The Disenchantment

(Paperback, Main)

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'A shimmering, sexy, thrilling tale of intrigue and desire, and the dark paths we walk to keep our secrets safe. Bell has written a shining debut' Kiran Millwood Hargrave, author of The Dance Tree'A powerful, atmospheric debut' Sunday TimesEveryone connected to the court of Louis XIV has something to hide. For the Baroness Marie Catherine, it is the pleasures she seeks outside of her unhappy marriage, indulging in a more liberated existence of decadent salons and discussions with writers and scholars. At the centre of her illicit freedom is her lover Victoire Rose de Bourbon, Mademoiselle de Conti, the androgynous, self-assured countess. When Victoire's devotion results in an act of murder to save Marie Catherine, the pair must escape from the clutches of Paris' overzealous chief of police. As they attempt to outwit him, they are led to the darkest corners of Paris and Versailles, discovering lies, mysticism, and people with secrets they too would kill to keep. Fast-paced, opulent and hypnotically absorbing, Celia Bell's debut is a love story to die for.

Reviews

'There's a deliciously hothouse feel to Celia Bell's slow-burn, smouldering debut. Intrigue a-plenty .... beautifully detailed ... [a] beguilingly dark fairytale' - Daily Mail

'The writing has the quality of velvet about it, so lusciously rich that it folds you into a thrilling love story ... Beautifully researched.' - Sally Gardner

'Historical storytelling at its most captivating ... I couldn't put it down.' - Lisa Appignanesi, author of Everyday Madness

'A hothouse atmosphere in which depravity, sensuality, and duplicity reside side by side, and Marie Catherine's plight builds in suspense as the noose tightens around her ... a bold and inspired mix of Les Liaisons Dangereuses and The Crucible.' - Publishers Weekly starred review

'The Disenchantment is filled with rich and beautiful detail that brings 17th Century Paris to life. Marie Catherine's struggle to remain true to herself despite the restrictions she faces is depicted with understated power, and hers is a story that will stay with me for a long time.' - Elizabeth Lee, author of Cunning Women

Author Bio

Celia Bell's short fiction has appeared in VQR, the White Review, the Sewanee Review, the Southern Review and elsewhere. She lives in Austin, Texas, where she works in beekeeping when not writing. The Disenchantment isher first novel.