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Promise of Summer
A rapturous story of a lovely young pickpocket in 18th century France who joins in a get-rich scheme and is swept up in danger, luxury, and perilous love. From the author of Stolen Spring and Forever Wild.
343 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 1989
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
February 26, 2022
Great plotline. I especially loved the author's take on the Pygmalion trope. The plot was unveiled layer by layer so it made for a very interesting read. This book reminds me of The Proposition so if you love that book, you'll love this one as well.
I thought both hero and heroine's back story were tragic and sad. I am, unfortunately, not a fan of her writing though. I found the writing to be a bit flat at certain places. Don't get me wrong, the story was well-written. It's just the style didn't suit me. If not, this will receive 5 stars from me. 4 stars on the strength of the story alone.
I thought both hero and heroine's back story were tragic and sad. I am, unfortunately, not a fan of her writing though. I found the writing to be a bit flat at certain places. Don't get me wrong, the story was well-written. It's just the style didn't suit me. If not, this will receive 5 stars from me. 4 stars on the strength of the story alone.
August 5, 2020
2 stars
Trigger warning:
Content warning:
This was a promising out-of-print book that a friend recommended. It uses what I call the Anastasia trope—a character impersonates an heir or heiress who is thought to have died to gain their fortune / position, but is that person really an impostor or are they actually the real deal?
This is a good trope that offers many plot possibilities and Promise of Summer had some good things going for it. The setting was unusual—1730s France. There were good descriptions of the heroine’s initial poverty and her family struggling to have enough food. And the heroine, Topaze, is lively and mischievous.
The hero, Lucien, catches Topaze picking pockets and decides she is the perfect person to help him pull off a con he has been planning to get revenge on a relative who wronged him and his parents. The relative stands to inherit a lot of money when his wife dies, but the wife’s daughter, Veronique, ran off long ago and is presumed dead. Topaze greatly resembles Veronique and if she claims to be Veronique, she can gain access to Veronique’s trust. She’ll give Lucien and his partner, Martin, most of the money while keeping a smaller amount for herself.
(I never understood why Topaze didn’t demand an equal share; she was doing the most dangerous and difficult part of the work. I also didn’t understand how Lucien could have been planning such a con before meeting Topaze, who is nearly identical to Veronique. It’s not like identical strangers are a dime a dozen.)
Topaze is trained by Lucien and Martin in the things Veronique knew, and then they go to the countryside and the con begins. Veronique’s stepfather is horrible but her mother is ill, frail and so relieved and happy to be reunited with her daughter that Topaze feels bad for conning her. Meanwhile, because this is a 1980s romance, Topaze falls for Lucien but he does not admit to similar feelings for her. Martin, his friend, does love her, but she is not in love with him.
This kind of triangulaiton was very common in 1980s romances and when I read them, I often felt that the hero’s friend / brother who is more into the heroine than the hero was a cliched convenience. This type of figure can rarely develop beyond his main characteristics of being nice, sweet-tempered and infused with puppy love for the heroine, because his role is to serve as a foil (contrast) to the harsh hero. I bought Martin more than I usually buy this kind of foil-to-the-hero figure but I still felt some of this same frustration of wanting him to step outside his prescribed role.
In my teens, when this triangle dynamic was a common trope, I sometimes had this thought that for once, I’d like to see the heroine dump the unfeeling jerk and go for the sweet guy. I wondered about that here. Topaze had all this energy and playfulness and Marin was somber, so it’s possible they might have made a good pairing. Lucien could have been the Other Man, with Topaze confusing sexual attraction with love and Lucien using her and endangering her, and she could have realized that Martin, who had been at her side all along and whom she'd taken for granted, was the one who truly cared. When I start rewriting the plot of a book, it’s a sure sign that the book isn’t working.
Lucien was probably the biggest problem I had with the book. I didn’t feel we got below his surface until very late in the book. It was hard to get a grasp on him; other than being harsh and humorless, he was more or less a cipher. I didn’t care that much if he got the money, the revenge or what. There was no chemistry between him and Topaze and the sex scenes could easily be skipped without missing much. You know those characters in fantasy and urban fantasy novels who can nullify all magic within a certain radius of them? Lucien was like that.
I cared a lot about Topaze, she was a vivacious, friendly, intelligent and enthusiastic woman. I would almost have preferred that the romance be cut out of the book so that the focus could be solely on her and the con. Or better yet keep the con and replace the romance with Lucien with someone more interesting. I would have loved to see someone among Veronique’s friends and family catch on—that could have made a more engaging romance. There I go again, rewriting the book.
Unfortunately, there's racism too.
I did appreciate that the book was not homophobic, unlike many others of its time period.
The pacing was off, too. The book sagged in the middle some while Topaze trained in all things Veronique, but it picked up a lot toward the end. There was some excitement in the denouement which I won’t spoil.
The language was just so-so. There were very few anachronisms and the writing was pretty good when it came to description and action, but there was also some expository dialogue and a couple patches of short, staccato sentences. There were a couple of cheesy bits of dialogue before and after sex, “Surrender, you're about to be boarded by a pirate,” and “I expend my manly essence and lose my manliness.”
I liked Topaze’s relationship with Veronique’s mother, that was one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. I like a lot of psychology in books and more than anything, I wanted this book to dig deeper into the characters and into the psychological aspects of such an impersonation.
This is a very outward-facing novel; the characters’ interiority is limited. Topaze does feel some guilt and hesitation regarding the con, but I wanted her to be more perceptive, to notice in greater detail the emotional loose ends and wounds that had been left behind after Veronique’s disappearance. I wanted Topaze to think more about Veronique’s role in the family, about who Veronique was as a full, complex person, and what facets of herself (Topaze) were being revealed to her through her impersonation of Veronique. That would have been yet another totally different book but I’d have eaten that one with a spoon.
Topaze has a lot of charisma and that was what pulled me through the book. I’ve gone back and forth on what to grade Promise of Summer because I did like Topaze a lot. But for the romance not to work in a romance novel is pretty much a death knell. Topaze as a character deserves 4 stars but the book only deserves 2.
Trigger warning:
Content warning:
This was a promising out-of-print book that a friend recommended. It uses what I call the Anastasia trope—a character impersonates an heir or heiress who is thought to have died to gain their fortune / position, but is that person really an impostor or are they actually the real deal?
This is a good trope that offers many plot possibilities and Promise of Summer had some good things going for it. The setting was unusual—1730s France. There were good descriptions of the heroine’s initial poverty and her family struggling to have enough food. And the heroine, Topaze, is lively and mischievous.
The hero, Lucien, catches Topaze picking pockets and decides she is the perfect person to help him pull off a con he has been planning to get revenge on a relative who wronged him and his parents. The relative stands to inherit a lot of money when his wife dies, but the wife’s daughter, Veronique, ran off long ago and is presumed dead. Topaze greatly resembles Veronique and if she claims to be Veronique, she can gain access to Veronique’s trust. She’ll give Lucien and his partner, Martin, most of the money while keeping a smaller amount for herself.
(I never understood why Topaze didn’t demand an equal share; she was doing the most dangerous and difficult part of the work. I also didn’t understand how Lucien could have been planning such a con before meeting Topaze, who is nearly identical to Veronique. It’s not like identical strangers are a dime a dozen.)
Topaze is trained by Lucien and Martin in the things Veronique knew, and then they go to the countryside and the con begins. Veronique’s stepfather is horrible but her mother is ill, frail and so relieved and happy to be reunited with her daughter that Topaze feels bad for conning her. Meanwhile, because this is a 1980s romance, Topaze falls for Lucien but he does not admit to similar feelings for her. Martin, his friend, does love her, but she is not in love with him.
This kind of triangulaiton was very common in 1980s romances and when I read them, I often felt that the hero’s friend / brother who is more into the heroine than the hero was a cliched convenience. This type of figure can rarely develop beyond his main characteristics of being nice, sweet-tempered and infused with puppy love for the heroine, because his role is to serve as a foil (contrast) to the harsh hero. I bought Martin more than I usually buy this kind of foil-to-the-hero figure but I still felt some of this same frustration of wanting him to step outside his prescribed role.
In my teens, when this triangle dynamic was a common trope, I sometimes had this thought that for once, I’d like to see the heroine dump the unfeeling jerk and go for the sweet guy. I wondered about that here. Topaze had all this energy and playfulness and Marin was somber, so it’s possible they might have made a good pairing. Lucien could have been the Other Man, with Topaze confusing sexual attraction with love and Lucien using her and endangering her, and she could have realized that Martin, who had been at her side all along and whom she'd taken for granted, was the one who truly cared. When I start rewriting the plot of a book, it’s a sure sign that the book isn’t working.
Lucien was probably the biggest problem I had with the book. I didn’t feel we got below his surface until very late in the book. It was hard to get a grasp on him; other than being harsh and humorless, he was more or less a cipher. I didn’t care that much if he got the money, the revenge or what. There was no chemistry between him and Topaze and the sex scenes could easily be skipped without missing much. You know those characters in fantasy and urban fantasy novels who can nullify all magic within a certain radius of them? Lucien was like that.
I cared a lot about Topaze, she was a vivacious, friendly, intelligent and enthusiastic woman. I would almost have preferred that the romance be cut out of the book so that the focus could be solely on her and the con. Or better yet keep the con and replace the romance with Lucien with someone more interesting. I would have loved to see someone among Veronique’s friends and family catch on—that could have made a more engaging romance. There I go again, rewriting the book.
Unfortunately, there's racism too.
I did appreciate that the book was not homophobic, unlike many others of its time period.
The pacing was off, too. The book sagged in the middle some while Topaze trained in all things Veronique, but it picked up a lot toward the end. There was some excitement in the denouement which I won’t spoil.
The language was just so-so. There were very few anachronisms and the writing was pretty good when it came to description and action, but there was also some expository dialogue and a couple patches of short, staccato sentences. There were a couple of cheesy bits of dialogue before and after sex, “Surrender, you're about to be boarded by a pirate,” and “I expend my manly essence and lose my manliness.”
I liked Topaze’s relationship with Veronique’s mother, that was one of the most interesting aspects of the novel. I like a lot of psychology in books and more than anything, I wanted this book to dig deeper into the characters and into the psychological aspects of such an impersonation.
This is a very outward-facing novel; the characters’ interiority is limited. Topaze does feel some guilt and hesitation regarding the con, but I wanted her to be more perceptive, to notice in greater detail the emotional loose ends and wounds that had been left behind after Veronique’s disappearance. I wanted Topaze to think more about Veronique’s role in the family, about who Veronique was as a full, complex person, and what facets of herself (Topaze) were being revealed to her through her impersonation of Veronique. That would have been yet another totally different book but I’d have eaten that one with a spoon.
Topaze has a lot of charisma and that was what pulled me through the book. I’ve gone back and forth on what to grade Promise of Summer because I did like Topaze a lot. But for the romance not to work in a romance novel is pretty much a death knell. Topaze as a character deserves 4 stars but the book only deserves 2.
August 28, 2015
This review was originally published on my blog as part of my "Top Ten Favorite romance novels". This is number one on my list-- I'm not exaggerating when I say this is quite possibly my favorite romance novel of all time.
Louisa Rawlings (aka Sylvia Halliday and Sylvia Baumgarten) wrote a lot back in the ’80s and ’90s, but since 1997, she went on a long hiatus. Which is too bad, because— as one of my friends put it— her books read like Georgette Heyer’s Georgian novels, “but with more sex.” Promise is quite possibly my favorite read by her. It’s a rollicking adventure story set in 1730s France about a streetwise young urchin named Topaze who’s hired by an embittered, disinherited young gentleman, Lucien, to scam his estranged provincial noble family out of an inheritance which rightfully belongs to him. Lucien’s young lady cousin has been missing for years, and Topaze, who bears an astonishing resemblance to her, is hired to act her part, infiltrate the family, and get Lucien his inheritance back. Of course, the family has deep dark secrets, and Topaze wonders why she is so strangely drawn to them. And what about her growing love for Lucien? And is someone trying to kill her?
There’s so much great stuff going on in this novel, I don’t know where to start. It takes a lot of well known tropes, like the Pygmalion plot, Identical Stranger, and Becoming the Mask, just to name a few, and mashes them all up into something unpredictable and fun. Topaze is tough, strong and smart, Lucien is brooding (but not too brooding), sexy and clever. There’s terrific period detail too, and a host of well-drawn minor characters.
This is a great read, and again (I feel like I’ve said this a lot already), I wish the author was better known.
However, I have great news for you guys. Promise of Summer has been republished by Samhain— with a blurb by yours truly! Go and get it— you won’t be disappointed!
Louisa Rawlings (aka Sylvia Halliday and Sylvia Baumgarten) wrote a lot back in the ’80s and ’90s, but since 1997, she went on a long hiatus. Which is too bad, because— as one of my friends put it— her books read like Georgette Heyer’s Georgian novels, “but with more sex.” Promise is quite possibly my favorite read by her. It’s a rollicking adventure story set in 1730s France about a streetwise young urchin named Topaze who’s hired by an embittered, disinherited young gentleman, Lucien, to scam his estranged provincial noble family out of an inheritance which rightfully belongs to him. Lucien’s young lady cousin has been missing for years, and Topaze, who bears an astonishing resemblance to her, is hired to act her part, infiltrate the family, and get Lucien his inheritance back. Of course, the family has deep dark secrets, and Topaze wonders why she is so strangely drawn to them. And what about her growing love for Lucien? And is someone trying to kill her?
There’s so much great stuff going on in this novel, I don’t know where to start. It takes a lot of well known tropes, like the Pygmalion plot, Identical Stranger, and Becoming the Mask, just to name a few, and mashes them all up into something unpredictable and fun. Topaze is tough, strong and smart, Lucien is brooding (but not too brooding), sexy and clever. There’s terrific period detail too, and a host of well-drawn minor characters.
This is a great read, and again (I feel like I’ve said this a lot already), I wish the author was better known.
However, I have great news for you guys. Promise of Summer has been republished by Samhain— with a blurb by yours truly! Go and get it— you won’t be disappointed!
December 3, 2013
Read my review on RomanceJunkies.com by clicking on the link below:
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artm...
http://romancejunkiesreviews.com/artm...
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February 13, 2016Great story for a romance novel and a surprising ending really enjoyed the is she or isn't she right up to the end.
October 8, 2017
This was a great find I really enjoyed the historical backdrop and the foray of poverty as well as wealth with financial intrigue to boot! I did get a little uneasy when they essentially condone slavery though.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews