It seems that lately I've been hearing a whole lot about France, (a side effect of my Les Mis, A Tale of Two Cities, and Scarlet Pimpernel obsession), so I thought that I may as well compile a list of French names for your character-naming pleasure, since I haven't added France to my name list collection yet.

Unfortunately, I can't really say that most of these names are French in origin, since many of them have roots in the Bible, or other parts of Europe, and are therefore simply "Frenchified" versions of more traditionally recognized names—but they are French in usage. For example, Élie is the French form of Elijah.

However, if French names aren't really for you, I've compiled lists of several other ethnicities, encompassing a wide range from Hebrew to Irish.

• Male and Female English Names
• Male and Female Hebrew Names
• Male and Female Irish Names
• Male and Female Norwegian Names

I'll be posting the feminine side of this list in October. Enjoy!

A
Adélard – noble; brave; hardy
Adolphe – noble wolf
Aimé – beloved
Alain – little rock; handsome
Aldéric – old; ruler; power
Alexandre – defending men
Amable – lovable
Amand – lovable; worthy of love
Amaury – work; labor; power
Ambroise – immortal
Amédée – love of God
Anatole – sunrise
André – manly
Antonin – ?
Armand – army man
Armel – bear; prince
Aubin – white; bright
Auguste – great; venerable
Aurèle – golden; gilded
Aurélien – golden; gilded
B
Baptiste – baptist
Basile – king
Bastien – from Sebaste
Benoît – blessed
Bérenger – bear; spear
Blaise – lisping
Brice – speckled

July was another one of those months that I got more reading done than I realized! On the list was I Will Repay and The Elusive Pimpernel by Baroness Emmuska Orczy, The Janus Elixir and The Hound of Duville by Kyle Robert Shultz, and An Old-Fashioned Girl by Louisa May Alcott. They were all delightful reads, and just too many to fit them all on the graphic above. :P

The first two are swashbuckling adventures set during the French Revolution, the second two are tales full of Shultz's characteristic humor, and the last was a quiet, old-fashioned tale of love and friendship that I quite enjoyed.

I Will Repay
Baroness Emmuska Orczy
My rating: ★★★★

[There may be some vague spoilers for The Scarlet Pimpernel in the following.]
​
I Will Repay is North and South meets The Scarlet Pimpernel in all the best ways. It’s a high-stakes adventure set during the French Revolution instead of the Industrial one, with all the aggravating misunderstandings that usually crop up in old-fashioned romances like this. (You know, the kind that makes a book really, really hard to put down.)

Juliette Marny is another strong yet feminine female character reminiscent of Marguerite Blakeney, who (quite frankly), really messed things up from a misguided sense of justice, but was equally ready to do everything in her power to make them right again. I loved her! I think character arcs like that are sorely lacking in today’s stories. So often characters make mistakes and wallow in them, instead of moving forward like a warrior, admitting that they were wrong, and trying to set things right.

Paul Déroulède, on the other hand, is not the swashbuckling type of Hero/Love Interest from The Scarlet Pimpernel. He’s quiet, but fearless, and can always be relied upon to do what’s right. He rose above the degeneracy of his people during the Revolution, and made them feel human again by retaining a human heart himself.

The plot—while not very different from The Scarlet Pimpernel in the main points—felt a lot grittier than its predecessor. Most of the previous book was spent in England, and we only got a very narrow glimpse at France towards the end. The entirety of I Will Repay is spent in France during one of the bloodiest years of the Revolution. I think Orczy did a horribly beautiful job of underscoring the brutality of the time.

As for content, there are various passing references made to sexual immorality and rape (very brief, and not at all explicit), some “demming” on the part of the Pimpernel, (although less than the first book), drinking, and one female character takes accusations of “wantonness” upon herself in order to save the man she loves. (She was completely innocent of such charges.)

In closing, I think it’s fair to say that if you liked The Scarlet Pimpernel, you’ll like I Will Repay. It takes the same formula for glorious adventure and recreates it in an entirely new way. I also appreciated the fact that “true love” was shown to be seeing someone’s faults and loving them anyway, as well as the theme that vengeance belongs to the Lord. It’s a worthy addition to the series!

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