Wednesday, November 5, 2014

Chasing the Rebel by Tyler Flynn

I received a copy of Chasing the Rebel by Tyler Flynn through NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.  I love a good historical romance and this will turn everything that you think you know about historical romance novels around.  Check out the cover and Goodreads blurb:

France, 1791

Marcus, Lord Rothbury, is on the run. Part of a foiled plot to help King Louis and Queen Marie Antoinette escape to Switzerland, he's searching for the jewels the rebels stole from the queen—jewels that, when sold in England, will buy the monarchs' freedom and restore the aristocratic order Marcus holds dear.

Pamphleteer James Lockhart publicly condemns the monarchy and has his own plans for the jewels—selling them to help the Parisian poor. But when the two are thrown together against a common adversary, Marcus finds himself increasingly attracted to the impetuous American.

As they hunt for the jewels, Marcus begins to suspect his companion isn't all he seems. Secretive and changeable, James could be playing a double game, and Marcus can't be sure who James is fighting against—the enemy, or the man who's fallen in love with him.
This book is a wild ride across the French countryside as the world tumbles into turmoil in the first days of the French Revolution. Marcus believes that he can find the lost jewels and that it will be relatively simple to save Marie Antoinette and Louis. We all can see how impossible that would have been. Marcus is more than a little naive to believe that the French would suffer the aristocracy any longer. It has not returned to France since. They celebrate the fall of the monarchy every year. I think that poor Marcus is just as naive as he feels that James is. The jewels can't solve the hunger in France anymore than they can buy Marie and Louis' freedom. The acts of men will always be greater than money. The jewels can be sold once and feed a few people for a short time but changing behaviors of the country is what will save the starving masses. I tend to agree more with James' feelings that we have to do more to protect the least and the lost, the poor and the poor. But I can see some of Marcus' points as well. And Marcus doesn't know any different. He doesn't know how what he does can change the lives of the less fortunate. He believes what he is meant to believe. I loved watching the two men play against each other and not know when or how to trust each other. It was so much more than an historical romance novel. It had a deep historical backdrop, it had a lovely character development going on, and it had a very strong story of love and life. I really enjoyed it. I will warn that it does contain gay characters and explicit descriptions of physical acts. If that is not something that you can handle, then this is not the book for you. I do think that this book is lovely and well written. I enjoyed it thoroughly.

You can find Chasing the Rebel on Goodreads. Chasing the Rebel can also be found on Amazon. Tyler Flynn has a great guest post on the Carina Publishing blog. I give Chasing the Rebel 3 Fairies for an exciting romp across the French countryside.

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