Review of a novel set during the French Revolution "The Reign of Love and Chaos" by Nicola Italia

I had learned about the Terror-episode during the French revolution but this novel brings it to life by focussing on a young man and woman coming of age. He is a young man from a middle class background who is elected in the new parliament and she is a foreigner who wants to join a convent as a novice. We witness how the good intentions of the delegates turn into bloodshed. And while it is more or less common knowledge that the nobility died en masse under the guillotine the fact that the religious people were also persecuted was completely unknown to me. I thought the dissolving of the monasteries had been in line with what happened under Henry the Eighth in England.

It seems each century has madmen like Hitler or the Inquisition and normal people would be in grave danger. The writer has a nice style of prose and keeps you invested in the main leads. Unlike the first novel in this series it does have some bedscenes but is not meant as an erotic read. To be honest if I could advice the author I would not link this novel to her Sheikh bestseller as it is a completely different style and also the motivation of the Arabian princess for a life of seclusion sounds a bit strange as in those days the Arabian women were kept out of the public. However her other motivation is that she would like to devote her life to a religious life and convents are not existing under Islam and she has a Christian mother could be a solid motive but the link to the other novel is not that necessary.

It is a shame only 7 other readers reviewed it on Amazon until now as it is a very good novel.