Love and honor

Author: Randall Wallace
Publisher:
Publish Date: 2005-07-01
Features: Oscar-winning author of Braveheart and Pearl Harbor presents his new masterpiece – Love and Honor! It's hard to find a novel that compares to this one – it's rich, thrilling, packed with surprises, and brilliantly crafted. The author conducted thorough research before writing, making it a joy to read. – The Washington Post
After first reading Braveheart, I've been eagerly anticipating such a work from Randall Wallace. This book didn't disappoint! It has all the elements of a great epic: love, courage, glory, bloodshed, war, conspiracy, humor, pain, and bravery. If you loved Braveheart, you'll also fall in love with this story. They share the same emotional thread and core narrative. – Amazon Reader Taylor Montgomery
Yes, it's a novel, but its vivid descriptions make you feel as if you're watching a movie. You'll be to turn the pages, with nothing stopping you. – Amazon Reader Andre
In 1774, America was still a British colony, but the Americans living there couldn't tolerate the unfair treatment from Britain and were restless in their quest for independence. The British government had noticed this trend and asked Catherine the Great of Russia to send 20,000 Russian soldiers to help suppress the Americans. For the ambitious Catherine the Great, this was a golden opportunity to advance her policy of expansion and elevate Russia to a position of equality with the traditional European powers. If Catherine intervened, America's dream of independence would be shattered. Faced with this critical situation, the wise Benjamin Franklin of the American Revolutionary War era hatched a bold plan. He sent a cavalry officer from Virginia, Kieran, to Russia to join Catherine's mercenary forces, help her suppress Pugachev's rebellion, and then try to get close to Catherine to convince her to cancel the plan to send troops to America. For Kieran, who had no family in Russia, this was nearly an impossible mission. Accompanied by his Russian friend Golov, he arrived in St. Petersburg, armed only with his courage, bravery, integrity, and loyalty, but facing the shrewd British ambassador to Russia and the agent Montrose, who had been specifically sent to deal with him. Here, he met noblewomen from various European countries, all graceful and from prominent families, who were quite taken with him. However, his final choice was someone of no status (which, of course, reflects the author's American democratic ideals: that all people are equal regardless of their background). He successfully joined Catherine's mercenary forces, conquered the Cossack rebels with his bravery and courage, and captured Pugachev, though he nearly lost his own life in the process. He finally met Catherine, only to discover that the empress had ulterior motives for him, hoping he would become her lover to satisfy her desires. All he had to do was play along to gain wealth, fame, status, and power. Faced with all this, how should he choose?