In "The Countess of the Revolution," Lana Kortchik delivers a captivating historical fiction that provides readers with a multifaceted view of the intricate and world-altering Russian revolutions of the 20th century. Having previously enjoyed several of Ms. Kortchik's works, I eagerly anticipated her perspective on the 20th-century Russian revolutions. Despite my existing knowledge of Russian history, I found her portrayal brimming with drama, humanity, romance, love, loss, and a profound exploration of patriotism. At the heart of the narrative is Countess Sophia Orlova, a complex and intriguing central character who effectively bridges multiple worlds. Through her transformative experiences, the story unearths the shades of gray that permeate reality, reminding us that the world is seldom confined to stark black-and-white distinctions.

I extend my gratitude to NetGalley and HQ Digital/Harper 360 for the opportunity to read this exceptional ARC.

**I would like to thank NetGalley, Harper 360, and Lana Kortchik for an ARC of this book! This is available as of 3/28/23!**

"When we love someone, we assume that person feels the same way. We can't imagine it any other way."

I chose this book because I'd never read about the Russian Revolution before. I thought the basis had so much potential but just didn't quite get there for me. Infidelity is by far my least favorite trope, so I also know I was swimming uphill on this one. This may have done better as a shorter novel.

"I had a good life, all things considered. I had so much love in my life. But sometimes love turns to hate. It eats you alive like cancer."

I would definitely still check out other books by this author, but I would like to see her develop the storyline and characters more.

"Was it possible to build happiness on someone else's sorrow?"

In The Countess of the Revolution, Lana Kortchik brings the perils of the Russian Revolution to life. Focusing on the perspective of Sophia Orlova, a young countess who has never known work or struggle, Kortchik brings the various phases and evolutions of the Revolution to the forefront of the story. Kortchik explores Sophia’s losses and struggles as the Bolsheviks occupy the home she shares with her Nanny and husband Dmitry. With the Revolution comes Dmitry’s secret brother Nikolai, who seems like a heartless revolutionary but secretly has hidden depths and kindnesses. As the revolution progresses, Sophia, Nanny, Dmitry, Nikolai, and Sophia’s friend Regina must discover what they can do to survive and make this new world bearable despite their different political beliefs. Sophia unexpectedly thrives in this new world, but it changes her relationships in new, yet terrifying, ways. Kortchik’s prose and world-building are powerful, bringing the characters, settings, and the Russian Revolution to life. Her characters and relationships are fully formed yet continue to grow and progress throughout the book. Her settings are vibrant and tangible, and her clear knowledge of the challenges of the Russian Revolution make the Revolution an omnipresent character. Her characters are wonderful, dynamic, and heartwarming.

"Russia was a ship without a helm, at the mercy of a horrifying tempest, propelled by a current towards deadly rocks."

The Countess of the Revolution provides an informative look at the Russian Revolution of 1917 but that is also where its fault lies. Though well researched, it turned into too much of history lesson. I was hoping to learn more about this tumultuous time while getting lost in a story but it seemed as if the story fell to the sidelines. However, I do think this book was successful in capturing what civilian life was like during political upheaval in Russia, the fear and uncertainty about the future evident in its pages.

Countess Sophia Orlova was a woman of nobility, born into wealth and privilege, thereby making her an enemy in the eyes of the revolutionaries. She focused too heavily on material objects considering she was lucky to be alive and she stayed married to a man she didn't love, leading me to find it difficult to empathize with her plight. And I never liked her husband, Dmitry, who often seemed possessive instead of protective, the need for constant control showing in everything he said and did.

"There is no happiness without freedom."

Sophia's adoration for her husband's brother, Nikolai, seemed like a schoolgirl with a crush instead of that of a grown woman and, though I love a forbidden romance, it felt out of place in a time of upheaval in Russia. Perhaps it could have worked better with a focus on the romance but here it became lost in anarchy and politics. I also would have liked to learn more about Nikolai, his past as well as more details of the work he was doing with the revolutionaries other than inciting insurrection. He was always disappearing and I wanted to get to know and understand him better.

"She was no longer the countess who had everything done for her. She was serving the men whose lives depended on her and happier for it."

When Sophia helped Nikolai set up a makeshift hospital in her home to aid the wounded revolutionaries, she finally found a purpose in her life. I wished that aspect had been explored further as I think that would have added a more interesting direction for the story to follow. It showed selflessness and caring, making Sophia a better developed and more likable character.

This book shed light on differences in class structure, the treatment of nobility vs peasants, the rights of women and that of the working class. It suggested a number of thought provoking questions. How do we define equality? How should we initiate change? How do we right what's wrong?

"Would you give your life for the revolution?"

What are you willing to sacrifice to fight for what you believe in? How would you protect those you love? Would you risk the possibility of death and destruction? This book had so much potential as a story of heartbreaking loss and survival but it was overshadowed by politics and history. It felt too long for the story it was trying to tell with actions and descriptions often becoming repetitive. I wanted to continue reading until the end but, ultimately, I decided to call it a DNF at 62%.

** Special thanks to Harper 360/HQ Digital and NetGalley for the opportunity to read and review this ARC. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. Quotes subject to change at time of publication. Available March 28, 2023. **

Thank you so much to NetGalley and Harper 360 for my copy of The Countess of the Revolution by Lana Kortchik in exchange for an honest review. It publishes March 28, 2023.
I found this to be an interesting perspective of the Russian Revolution. I was a little nervous about the ambiguity of her views regarding the revolution, but I felt like it worked out in a decent enough way. I also found the settings to be interesting, as I haven't seen that in fiction about the revolution before.
The downside of this book was the long chapters. There were many times when a chapter would have a break, and that could have been a nice time for a new chapter. It makes it hard to want to pick up a book with extremely long chapters, knowing that if I don't have an hour to devote, I won't be able to complete it.

A captivating and heart breaking story during the Russian Revolution. The author wrote a story that had me on tenterhooks even though I knew what lay ahead historically. What kept me reading was her way of weaving the historical aspects of the Revolution without sounding like a text book and integrating an intense story of family and love.

Sophia and Nikolai had a sweet relationship that could only naturally develop into love. Their forbidden love left me heart broken a few times but thankfully there is a HEA... it just takes so much to get there.

Overall a well written historical fiction. I highly recommend for fans of the forbidden romance trope and the Russian Revolution.

I loved the writing style of this novel. From the very first page I was drawn into the book and had a hard time putting it down. The plot overall intrigued me and I also learned a lot of history I wasn't super familiar with. However, I really disliked how the book ended and that alone left a bad taste in my mouth to be honest. It was. more of a 2.5 stars for me due to that issue alone. Again I loved the writing style and overall the story keeps you reading. Had it not been for one choice made from the main character I would have loved the book.

The sprawling Kazan Cathedral, the symbol of Russia’s victory over Napoleon, of freedom and sacrifice, of bravery and spirit, sported a red revolutionary flag.

Count Dmitry Orlov is throwing his Countess Sophia Orlova a lavish twenty-third birthday party but it's March of 1917 in Petrograd and the only people who show up are the Bolsheviks. Arrogance kept Dmitry from leaving the city when Sophia wanted to leave with their friends and now their home is being ransacked and the men surrounding them are calling for their blood. Before Sophia is struck down, a man enters and with his authority he saves them. Nikolai, Dmitry's younger banished brother because of his ideals, is a Bolshevik and manages to keep them alive in the home that isn't their own anymore. However, revolutions are never easy and Russia is not done with her turmoil, as the Bolsheviks, Mensheviks, and Imperial Army all vie for power, Sophia, Dmitry, and Nikolai are all tossed around by the winds of fate and love.

Her crime was having everything while they had nothing, having been born into luxury while their whole lives they had struggled to put bread on the table.

Told from Sophia's point-of-view, this hit some of the big moments and followed along the broad strokes of the revolution during 1917-18. Sophia was younger and previously very privileged, as the story goes on, reader's get to know Sophia and see that ennui was starting to creep into her life and she wanted to care more about things other than balls and jewels. She had worked as a nurse and helped Russian soldiers coming home injured from World War I, so she has some taste of the outside world. It seemed pretty instant her attraction to Nikolai (there are a lot of “twinkling” eyes in this) and what pulls her to him is his caring and passion for something that seems big and important. Dmitry seems to only care about his cigars and keeping up appearances, so when Nikolai talks about his vision for the new Russia, he seems more interesting and her attraction to her brother-in-law grows.

‘Tsar Nicholas abdicated in favour of his brother, who refused the throne and surrendered the power to the Provisional Government. As of today, there is a new order in Russia.’

The danger of the revolution and the forbidden love developing sets the story up for some great emotional dramatics but Nikolai never developed beyond a good-looking guy who writes speeches and while the historical events and people are mentioned and Sophia has to run and sometimes interacts with them, I never completely felt the depth of it all. The story and characters read like New Adult historical fiction to me, not quite delivering the emotional depth for me. Sophia likes that Nikolai cares about something important but it's more from a fangirl pov, she doesn't necessarily agree, disagree, or thinking deeply about it all and Nikolai seems to just travel around saving her at moments and write speeches; we never see what he is doing for the Bolsheviks. The romance between the two was pretty weak for me.

The newly established regime saw danger everywhere. And it endeavoured to eliminate this danger at all cost.

The story did have Sophia traveling from Petrograd, to Kislovodsk, and then to Tambievskii in the mountains to be with the Cossacks and we get a glimpse of Andrei Shkuro. With the war, we of course get the drama of her trying to hide her feelings for Nikolai from Dmitry and her bestfriend Regina. Regina develops a liking for Nikolai too and is convinced he is going to ask her to marry him. For a long time, the reader isn't sure if Regina is making something up in her own mind or if Sophia's feelings are one-sided. It's around the half-way point that Nikolai makes his feelings known but then he's captured as the Mensheviks are taking power and his fate becomes unknown to Sophia for a while.

He was her husband’s brother.

The second half has things deteriorating between Sophia and Dmitry and it becomes harder for her to hide her feelings for Nikolai. The last twenty percent hurried along with betrayals, seemingly betrayals, and Sophia finally making a choice. The chaotic and dangerous atmosphere of Russia at this time was felt, all the running from city to city, Nikolai getting arrested and then Dmitry and Sophia getting arrested, the changing regimes in power but the romance between Sophia and Nikolai felt like teenagers in the throes of hormonal first love, which didn't really fit with the real life dangerous times. The epilogue also didn't fit for me as it was from Dmitry's point-of-view and while it gave an update on how things worked out for Sophia, the tone of it didn't work as the story had previously been all from Sophia. This had some interesting moments but the overall mood felt more like, easier, on the surface New Adult historical fiction.

Lana Kortchik's "The Countess of the Revolution" is a captivating historical fiction that offers a multifaceted perspective on the complex and world-changing events of the Russian revolutions in the 20th century.

The story takes place in Petrograd on the brink of revolution, where Countess Sophia Orlova finds herself in a precarious situation as a target of the mob due to her connection with the old regime. With the help of Nikolai, a passionate supporter of the revolution, Sophia and her husband are saved from certain death.

Sophia becomes determined to aid Nikolai's cause and sets up a hospital in her home to nurse the injured alongside him. As they work together, Sophia and Nikolai fall in love, but their romance is forbidden. With the conflict between the new and the old escalating, Sophia and Nikolai find their lives in grave danger.

Kortchik's writing is superb, with a compelling storyline and well-developed characters that make the reader feel deeply invested in their fates. The novel offers a powerful portrayal of what it was like to live as a civilian during the war and the struggles and choices faced by those caught up in the midst of conflict. The novel truly captures the human drama of the time, including themes of love, loss, and patriotism.

Countess Sophia Orlova is a complex and fascinating protagonist who provides a bridge between different worlds. Through her experiences, the reader is able to see the shades of grey that exist in history and the ways in which the world is much more nuanced than simple black and white.

Overall, "The Countess of the Revolution" is a remarkable work of historical fiction that is highly recommended for anyone interested in the Russian Revolution or in engaging and powerful storytelling.

My full-length review will be posted online and links will be provided closer to the release date

I enjoyed this look at the Russian Revolution from the point of view of noblewoman who ends up seeing both sides of the Revolution. Most of what I’ve read in the past was the view point of the Grand duchess. So this was a welcome change for me.

The Countess of the Revolution by Lana Kortchik is a great historical fiction that gives us several views into the complex and world-altering Russian revolutions of the 20th century.

I really enjoyed several books by Ms. Kortchik in the past, so I was excited to read her take on the Russian revolutions that took place in the 20th century.

I know quite a bit about Russian history as a whole, but it was still interesting to read it full of drama, humanity, romance, love, loss, and what defines patriotism.

Countess Sophia Orlova is a complex and intriguing main character that really helps bring several different worlds together. Through her life-altering experiences, we can see the grey that is truly present, and that the world is a lot more than just black and white.

4.5/5 stars

Thank you NG and HQ Digital/ Harper 360 for this wonderful arc and in return I am submitting my unbiased and voluntary review and opinion.

I am posting this review to my GR and Bookbub accounts immediately and will post it to my Amazon, Instagram, and B&N accounts upon publication on 3/28/23.