A wonderful read!
This novel drew me in from the very first page and kept me hooked until the end. The characters were vibrant and relatable, the writing was engaging, and the story had just the right balance of heart and humor. Highly recommend!
Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Genevieve Sturbridge, neé Planché, is restless being stuck in the countryside. Her husband is away working on scientific experiments while she is taking care of her home and visiting nearby friends with her young son. When she is called to go to the side of a dear friend who is living just outside of London, Genevieve packs up her son and makes the journey. Once there, however, Genevieve discovers that her friend’s husband, a high level intelligence official and not a fan of Genevieve, has ulterior motives for inviting her to his home.

In short order, Genevieve discovers that a ghost terrifying a nearby estate is not what it seems, nor is the artwork hanging on the wall of said estate. As her artist’s eye examines a new and valuable painting she discovers that someone is trying to bring Britain and France to the brink of war…again. She is pressed into service to uncover the culprit so travels to France undercover with Captain Peregrine Howard and a motley crew of agents. Danger lurks and soon Genevieve must draw on all of her resources to come out of this investigation alive.

“The Versailles Formula” is the third book in the Genevieve Planché series. I enjoyed the twists and turns in the story, but it would have made more sense, particularly around the competition to develop new pigments, if I had read the previous volumes.

This story is great for readers who enjoy historical mysteries and the social history of art.

I received an advance review copy for free from NetGalley and Joffe Books, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Genevieve is now living a quiet life with her young son while her husband is working elsewhere. She was never meant for a humdrum, country living and feels stifled. An invitation to the castle of Sir Horace Walpole to also be a companion to Evelyn her friend and wife of Sir Humphrey Willoughby. Eventually, Genevieve finds out that the request was to be the facade for her to work her skills into finding out what and who is creating havoc at Sir Walpole’s castle, all in connection with a Fragonard painting.

Genevieve is no ordinary Huegenot refugee. She and her husband were responsible for the development of a cobalt blue pigment which was prized and pursued by both French and English, and which finally led to Thomas and Genevieve finding refuge in England. This was on top of the religious persecution at the time.Now Sir Willoughby wants to take Genevieve back to France to discover a spy network. Under a false name and history, Genevieve sets off on an adventure fraught with danger and one which she has kept secret from her husband.

There were many twists and turns in the story, it also seems unfinished. I hope there is a sequel. Mixed with fictional figures there is still plenty of actual history and figures to keep one deeply interested.

|:: The Versailles Formula
By Nancy Bilyeau
Page 198
Chapter Twenty-Three
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{ Absorbing all this information, I say, “Her salon is admirable, especially considering her disadvantages. I'm curious what Madame du Deffand lives on and how she pays for these entertainments.”
“According to Sir Horace Walpole, after losing her sight, she was granted a pension by the Queen of France at the suggestion of a relative of Madame du Daffond's who is favoured by Her Majesty. She receives six thousand livres until her death.”
I reflect on the unfair advantage held by the aristocracy. If an ordinary woman of seventy were widowed, childless and blind, her situation would be dire indeed. For those of noble birth, a relation or a friend can always be found to cushion life's blows. But i decide not to share that observation with Captain Howard just now, in the spirit of harmony. }

I didn't read the two books that came before this one, but if i hadn't noticed the books in order, I would never have known! This is a story following a very spirited young woman who is married to a genius of his age and who was known for inventing the colour blue, more profound and beautiful than anyone else has ever accomplished.

But we have moved on from such a discovery, one that was full of intrigue, danger, and adventure. Now Genevieve Sturbridge is a mother and wIfe settled into the quaint village, country life, bringing up her son and missing her husband who is working to find more answers from the universe by using science.

However, it does seem the dangerous life is not dead, or done with her, after all. After being accosted by Sir Horace Walpole, who insists on Genevieve going with him to visit his wife, he claims to be very ill, she soon is told.. her expertise is wanted for something else. But no one seems to know why!
Apart from an invitation, she has no clue why she has been whisked away under a cloak of lies.

I loved this story. Genevieve I found, was very relatable, she was strong and consistently outsmarting men around her without sounding cruel or irrational, she worked hard to compromise and insisted on being kept in the know from the first seconds she realised not all was as it seems, and even though she seemed to have made an enemy of Captain Howard it wouldn't take long, for him to come to admire, her as well.

Her country needs her again.. but with so much to lose, will she take the risk? And if she doesn't, can the plan go ahead without her, even though she is the only person who is qualified out of the group to recognise Thomas's blue?

What transpires is a daring race against time, past relations, old feelings, intense new marvels and sabotage, evil deeds, twisted turns, and surprising revelations. This was so much more than a book. And I loved it.

A huge thank you to Nancy Bilyeau, Joffe Books Publisher, and Netgalley for the opportunity to read and relay my honest feedback. ::|

I didn't realise this was book 3 in a series when I started to read and I did struggle a bit with this as it took some getting into and this was perhaps the reason why. The plot was well thought out and well written and it did grow on me as I got further into the book. It does feel very unresolved at the end with lots of threads to be resolved so I guess there will be a Book 4

I found this book wasn't quite what I expected, and I couldn't explain what it was about it that didn't work for me. I didn't realise it was part of a series, and I wonder if I may have connected with it differently, if I'd read the previous books featuring this character. I did think that Genevieve was a strong character.

I love the way Nancy Bilyeau writes, and this was no exception. Wonderful historical fiction, with writing that draws in the reader without unnecessary distraction. The ending was left uncertain, so I hope the story continues soon!

I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

We visit with the story of blue again. The intrigue and spying is back this time in France and England. This time she has an agent to keep an eye on her and also help her. The making of the blue pigment is a story in itself.
I received an ARC from NetGalley and the Publisher and leaving a review by my own accord.

📱E-Book Review📱

The Versailles Formula
Nancy Bilyeau

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I hadn't realised when I grabbed this book, that it was actually the third book in the Genevieve Planche Mystery series.

There were definitely a few occurrences where I wondered what I'd missed - but in essence this did read ok as a standalone read.

We follow Genevieve as she investigates a potential haunting where it's thought that a painting holds a ghost who appears at night - but on inspection, the painting seems to hold a whole different mystery.

This case is therefore whole and complete, but the discover that a pigment is being re-made, suggested that we've seen this before in previous books in the series.
I also took a little while getting to grips with the characters who were clearly already very well established.

The writing style did draw me in and had me intrigued and eager to find clues to solve the case - I really enjoyed the story on the whole - but I'm definitely left thinking about what I might have sorted had I read the series as a while and in order.

I liked the setting and era and felt that this was well written and felt very authentic - especially with the historical references and characters woven in.

I think I'll be adding books 1&2 to my wishlist so that I can catch up, ready for the next release....

This is the third Genevieve Planche novel. I unfortunately have not read the first two, but I had no trouble starting here as the author gives enough background from the previous books. I love the heroine - her intelligence, her stubbornness, her willingness to be in danger to help her friends.

This is a quite thrilling adventure/mystery book and it kept my interest all the way through. I like the historical details in both England and France for that era which the author has wonderfully described. The secret blue formula plays a part in the whole book series.

Recommended especially if you have read the first two books, but I enjoyed it nevertheless. I will put the first two on my reading list!

Genevieve Sturbridge (neè Planche) is back in this page turner by Nancy Bilyeau. Now married and living outside of London (far outside of London!) Genevieve finds herself once again pulled into solving a mystery, this time about the color blue. Initially it's unclear to the reader why a dye would be so important that countries and people would kill for it, or go to war over it, but little by little as Genevieve gets more deeply involved in solving the mystery, things are revealed to us that have implications for both England and France. The color was invented by Genevieve's husband, and the formula appears to have been stolen. This is one of those books you'll find hard to put down, and the historical details are as fascinating as the espionage! Don't miss this book!

Wow, what a great historical mystery! Nancy Bilyeau brings Gothic flair to 18th century London with The Versailles Formula, the third installment in her bestselling Genevieve Planché series. It bears mentioning that while I have read some of Bilyeau's other books, this series is new to me, yet I had no trouble at all picking up this novel and getting to know the characters and their backstories. So have no fear--if you are new to the series like I am, you will still enjoy it, as long as you don't mind a few spoilers from the previous two novels along the way. I didn't mind them at all--it only made me want to catch up on the whole series that much more!

The Gothic atmosphere is strong in The Versailles Formula. When artist and former spy Genevieve Sturbridge (nee Planché) is invited to London for dinner at author and influential politician Horace Walpole's sprawling Gothic revival estate, Strawberry Hill, she leaves the quiet countryside behind for the city of her birth. Little does she know she's about to be pulled back into the same web of espionage and intrigue that threatened her life years before when she and her husband were tasked with guarding the secret formula for a precious, rare shade of blue coveted by artists and royalty alike.

At Strawberry Hill, Genevieve uncovers a shocking secret--the same shade of blue pigment is being produced again--this time, by some formidable enemies. As the plucky and courageous Genevieve and her compatriots race against time to prevent the blue from landing in the wrong hands, readers get the pleasure of meeting the eccentric Walpole and experiencing his Gothic "gloomth." Be prepared for some delightful scares along the way, when a haunting painting creates all sorts of paranormal havoc at Strawberry Hill.

I could not read this novel at night for two reasons: the first quarter of it genuinely scared me (hard to do) and it was so good I didn't want to put it down. The excitement and action ramp up steadily, and Bilyeau's exquisite pacing will have you wanting to binge the novel in one sitting. Part espionage novel, part intriguing look at the historical importance of art and the porcelain industry to 18th century diplomacy, The Versailles Formula is a riveting and deftly written tale that will keep you up much too late at night, for all the right reasons. Fantastic!

Thank you Joffe Books for this arc.

There are many things I like about this book. Seven years into their marriage, Genevieve and Thomas seem to be having problems. I’m not actually happy about that but the seven year mark does seem to be a period where marriages undergo strain so seeing it here is realistic. Their letters have grown stiff and awkward so Genevieve isn’t exactly sorry when she gets whisked away to see a long time friend.

Long time friend’s husband is another matter though and it’s clear that Something Is Up. Soon Genevieve is caught up in something that seems rather silly for a long time. But eventually events from the first book rear their heads and if not solved, the chance that France and England could enter another war – which would be financially devastating to them both after the Seven Years/French and Indian War – is a distinct possibility.

It becomes clear later on but I’ll go ahead and spill that it’s best to think of what drives this plot as an 18th century Cold War between England and France. A treaty has ended their most recent conflict but left them both in precarious financial straits. What almost came between them earlier, and was actually entered into a treaty, is what is at stake again. So who is behind this and can Genevieve and another person get proof?

Genevieve is smart – well most of the time – but there are so many times when she almost got on my last nerve. She’s like a prickly cat ready to swipe out with her claws before her fur is even ruffled. I get that she has fought against a system that has excluded her and belittled her but her (artistic?/French Huguenot?) temper flares to white hot if someone even looks at her funny. She is touted as such a great spy and operative but manages to bungle things a bit as well as poo-pooing training that the other operative gives her. So this information can be conveyed to the reader, I guess that she is also made to come off as a bit naive about the depths of depravity of the French aristocracy. I will give her props for a few gutsy moves she makes that get her out of danger and which do manage to save the day. She and the other person clash a lot but both grow as characters by the end. But yeah I still wanted to shake her.

The way the book ends, I expect that there will be another one in this series as there are lots of important loose threads. I’ll be interested to see what happens and am glad that I pushed through the spots where things annoyed me here. Genevieve is a strong woman and the underlying driver of the plot is one of the more unique ones I’ve come across. B-

Having loved Nancy Bilyeau’s The Blue and The Fugitive Colours, I was excited to read the new book in the Genevieve Planché series, The Versailles Formula. I'm pleased to say that I found it as good as the first two. If you’re new to the series, I would recommend reading the books in order if you can, but there’s enough background information in this one to allow you to start here if you wanted to.

The Versailles Formula is set in 1766 and, like the other books, is narrated by Genevieve Planché, a Huguenot woman who grew up in London after her family left France due to religious persecution. She’s also an aspiring artist who is finding it frustratingly difficult to be taken seriously in a field still dominated by men. As the novel opens, Genevieve is teaching watercolours to a group of young ladies while her husband, the chemist Thomas Sturbridge, is away from home working on a new research project with a scientist friend. Several years earlier Thomas had created a formula for a beautiful new shade of blue – an invention that powerful people in both France and Britain would stop at nothing to obtain. The race for the blue led to murder and treason before an agreement was finally reached that both sides would stop attempting to develop the colour.

Genevieve’s painting lesson is interrupted by the arrival of Under-Secretary of State Sir Humphrey Willoughby, husband of her friend, Evelyn. Sir Humphrey’s appearance sets in motion a chain of events that lead Genevieve to Strawberry Hill, home of the author Horace Walpole. Here she and Sir Humphrey make the shocking discovery that someone has begun producing the blue once more. Have the French broken the treaty they agreed to or is this someone acting alone? How did the blue find its way into Walpole’s home? Accompanied by an army officer, Captain Howard, Genevieve travels to Paris in search of answers.

This book definitely lived up to my expectations and was worth the three year wait since the last one! It was good to catch up with Genevieve again and although I would have liked to have seen more of other recurring characters such as Thomas Sturbridge, there’s a wonderful new character to get to know in the form of Captain Howard. Genevieve is wary of Howard at first, disliking him on sight and unsure as to why Sir Humphrey is entrusting him with such an important mission, but her opinion gradually begins to change and I loved watching their relationship develop as they travel across France.

Although many of the characters in the novel are fictional, there are also some who are real historical figures, most notably Horace Walpole, author of The Castle of Otranto. I particularly enjoyed the section of the book where Genevieve visits Strawberry Hill, his Gothic-style mansion in Twickenham and experiences its ‘gloomth’ – a term coined by Walpole himself to describe his home’s atmosphere of gloom and warmth.

The book is well paced, with tension building as Genevieve begins to wonder exactly who can and can’t be trusted – and whether anyone will see through the false identity she has adopted for her return to France. I thoroughly enjoyed this book, but I did feel that some things were left unresolved at the end, so I hope that means there could be a fourth Genevieve Planché book to look forward to. If so, I’ll certainly be reading it.

I thank NetGalley and Lume Books for an advance reader copy of “The Versailles Formula.” All opinions and comments are my own.

Genevieve Planché and her husband Thomas Sturbridge are once again caught up in a diabolical tale concerning “that” supposedly destroyed method of developing a beautiful blue paint in “The Versailles Formula." The whole story (it would help if you’ve read the previous books, but author Nancy Bilyeau has the knack of providing enough information in this one to give you the gist) is a clash of governmental proportions, and this one is a continuation, as spymaster Sir Humphrey sets Genevieve on a path of “King and Country.” So, when you have a wife that must lie to her husband, assume another woman’s identity, do a whole lot of spying in Paris, and to top it all off, do all this in company with another (very attractive) man not her husband, well, you may have a recipe for disaster.

Genevieve and Captain Howard, her comrade in arms, as it were, turn out to be very good at what they do, and get the information they’ve come for (“tensions will ease,” as we’re told), not without personal danger, of course; no good spy thriller is complete without it. But that’s not the end of it for Genevieve. What does happen in “The Versailles Formula” is an awakening in her that perhaps a quiet life in the country is not everything she wants and wishes for. Above all, she has to explain to Thomas how their life is changing -- in some very interesting ways -- but she’ll probably keep quiet about a LOT of other things. Will she return to her husband and son and be content? The author has given us a heroine with an intriguing story and much left to tell readers.

As a fan of 18th century complex intrigues and regular visitor of baroque locations in France, I was on the edge about the Versailles formula. Would the plot make sense ? How about the possible faux pas about the period ? How the characters would be described ? Well, I'm over the moon. It is the first time reading a historical novel about this period that I'm carried away in such a fashion by the context, the story, the numerous characters, the atmosphere. The pace of the adventures of the characters is perfectly orchestrated, and I cannot wait to buy and read all the books from Nancy Bilyeau. I just cannot wait for the 4th book about Genevieve Planché. Also, the series is a perfect gift to anyone interested in European arts and crafts.

Genevieve Sturbridge has left the dangers of London for a quiet life in the countryside with her husband and young son. But when she is invited to a dinner party at Sir Horace Walpole’s magnificent Gothic estate, she is drawn into a terrifying web of deception, espionage and murder.

At the mysterious dinner party Genevieve makes a shocking discovery — a secret pigment of the deepest, purest blue is being produced once more. The formula is so rare, it’s the obsession of chemists, royalty, and spies.

Some will kill to possess it. Others will kill to keep it buried.

Only Genevieve can recognise the formula and stop it falling into the wrong hands. But when a ghost from her past resurfaces, Genevieve must determine who she can trust. Years ago, this secret nearly cost her and her husband their lives. Now, someone is willing to kill for it once more.

Genevieve must discover the truth before time runs out, because this time the price of failure will cost more than just her own life.

Review to come …

Wow! What a wonderful glimpse into 1700’s France and England. Genevieve is such a perfect heroine and the story flowed effortlessly. Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC of #TheVersaillesFormula!

This is the third book in the Genevieve Planche series and the fun and excitement continues.
Genevieve and her husband Thomas left Paris and now live in England. Thomas is still a chemist and is engaged in the study of electricity. Genevieve is bored, she misses her artist studio in Spitalfields, and her secret life as a spy in France.
When Sir Humphrey Willoughby, master spy catcher of England, asks for her help she is delighted to feel useful again.
Sir Horace Wimpole has acquired a painting by Fragonard, a portrait of an Angel, but a ghost apparently visits it at night, running footsteps have been heard along the corridor, and the figure of a young man in a white robe and golden hair has been seen near the painting, but then vanishes.
Why that painting? Genevieve knows her art and believes the painting to be a forgery, Fragonard didn’t paint Angels. Is there a hidden message within?
Much to her delight and the consternation of Thomas , she is tasked with returning to France with Captain Peregrine Howard as escort. She will use the alias of Lady Jane Howard, and try to find out who sold the painting to Walpole and what, if any, message is hidden there. Could it be connected to The Blue colour that Thomas developed in France eight years ago? The colour that led to murders, kidnapping and treason? The Blue that nearly started a war between France and England? She must find the answers without giving away her identity as a spy and her forbidden religion as a Huguenot.
This is an exciting romp through Paris, and there is a hint of a romance between Genevieve and Captain Howard, how will that play out?
The story is full of historical characters, details, tension and a real fear of being exposed and suffering harm if discovered. A meeting with an old acquaintance, long feared dead, brings both a surprise and an obligation to Genevieve.
A wonderful read, worthy of my five star rating.
My thanks to Netgalley and the publishers Joffe Books for my advanced copy, freely given in return for my honest review. I will leave copies to Goodreads and Amazon UK upon publication. I am recommending this to my local library and reading group for next years list.

The Versailles Formula is a classic tale of mystery and intrigue. Very gothic atmosphere. Lots of castles, cemeteries, grand ballrooms, sinister prisons, and cloistered convents. Historical figures mixed with the fictional.