About the Book:
The French Orphan (Book One)
by Michael Stolle
Publication Date: June 12, 2012
eBook & Paperback; 388 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The year is 1640, and Louis XIII is on the French throne. However, as far as you’re concerned, this is all pretty meaningless. After all, as a teenage orphan living in a monastery school in Reims, all you have to worry about is dodging the unpleasant advances of a few unsavoury monks and looking forward to a life of penniless and celibate servitude in a religious order.
After a childhood and adolescence plagued by a constant longing to know who he really is, orphan Pierre has not the slightest idea that his questions are about to be answered. But you know what they say – be careful what you wish for…
Suddenly finding out who you are can bring with it not only happiness and fortune, but danger, friendship and the sort of swift education that the monastery could never have provided! The discovery of who Pierre really is affects not only Pierre and his friends, but has ramifications for the French nobility, the English crown, and most dangerous of all, the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu and his fierce ambition for the Church and for himself.
Amazon
Review:
Pierre is an orphan at a monastery in Reims, France, 1640. For an orphan, he is doing pretty well for himself; Pierre has food, clothing, shelter and is receiving an education. However, he has a deep desire to find out where he came from. Pierre's best friend, Armand and his cousin, Marie hatch a plan to do just that. Suddenly, Pierre's outlook changes. With the pilfering of his records, Pierre discovers that he is much more than a penniless orphan, he is related to nobility. With this information, Pierre and Armand plan an escape from the monastery with the help of Marie and attempt to get Pierre to his family in England where he will be safe. Meanwhile, Pierre's cousin, Henri has also just learned of Pierre's existence. With Pierre now in the way, Henri would be bumped from inheritance. With the meddling of the ferocious Cardinal Richelieu, Henri is sent on a mission to meet his long-lost cousin and make sure that he does not find his way to his inheritance.
The French Orphan had a bit of everything that I enjoy in historical fiction: an unlikely hero, a lot of political intrigue, a big adventure, a good sense of place and a touch of romance. Pierre's escape and further escapades kept me intrigued and excited. I enjoyed finding out just how they would get out of each sticky situation. Marie quickly became my favorite character. she was often the one with the best ideas and was able to get the boys out of trouble; even though they kept saying she had a 'pretty little head.' There was also a bit of comedy as the group kept narrowly escaping Pierre's cousin, Henri. There is definitely a lot going on in this book and it takes some focus to keep everything straight. I did enjoy getting to know France under Louis XIII a little better. I would recommend readers who have a comfort level with sex and sodomy as there are many scenes where this will come up. I also had a hard time deciding on an audience for this book as there are many sex scenes, but simpler language and many instances of non-time period language such as 'cool' meaning good. I guess I would place this in the new-adult genre to match the ages of the characters as well. There was also some rambling in the narration of facts that the reader was already aware of that could have been cut out in order to make the reading more fluid.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The French Orphan (Book One)
by Michael Stolle
Publication Date: June 12, 2012
eBook & Paperback; 388 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The year is 1640, and Louis XIII is on the French throne. However, as far as you’re concerned, this is all pretty meaningless. After all, as a teenage orphan living in a monastery school in Reims, all you have to worry about is dodging the unpleasant advances of a few unsavoury monks and looking forward to a life of penniless and celibate servitude in a religious order.
After a childhood and adolescence plagued by a constant longing to know who he really is, orphan Pierre has not the slightest idea that his questions are about to be answered. But you know what they say – be careful what you wish for…
Suddenly finding out who you are can bring with it not only happiness and fortune, but danger, friendship and the sort of swift education that the monastery could never have provided! The discovery of who Pierre really is affects not only Pierre and his friends, but has ramifications for the French nobility, the English crown, and most dangerous of all, the machinations of Cardinal Richelieu and his fierce ambition for the Church and for himself.
Amazon
Review:
Pierre is an orphan at a monastery in Reims, France, 1640. For an orphan, he is doing pretty well for himself; Pierre has food, clothing, shelter and is receiving an education. However, he has a deep desire to find out where he came from. Pierre's best friend, Armand and his cousin, Marie hatch a plan to do just that. Suddenly, Pierre's outlook changes. With the pilfering of his records, Pierre discovers that he is much more than a penniless orphan, he is related to nobility. With this information, Pierre and Armand plan an escape from the monastery with the help of Marie and attempt to get Pierre to his family in England where he will be safe. Meanwhile, Pierre's cousin, Henri has also just learned of Pierre's existence. With Pierre now in the way, Henri would be bumped from inheritance. With the meddling of the ferocious Cardinal Richelieu, Henri is sent on a mission to meet his long-lost cousin and make sure that he does not find his way to his inheritance.
The French Orphan had a bit of everything that I enjoy in historical fiction: an unlikely hero, a lot of political intrigue, a big adventure, a good sense of place and a touch of romance. Pierre's escape and further escapades kept me intrigued and excited. I enjoyed finding out just how they would get out of each sticky situation. Marie quickly became my favorite character. she was often the one with the best ideas and was able to get the boys out of trouble; even though they kept saying she had a 'pretty little head.' There was also a bit of comedy as the group kept narrowly escaping Pierre's cousin, Henri. There is definitely a lot going on in this book and it takes some focus to keep everything straight. I did enjoy getting to know France under Louis XIII a little better. I would recommend readers who have a comfort level with sex and sodomy as there are many scenes where this will come up. I also had a hard time deciding on an audience for this book as there are many sex scenes, but simpler language and many instances of non-time period language such as 'cool' meaning good. I guess I would place this in the new-adult genre to match the ages of the characters as well. There was also some rambling in the narration of facts that the reader was already aware of that could have been cut out in order to make the reading more fluid.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
About Book Two:
The Secrets of Montrésor (Book Two)
by Michael Stolle
Publication Date: November 12, 2012
eBook & Paperback; 298 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Secrets of Montrésor is the eagerly awaited sequel to The French Orphan, and continues the story of young Pierre de Beauvoir…
Coming into a fortune at any age brings huge responsibility, but when you’re an inexperienced teenager, it seems that surprises are waiting for you around every corner.
Pierre, former orphan and now Marquis de Beauvoir, may have claimed his inheritance, but life is never that simple. For a start, he needs to learn pretty quickly exactly who to trust and who to keep at arm’s length. For example, how do you work out (and survive….) the changing motives of the most powerful man in seventeenth-century France, Cardinal Richelieu? And then what do you do when the people you should be able to trust try to deliver you into the hands of your worst enemy? And then there’s the small matter of a sacred quest to Italy…
Fortunately for Pierre he has his best friend Armand to support him as he gets to know his chateau at Montrésor, its people and… its secrets. (Armand, of course, has his own agendas to pursue, usually involving a pretty face and a willing smile.)
Far from being certain, Pierre’s future has yet to be settled and Pierre will have to draw on his own innate talents as well as those of the people around him to ensure he survives, as his enemies are just waiting to seize their opportunity.
Amazon
Review:
Picking up right after The French Orphan, Pierre- the new Marquis de Beauvoir, his friend Armand and trusty valet, Jean are off to claim the Beauvoir property of Montresor. However, their trip has double purpose. From Montresor, they will begin a quest to unite three rings for the Knights Templar. When the group arrives at the estate, they begin to find that things have not been kept quite right from when Pierre's cousin Henri ran the estate. Pierre begins to set things straight and must out some staff. Meanwhile, Henri is still trying to find a way for Pierre to meet his unfortunate end. With many players including Henri, Cardinal Richeleiu and King Louis XIII and their different agenda's, Pierre's life is anything but boring.
This is the second book in the French Orphan series and I am so glad that I stuck with it! The Secrets of Montresor is action packed and includes more historical detail surrounding Louis XIII. Pierre and Armand can't seem to stay out of trouble as they claim Pierre's estates and Henri is always right on their trail. Henri's malicious debacles were even greater this time as he came closer and closer to killing Pierre. I was especially intrigued when he became involved with a gypsy troupe who almost seemed to manipulate him. Jean was the shining star for me in this installment, his devotedness to Pierre and street smarts help Pierre and Armand out of trouble more than once. Another new comer is Armand's cousin, François de Toucy who is surprising in a good way. The female characters play a smaller role in this installment, but they definitely have more to offer in upcoming books, especially Julia. Like the last book there are several sex scenes and male/male sex scenes, so that is something that the reader will have to be comfortable with. The writing is less clunky, but there is still inner-monologues that are in the way and a few instances of repeated knowledge to the reader. I will, however like to continue reading on in the series to see how Pierre and Armand will find the third Templar ring.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
The Secrets of Montrésor (Book Two)
by Michael Stolle
Publication Date: November 12, 2012
eBook & Paperback; 298 Pages
Genre: Historical Fiction
The Secrets of Montrésor is the eagerly awaited sequel to The French Orphan, and continues the story of young Pierre de Beauvoir…
Coming into a fortune at any age brings huge responsibility, but when you’re an inexperienced teenager, it seems that surprises are waiting for you around every corner.
Pierre, former orphan and now Marquis de Beauvoir, may have claimed his inheritance, but life is never that simple. For a start, he needs to learn pretty quickly exactly who to trust and who to keep at arm’s length. For example, how do you work out (and survive….) the changing motives of the most powerful man in seventeenth-century France, Cardinal Richelieu? And then what do you do when the people you should be able to trust try to deliver you into the hands of your worst enemy? And then there’s the small matter of a sacred quest to Italy…
Fortunately for Pierre he has his best friend Armand to support him as he gets to know his chateau at Montrésor, its people and… its secrets. (Armand, of course, has his own agendas to pursue, usually involving a pretty face and a willing smile.)
Far from being certain, Pierre’s future has yet to be settled and Pierre will have to draw on his own innate talents as well as those of the people around him to ensure he survives, as his enemies are just waiting to seize their opportunity.
Amazon
Review:
Picking up right after The French Orphan, Pierre- the new Marquis de Beauvoir, his friend Armand and trusty valet, Jean are off to claim the Beauvoir property of Montresor. However, their trip has double purpose. From Montresor, they will begin a quest to unite three rings for the Knights Templar. When the group arrives at the estate, they begin to find that things have not been kept quite right from when Pierre's cousin Henri ran the estate. Pierre begins to set things straight and must out some staff. Meanwhile, Henri is still trying to find a way for Pierre to meet his unfortunate end. With many players including Henri, Cardinal Richeleiu and King Louis XIII and their different agenda's, Pierre's life is anything but boring.
This is the second book in the French Orphan series and I am so glad that I stuck with it! The Secrets of Montresor is action packed and includes more historical detail surrounding Louis XIII. Pierre and Armand can't seem to stay out of trouble as they claim Pierre's estates and Henri is always right on their trail. Henri's malicious debacles were even greater this time as he came closer and closer to killing Pierre. I was especially intrigued when he became involved with a gypsy troupe who almost seemed to manipulate him. Jean was the shining star for me in this installment, his devotedness to Pierre and street smarts help Pierre and Armand out of trouble more than once. Another new comer is Armand's cousin, François de Toucy who is surprising in a good way. The female characters play a smaller role in this installment, but they definitely have more to offer in upcoming books, especially Julia. Like the last book there are several sex scenes and male/male sex scenes, so that is something that the reader will have to be comfortable with. The writing is less clunky, but there is still inner-monologues that are in the way and a few instances of repeated knowledge to the reader. I will, however like to continue reading on in the series to see how Pierre and Armand will find the third Templar ring.
This book was received for free in return for an honest review.
About the Author
Born and educated in Europe, Michael has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.
He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall…
Born and educated in Europe, Michael has always been intrigued by the historical setting and the fact that what makes us human was as true in the 17th century as it is now.
He has been reading and writing about history for longer than he cares to recall…
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