The Colonel's Daughter: Prequel to The Senator's Wife

This book is about Cate and Nat, as always when Jen Lyon is the author a love story, not a romance. In this case no surprise about the outcome of this special first love not meant to be, it is a prequel after all, but still so painful and angsty, my favourite feeling when I read a book. This book gave me so much to think about, I now understand Catharine and Nathalie a bit better, and I must reread The Senator’s Wife series once more to get even more of them. Cate and Nat come from different worlds and at this stage in life Catherine is not strong enough to break free from her father, the Colonel, that has such power over her. As a reader, even though you know what will happen, you still really want Catharine’s choice to be different this time, choose Nathalie over the life her father dictates. I truly believe they could have lived a happy life together if only Catharine had been brave and strong enough. Now they never get a chance at romantic love, but their friendship is so special and what makes Catherine find a way to find love again and finally break free both from her father and husband. Nathalie is so amazing and after what she has endured I really hope we will get a book about her one day that shows us her finding a new chance at true love just like Catharine did with Alex. Another masterpiece by the author, if you have loved her previous books run and get the book!

As a reader, I want visceral, fervent, and indelible marks. I have arrived (yet again). Cate is a complex character who has been devastatingly abused, caged, controlled, stripped of life and love. Reader beware, for I cannot isolate the "feels" to just this book, this story, since Catharine (Cate) Brooks lives rent-free in my head from the stories of three other books. Reader beware: Spoilers everywhere... It is undoubtedly well understood how Catharine’s life is governed by rigid expectations: she is groomed to inherit her father’s company, her behavior tightly controlled, her brilliance acknowledged but subordinated by her father and the men around her. Polished, exceptionally intelligent, and emotionally restrained, she is denied agency over her own future. Her soul crying to be seen, to be heard, to be freed. And it is Nathalie’s love that touches Catharine’s soul and ignites life into it. Her first great love and now her closest friend. Their three-year affair, which unfolds while Catharine is studying at Oxford, is abruptly and forcibly ended when Catharine’s father discovers the relationship. Catharine is sent to America and coerced into marrying an unethical, abusive, and politically powerful man. It is here, and in her previous books, Lyon reminds us romance and love stories aren’t the same thing. Pretty Woman is romance; Romeo & Juliet is a love story. Lyon writes the latter. She doesn’t follow the romance script, doesn’t protect the reader with tidy resolutions,…

Oh, Catharine... When Jen Lyon said she was thinking of writing a prequel to The Senator's Wife series focusing on Catharine's college years at Oxford, I encouraged it with a very enthusiastic, "Yes, please!" Catharine is one of those tragic characters that never leaves you - one of my all-time favorites in sapphic fiction. At just 17, Catharine was a brilliant prodigy at Oxford studying to take over her family's global shipping business. Growing up, she was not allowed to be like other children - she was expected to train in languages, business and economics. Her father, cruel and ruthless, only cared about how her actions affected the family business. He determined who she could associate with. Who was worthy of a match that would support her role in business, happiness be damned. When she meets wild, free, beautiful French theater aficionado Nathalie Comtois at a nearby Oxford college, the actress opens her eyes to a whole different world. Catharine falls completely under her spell and begins to experience true happiness for the first time in her life. But as their college years come to a close, both realize as much as they wish otherwise, their time together is finite. Those that read The Senator's Wife series know how their romantic relationship ends, but this story focuses on their time together and what happens between the heartbreak and the years when they become the best of friends. If you haven't already, you should read the Senator's Wife series to truly…

Knowing this is a prequel and therefore some of the S.O.B.s will get their come-uppance, makes this a better book. The thing is, we KNOW most politician’s are a lot like Carlton Cleveland. The “Colonel” is just a mean, old, selfish man who loves power and nothing else. The dynamic between Catherine and her French lover worked itself out, by becoming the best of friends. I enjoyed this series and look forward to more.

The way this story is told truly seemed to match the feelings of young love and that journey. It honored both main characters in a way that helped their relationship in the first 3 books make even more sense. loved it and inspired to read the whole set again!