Madam in Lace (Paperback) (ISBN-13: 9781735842769)

Montmartre, Paris, 1857. Haunted by loss and unable to move forward, twenty-year-old Celeste Bazin leaves San Francisco for her native France, determined to uncover the truth about her missing mother. What begins as a personal quest soon entangles her in a dangerous web of political intrigue and forbidden alliances.

In the shadowed streets of Montmartre, Celeste falls in with the charismatic Carlo di Rudio and a covert circle of Italian and French revolutionaries plotting to overthrow Emperor Napoleon III. When the enigmatic Odéon de la Mère offers her a chance to reach the Court of Compiègne-where whispers suggest her mother has been living-Celeste agrees to serve as a courier, risking everything for answers.

Traveling across a nation gripped by fear, Celeste journeys alongside the ruggedly compelling Odéon, navigating checkpoints thick with imperial guards, secret agents, and cunning spies. As danger mounts, so too does a chilling suspicion: what if her mother is not a victim, but a perpetrator?

Ignoring warnings and driven by longing, Celeste presses forward-until she becomes entangled in a daring plot to assassinate the emperor himself. In that moment, she must confront the truth about her mother, her own loyalties, and a love powerful enough to transcend time, borders, and betrayal.

Based on historical events and enriched by the author's on-site research in France, Madam in Lace is a sweeping tale of passion, courage, and the cost of uncovering long-buried secrets.