The Count's Charade

By Elizabeth Bailey

Book Overview

A heart-pounding historical love story Perfect for fans of Georgette Heyer, Mary Balogh, Jane Aiken Hodge and Jane Austen.

Can Grace save Henri's life ... or is she destined only to lose her heart?

Georgian England

Grace Dovercourt never thought she'd find herself the subject of gossip - or that she'd ever fall in love. Her existence blighted by a secret that sets her apart from other women, she lives quietly and expects little from life.

But her settled life is turned upside down overnight when she discovers Henri Rousselle hiding in one of her outbuildings - and at death's door.

Living alone but for her faithful maid, Grace's reputation is at stake. But she can't just let the Frenchman die ... and before she knows it, she's in over her head. If Henri is to have a chance, she must turn renegade and hold the authorities at bay.

But what is Henri hiding from - and who are the threatening men who seek him? And when Grace finds herself in the grip of feelings she's never known before, can she trust him with her heart?

As Grace risks all to keep her Frenchman alive, will the truth emerge before Henri's enemies manage to silence him for ever?

THE COUNT'S CHARADE is a captivating Georgian historical romance with a determined heroine at its centre.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0854953817
• ISBN13: 9780854953813
• Release Date: August 2026
• Publisher: Sapere Books
• Length: 296 Pages
• Weight: 0.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 5.3" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

sexy, sweet, satisfying

Grace Dovercourt discovers a seriously wounded man near her home and takes him in to nurse him back to health. Some bablings while he comes in and out of conciousness reveal that he is a Frenchman, and he has been shot. She decides to keep this fact secret so that he may recover. But as he grows stronger Grace finds her feelings for Henri Rousselle grow by the day. She has no illusions about him loving her in return, after all she has been lame since birth, and he is an obvious gentleman who could catch a better fish than Grace. As he recovers Grace finds herself battling her emotions and hiding him from the authorities, as he is a wanted man. *** My thoughts: Grace is a strong and convincing character who has taken her life into her own hands. As she is lame and has little chance of a good marriage, she has taken it upon herself NOT to be a ward of her brothers, but instead has started up her own business writing and editing letters from the surrounding villagers. While being strong in her own way, she also has insecurities that play a role in the story. The way that Henri speaks is well written. His English comes across like one would expect when it is not a person's first language, and is not jaring to read at all. The small snippets of French are generally well known French phases. The ones that I had not heard before, well it was easy enough to tell what was meant by the context. And, well, I've never really though accents as 'sexy' before, but I really felt attracted to Henri's accent that I imagined in this book. Although I felt part of the book was predictable to those who have widely read in this genre like myself, I did not feel that this detracted from the book. Infact, it was a sexy, sweet and satisfying read.