A Fierce Wind

GEORGIAN:  "A Fierce Wind" takes place in 1794, during the Reign of Terror in Revolutionary France.  Raised as cousins, Zoe Ariane Donet and Fredrick “Freddie” West have known each other all their lives. Now fully grown, Freddy is an English spy and Zoe has lost her first love to the revolutionaries. Seeking to honor him, she joins the royalist cause to help rescue escapees fleeing the Reign of Terror. 

The third book of the Donet Trilogy, this is a Regency story with strong historical overtones. The French Revolution is primary in Zoe and Freddy’s lives, and their slow-budding romance takes a back burner to the pressing matters of their country. It is plot-driven and at times, the continual French dialogue and narrative could be confusing to readers with no background in reading French. As a result, the conflict centers on the revolution more than the romance. Freddy does love Zoe passionately, and they share some kisses in time, but Zoe has yet to understand her true feelings in matters of the heart. 

Watching Zoe and Freddy evolve from friends/family to having romantic interests is heart-warming. Freddy would do anything for Zoe, except he is a spy.  It is not an easy time to develop a romance, which makes theirs all the better. Things peak between Zoe and Freddy, and she must choose between placing her heart—and Freddy — and her country. The story offers a satisfying conclusion after much history.

Emerson Matthews