Historical
Innocence Unveiled
By Rhea Palmer
Jul 1, 2008 - 9:50:54 AM

Renard has an agenda, and being a smuggler is not a part of that plan. He is in this village with the King of England as part of a secret mission known to only a few. He has to maintain a low profile, and Katrine’s shop looked to provide exactly what he needed. A place to sleep where he could blend and his movements would not be reported to the wrong people. Katrine, however, turns out to be just as much of a mystery as he himself is trying to be. She claims to have a husband who is currently out of town collecting material for the shop, but he has been gone quite a while. Katrine refuses to say where he is as well. Her movements betray a secret, and Renard is not in the mood for secrets.

Katrine is living hand to mouth, and the key to her survival is the promise of wool from a smuggler who has managed to wrangle an invitation to room at her shop. She has no husband – only a father who has been taken prisoner by a French king in conflict with the English king over the throne of France. Renard must not know that or he will not bargain with her, for who would bargain with an unwed female without the protection of a husband? So the secrets continue and tensions build as both fight to keep their counsel and their growing attraction from becoming reality.

In this historical novel written in the time period of extreme conflict between France and England, Blythe Gifford affords a glance at what noble and common people alike face when confronted with war. She reveals what unmarried women during this period have to face – forced submission by a male society and the battles they face as they try to forge a living. The love story between Katrine and Renard is timeless, but their story here is a unique blend of two very strong souls whose love will not be unrequited.