Lucinda Brant's books are absolutely wonderful. She brings the Georgian era to life as no one else can! —Cynthia Wright, NY Times bestseller and author of Caroline
1740s France and England. Abandoned to fend for herself at the court of Versailles, Antonia turns to her distant cousin, the all-powerful Duke of Roxton, to help her escape the attentions of a lecherous nobleman. Roxton is an unlikely savior—arrogant, promiscuous, and sinister. Antonia's unquestioning belief in him may just be his salvation, and her undoing. This award-winning historical pays homage to Georgette Heyer's These Old Shades.
“It is the golden age of French aristocratic life in the court of Louis XV. Beneath the posturing and hedonism lies a seething hotbed of intrigue, deceit, and treachery… characters live and breathe the atmosphere of the time; they are captivating, from the primary players, right down to the smaller, but no less important characters. Ultimately, this is a passionate romance, with added action and adventure, derring-do, and some narrow escapes! I loved it.” —Fiona Ingram, Readers’ Favorite 5 STAR Medal Winner
Stand-alone prequel to the highly acclaimed ROXTON FAMILY SAGA
122,000 words, about 480 standard pages (not including bonus material)
First published by Random House
Non-explicit, mild sensuality
Accolades
- Winner of the $10,000 Woman's Day/Random House Romantic Fiction Prize
- 2014 Readers′ Favorite International Book Award Medalist: Romance-Historical
- 2014 Readers′ Favorite International Book Award Finalist: Fiction-Historical
- Romance Writers of Australia Romantic Novel of the Year finalist
Connecting Books
Many readers enjoy Lucinda Brant's books as part of a wider series since her characters inhabit the same meticulously-researched 18th Century world with people and events cross-referenced throughout. Should you wish to read each series in chronological order, here is the sequence:
Roxton Family Saga
1740s NOBLE SATYR (Renard and Antonia)
1760s MIDNIGHT MARRIAGE (Julian and Deb)
1770s AUTUMN DUCHESS (Antonia and Jonathon)
1770s DAIR DEVIL (Dair and Rory)
1770s PROUD MARY (Mary and Christopher)
1780s SATYR’S SON (Henri-Antoine and Lisa) In progress
Salt Hendon Series
1763 SALT BRIDE (Magnus and Jane)
1767 SALT REDUX (Antony and Caroline)
SALT HENDON COLLECTION — boxed set with bonus novella SALT ANGEL
Alec Halsey Mysteries
Spring 1763 DEADLY ENGAGEMENT (Country house murder and mayhem)
Autumn 1763 DEADLY AFFAIR (A poisoned vicar and the mysterious Miranda)
Winter 1763 DEADLY PERIL (Bloody intrigue abroad)
Summer 1764 DEADLY KIN (Evil lurks in Edinburgh) In progress
