Revolutionary Kiss tells the exciting story of Nicole, a poor hat maker, and Luc, a wealthy horse breeder. Although from different social classes, they fall in love just as the French Revolution is heating up—and are caught in the force of a society being swept along in change. Their love story is complicated by Nicole’s relationship with Antoine, a passionate revolutionary, who ultimately is imprisoned for his subversive activities. Luc, too, struggles with another involvement—with Georgette, a woman who claims to be pregnant with his child. Eventually Nicole, who is an orphan, learns the truth of her identity, becoming a target for the bloodthirsty anger of the revolutionary leaders, men like Robespierre. Other villains populate the story, driven by fear of the change happening in Paris: One is bent on protecting the life he’s lived, and another is determined to ingratiate herself into the new order. Their machinations threaten not only Luc and Nicole’s love—but their lives. Yet Nicole and Luc’s belief in equality and individual freedom, attitudes they fight for, make for a happy ending. 

What inspired us to write the book?

It was the right time personally for us to co-write a book. When Kate was facing a health challenge, and her friend Janelle was at that very time retiring, Kate proposed a way for them to connect in all the turmoil: “Let’s write a book together.” Janelle had been waiting for retirement to begin writing a romance novel, so it seemed the perfect vehicle to begin a co-writing venture. We created the name “Mary-Kate Summers” as a combination of our first names and the season we enjoy.

We wanted to write a book that was not only entertaining but informative, the “historical” an integral part of the plot, not merely a costume design. The book immerses the reader in the revolution, from the early days of 1789 to the summer of the fall of the Bastille…followed by the aftermath. What many readers find surprising is the complexity of the characters’ responses to the revolution. The book shows how some people were confused about the ultimate purpose of the rebellion—which then grew into revolution, then into an overturn of an eight-hundred-year-old monarchy.

It turned out that this was exactly the right time to explore the ideas of social equality, personal liberty and individual freedom. The events in the book began to take on a striking resonance to those in turbulent 2019 and 2020. We are proud of the position our hero and heroine take, against tyranny and oppression.

Those who will enjoy this book include not only lovers of historical romance, but anyone who likes a page-turner filled with action, passion, suspense and well-wrought characters.

Reviewer Vikki Vaught wrote that Revolutionary Kiss is a well written historical novel with engaging characters and a suspenseful plot. The pacing pulled me in from the first page and kept me enthralled until the last. I have always enjoyed novels set during this period of history, and this novel definitely gave me an excellent view of this fascinating time.

Nicole Vogel is the heroine and is an amazing character. There are areas of her memory that are not available to her, and her dreams are plagued by unexplained pockets of events that she feels are key to finding out how she ended up in the orphanage. I loved how this all played out.

The romance between Nicole and Luc Chatillon appealed to me greatly. It’s clear they can find true love if they can work through the mysteries of Nicole’s past. His fierce determination to save her touched me, and I wanted them to find their way to an abiding love.

If you enjoy well written historical romances that offer more substance, then you will love Revolutionary Kiss as much as I did. This is a new author to me, and I’m so glad I decided to read this book.

About the Author

MARY-KATE SUMMERS is the writing team of Mary Janelle Melvin and Kate Evans. Kate is the author of six books, including Call It Wonder, her award-winning memoir.Her writing has appeared in over 50 publications. Holding a PhD and an MFA, she works as a writing coach and an editor. Mary Janelle holds an MA in English literature. Her textbook Grammar Illustrated: Seeing How Language Works was published by Fountainhead Press. An avid historical buff, she has been enmeshed in the French Revolution for many years. They are lifelong friends and former professors of English at San Jose State University.9

Thanks to Authors’ Lounge for featuring our book.

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Buy our book here: Revolutionary Kiss: Summers, Mary-Kate: 9781953810274: Amazon.com: Books