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Darling readers, we love a good follow up to a novel we enjoyed almost as we love getting Advanced Reader Copies!  The good news is we are here for you, hopefully letting you know enough about the book to help you know if it’s for you and encourage you to pre-order it if it is!  The bad news is you’ll have to wait, but not long, as Daughter of the Shadows (Defying the Crown #2) by Kerry Chaput comes out Thursday, March 30!  

If you recall, we read, reviewed, and raved about Daughter of the King (Defying the Crown #1) a little over a year ago (which is currently available through Kindle Unlimited).  I won’t repeat what was said there, except to say that historical fiction, featuring a French heroine is definitely something of interest to us, especially as we were not previously familiar with the Filles du Roi program before reading this book.  Fast forward to January when author Kerry Chaput was looking for an ARC team to help get the word out about the follow up, we signed up so fast and Daughter of the Shadows did not disappoint.  

Following the action in the first book, Daughter of the Shadows finds Isabelle in Quebec trying to make a difference for her fellow Protestants.  She’s still learning from her Native American friend, and trying to minimize drama in her house and community, but it becomes even harder when the man responsible for her family’s downfall lands in New France.  His hunger for power and disregard for fellow humans hasn’t changed and Isabelle finds herself and her friends in the middle of it yet again, as they are still trying to save their people.  We have old friends returning to the fold and a few new ones as we follow Isabelle’s efforts to thrive in the new world and travel back to France (not a spoiler as it’s in the marketing copy, which I did actually read) to work against Monsieur LaMarche and her own husband, who’s gotten caught up in the greed of it all.  

Perhaps my favorite part of Daughter of the Shadows (aside from the epilogue) was the adventures of Isabelle and friends that take place in 17th century Paris.  Having lived in the City of Lights for a month many years ago and taken a course on Paris as Text during that month, I was SO here for all the lush descriptions of the city, including the opulent, normal, and even unsavory aspects.  The way the Île de la Cité features and the left and right banks even taught me a bit more about the history of this historic, layered city.  For all of my experience and education, I also learn a few things about the history of the neighborhoods of the city which had me looking up a few pieces to remember how it all fits together within the arrondissements.  It was also magical to read how some of the gates at the (many) bridges worked to restrict the movement of folks during certain hours of the night as Isabelle and her friends worked to save Protestants, even in the capital.  

I would be remiss if I didn’t highlight Chaput’s writing.  I mentioned the lush descriptions, but let’s chat plot too.  As some characters from early in book one when Isabelle is still in La Rochelle are reintroduced in book two and we see how they relate to others who knew them back when, the genius of the work to plot the series early on comes out.  Character development amidst this complex action story spanning two continents could have easily been lost, but it wasn’t.  Even to the end, these characters hold true to themselves, some having grown and others holding their roles, and it’s magnificent to read.  

I’m giving  Daughter of the Shadows four solid stars and recommending it to anyone who enjoys a historical adventure, coming of age story, or a hero’s journey.  I’m very interested in Chaput’s upcoming historical adventure set in the US, Chasing Eleanor, and also interested in her backlist titles too.  Special thanks to Kerry Chaput and Black Rose Writing for gifting us the ARCs.  All opinions are our own.  

What’s a book that you always recommend to readers interested in a particular genre?

~ Nikki 

PS: This is your reminder that four stars is high praise from us.  To get five, a book needs to have potential for favorite of the year, which usually is the top 5% or so of our titles.  

What I love about allowing Nikki to get her thoughts on the page before she starts reading our next title is that she can be depended upon to give the best plot overviews and sometimes even takes care of my job as author historian. She’s already covered that we received an Advance Review Copy from the author and Black Rose Writing and that Daughter of the Shadows is scheduled to be released on Thursday, March 30th. Nikki also discussed that author Kerry Chaput has another book slated for release this year, Chasing Eleanor, on June 15th. So, truly, all I have to mention is that Kerry Chaput always wanted to be a writer and has finally accomplished that in her forties, proof that it’s never too late to chase your dreams. She lives in Oregon with her husband, daughters, and dogs.

So let’s get right down to it. What I absolutely adore about Isabelle Beaumont neé Colette from the moment we are reintroduced to her as our narrator in Daughter of the Shadows is how she doesn’t make excuses for doing exactly as she wants with her life. I find her life as the wife of Lieutenant James Beaumont a bit of a reach, I do not think that her household would sustain itself while she is away learning self defense tactics from the Huron warrior Naira or while she is away from home on other days welcoming and training the newest Filles du Roi to the colony. I struggle daily with housekeeping for two in this modern world with all our conveniences, and I doubt Isabelle’s dowry or James’ officer’s salary or family money would have provided for them to have even part time servants to care for the home. Like, who did their laundry or cooked their meals?! Upon their embarking for France, Isabelle even states that James would appreciate the prestige taking Charlotte as her lady’s maid would provide for him – because she didn’t have anyone else to take that role from other household servants. But, besides this lack of discussion of daily life for Isabelle, it’s truly remarkable that she consistently chose herself – her needs and desires and dreams – over those of anyone else’s, especially her husband’s. She did not care if she was not home to greet her husband when he arrived home in the evenings. (Bit of a spoiler – she probably did it on purpose to antagonize him into angry sex – because that’s what she wanted, too.) She attended Mass on Sundays to keep up appearances for James, but continued to pray with fellow Huguenots on other days. These subversive activities continued in France where she had to spy and scheme to save her people from more persecution at the hands of her nemesis.

I am still giving Daughter of the Shadows four solid stars and all the recommendations, despite my struggle over Isabelle’s home life. I wish I could channel her amount of IDGAF what anyone else wants. Don’t forget, gentle reader, that Daughter of the Shadows is the middle of a trilogy even though it’s tied up in a nice little bow at the end. So, here’s to Defying the Crown Book 3 coming out in 2024!

~Ashley

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