Synopsis
An ancient secret hidden within a mother’s song …
When young widow, Marie-Ange Norton is invited to Beauregard in France by the mysterious Monsieur Malleval to collect an inheritance, she has no choice but to accept.
But when she embarks on the voyage with her fiery-tempered travelling companion Capitaine Hugo Saintclair, little does she know what waits for her across the sea in turbulent nineteenth-century France on the eve of Napoleon’s return from exile. When she arrives, she is taken aback by Malleval’s fascination with her family – seemingly inspired by his belief they are connected to a sacred relic he’s read about in coded manuscripts by the Knights Templar.
As it becomes clear that Malleval’s obsession has driven him to madness, Marie-Ange is horrified to realise she is more the man’s prisoner than his guest. Not only that, but Hugo is the only person who might be able to help her, and he could represent a different kind of danger …
Prequel to Queen of the Desert.
Marie Laval
Originally from Lyon in France, Marie now lives in Lancashire with her family. She works full-time as a modern languages teacher, and in her spare times loves writing romance and dreaming about romantic heroes. She writes both historical and contemporary romance, and her historical romance The Lion’s Embrace won the Gold Medal at the Global eBook Awards 2015 (category Historical Romance). She is a member of the Romantic Novelists Association and the Society of Authors. Her native France, as well as her passion for history and research, very much influences her writing, and all her novels have what she likes to call ‘a French twist’!
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FREE Audio Story
Listen to a fabulous, heart-warming FREE short story from Marie Laval.
Message on a Pebble by Marie Laval narrated by Gordon Griffin. Click the play button to listen.
What an amazing story! Historical romance, adventure, treasure – it has it all! I thoroughly enjoyed reading this story. I’ve read two of this author’s other books, Little Pink Taxi and Escape to the Little Chateau. This one did not disappoint!
This book I found intriguing as very unusual. It has a feisty female as the main protagonist in a historical romance where they are normally portrayed as being very wishy washy sorts. Not this one. The storyline was also very believable and well put together with enough real characters to add realism. I enjoyed the whole thing and loved watching the interplay between the main characters. The touch of love was gentle and enjoyable amongst the less easy bits! A gripping and enjoyable read.
Angel of Lost Treasure was a real treasure. I’ve always enjoyed Marie’s books, and was slightly concerned when I first heard, she was trying something different, but I needn’t have worried. What a wonderful story. A historical adventure/romance set mainly in France, Marie was able to really bring these places to life with great details and descriptions. A fabulous novel with believable characters and fascinating story. I couldn’t put it down. I’m hoping there’s a sequel.
I was a bit unsure of this one to start with, the hero isn’t particularly likeable initially, but he improves dramatically! I needn’t have worried, once it gets going, this is a thoroughly good yarn, and very meaty. The heroine suffers through so many misfortunes, it is pretty incredible that she manages to scrape through them all fairly unscathed. All in all, a very good read and certainly worth 5 stars – I have enjoyed all Ms Laval’s previous Choclit/Ruby books, but I think this is the best so far, and my favourite.