Crimson Velvet Heart

 Crimson Velvet Heart

Reviewed By  Nan van Dissel       November 1, 2025

 

Author  Carmel Bird

Distributor:      Transit Lounge
ISBN:                 978-1923023512
Publisher:         Transit Lounge
Release Date:   1 November 2025  

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Much has been written about France’s longest reigning monarch Louis XIV, the Sun King. However, not nearly as much has been written about the captivating Marie Adelaide of Savoy, mother of Louis XV, his great grandson and successor, but also a young girl with whom Louis XIV became fascinated.

Carmel Bird, in her meticulously researched historical fiction “Crimson Velvet Heart”, not only brings the story of Marie Adelaide to life but also the mesmerizingly lavish lives of the occupants in and around the magnificent Palace of Versailles. Through the eyes of Sister Clare, a childhood friend, who after the loss of the love of her life and the death of the princess, known as Adelaide, devotes herself to telling the story of Marie Adelaide.

As part of the spoils of war, Adelaide aged 11years arrives in France in November 1696; she is enchanting and Louis XIV is bewitched. As she’s still too young to marry Louis’s grandson, it is decided that for three days a week, she would become a pupil at a girls’ school, where Clare becomes Adelaide’s friend and confident. Sister Clare’s stories not only give the reader a great insight into this beloved figure, who has been admired for her intellect and charm, but also, they reveal the secret tales and intrigues of the late 17th and early 18th century France.

After reading ‘Crimson Velvet Heart’ readers will not only be inspired to further research the short life of the amazing Marie Adelaide but also that of key figures in her life. To aid further research the author has included a timeline, a list of principal characters and a comprehensive list of sources.

Fiction, Historical