Based on true eventsOn the cusp of the war that would change the fate of empires, Clementine, the daughter of an earl, finds herself in the lush English countryside attending her younger sister’s wedding.But Clementine is different. She wants more from life than to just walk in her husband’s shadow. Like the formidable Florence Nightingale, she has a dream to become a nurse of the Empire.Her path … become a nurse of the Empire.
Her path crosses with the handsome and dashing hussar, Major Stirling Whitt Whittaker. A whirlwind love affair ensues, leading to young Stirling asking for Clementine’s hand in marriage.
However, as fate would have it, the Crimean War drags them apart, twisting and weaving the threads of destiny. Will her Stirling survive the horrors of war unscathed or will she have to treat him like the many other hundreds of men coming from the front?
*A Charming Cavalryman for Clementine is a historical romance of 80,000 words (around 450 pages) based on true events. No cheating, no cliffhangers, and a sweet happily ever after.
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This is a historical romance novel rich with history. Interesting history, times , Victorian lifestyle, social climate, approaching war, battles and
Florence Nightingales nurses and even architecture fill out this romance adventure. I think it was a very hard time to live unless one was in the upper classes. The dispossessed, the poor, the widowed and women in general worked if they had a skill or lived in the slums. But war can take
the life of a warrior from any social status. I think this was a good job and I found all the parts interesting. A bit more serious and historic than her previous books. But the same easy reading I find in her writing.
Plot: Intriguing story of a well-educated young lady, Clementine who sought to make a life of service to her country during England’s war with Russian aggression in the Crimea just before the time of the Charge of the Light Brigade. We see how difficult it was for a young woman even to serve as a nurse in the army during war at that time. We are favored with bits of history of the time, as well as actual characters such as Florence Nightingale, in charge not only of teaching young nurses but also in the administration of a wartime hospital. Despite her mother’s despair at Clementine’s disinterest in marriage, the truth was that Clementine had never met any man that she felt the least bit of desire to marry and thus lose her independence.
Enter our Hero, Sterling Whitt Whittaker, 3rd son of the Duke of Kenbridge, just returning from years serving in the Calvary in India. He has returned home, just in time to enter into the 11th Brigade, the pride of the calvary, as they are preparing to depart for Constantinople then to the Baltic Sea to fight the Russians. A wedding brings Clementine and Stirling together where they meet. Yet, each has plans for the coming war and the role they see themselves playing in it. Sterling does go with the Light Brigade, and is heavily involved with its famous charge, which resulted in the devastation of that brigade. Sterling survives in body, but not in mind.
Will the budding love between Clementine and Sterling survive the trauma of war? How was post-traumatic stress disorder managed in the 1800’s? The author has Florence Nightingale say these profound words to Clementine:
“…being in love is the easiest thing in the world. Loving somebody is not….The trick is to continue loving when we find things we don’t necessarily like, for in time, the good things that outweigh [the bad] will be upon you again soon.”
Critique: I appreciated the story being built around the actual historical events of the time, and how well the author helped us to gain a deeper appreciation of the events leading up to and including the famous Charge of the Light Brigade. We see clearly how lack of information and personal weaknesses resulted in the deaths of most of the Light Brigade. This material was unknown to me until reading the book, and has been an excellent introduction to an era I intend to further investigate.
The book is well written and held my interest throughout. The men and women displayed good character, and worked hard to reach their goals-an excellent role model for any young people reading this book. An outstanding effort by this author.