$28.22
Book 1 in the Semiramis – Queen of Heaven Series
France 1933 – Yvette flees to Paris with her little sister Janie to protect her from the village predator. They find sanctuary with their cousin Daniel at the prestigious Blum Foundry on Rue de Paradis, and Yvette secures work as an artists’ model. Her love of sculpting grows, along with her romance with foundry owner Oscar Blum’s estranged son, Steffan. Steffan’s furious that the Blum Foundry is being destroyed by anti-Jewish sentiment. He joins Daniel’s chapter of the communist party to challenge the Croix de Feu, a rival fascist group. When Yvette is caught up in an ambush, Steffan and Daniel are compelled to act, threatening the Blum Foundry, and endangering everyone on Rue de Paradis.
France 1933 – Yvette flees to Paris with her little sister Janie to protect her from the village predator. They find sanctuary with their cousin Daniel at the prestigious Blum Foundry on Rue de Paradis, and Yvette secures work as an artists’ model.
Daniel’s co-worker Steffan is thrilled to be accepted into his Jewish stepfamily after a childhood separation from his father. He throws himself into his work at the family foundry, learning to make intricate bronze and ivory sculptures. He befriends Daniel, who introduces him to the Communist Party, and Steffan begins to embrace this new way of thinking. But Steffan’s and Daniel’s allegiance with the Party puts the Blum Foundry at increasing risk, pitting them against the rising influence of the nationalistic, anti-Semitic group, Croix De Feu.
Yvette finds work as an artist’s model and follows her dream of learning how to sculpt. She hopes one day to become an artist in her own right, like her late mother.
While things heat up between Yvette and Steffan, the arrival of Yvette’s former love interest, Eric, threatens to set things on fire. Steffan’s horrified when he learns that his rival’s uncle runs the Croix de Feu, and that Eric is involved in their violent plans.
As clashes between left and right escalate, Steffan becomes convinced the Croix de Feu is planning an attack on their community and on the Rue de Paradis.
When the unrest threatens to derail Yvette’s career, she decides to use Eric to help her infiltrate the Croix.
But things don’t go to plan, and a chain of events is set in motion that will threaten the existence of the Blum Foundry and endanger all their lives.
Paula McLain’s The Paris Wife meets Alex George’s The Paris Hours (with a sparkle of Julie Orringer’s The Invisible Bridge) in this fast-paced historical novel.
