A Paris lunatic asylum. A woman imprisoned. Plunge into France on the brink of Revolution.

Winner, EFestival of Words 2013, Historical Fiction category.

Shortlisted, Writing Magazine Self-Publishing Awards, 2013.

Featured in "Off the Beaten Path" recommendations, Historical Novel Society Conference, 2013.

They drowned Victoire's mother, claiming she was a witch. Then her father died beneath the wheels of a nobleman's carriage.

Forced to leave her village, Victoire finds work in Paris. But domestic employment comes at a high price and the orphaned girl suffers gruesome abuse at the hands of a diabolical aristocracy.

Accused of a heinous crime, they imprison her in the depraved lunatic asylum, La Salpêtrière.

With the help of ruthless seductress, Jeanne de Valois -- conwoman of the Necklace Affair that brought down Marie Antoinette -- Victoire must find the strength to join the revolutionary force storming the Bastille.

Can she survive a chilling betrayal and rise above her impoverished peasant roots to take her place in this new, post-revolutionary France?

Francophiles will want this one and those who enjoy historical fiction that doesn't focus on royals ... Audra Book Blogger, Unabridged Chick.