By Honor Bound

by Helen Rich and Jennifer Coburn

Honneure Mansart, the orphaned child of a lowly servant, never dreamed that she would one day find herself servant to the lovely, young Marie Antoinette. But as France's political climate overheats,... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 097436391X
• Release Date: November 2003
• Publisher: Medallion Press
• Length: 469 Pages
• Weight: 0.50 lbs.
• Dimensions: 7.0" x 1.3" x 4.2"

Customer Reviews

Don't judge this book by its cover!

The cheesy cover of this book makes it look like your typical formula romance novel. The truth is that it's anything but! This is the story of Honneure, an orphan girl who gets lucky and finds love and happiness with her foster family. As she grows up she and her foster brother Phillipe, realize that their childhood affection has turned into full fledged romantic love. Honneure and Phillipe manage to secure positions at the palace in Versailles. The eventually become trusted and beloved servants of Marie Antoinette. Honneure is bound to the Queen by her sense of duty and honor. Honneure's stubborn determination to stick by her Queen at all costs puts both her and Phillipe in danger as public sentiment turns against the monarchy and rage sweeps across France. A secret from Honneure's past, and a careless mistake that reveals it, may eventually send her to the same fate as her Queen. This was a beautiful novel full of love, lust, jealousy, and dazzling depictions of court life and the Versailles palace that are reminiscent of To Dance With Kings, the epic Rosalind Laker novel. Fictional and true historical characters are blended with ease. The love story between Honorre and Phillipe is beautifully and realistically told. The only nitpicks I have are that in certain spots the author relied to much on dialogue to explain important historical events rather than writing them into the plot. Sometimes the characters tended to be a bit one dimensional. Marie Antoinette was almost saintly while the French people were depicted as blood crazed villains. These are minor flaws, however, and this novel was a true pleasure to read. It captivated me from the first page and I enjoyed every second of it. If you like romance in your historical fiction and want to read a novel for sheer pleasure, this is for you. 4.5 stars!

Excellent, but not a feel good romance

Honneure Mansart is sent to live with a foster family when her mother dies and she soon feels she is a part of the family. She and her foster brother Phillipe love each other with a bond most real siblings do not have. When Phillipe is sent to Versailles to be a royal groom, Honneure grieves but soon she too is sent to Versailles to care for the new Princess, Marie Antionette's pets. Marie and Honneure become close friends and soon they are confiding secrets to one another. Marie is an honorable, virtuous young woman but her enemies try to paint her as a frivilous, unfaithful woman. After Phillipe's lover Olivia intentionally hurts Honneure by setting her up to see her in Phillipe's arms, he realizes that his feelings for Honneure is more than brotherly and she feels the same for him. King Louis covets Honneure and Phillipe plans to marry Honneure to keep her safe. When King Louis' mistress and Phillipe's former lover plot to destroy the couple, Honneure believes Phillipe has betrayed her and flees to marry an old man who uses her as a house slave. When Phillipe comes for her, they make love but her husband threatens to kill Honneure if Phillipe comes near her again. Honneure is left pregnant with Phillipe's child and the fates keep them apart for years. When it finally seems the couple can be together again, the political climate now threatens their happiness. This is a well written story that at times is more of a historical than romance. It is not a typical feel good romance and most of the book is terribly sad but it is so emotional and well written that I had to keep reading.

A Wonderful Historical Romance!!

This was a wonderful historic romance you won't want to miss. Epic in detail this story transports you back to France right before the revolution. We are introduced to Honneure a servant that has seen hard times but always sses the good that can be found in any situation. She is orphaned at the age of eight and is sent to the Mansart's a family of servants that adopt Honneure and love her and raise her as their own. They already have a son Phillipe and he loves his "sister" at first sight.This story follows the lives of the Mansart's as well as the growing relationship between Honneur and Phillipe, and eventually leads our hero and heroine to Versailles and service to the young Marie Antoinette. Here within the backdrop of the French court Phillipe and Honneure realize that their love is a true and deep love that transcends time, place, and circumstances. Of course the path to happiness is shadowed by those at court that are jealous and petty and do their utmost to keep the young lovers apart. The two live through many hardships but in the end their love survives when so much of their past has been lost to the revolution.This is a timeless tale and Ms. Rosburg has done her homework on the French Court and paints a very vivid picture of the Palace of Versailles. As well as the history surrounding the French Revolution. This is truely an amazing story that puts you directly in those troubled times and gives you a brief look at what it may have been like right before the end of the Terror. Be prepared to have the kleenex handy as you will need it throuhout the book and be prepared to be swept into the story. This book has definitely made it onto my "keeper shelf".

Great historical

In 1760, when her mother a low level servant dies, Honneure is dispatched to live with the Monsart family at the Chateau D'Ambois owned by kindhearted Madame Dupin. The Monsarts (all servants) raise Honneure over the years as a beloved daughter. Honneure is contented except for the unwanted advances of the steward and her crush on her foster brother.When her foster-brother Philippe Monsart accepts a job as groom to Princess Marie Antoinette, he also arranges for Honneure to find work in the Princess' entourage. The two foster siblings are shocked with the goings on at Versailles and quickly find themselves as outcasts amidst a palace of intrigue, treachery, and dishonor as France marches closer to the sharp edge. Though caught between their love for one another, their loyalty to their gentle employee Marie Antoinette and the clever machinations of many power hungry aristocrats, honor still prevails with the two Monsarts. When Marie becomes queen, life darkens as the years pass with unrest growing.BY HONOR BOUND is a superb look at the decades just before and at the point that Madame Guillotine beheaded Marie Antoinette. The key to this three decade historical romance is that the cast, real persona or fictional character, seem so genuine that the audience can taste the intrigue and indulgence that increases dramatically as the years goes by. The descriptions of the aristocracy's life style are scrumptious, but especially depicted is the doomed Marie and her luxurious lifestyle. Fans will take great delight with this wonderful tale starring two terrific protagonists and a fantastic look at France on the cutting brink of revolution.Harriet Klausner