Her Own War (Château de Verzat)
This is the third novel in Borchert’s Château de Verzat series, set in a beautiful château and vineyard in the Loire Valley at the time of the French Revolution and Napoleonic Wars. As the novel begins, in 1797, the heroine, Geneviève, has married Louis, a nobleman she saved from the guillotine, and she runs the vineyard, which produces the finest wine in France. After someone denounces her, she is imprisoned in an insane asylum for impersonating a man. Afraid that Geneviève will give birth to their child in a prison cell, Louis makes a deal with one of the leaders of the French government: Geneviève will be released, but in exchange, Louis has to join Bonaparte’s army in Egypt, fighting for a man he hates and a cause he doesn’t believe in. As Louis tries to keep his men as safe as possible, Geneviève fights her own war at the château, spying for the royalists against the revolutionaries who would confiscate the vineyard, all the while hoping Louis will come home to her.
This is a wonderful addition to an outstanding series with its courageous, resilient, yet vulnerable heroine, who would give anything to protect the people she loves, but who has doubts as to her own abilities and whether or not she’s doing the right thing. Louis is a sympathetic hero, devoted to Geneviève, and longing to stay true to his code of honor while faced with a cruel commanding officer amid the heat and sands of Egypt. Alternating chapters are told from Geneviève’s point of view, in first person, and Louis’s in third person. Both stories hold the reader’s attention and make you want to keep reading. I highly recommend the whole series. To get to know the characters, it is probably best to start at the beginning.
