Arlem Hawks – författare

A Regency romance on the high seas: two hearts yearning to find a safe harbor and, possibly, a lasting love

1810, HMS Deborah.

As a young girl, Georgana Woodall dreamed of beautiful dresses, fancy balls, and falling in love. However, when her mother dies, she cannot face a future under the guardianship of her abusive grandmother and instead chooses to join her father on his ship disguised as his cabin boy, “George.”

Lieutenant Dominic Peyton has no time in his life for love, not with his dedication to His Majesty’s Royal Navy claiming his full attention. While trying to adjust to a new crew, he strives to be an exemplary officer and leader. When he sees the captain’s cabin boy being harassed by the crew, he immediately puts a stop to it and takes the “boy” under his wing. After discovering a number of clues, Dominic deduces that George is really a woman. Knowing that revealing the cabin boy’s secret would put her in serious danger from the rowdy crew, Dominic keeps silent and hides his growing affection for her.

Georgana is quickly losing her heart to Dominic’s compassion and care but is convinced nothing can come of her affection. She cannot continue to live her life on the sea, and having already missed too many seasons in London, her chances of being welcomed back into polite society and finding a suitable husband are quickly slipping away.

Georgana’s Secret is about two hearts yearning to find a safe harbor and, possibly, a lasting love.

1792, France

Rumors of revolution in Paris swirl in Marseille, a bustling port city in southern France. Gilles Étienne, a clerk at the local soap factory, thrives on the news. Committed to the cause of equality, liberty, and brotherhood, he and his friends plan to march to Paris to dethrone the monarchy. His plans are halted when he meets Marie-Caroline Daubin, the beautiful daughter of the owner of the factory.

An aristocrat and royalist, Marie-Caroline has been called home to Marseille to escape the unrest in Paris. She rebuffs Gilles’s efforts to charm her and boldly expresses her view that violently imposed freedom is not really freedom for all. As Marie-Caroline takes risks to follow her beliefs, Gilles catches her in a dangerous secret that could cost her and her family their lives. As Gilles and Marie-Caroline spend more time together, she questions her initial assumptions about Gilles and realizes that perhaps they have more in common than she thought.

As the spirit of revolution descends on Marseille, people are killed and buildings are ransacked and burned to the ground. Gilles must choose between supporting the political change he believes in and protecting those he loves. And Marie-Caroline must battle between standing up for what she feels is right and risking her family’s safety. With their lives and their nation in turmoil, both Gilles and Marie-Caroline wonder if a révolutionnaire and a royaliste can really be together or if they must live in a world that forces people to choose sides.

A soldier must choose between his heart’s desire or his duty to country in this gripping novel of friendship and survival.

Maxence Étienne believes fiercely in the Revolution and longs for his name to be listed among the heroes bringing liberty to France. It’s been almost two years of non-stop war, but the monarchy has fallen, and he’s beginning to see the changes so many of his countrymen have fought for. With war still raging, Maxence is transferred from Paris to the port city of Nantes, a hotbed of counterrevolutionaries, to help stamp out rebellion against the new republic.

Maxence is called upon to settle a disturbance between a priest and a young counterrevolutionary woman—Armelle Bernard. The argument with the priest escalates, ending in an order for Armelle’s immediate execution.

Maxence has seen his share of violence and bloodshed, but he can’t kill a woman whose only crime is taunting a clergyman. While helping her escape, he is forced to kill a fellow soldier and ends up imprisoned by the same revolutionaries he had sworn his allegiance to. When Armelle risks her life to free him, the two become fugitives. Now they must find a way to rise above their prejudices and learn to trust each other as they struggle to find a path to peace, and to freedom.

A soldier must choose between his heart’s desire or his duty to country in this gripping novel of friendship and survival.

Maxence Étienne believes fiercely in the Revolution and longs for his name to be listed among the heroes bringing liberty to France. It’s been almost two years of non-stop war, but the monarchy has fallen, and he’s beginning to see the changes so many of his countrymen have fought for. With war still raging, Maxence is transferred from Paris to the port city of Nantes, a hotbed of counterrevolutionaries, to help stamp out rebellion against the new republic.

Maxence is called upon to settle a disturbance between a priest and a young counterrevolutionary woman—Armelle Bernard. The argument with the priest escalates, ending in an order for Armelle’s immediate execution.

Maxence has seen his share of violence and bloodshed, but he can’t kill a woman whose only crime is taunting a clergyman. While helping her escape, he is forced to kill a fellow soldier and ends up imprisoned by the same revolutionaries he had sworn his allegiance to. When Armelle risks her life to free him, the two become fugitives. Now they must find a way to rise above their prejudices and learn to trust each other as they struggle to find a path to peace, and to freedom.