Beyond the Lavender Fields

By: Arlem Hawks

Narrated by: Justine Eyre

Length: 10 hrs and 19 mins

Publisher's summary

France, 1792.

Rumors of revolution in Paris swirl in Marseille, a bustling port city in Southern France. Gilles Étienne, a clerk at the local soap factory, thrives on the news. Committed to the cause of equality, liberty, and brotherhood, he and his friends plan to march to Paris to dethrone the monarchy. His plans are halted when he meets Marie-Caroline Daubin, the beautiful daughter of the owner of the factory.

An aristocrat and royalist, Marie-Caroline has been called home to Marseille to escape the unrest in Paris. She rebuffs Gilles’ efforts to charm her and boldly expresses her view that violently imposed freedom is not really freedom for all. As Marie-Caroline takes risks to follow her beliefs, Gilles catches her in a dangerous secret that could cost her and her family their lives. As Gilles and Marie-Caroline spend more time together, she questions her initial assumptions about Gilles and realizes that perhaps they have more in common than she thought.

As the spirit of revolution descends on Marseille, people are killed and buildings are ransacked and burned to the ground. Gilles must choose between supporting the political change he believes in and protecting those he loves. And Marie-Caroline must battle between standing up for what she feels is right and risking her family’s safety. With their lives and their nation in turmoil, both Gilles and Marie-Caroline wonder if a révolutionnaire and a royaliste can really be together or if they must live in a world that forces people to choose sides.

©2022 Rachel Hawks (P)2022 Blackstone Publishing

Slow start but great finish

I really struggled with the beginning of this story but I am so very glad I kept going. I narrator's accent is what kept me listening

Wonderful story with all emotions.

I didn’t think I would like a story set in war times. I was wrong. I was angry at the revolutionist and scared for the other families.
I loved the romance. I was happy with a more realistic ending.

Great Book!

I enjoyed Arlem Hawks other book, Georgana. So I decided to give this one a try. When I figured out that it was based on the French Revolution I almost returned it. English romances are more my interest. I'm sooo glad I kept listening. This was a great book. Lots of twists and turns with interesting characters. I loved the love story as well. I hope Arlem Hawks writes more books. This one was great!

You don’t have to agree to love and respect each other

When I visit a new place, I like to be immersed. I don’t want to hit just tourist traps, but I like to see the culture first hand. This book does that so well! While I’ve long loved The Scarlet Pimpernel, and other French Revolution historical fiction, this one is different. Often a book crafts the story for you to choose a side. In this book we have Gilles, who is a revolutionist ready to fight for the cause. He had been swept up into the movement and felt the emotion of the other revolutionists at their meetings. He blindly supports the revolution, until he meets Caroline. Caroline is a royaliste who feels the revolutionists are acting too brashly and who has a devotion to the Catholic Church. The dialog and progression of these enemies to friends to lovers is so believably written.

I loved all the voices and opinions. I loved that voices from each side had merit.

A love how the books shows how a worthy cause can get out of control, changing direction, and leading people towards acts they would never commit if not in a situation of mob mentality. What do you do when you feel trapped in a cause that you have started to question?

Where should your loyalty lie? To family? Country? Religion? Ideals? A group? A leader?

I loved how Gilles’s opinion of his dad changed over time. It is in those difficult moments in life where we come to understand what matters most and who is in our corner.

Overall I loved the theme that you don’t have to completely agree with someone to love them. I loved how each main character was willing to fight and stand with their convictions, but also willing to listen and consider a different perspective. I loved all that this book taught me about the French Revolution. I will never look at it the same again.

New favorite author!

Arlem Hawk’s books transport you back into history. Historical events are well researched and made me want to know more about the time period. Her writing is beautiful and she has a way of making her characters come alive. I listened to Georgana’s Secret and Beyond the Lavender Fields and was excited to hear some of favorite narrators were reading the story. I am anxiously awaiting her next book!

Poor audio

The audio was so poor, I could not make out what was being said. Couldn’t finish it