her dream. I wish there will be another book that would describe her journey while achieving her dream. I am in deep need to know whether she would succeed as a Dressmaker or not.

"Véronique’s Moon" picks up exactly where "Véronique’s Journey" ended, with Véronique en route to a new position in the household of Madame Jeanne du Barry, the mistress to the late King Louis XV. Upon her arrival, she is immediately swept up in the Downton Abbey-esque drama of the lives of the downstairs servants. Living now just a few kilometres from the Palace of Versailles, the rumblings of the tensions that lead to the French Revolution become even more evident in ways that Véronique had never before experienced in her small village.

This novella-length story is further set up for a trilogy planned by the author about Louis-Benoit Zamor, an enslaved person who spent the majority of his life as a servant to Madame du Barry and later played a significant role in the revolution. I was intrigued by the glimpses into Zamor’s life that we got within this novella and will be looking forward to picking up those books when they are published! I am sure that these two novellas that tell Véronique’s story as well as introducing some of the members of the du Barry household staff will make my reading experience of the Zamor trilogy even richer since I am already familiar with and invested in many of the people, like Véronique, who will appear in those books as side characters.

I would definitely recommend "Véronique’s Moon" to anyone who enjoys interesting and diverse historical fiction, but would suggest being sure to read "Véronique’s Journey" first to have a better understanding of how and why Véronique ended up pursuing a position in Madame du Barry’s household.

*DISCLAIMER: I received an eARC of this book from Gilded Orange Books, Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) through NetGalley for the purposes of providing an unbiased review.*

Such a sweet read. Though short the author helped me visualize the world she built. It’s more of a short story or feels as if it’s just one segment of a longer work. The author helps us understand these characters, we’ve met these people in real life. While I did love the story, it needs more. I would definitely read the next story in the series.


Thank you Netgalley I enjoyed this quick read.

A beautifully written book, which did an amazing job of setting the scene and creating the imagery in my head of the locations and characters. I read it so quickly I was shocked when I noticed I was on chapter 8 when it felt I’d been reading for only 5 minutes.
The only downfall of this book is that I felt there was no true character development, or satisfying end to the story. The conclusion of the book came much sooner than expected, and didn’t leave me feeling content that all of the stories within had been finished, but there was also no implication that there would be a sequel to continue the characters journeys. A lot of questions were left unanswered, but not in such a way that left you itching for a sequel should there be one.

More a novella than a novel, Véronique’s Moon is a highly detailed work of historical fiction. The author does a fine job immersing the reader into the character’s lives and does so quickly. I didn’t want the story to end. This appears to be the second novella in a series of which I’ll definitely read more.

Thank you to NetGalley and Gilded Orange Books for the eARC in exchange for an honest review.

Just as Amazing and unable to put down as the first book! It really gives you a look at Pre Revolutionary France and the life of servants in a royal household. Just one quibble, the manager in a household like that would be called the Steward and the cook was more likely to be male in that era.

I can't wait for the next book in this three book series to come out, I enjoyed this novel so much. This is a tale of a young woman, daughter of a freed slave, who is free to make choices, within reason. She refused an offer of marriage and went to work in the chateau owned by Madame du Barry instead. Well done Patti Flinn. You brought out the characters wonderfully, especially Zamor and Veronique.