AustLit

'The eighteenth century witnessed a number of momentous happenings – the birth of the British Empire, the American War of Independence, the French Revolution – and the horrific ‘reign of terror’ that followed in its wake. In England, there were not only disasters and scandals like the South Sea Bubble, but also many important developments such as the establishment of a number of world famous institutions – The Royal College of Surgeons, the Jockey Club and the Royal Academy.

'The Quetteville Diaries, the first book of the Anjou Trilogy, takes the reader into the very centre of these exciting events. Set in the heart of London – St James’s – in one of its most famous high class brothels, are the Prime Minister, the dallying Duke of Grafton, the notorious John Wilkes and the profligate monks of Medmenham. They are all there – King George III, William Pitt, John Harrison – as he defies the odds and solves the Longitude problem – and the upstart rake, Dennis O’Kelly – as he writes his name into history with Britain’s greatest racehorse, Eclipse.

'This is a fascinating story – it is an exciting romance and it is history brought to life – and it will leave the reader wanting to know what happens to the Comtesse Nicole and the Scott-Quetteville family as Europe and America move forward into the nineteenth century.' (Publication summary)