Love's First Light
By Jamie Carie
Publication date: 2009
My review:
Christophé St. Laurent lost everything when his family was murdered, victims of the French Revolution. With the help of his friend and mentor Jasper, Christophé was able to escape Paris. Now he hides out in the ruins of an old castle with his faith and his scientific studies to comfort him. Then he meets Scarlett, a pregnant young widow who regularly visits her husband's grave in the cemetery nearby. From the moment they meet there is a connection between them but as he comes to care for Scarlett, Christophé is horrified to discover her connection to Robespierre, the man responsible for the deaths of his family.
I found Christophé to be an admirable character. His loss was so great and the way it happened so terrible yet he still managed to have faith and go on living. He isn't perfect-he understandably desires to avenge his family's death. He also struggles to relate to people after years of solitude and hiding. Scarlett saves him from his lonely existence. She is an admirable character also in the way she provides for her mother and younger sister and she shows wisdom in dealing with Robespierre. I thought both main characters were well developed. The villain of the book is Robespierre, the real leader of the Reign of Terror. The author adds depth to his character and gives us a new understanding about Robespierre's motivations.
Love's First Light describes the terrors of the French Revolution and makes it very personal. The depictions of public execution were difficult to read about especially since we see it through Christophé's eyes. Forgiveness is a strong theme in the novel as Christophé struggles to forgive those who murdered his family and to forgive himself for his mistakes. I think that this was handled very well. Christophé's emotions and his journey to healing were believable. I also enjoyed the romance between Scarlett and Christophé but it was the suspense that kept me turning the pages to find out how it would end.
Readalikes: Siri Mitchell, Linda Windsor, Angela Elwell Hunt, Kristen Heitzmann
Sounds like you can learn something while reading this one. Cool. Great review.
ReplyDeleteWhoa, this book sounds a bit disturbing! But I like that. That means emotion. Fabulous review!
ReplyDeleteThis sounds really good, thank you for the great review! I hadn't seen this one before.
ReplyDeleteThe French Revolution was such a horrible part of history,and it sounds like this book does a fantastic job bringing it to life. Terrific review.
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