3 out of 4 stars
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Written by Virginia Hebert, A Season of Deceptions is a romance and historical fiction novel set in France in 1788, a year prior to the beginning of the French Revolution. The commoners are going through harsh times due to high taxes, a flour shortage, and famine. They have grown tired of the abuses of the king and the aristocracy. As a result, there are rumors of a pending revolution. Catherine Laval, the daughter of a count, pays no mind to all of this talk of revolution. She lives a comfortable and opulent life in the Laval château. She spends her days thinking about expensive dresses and discussing future husbands with Élise. Catherine's life, however, changes completely the evening armed rebels attack a lavish soireé her parents host at the Laval château. She manages to escape the rebels with the help of Edouard Tessier, who makes her wear servant clothes to hide her identity. Edouard says they need to travel through the forest on foot until they reach the village of Bezannes. If anything happens to him, she should keep going to Bezannes and find Jean-Marc Pascale, a good friend of his.
After a turn of events, Catherine ends up meeting Marisse Jovilet and Vincent Moreau. She tells them a fake story and that her name is Colette Lavigne. Marisse and Vincent show her kindness and generosity. The three of them become great friends. Catherine experiences and witnesses the hard realities of the commoners' lives during her time with them. Also, Vincent and Catherine fall in love. A time comes when Catherine needs to decide what to do. Is it safe to tell them who she really is? Is it better for her to continue her journey to Bezannes and find Jean-Marc Pascale? Is she going to be able to marry the love of her life?
My favorite aspect of A Season of Deceptions was how Virginia Hebert developed the character of Catherine, who matures throughout the story, giving her dimension. She grows from being a conceited young lady to a strong woman who understands the hardships of people less fortunate than her. This change happens because she goes through a series of difficult experiences that make her reflect about the commoners' lives. She also witnesses suffering, hunger, and poverty.
The development of Catherine's character was possible because the author was successful at describing the lives of commoners during the time leading up to the French Revolution. I really enjoyed imagining life during this historical time while reading this book. The author's knowledge of French history comes through in a clever manner. In fact, the author is a retired French teacher, who has traveled numerous times to France.
I also liked the main themes of this story, which are deception, revolution, and love. Catherine has to deceive people in order to protect her identity, but she discovers she has been the victim of a huge deception. How these deceptions unfold is the intriguing aspect of the story. Explaining why the revolution is coming to France is a constant theme as the story moves on. The readers get to understand why the commoners could not take abuses anymore. The theme of love is developed sweetly as Catherine's feelings intensify for a man she is not supposed love because of aristocratic rules.
What I liked the least about the book was that it has more than a few typos, grammatical, and syntactic errors. In addition, some sentences have missing or additional words. I think that the book needed a final editorial revision.
I rate A Season of Deceptions 3 out of 4 stars only because it has more than a few typos, grammatical, and syntactic errors. If the book had gone through a final editorial revision, I would have given it the 4 stars because the story is absolutely good. The story has deceptions, a blossoming romance, and a pending revolution. I recommend this book to those who enjoy historical fiction to understand better a historical time and those who cannot resist a romance novel with a sweet love story.
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A Season of Deceptions
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