A House on Rampart Street: A Sweeping Historical Novel of Love, Race, and Survival in Antebellum New Orleans. (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9798196885938)

In the glittering world of antebellum New Orleans, beauty could open doors-but bloodlines could destroy lives.

Born into the mysterious and misunderstood society of the gens de couleur libres, Odette Trudeau lives between two worlds: neither enslaved nor fully free, desired by powerful men yet denied the dignity of true equality. Raised within the elegant walls of Château Vidal among Louisiana's free people of color, Odette is groomed for a future as a wealthy white man's placée-a carefully arranged mistress hidden behind the lace curtains of Creole society.

But Odette longs for something forbidden.

Love.

Marriage.

A life beyond contracts and secret arrangements.

When the handsome and ambitious Francoise Boisseau-Larieux rescues her from tragedy, their connection ignites a dangerous romance that threatens to unravel the fragile social order of New Orleans. Standing against them is Christophe Pascal, a wealthy Creole aristocrat obsessed with possessing Odette at any cost-even if it means destroying everyone she loves.

As betrayal, scandal, forbidden passion, and long-buried family secrets consume Château Vidal, Odette and Francoise are forced into a desperate escape from Louisiana society itself. Yet even years later, the ghosts of New Orleans refuse to release them.

Set against the lavish backdrop of quadroon balls, Mardi Gras galas, Mississippi riverfronts, and the shadowed beauty of Creole Louisiana, A House on Rampart Street is a sweeping historical saga of race, desire, family, and survival in a world where love itself could become an act of rebellion.