Marianne Series by Juliette Benzoni

La vie prodigieuse de Marianne d'Asselnat de Villeneuve commence en Angleterre, dans le paisible domaine de sa tante Ellis Selton qui l'a recueillie après la mort de ses parents, guillotinés sous la Terreur. Son adolescence prend fin brutalement le jour même où elle épouse le beau Francis Cranmere dont elle est secrètement éprise depuis longtemps. Au cours d'une nuit de noces effroyable elle perd à la fois son amour, sa fortune et sa sécurité... moreLa vie prodigieuse de Marianne d'Asselnat de Villeneuve commence en Angleterre, dans le paisible domaine de sa tante Ellis Selton qui l'a recueillie après la mort de ses parents, guillotinés sous la Terreur. Son adolescence prend fin brutalement le jour même où elle épouse le beau Francis Cranmere dont elle est secrètement éprise depuis longtemps. Au cours d'une nuit de noces effroyable elle perd à la fois son amour, sa fortune et sa sécurité. Marianne doit fuir, abandonner tout ce qu'elle aime, revenir en France où règne l'homme qu'on lui a appris à haïr jour après jour : Napoléon. less

Beautiful, dark-haired Marianne d'Asslenat fled England, leaving her dastardly husband for dead in the blazing ruins of what had been their home. In France her beauty and wit won the heart of the Emperor himself, Napoleon Bonaporte, and under his patronage she found a place high in Parisian society and a new career as an opera singer. But on the very night of her debut, she is terrified by a face in the audience - the scarred visage of Francis Cranmere, the husband she believed dead... moreBeautiful, dark-haired Marianne d'Asslenat fled England, leaving her dastardly husband for dead in the blazing ruins of what had been their home. In France her beauty and wit won the heart of the Emperor himself, Napoleon Bonaporte, and under his patronage she found a place high in Parisian society and a new career as an opera singer. But on the very night of her debut, she is terrified by a face in the audience - the scarred visage of Francis Cranmere, the husband she believed dead. In desperation Marianne seeks someone to protect her from Francis' insane lust for revenge. But there is no one. Even Napoleon seems to slip away from her after his marriage to Marie-Louise of Austria. So Marianne must once more venture into the unknown: to Italy and the magnificent villa of the Tuscan prince whose face no one has ever seen; a villa haunted by some strange, nameless evil... less

Marianne, now the Princess Sant'Anna following her strange Italian marriage, returns to Paris to find Napoleon settled in almost bourgeois comfort into his marriage with Maria Theresa and her old foe Fouche discredited and exiled from the Ministry of Police following a scandal. Then at a festive ball attended by all of imerpial society she rediscovers, in the midst of soaring flames, her true love... moreMarianne, now the Princess Sant'Anna following her strange Italian marriage, returns to Paris to find Napoleon settled in almost bourgeois comfort into his marriage with Maria Theresa and her old foe Fouche discredited and exiled from the Ministry of Police following a scandal. Then at a festive ball attended by all of imerpial society she rediscovers, in the midst of soaring flames, her true love. There follow seemingly unending struggles against all manner of foes - a time when men who love often prove more dangerous than those who hate. A malevolent plot threatens the one man to capture her heart - Jason Beaufort, he who seeks adventure in the four corners of the world. It is a well-concealed trap, all the more dangerous because it is intimately concerned with Napoleon himself. Bound by their love, but forced apart by the exigencies of life, Marianne and Jason find the means to defeat the forces unleashed against them. But when justice finally strikes, it threatens to destroy their love along with their enemies. In the dazzling Paris of Napoleon's Empire at the height of his power, in the sleepy calm of the country estate where Talleyrand nurses his rheumatism, it the morning mists of country farms and the depths of Breton fogs, Marianne each day learns a little more of the hard facts of life. less

As the city of Florence basks in afternoon sunlight, pleasurable anticipation stirs in the heart of beautiful Marianne d'Asselnat, Princess San'Anna. The trials and uncertainties of her eventual past life seem almost over, for she is soon to rejoin her beloved sea rover Jason Beaufort and enjoy with him a peaceful future in America... moreAs the city of Florence basks in afternoon sunlight, pleasurable anticipation stirs in the heart of beautiful Marianne d'Asselnat, Princess San'Anna. The trials and uncertainties of her eventual past life seem almost over, for she is soon to rejoin her beloved sea rover Jason Beaufort and enjoy with him a peaceful future in America. So she is not particularly dismayed when called upon to render a last vital service to her master, the Emperor Napoleon, whom once she had known as lover and still called friend. But, abruptly, an ominous shadow appears in her future, cast by the dark influence of her unseen husband, the mysterious masked Prince Corrado. The tricks of fate then force her to embark on a perilous odyssey which carries her from luxurious Venice, through Greek islands smoldering with revolt, to the court of the legendary Sultans of the Ottoman Empire. Through all her adventures her spirit is sustained by her passionate love for Jason, yet always strange, dark forces seem intent on drawing him away from her... less