Genres: Historical Fiction, Mystery, Romance
Format: Kindle, Paperback
Honourable Lies by Fran Connor
Synopsis:
When the path of poor orphan Victoria crosses that of young landowner Richard love is in the air.
It’s 1860s England. Obstacles stand in the way of their happiness. He has a wife who is in love with another man. Divorce, even amicable, is difficult.
Richard’s evil father is wedded to control and the destruction of his son’s independent wealth. He’s in cahoots with the villainous Tweedale, former master of Victoria’s orphanage and Woodward, a sinister sea captain who steals girls for work in colonial houses of ill-repute.
A beautiful gypsy creates a misunderstanding that drives a wedge between Victoria and Richard.
Murder, arson, conspiracy and jealousy combine to threaten Victoria and Richard’s happiness and her life.
Gallows Hill is never far away.
Honourable Lies by Fran Connor is an excellent adventurous read. I was captivated right from the start. The main character is a young woman named Victoria. She was raised in an orphanage that was filthy, abusive, completely meager and inadequate. There, she suffered much. When she finally manages to escape, she encounters even more trouble including being accosted and sexually assaulted. Her adventures are filled with terror.
But her luck changes when she sees some men manipulating and placing something under some train tracks. She alerts the engineer to stop the train and saves everyone on it including the Queen of England herself. The Queen rewards Victoria by elevating her to a place of honor. Victoria immediately goes from being a commoner to being a lady. She must now learn to act and think like a lady. Now she can obtain her goal of never being poor again, and marry for money. She doesn’t necessarily care about love-she just wants to eat.
Soon she meets the wealthy, handsome and honourable Richard. However, he is married. Will Victoria marry for money and love? That is the question. Victoria’s adventures don’t end upon meeting Richard. She goes on to face trials and troubles, gypsies and even the gallows.
Honourable Lies by Fran Connor is mysterious, adventurous and even suspenseful. It’s an excellent historical romance novel. It is filled with venturesome fun, drama and plenty of twists and turns. Victoria is a great character. She is strong and admirable. She goes from being weak and browbeaten to being strong, independent and steadfast. I loved the way she evolves throughout the storyline.
The characters are extremely well developed, likable and realistic. Some of the characters are out right detestable, which makes for a great rounded storyline. They are all interwoven throughout the storyline with skill and aptitude.
The descriptions of the surroundings and activities are marvelous and sumptuous. The dialog between the characters are written skillfully while completely holding the reader’s attention. I was captivated by Honourable Lies. It’s everything I love in a great historical romance and goes further because it is filled with mystery, intrigue, drama and suspense.
Fran Connor is a fabulous fiction writer. This is the first book that I have read by him and it won’t be the last. I think that Honourable Lies would make a great movie-it’s that good and that enthralling. Highly Recommended by Artisan Book Reviews
Purchase Honourable Lies by Fran Connor @Amazon Here
I love historical fictions. Honorable Lies sounds so good. I’m going to buy this one. I hope it is as good as this review says it is.