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After Napoleon's wars
have subsided, Richard Handley,
Viscount Compton, is plunged back into the world of intrigue to save
the life
of a friend. He is ambushed by his
archrival,
de Clavelle, he is wary of Mademoiselle Fleur. Is she a spy as well?
He learns that the young
lady has an agenda of her own and
will do what she must to save her beloved Montigny. Even if it means
braving
the rigors of the Channel and facing a people who may not welcome a
Frenchwoman
into their midst.
She has been orphaned,
left with no means and a mysterious
legacy of her English mother. She must dare to trust the handsome
stranger
she's nursed back to health, and hope that she might find her English
relations. But unexpected obstacles and hidden dangers threaten not
only their
nascent love, but also their lives.
Ms. Harrison has created
a charming couple in Fleur and
Richard. Both are people of principle and pride, yet neither prideful
nor vain.
Fleur is clever, intelligent and a strong woman who has weathered the
death of
her mother and her own long battle against influenza.
In Richard, she finds a
very different man from the one she
was almost forced to marry before escaping with him to England.
He is a solid fellow with
a caring nature and he is able to appreciate the candor and directness
of his
French émigré. He finds himself longing for her company
when he's pressed into
visiting the contrite and superficial Lady Caroline.
Fleur has little to
recommend her as a suitable bride to
Richard's father, who bears an obsession with a claim to the throne
through
their Plantagenet blood. She loves Richard enough to let him go, so
that he
would not have to endure being cut off from his remaining family as her
own
mother was—yet Richard's love for Fleur is strong enough to allow him
stand up
to his father in defense of the woman he loves.
This reviewer found
herself captivated by two goodhearted
people who work through their problems and face the prospect of being
turned
out penniless should the Earl disown his son. They are determined to
find their
own destiny and make their own happily ever after in spite of the
various
challenges that Fate throws in their path.
These are wonderfully
real people, both in their historical
context as well as in a modern one. I highly recommend Lord
Compton's Folly to anyone who enjoys both the Regency
setting and a sincere, heartwarming tale of true love.
Reviewed
by Niniri Theriault for The Road to Romance
December 1,
2004
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