Huguenot

It is the last quarter of the 17th-century. In France, the Wars of Religion are over and French Protestants have been enjoying a period of prosperity and protection. Suddenly Louis XIV rescinds the Edict of Nantes signed by his grandfather, which guaranteed Huguenots equal rights under the law. Overnight practicing the Protestant faith has become a High Crime. Jacques-Jean is an honorable young man who lives a privileged life on his Catholic father's estates. His father is a duke and Jacques, his only son and heir, is learning to administer wisely. But, Jacques has been raised as a Huguenot by his mother. He will not abjure his faith and a jealous relative stirs up trouble. Never will the King or the Church of State allow a Huguenot to inherit the lands and title of a dukedom. A warrant is issued for Jacques' arrest and he will most certainly be thrown into the Bastille to be forgotten or sent in chains to almost certain death as a galley slave. His father cannot save him. Jacques must flee. He is joined by his best friend Richard, also a Huguenot, and a young servant girl, Marie, who seeks the Hope the New World offers to better her life. Together they escape just ahead of the gen d'armes. They are smuggled out of the country and land in New York Towne. Soon Jacques and Richard learn to trap fur and trade with the Indians along the Hudson and St. Lawrence rivers. They also learn to battle the elements and survive disasters. Meanwhile, Marie learns that she will never get ahead unless she is in a business of her own. The three have become very close friends and decide to establish a trading post together on the New Jersey frontier. While Jacques and Richard are on their treks, Marie learns to barter with some of the local Indians, one of whom takes a very protective interest when she is left all alone and seemingly abandoned. Things would go more smoothly if not for two things: The never-ending conflicts between the French and English and their warring Indian allies. And, the passionate love triangle that develops.

The Huguenot II: Building the Dream picks up right where The Huguenot: Flight From Terror ends. Readers fell in love with three French émigré forced to flee France because of their Protestant faith and settle in the British colonies of 17th century North America. Now in The Huguenot II: Building the Dream, the trio faces fresh challenges. Jacques: wants strong but kind husbands for his daughters, men capable of protecting and keeping them from harm while not abusing them but he almost loses his own wife to a predator right under his nose; Marie: has learned to stand up and defend herself, kill when necessary, and be assertive in a man's world, but nothing has prepared her to deal with nightmarish fears from the past or the silent menace of a sociopath's insane jealousy; Richard: never expected to live a life frustrated by unrequited love. He will always stand by his best friend faithfully but can he control his fierce desires for his best friend's wife? Terrorism-frontier style, hurricanes, societal crazies, opioid addiction, alternative medicine, the challenges of business and parenting, teenage pregnancy, secrets and lies in the marriage bed, deadly Native American resistance to the colonial land-grab, the breakdown of communications, race riots... sounds like headlines from our own time but this is the dawn of the 18th century! Human nature does not change. Life is not easy in any century but LOVE can deal with everything... or can it? Each of a growing number of characters has his/her own dream to pursue, most will succeed in a land of amazing opportunity, some will fail as each must find his own path in building the dream.

After studying in Europe to become a doctor at the forefront of the medical knowledge of his day, John Power, eldest son of Jacques and Marie, faces heartbreaking tragedy when he cannot save the woman he passionately loves, only to have the same scenario happen yet a second time. Frustration, anguish, and anger drive him to shelve his medical bag and his Hippocratic Oath. He closes his heart down and runs away to join the colonial military as a lowly private who feels more like killing than healing. As John works his way up the ranks, he finds his life forever changed by a Native American girl, who has, had just as much tragedy plus, unspeakable cruelty in her own life. He is able to help her survive only to have her, years later, save his life in return. Their paths continue to cross on the frontier and he finds his soul beginning to heal and his heart coming back to life as she sets an example of persistence and endurance.

Author D.C. Force has, brought another bit of lesser, known history to vivid life in this, novella inspired by a true story. In the 17th century, Louis XIV of France took an old medieval tower built on the southern coastline to guard against pirates and designated it a women's prison. A formidable stone structure completely devoid of creature comforts, with massive walls, no windows, and only arrow slits and an ocular to give air and light. The climate is hot and humid in summer while cold winds drive down from the Alps in winter. From that day until long after Louis' death, women were, buried alive and forgotten within its walls, fed nothing but bread and water by the State, and left to die a slow death of starvation and neglect. The Tower of Constance stands today as a museum dedicated to these innocent women who were imprisoned here until freedom from religious persecution finally returned to France in the late 18th century at which time about forty were still found breathing behind its iron doors. Hélène Charte has, lived a rather privileged life, but not without its tragedy. She has been a duke's mistress and then his wife but their only son, whom she raised a Huguenot, has been driven from the country when it became known he was his Catholic father's heir. The duke has, made provisions for his beloved wife to secretly leave the country upon his death but she stalls to see him laid to rest properly and is arrested at his grave site. It is to the Tower of Constance that Hélène is, sent. Her only crime is refusing to renounce her faith and being, married by a protestant pastor. Hélène uses the resources her husband provided and her own indomitable personality to survive and bring succor and small reforms to the intolerable conditions she finds everyone in, including herself. In so doing, she attracts the attentions of the prison warden, who cannot resist her beauty, her charms, and her spirited personality until he finds himself as much a prisoner as she.

Finally reunited, newly divided For the first time in over ten years, Captain John Power feels whole again. He takes leave from his military career on the frontier and returns home to introduce his new wife and children to his parents and siblings whom he loves and has missed. Just as he is about to return to his life on the frontier, tragedy strikes, sending the entire family into mourning. As the family starts to recover from their loss, outside forces continue to provide them challenges. Sickness, prejudice, loss, grief, greed, lust, and murder... Their world keeps reeling and all the members of the Power family must regain their balance and find their way forward. But can they? Find out in this final installment of the Huguenot series: The Huguenot and The Heathen II: The Prodigal Returns.