This HaBO is from Hayley, who is looking for a romance from the last two or three decades:
I am looking for a romance book I read in the late 80s/early 90s.
It’s about an Austrian archduchess (I think) who leaves her abusive husband and takes her two children, a boy and a girl, to Paris. Maybe Victorian age? There she meets an English aristocrat called Edward and I think her daughter dies.
It has a happy ending, but can’t remember what happens but before it does think her husband goes after her.
Any readers recognize this Austrian archduchess?
It sounds a lot like Joan Wolf’s A Kind of Honor. From the blurb:Adam Todd, Viscount Stanford, and Nanda de Vaudobin, Duchesse de Gace, discover their love for each other in a world filled with intrigue and treachery. Their future, and the fate of Britain itself, hangs on Adam’s ability to catch a traitorous French spy.
However I don’t recall either of the children dying, so maybe not.
vkinsb….A Kind of Honor by Joan Wolf does not take place outside of England and the description of the book by Amanda does not fit the Joan Wolf book. But, it’s a wonderful book that I love, I would say that it does have some typical old school aspects that don’t work well now, but were common then. No clue about the actual book in question…
It sounds very Susan Johnson. Tempting sounds the closest of hers in plot but there’s no mention of Paris in the synopsis.
http://www.susanjohnsonauthor.com/books/historical-romances/max/
Hi thanks for these suggestions. I remember there is a famine or something similar and they are starving and the little girl dies. Any further suggestions much appreciated! Hayley
That sounds like it might have taken place during the Seige of Paris in the Franco-Prussian War in 1870-1. Paris was encircled by the Prussians and supplies couldn’t come in or people leave. They ate the horses, cats, dogs and even rats then the animals in the zoo.
Unfortunately, I have no suggestions for Hayley, but I just had to say: If the heroine was really an Austrian archduchess, then wow, that’s some epic suspension of disbelief that’s required of the reader! Archduke and archduchess were the titles (exclusively) given to the children of the emperor of Austria during the Habsburg monarchy. So, royal princes and princesses.
That sounds about right Joy. She is definitely some kind of arch duchess as the English aristocrat mentions about how ‘low’ he is socially compared to her. The book opens with her escaping with her children in a carriage…
I read it, but I absolutely can’t remember the title (I read it in translation). They are in Paris while the city is under siege and they are starving… No Susan Johnson
Oh Chiara if only you could! Can you remember anything more about it? Hayley 🙂
I’ll see if I still have it, at least I could find the author.
I believe that the hero is hurt during the siege (possibly losing a limb?)
That would be fab Chiara thank you so much. And yes I think you may be right about the hero. See you remember more than me!! I have done various google searches but the description just brings up too many books atm. Thanks again. Hayley
Chiara did you have any joy finding the book?