The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts

The Chateau on the Lake by Charlotte Betts
My rating: 4 of 5 stars


1792. As a teacher at her parents' Academy for Young Ladies in the heart of London, Madeleine Moreau has lived her life sheltered from the outside world. But on the night of a dazzling Masquerade, tragedy strikes and she is left alone in the world. Desperate to find the family she never knew, Madeleine impulsively travels to France in search of them. But with war around the corner, and fearing for Madeleine's safety, the enigmatic Comte Etienne d'Aubery offers her protection at his home, Chateau Mirabelle.

Chateau Mirabelle enchants Madeleine with its startling beauty, but it is a place of dark and haunting secrets. As the Revolution gathers momentum and the passions of the populace are enflamed, Madeleine must take control of her own destiny and unravel events of the past in order to secure a chance of future happiness.


Set during the time of the French Revolution this historical novel is full of rich atmospheric settings as it flits from London to Paris during these turbulent times. Having lead a somewhat sheltered life at her parents Academy for Young Ladies in London in 1792 Madeleine Moreau finds herself alone in the world after tragedy strikes on the night of a Masquerade party. Desperate to find out what happened to her family she naively travels to Paris to try and find them but Paris is not a safe place with a war imminent and fearing for her safety the Comte Etienne d'Aubrey offers her safety at his home Chateau Mirabelle. The Chateau is not all it seems and Madeleine is forced to take control of her destiny.

Skillful writing created a facsimile of what life must have been like during this very frightening period in history, colourful descriptive passages and clever use of real events helped to bring this novel to life. Likable characters and believable conflicts added to the enjoyment of this book. There were a couple of twists that helped the story along and even if a little predictable it was never boring.

I would like to thank the publisher for sending this in exchange for an honest review.