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Reviewed by Rabia Tanveer for Readers' Favorite
Charlatan by Kate Braithwaite is set way back in time when France was a lot more colorful and royal. The novel is set in the 1670s, when King Louis XIV was holding court. His mistress, Athenais, Madame de Montespan, has been in his life for a very long time and there is no sign of marriage. When the king falls for the beauty and charm of Angelique de Fontanges, Athenais is fraught with jealousy. Not long after that, the police chief, La Reynie, and his assistant, Bezons, find a network of fortunetellers who are helping one person claim the love of the king. Since the 40-year-old mistress is clearly enraged by the 18-year-old Angelique, she is the main suspect. But is Angelique the culprit? Or is there someone else who is fooling everyone?
This is one charming novel. Right from the beginning, I was enchanted with picturesque, historical France. I am a history nut and I love to read about places as they were centuries ago. I have to say that Braithwaite actually nailed the way people spoke, dressed and acted. This just made the whole experience that much better for me. I loved the characterization and development, and, yes, at some points I knew what was going to happen next, but it is still a pretty awesome novel. I loved Athenais, but the king was not a very likable character. Regardless to say, I was a very happy reader when I finished reading this novel. It was amazingly good.
