Antoinette
Women of Fire Trilogy · Book II
Claire Lorrimer

Piatkus (Little, Brown)
3 November 2011 / ISBN-13: 9780749954420
Historical Roamcne
Amazon / AMAZON UK

Reviewed by Rachel A Hyde

If you have read the first book in the Women of Fire trilogy Scarlett (also reviewed on this site) then you will know that at long last she has been reunited with her beloved Gerard. Now they can marry, and with their daughter Antoinette be one happy family. Or can they? Gerard has plans to renovate the derelict chateau and once there he makes a startling discovery that changes everything. Meanwhile, Antoinette has fallen in love with her mother·s former lover the highwayman Sir Peregrine Waite. Many years her senior, he regards her more like a niece, but he does not know how determined she is to marry him·

Originally published back in 1978 under the title of Tamarisk this is another big book with fewer pages, but still packed with story and definitely a candidate for being described as ·sweeping·. Just like the first part it could stand a fair bit of editing, but entertains nonetheless even when being repetitive. Although this is supposed to be Antoinette·s story it isn·t until quite near the end of the book that she truly gets a chance to have adventures on her own. Scarlett and Gerard are still center stage most of the time and it would spoil the story to give any more away. This is again no bodice ripper but a far more intelligent and involving tale with many real historical events and people including Princess Charlotte and Byron. My own favorite part of the book is when Antoinette journeys to Italy and this is also probably the only part where she gets to be in the limelight. She is not quite such a sympathetic or indeed real-seeming character as her feisty mother, lacking the depth and at times seeming rather spoiled. This aside I am looking forward to the final book in the trilogy Chantal and hope for more reissues from this talented and largely unknown author.