Great story with wonderful characters. Extremely well written. Fun to read and re-read. I will be reading more by her.

French Historical Romance with Suspense

Circumstances forced Violette to work for a ruthless criminal and pick pockets. She picked the wrong pocket and caught Nicolas's attention. Could it be that she picked the right pocket? Nicolas lived on the streets after his family was executed, and for a while, he was a part of the criminal underworld. However, unlike the man Violette was working for, Nicolas left that world and made something of himself. Soon, Violette would seek his help, and he would train her on how to defend herself. However, Nicolas had a ruthless enemy, and soon, Nicolas and Violette's lives were on the line. Would they survive the deadly danger?

This story kept me turning the pages. I enjoyed it and would recommend it to those who enjoy historical romance with suspense.

Set in the winter of 1802-1803, this book is the third in the Bleu Blanc Rogue series; the story follows one Violette de la Roque, a young woman of good birth who now picks pockets to survive, and Nicolas Lefevre, once a muscadin and now a savate fighter and teacher, whose paths cross as they navigate the underbelly of Paris at the turn of the nineteenth century.

Beware: alcoholism; some violence and gore on page; threat of rape; explicit sex on page.

Violette's brother is an alcoholic who spends his days in a drunk haze; before he reached this point, however, he used to gamble, and his debts are owned by one of the most infamous men in Paris; nicknamed the Boneman, he leads a gang of violent men that controls a large part of the city, from bars to brothels to thievery. And it is now that the Emile is essentially useless, it is Violette who must pay that debt.

Quick fingers and a talent for disappearing in plain sight have helped Violette become an accomplished pickpocket, though as she is forced to work in tandem with the Boneman's thugs, she sees next to nothing of the take. Even worse, she has reason to fear that eventually the man will force her to work the debt on her back--for the rest of her life, as she's not naïve enough not to understand that, for all intents and purposes, she's now indentured to him.

Nicolas, the son of a baker, saw both his father and older brother die during the Terror; still a child, he managed to slip through the cracks and to survive on the streets, begging and stealing. Eventually, the group of youths he ran with fell under the command of the vicious, sadistic Marcel Etienne--the Boneman.

Nicolas eventually broke away from the gang, leaving Paris for a few years; when he returned, he proved himself much harder to intimidate, and even harder to kill. Now he exists essentially in limbo, owing allegiance to none of the large gangs that compete to dominate crime in the city.

Until Violette approaches him, wanting to learn how to protect herself.

The events in the book take place over about three weeks or so, from late December to January, and it involves both insta-lust turned insta-love, and complicated backstories that are barely sketched in, in order to explain both characters' motivations.

Rape and the threat of rape loom large, as do crime and violence in the poorest areas of the city, and yet, it is never explained how Violette has managed to remain untouched and unharmed for months, since the death of her uncle left her in charge of keeping both herself and Emile alive somehow.

The setting, Paris during the Consulate, is dark, dreary and dangerous; while several characters reference the Terror more than once, there is no sense of the political situation of the moment, which unmoors the story from its setting somewhat.

The short page count means that there is no space for the protagonists to truly address their trauma, because they're busy dealing with the villains in the piece and falling for each other at lightning speed--never mind that there are a number of minor characters and a secondary romance, to boot. On the plus side, Violette saves herself twice and Nicolas once, and the latter's competence as a savate teacher and fighter is on display on the page, so at least there is that.

The villain is properly horrifying, and the author does not fall into the trap of blaming mental health; monsters can be monsters and still be sane, after all. The climactic scene is frankly excellent, and I only wish that instead of an epilogue involving every character in the trilogy--and their children--there had been more character and relationship development, both for Violette and Nicolas, and for Suzanne and Raoul.

In sum, it's an interesting premise and a decent enough execution, but it lacked oopmh.

Passion at the Palais Royal gets a 7.00 out of 10

Genre: historical romance
Paris, 1802

Violette asks Nicholas for training in fighting, and Nicholas obliges, but this stays realistic to Violette's physical abilities. She's toughened by circumstance, but she's not trained for strength. She has a desire to rescue herself from any situation, and works within her own ability to do so, while Nicholas still gets to play romantic hero aiding in rescue. It's well-balanced character development.

I've really enjoyed this series of books set in post-Revolutionary France. We get the grit and violence of the streets in this, with two aristos orphaned in the Revolution, now years later as adults. Nicholas once ran with the muscadin, a street gang of well-dressed street fighters of the Thermodin Reaction, and now prize fights. Violette was raised as a lady, and now picks pockets to make up for her brother's gaming debts and drinking habits. Violette has captured the eye of a few too many powerful men from the streets of Palais Royal, and Nicholas may be the perfect person to protect her - and teach her to protect herself.

Delphine Roy has brought early 19th century France history to the fore with this series of long novellas. She delivers quality stories and character growth packed with history. It's an era of history I've only brushed the surface in learning, and it's been exciting to see romance set in an era where the aristocracy is clinging to the shadows and manners of the past while trying to survive.

Very Captivating!

A thrilling book that captivated me from the start and I read it in one sitting. The story takes place in the Parisian underbelly and tells the story of Violette de la Roque, a young, impoverished aristocrat who works as a pickpocket for a psychopathic gang leader and his henchman to pay off her brother’s debts, and Nicolas Lefevre, a Savate tutor who has lived in the gutter after the death of his family and has worked hard to escape the milieu and become independent. When Nicolas accidentally catches Violette pickpocketing, he is fascinated by her, especially when she later asks him to teach her Savate so that she can defend herself. Nicolas is happy to help Violette because he is aware of the danger she is in. But in doing so, he also puts himself in danger and suddenly finds himself in the firing line between two rival gangs and enemies from the past…

The plot is beautifully written with a great imagery, some historical and geographical tidbits, adventure, lots of action, suspense, romance and a few steamy love scenes. The characters are very endearing and the chemistry between them was right from the beginning.

Although there are hints to earlier events and you meet some of the characters from the other parts of the series, this book can be read on its own.

If you like historical romance novels with a perfect blend of romance and suspense, you're sure to love this book!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

We have had a ton of fun reading this post-revolutionary France-set series! In this one, we descend into the criminal underworld, where Nicolas is an independent player (organizing prize fights and training savate fighters), and Vilette is trapped. There's a tinge of instalove: when Nicolas catches Violette picking pockets, he immediately wants to know her story and goes looking for her. We loved, though, that Nicolas wasn't the macho pursuer. Instead, Violette goes to him to learn self-defense lessons so that she can protect herself from her current "employer," the Boneman. She's not paid to work for him; she follows his orders because her brother is in debt, so she is scrabbling out a way to survive.

Speaking of that employer, Violette is under the constant threat of sexual violence. She knows that she could be violated by any number of people for any number of reasons: personal, financial, or just because the Boneman feels like it. If there's a problematic part of the book, it's how violent it is, and how illogical that violence can be. (We just don't love when the reason a woman is threatened is to punish a man for his behavior.) That aside, we loved that Violette takes an active role in her own rescuing. She doesn't wait around for someone to come get her when she can make her own contribution. She and Nicolas work as a team, which really emphasizes how suited they are to each other.

This objective review is based on a complimentary copy of the novel.

The third book in the series continues to take us on a journey within France after the revolution. Those who survived like Violette had to make do with what was available to them. Being a woman, the choices were very limited and usually not very pleasant. Dealing with this life and trying to stay away from the leachers who control the streets, she encounters Nicholas. He is making his own way through life after being orphaned. The two encounter deathly predators putting them both in grave danger. The character depth is excellent as is the story as a whole. If you enjoy French history, this author is one to look into, you won't be disappointed.