BY HONOR BOUND by Helen A. Roseburg is a interesting historical romance set in 1760-1793 France. It is an epic story of love,sacrifice,tragedy, sadness,secrets and devotion. It is based historical facts,fiction with a romance between Marie Antoinette's maid, Honneure Mansart,and Phillipe, Honneure's her foster brother and servant to Marie Antoinette. With France's political climate heating up, both Marie Antoinette and Honneure are in danger. Tragedy stalks both couples.When Honneure's secret surfaces that even Phillipe doesn't know she could face the guillotine just as Queen Marie Antoinette and King Louis XV did. A fight for survival with many a sacrifice including the King and Queen's children, Honneure and Phillipe must hide their own child. A fast paced, sad story that will have you with tissues at your side,as your read this epic story of love and sacrifice. Received for an honest review from the publisher. Details can be found at Medallion Press, the author's website, and My Book Addiction and More.

RATING: 4

HEAT RATING: MILD

REVIEWED BY: AprilR, My Book Addiction and More/My Book Addiction Reviews ( )

Despite the cheesy cover, this is not a standard historical romance. However, it's not up to snuff to classify as historical fiction either. Honneure's mother dies and leaves her orphaned with no other family, and the Monsarts take her in as a foster sister to their son Phillipe, where they all work as servants for Madame Dupin at the Château Chenonceau. Honneure and Phillipe are raised as sister and brother, and their bond only grows stronger as they reach maturity. Phillipe takes a position as groomsman for Marie Antoinette's horses and Honneure also is eventually sent to serve in Marie's household as well. Honneure and Marie become close friends and confidants (!!!) as the intrigues and scandals of the French court threaten their happiness and security. When Honneure and Phillipe finally realize they are more to each other than brother and sister, a rival's jealous plot divides them and Honneure is sent away in marriage to an older man when Louis XV eyes Honneure. Years later, Honneure and Phillipe's happiness is threatened again by the French Revolution, especially the deep dark secret of who fathered Honneure.

OK, I guess that all sounds promising enough. The problem though is that our two main protagonists are separated so much and for so many years, along with very tame love scenes that most romance readers will probably be bored to tears. And those, like me, who want a believable tale of the French Revolution and The Terror, are just not going to find it here. Honneure and Phillipe are mere servants, yet Marie Antoinette takes them into her every confidence and they're treated like members of the family. When Honneure is sent away to marry the old man, she (a servant!!) corresponds with her family and Marie. Honneure can not only read, she can write at a time when only the upper classes had that skill. Better yet, she's always got paper on hand at a period in time where paper was not readily available and quite expensive. Even after three years into The Terror and she's living in a hovel of an apartment she's got quill and paper at hand to send a letter home!! And to top it all off, while I'm not up to snuff on the rule of Louis XVI and Marie, they are just too downright pure, perfect, loving, cost conscious (I think you're getting the picture?) to be real.

All in all, it's really far from the best in either genre. It just doesn't have enough romance and interaction between the two main characters to succeed as a romance and due to the historical inaccuracies it fails quite miserably (IMO) as historical fiction. ( )