The Paris Wife: Utterly gripping and heartbreaking historical fiction

Meghan Masterson

gush 2021 · Bookouture

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Paris, 1856. My head spins with hunger as the countess steers me towards the kitchen, her scarlet gown glimmering in the light of a hundred long candles. The clang of pots and scent of sage overwhelm my senses and my baby flutters inside me. But as I reach for the dish of currants, my eyes narrow. About half of them are larger and blacker than the rest. My blood feels slow and thick in my veins. Those are deadly nightshade berries. I would swear it.

Newly married to Niccolo, a wealthy envoy to the French emperor, skilled herbalist Livia Valenti feels lost and alone. Her husband is a distant stranger, and their echoing Paris mansion is too far from her fragrant garden in Italy.

But then Niccolo fills the shelves with her favourite books and prepares an apothecary room full of rows of shining glass jars. And a beautiful romance begins to blossom. With masked balls, luxurious dinner parties and a new life growing inside her, Livia believes her dreams of love and happiness may finally come true. Until an assassination attempt is made on Napoleon III. And Niccolo is arrested for treason…

As Niccolo awaits execution in prison, Livia turns to Napoleon’s glamorous mistress Elisabetta. With her friend’s influence and connections and Livia’s knowledge of poisons, she thinks she can discover who is trying to kill the emperor. But then tragedy strikes, and dark secrets in Livia’s own past come back to haunt her. They are all in terrible danger, and it will take all of Livia’s courage to save her husband and their baby…

An absolutely gripping historical novel about the power held by women in a world run by men. Beautiful and heart-breaking, fans of Lucinda Riley, Kate Morton and Marie Benedict will be hooked from the very first page until the final, breath-taking conclusion.

 

Readers absolutely adore The Paris Wife:

 

‘Heart-wrenching and page-turning… A completely gripping and imaginative historical novel… A truly addictive story that I just couldn't put down. A must read.’ Drink in Life Blog ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Unputdownable from page one!... a real comfort read… my BEST book so far in 2021!’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Thrilling… I cannot turn the pages fast enough… a brilliant historical novel… impossible to put down and hard to forget.’ Bookish Jottings ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘I absolutely could not stop reading this… and when I wasn’t reading I was thinking about the book… Gripping… I was totally absorbed.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘A page turner! Mystery, intrigue, danger at every turn. I couldn’t put it down… had me on the edge of my seat.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘Hooked me from the very first page and didn’t let go until the end.’ Nat’s Bookish Corner ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘I couldn't put this book down, I was totally captivated.’ Fiction Vixen ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

 

‘Grabbed me from the very beginning… a real delight.’ Goodreads reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐

‘This was just the most beautiful book… I haven't read anything quite as engaging as this in recent years!’ NetGalley reviewer ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐