Allegiance to Alsace

This is a fast moving read with well documented history. The year is 1805. Napoleon Bonaparte is rampaging Europe for domination, threatening the eastern regions of Germany. Annaelise Theiss is the daughter of a German winemaker, Count Karl Theiss, and of a former Parisian aristocrat, Louisa Guerlain. The young heroine is torn between her mother’s allegiance to the new French Regime and her father’s thinking influenced by the Enlightenment from German philosophers and the American Founding Fathers. Espionage against the Emperor is everywhere. As a young ingenue, Annaelise witnesses conflicting messages. She experiences the former glory of the French aristocracy while visiting a distant cousin in Bavaria with her family. When coming of age, her heart becomes clouded in deception and mystery. Her journey takes her further from the winery and brewery lifestyle in Alsace-Lorraine, to her father’s family vineyard home in the Pfalz, Germany. It is there that she connects with her German heritage and lifestyle. The plot takes a new twist when she falls in love with a courageous French officer, Captain Hans Roster. From ballrooms to battle scenes, this spellbinding story will keep you engaged with each chapter.