I have been a fan of C.W. Gortner for quite a few years. He always writes about interesting women in history. Though he writes historical fiction, his novels have just the right amount of fiction and history to make them both readable and realistic.

Not to mention every single one of his book covers are to DIE for. Whoever his cover artist is, has a fantastic eye for color, detail, and mood. When THE ROMANOV EMPRESS came up for review, this was a no brainer—100% yes.

Even from behind the throne, a woman can rule.

Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in the final years of its long reign.

Barely nineteen, Minnie knows that her station in life as a Danish princess is to leave her family and enter into a royal marriage—as her older sister Alix has done, moving to England to wed Queen Victoria’s eldest son. The winds of fortune bring Minnie to Russia, where she marries the Romanov heir and becomes empress once he ascends the throne. When resistance to his reign strikes at the heart of her family and the tsar sets out to crush all who oppose him, Minnie—now called Maria—must tread a perilous path of compromise in a country she has come to love.

Her husband’s death leaves their son Nicholas as the inexperienced ruler of a deeply divided and crumbling empire. Determined to guide him to reforms that will bring Russia into the modern age, Maria faces implacable opposition from Nicholas’s strong-willed wife, Alexandra, whose fervor has lead her into a disturbing relationship with a mystic named Rasputin. As the unstoppable wave of revolution rises anew to engulf Russia, Maria will face her most dangerous challenge and her greatest heartache.

From the opulent palaces of St. Petersburg and the intrigue-laced salons of the aristocracy to the World War I battlefields and the bloodied countryside occupied by the Bolsheviks, C. W. Gortner sweeps us into the anarchic fall of an empire and the complex, bold heart of the woman who tried to save it (summary from Goodreads).

WWI is one of my favorite periods in history, thought my interest is mostly rooted in how it transformed the English social structure, the rising tension brewing in Russia and what happened to the Romanov princess, holds equal interest for me. I was thrilled with how much history was in this book, but yet they story wasn’t completely overrun with historical facts.

For me, my interest has always been with the little Princess Anastasia and her parents, but this book focuses on an Romanov that I knew next to nothing about which is what kept me reading. I was totally invested in her character arch as well as her history. I loved reading about a person I knew next to nothing about, even it some of it was fiction.

Gortner has such a great was a weaving history with fiction—he is such an excellent writer and his ability to write about women with a ‘woman’s voice’ is flawless. Sometimes when men write about women or from a woman’s perspective, it rings false or theorized rather than real and relatable—-but this is not the case with Gortner. This story is told in the first person, so it made it all the more intimate for me as a reader.

Even if you don’t know anything about Russian history, or WWI, it’s pretty clear how this story is going to unfold. It’s tragic and sad but yet so well written that you can’t help but keep reading. Once I started reading this one, I couldn’t put it down. It was completely wrapped up in the history as well as the story of Minnie. Anytime a Gortner book comes up, I am always on board to read it and this book is a testimony of his writing skills—I am never let down or disappointed with his novels.

Be sure to check out the other stops on the book tour for guest posts and interviews with the author!

Challenge/Book Summary:

Book: The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner

Kindle Edition, 448 pages
Published July 10th 2018 by Ballantine Books
ASIN B076GQKBCD
Review copy provided by: HFVBT as part of THE ROMANOV EMPRESS virtual book tour in exchange for an honest review
Recommendation: 5 out of 5

Genre: Historic fiction, Russian history

Memorable lines/quotes:

The Romanov Empress is definitely one of the best books by this author I have read and I have read all of them. And although I've usually enjoyed them, this one had that certain something that really made you empathize with the main character and although I was quite familiar with her story, it gave me a new perspective as to what she must have gone through and the agonizing decisions she would have had to make. And the regrets she would have had to live with.

Born as a Danish princess, Minnie has known her entire life that she was destined to marry into royalty and do her duty to her family and to the crown. However, Minnie's upbringing was rather chaste and poor, having little money and learning to mend her own clothing and cook her own food, so the splendours of Imperial Russia literally blew her away. But so too did the extravagance of the royal family who lived very opulent and luxurious lives, barely registering the poor who suffered under terrible and tragic circumstances. When Minnie first arrived in Russia, the emancipation of the serfs had already occurred but few really saw their suffering or realized that more needed to be done for them. Minnie spent her life trying to help them and trying to make first her father-in-law see their plight, then her husband. While Alexander II seemed to be more willing to listen to ideas about things that could be done to help, Minnie's husband Sasha, who would eventually become Alexander III, seemed not to hear her pleas or her advice. I can't imagine what it would be like to live in fear everyday knowing that something bad could happen simply because those in power refused to really see what was happening around them while Minnie could see but was helpless to do anything. It wasn't that she didn't adopt an extravagant lifestyle herself as there was mention of the cost of her gowns and how much she spent for her parties and galas, but she certainly went out of her way to endorse her charities and worked hard at ensuring they were properly funded, even becoming a nurse herself so she could properly tend to those afflicted while having the knowledge to do so. That little bit of information I didn't know, so I was glad to discover that.

It was definitely the relationship between Minnie and her daughter-in-law Alexandra that interested me the most however, considering that she was partly to blame for the fall of Imperial Russia. The author wrote this from the women's perspective and the toll that Alexei's illness had on all of them, including Alexei himself who chafed at his limitations, but also at the effect it had on politics and what was happening around them. Minnie developed from a timid teenager to a bold and strong woman, but even she was stumped at the antics of her son and wife and you can just feel her desperation as she tried to keep her family together and alive during those turbulent last years. What I really loved was the family dynamics and drama as well as the relationships between all of them as they tried to keep themselves alive during the Revolution and afterwards. I have to admit, trying to picture any of them gardening was difficult as most of them had probably never even poured tea for themselves, never mind digging in the dirt and cultivating vegetables.

The Romanov Empress is definitely a compelling fictional look at a woman who lived through some very turbulent times, who suffered some very great losses, yet through it all retained her dignity, her strength, and her courage. While she definitely couldn't have seen the future, through her personal letters and diaries, she definitely was worried about what was to come and spent many years counseling her husband and son, warming both of them to be careful. I don't know if the full horror of those last years, or the Rasputin years, really came through in this book, but enough did to make you understand how difficult life must have been for the aristocracy at the end. However, living in a bubble the way some of them did made them vulnerable to what happened; perhaps they should have paid a bit more attention to their history lessons. Minnie's life was certainly not your average life, nor was her family the average family, but she certainly lived in interesting times, met some really interesting people, and lived a very full life, full of love as well as heartache. It is clear the author did a lot of research for this book and really brought to life this time period that I adore. I highly recommend this book to anyone who is interested in a good story as well as historical fiction.

I admit, when I saw the title of this book I thought it was about Alexandra, the last empress of Russia. However, The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner is about her mother-in-law, Maria Feodorovna, Tsar Nicholas’s mother. A fascinating woman, she was raised simply in Denmark until fortune intervened and her father became King. At 19 she left their small country and close family life to marry Tsarevich Alexander; by the time she was 69 she had lived through some of the most turbulent times in history and was one of the few Romanovs to survive the Bolsheviks’ slaughter of the Russian royal family.

Gortner manages to infuse history with life, through the eyes of the woman who saw it all—her father-in-law’s assassination, World War I, her son’s disastrous reign and marriage to a woman who was no more suited to ruling than he was, the rise and fall of Rasputin, the famines, bloody upheaval, and finally the death of everyone in her immediate family (something she never fully acknowledged). The Romanov Empress is that best kind of historical fiction, filled with facts, previously unknown details, and new insight, but polished with a writer’s license to recreate dialogue we will never truly hear. Wonderful reading for anyone interested in not only the final generations of the Romanovs, but the politics of the world at large at that time.

3.5 stars. This is a light historical fiction piece about the Danish Princess Dagmar who became Tsarina Maria Feodorovna. I enjoyed the earlier parts of the book about the reigns of Alexander II and Alexander III as it was an interesting period of Romanov history (especially with the knowledge of the dynasty's impending downfall). But as the book moved to Nicholas II, revolution, and royal exile, Maria became a less sympathetic character, especially with Gortner's portrayal of Maria's daughter-in-law Alexandra in a strongly negative and flat manner. By the end of the book it is difficult to feel anything for the royal characters worrying about their hidden jewels when millions of citizens were facing political upheaval, displacement, starvation, and civil war -- it is the personal moments (such as Maria's final meeting with Nicholas) that are most worthy of readers' attention.

Beautifully written and full of history! I enjoyed this book so much. There were so many tense moments!! I would read some and then go look up historical facts and pictures. Thank you Random House Publishing, NetGalley and C.W. Gortner for such a wonderful book!!

This is a well written, vivid story that completely transports you back to the period of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna and the rule of her son, Nicholas II.

I loved the setting for the story, it is glamorous, the courts are described in brilliant detail and I loved the contrast between that and the problems that were going on in the country as the Russian Empire became more and more turbulent as it went in to its decline. I loved the characterisation and Maria is a fantastic character and it is only fitting I believe that she got to have her story told.

I have read a few of this authors books now and he has a fantastic writing style that brings history to life – 4.5 stars from me for this one, rounded up to 5 stars for Goodreads and Amazon!

This lovely historical novel is the story of Dagmar, called Minnie, a teenager from an improvished line of Royals in Denmark. She seemed doomed to a second or third place in history, but she rose to become an Empress of Russia through her marriage to Alexander III and she became the Mother of the last Tzar of Russia, Nicholas. She lived in splendor and in hiding and depravation. Both were vividly described by the author.

More importantly for me, the author brought to live all the various members of the Russian royal family. So often they are not as clearly delineated, one from another, and they simlply become a mass of humanity. This time the characters were real, with real foibles and strengths.

The Empress is shown as a daughter, wife, and mother. She is loved and honored, and sometimes used by those in power, but through her strength of character she proves that even from behind the throne, a woman can rule. I liked Tsarina Maria Feodorovna, Minnie. Thank you, C. W. Gortner for making her come alive for me.

Last week, July 17th, was the 100th year anniversary of the Imperial family's murder. The Empress was not with the family during their imprisonment, so she escaped their fate. In Grotner's novel we learn of her later years as she tried to find her place in the world after the Russian Revolution.

This is a must read if you like good historical fiction about the Romanov's. Now svailable online and at major outlets. I received an advance reading copy from Net Galley in exchange for an honest review.

Gortner does it again! I was so very, very excited to see that his new release was this time centered around the Romanovs, and he did not disappoint. Even knowing the ending did not stop my heart from breaking. Definitely a favorite for this year. I will be recommending this to many.

This book was absolutely phenomenal. I am deeply intrigued by all things Russian history, particularly that of the Romanov family. This book was a very interesting perspective into their life, told from the point of view of Minnie, mother to the last emperor of Russia. I found this story fascinating, as it was rather detailed about the history going on in the background. I was very happy that this book also featured a lot of the family's personal life, and that it followed Minnie from very early on. It also gave more history from after the ultimate demise of the Romanov family. If you are at all interested in Russian history or the Romanov dynasty, I would highly recommend this book.

Another fabulous read by CW Gortner he once again brings the royals to life, I love that he writes about ones you don’t normally hear about and I really enjoyed learning more about the Empress “Minnie”.
Gortner does not hold back with his feelings for Tsaritsa Alexandra as Minnie is her mother in law they did not get a long at all and Gortner truly makes us feel what Minnie does. This was a different look at the last Tsar, his upbringing and how marrying Alexandra changed the landscape of Russia. Also more about his brothers and sisters than I knew before.

I found Minnie fascinating she really was a great Empress and I feel way ahead of her time if her son would have listened to her who knows how things may have worked out?

Katharine McEwan’s narration was great and she played the emotions very very well!

I have always been fascinated by Russian history so this book grabbed me right away and the 17 hour audiobook flew by and all of a sudden its 1916 and things are going downhill fast! Even though you know how things happen there are still surprises and palace intrigue to keep you interested.

If you are a fan of the Romanovs or historical fiction in general give this one a go you won’t be disappointed!

5 Stars

Minnie has always believed in marrying for love and not for a political alliance. The day comes when Minnie meets Nicholas, the tsarevich of Russia. She immediately falls in love with him. However, her romance is short-lived when Nicholas dies. On his deathbed, Nicholas wishes for Minnie to marry his brutish brother, Alexander. Because Minnie’s fiance dies, she is seen as a widow and no longer a suitable candidate for eligible princes. Minnie is forced to confront the choice of no longer marrying for love but for comfort and stability. With the urging of her mother and Nicholas’s wish, she accepts Alexander’s proposal.

Minnie and Alexander do not love each other at first. Gradually, they begin to find endearing qualities in each other and form a loving relationship. They have many children. However, Minnie’s role as a wife, mother, and empress is not completely happy. Outside the palace walls, there are rebels who are determined to bring the Romanov family down. She survives a few assassination attempts.

When her husband dies at the age of forty-nine, the Russian throne is in the hands of Minnie’s eldest son Nicholas II. Nicholas II is unprepared to rule. Nicholas relies on Minnie to help him run the state. However, he is eventually influenced by his wife Alexandra. Minnie and Alexandra do not get along and have different beliefs. Minnie is forced to sit on the sidelines and watch the gradual fall of the Romanov dynasty.

I thought that Maria Feodorovna was a fleshed-out character. She goes through many transformations. When we first meet her, she is a naive, idealistic, and romantic princess of Denmark. When her first love dies, she is a woman who marries for security and a political alliance. When she marries Alexander and becomes his empress, all she wants to do is have fun. She loves to gossip with her best friend, Miechen, and dance all night. When her son takes the throne, she witnesses many court traditions that she has always upheld being broken. Minnie sees the decline of the dynasty and does everything she can to save it.

Minnie does have her flaws. She is very judgemental, especially when it comes to Alexandra. She can be cruel to her daughter-in-law. She has no sympathy for her. She refuses to give Alexandra the crown jewels that befits her right as empress. She always has a bad word to say about her so that it strains Minnie’s relationship with her children who sympathize with Alexandra.

I thought that the author did a great job in portraying Minnie’s and Alexandra’s relationship. They are very different. They have different personalities, beliefs, and goals. Alexandra is timid and shy. She wants to have a quiet life outside the Romanov court. Minnie is confident and thrives within the imperial court. Alexandra thinks that Minnie is an overbearing mother-in-law. However, Minnie abounds to the rules of the Russian court. She believes that she earns the position as the First Premier Lady in Russia because she is the senior female and is the woman with the most experience. Alexandra is deeply religious and believes that Rasputin is a powerful magical healer. Minnie does not have that kind of faith and thinks Rasputin is a conman. They also have different political beliefs. Minnie disapproves when Alexandra interferes in politics and believes that these decisions may bring about the dynasty’s fall.

The Romanov Empress is about a woman who attempts to maintain tradition within the Russian imperial court. She must learn to cope as her children break away from these traditions that she grew up on in order to form their own happiness. Minnie must also bear the tragic fate of witnessing the end of the Romanovs. Minnie is a survivor. At the end of the novel, it is clear that Minnie loves her country. Everything she does is for Russia, and she was unwilling to leave it behind.

Overall, The Romanov Empress does a superb job in making Maria Feodorovna come alive. The writing is very eloquent and elegant. Mr. Gortner also breathes new life into the Russian imperial court with all their customs and traditions. I also thought that he did a great job in portraying the mindset of the Romanovs. There were times in The Romanov Empress where I thought some parts were rushed. Because it was a big book and Minnie had a long life, I could understand why Mr. Gortner rushed these parts in order to speed the plot along. Still, after reading The Romanov Empress Mr. Gortner proves that he is the king of historical fiction! This novel is a sumptuous feast for historical fiction lovers that you do not want to miss and easily one of the top novels of 2018! The Romanov Empress is perfect for those who love books about one woman who stood solid in the midst of chaos and tragedy.

As someone who reads a lot of historical fiction and has a particular interest in Russian history, I absolutely inhaled every page of this book! It covers all the drama leading up to the Russian Revolution from an intimate family perspective. Only this family happens to be the Tsar's.

Maria "Minnie" Feodorovna, mother of the last Tsar, Nicolas II, provides the focal point of the novel. This is her multi-generational story, spanning the years from 1864 to 1920. It begins with Dagmar (her birth name) as a teenager. A Danish princess (and sister to Alexandra who becomes the wife of England's Edward VII), Minnie becomes engaged to the Russian heir Nicholas, who dies shortly before they are to be married. Instead, Minnie marries her dead fiance's younger brother, who eventually becomes Tsar Alexander III and they go on to have six children.

Despite all their wealth, power, and opulent lifestyle, what works so well about this book is that this remains a family dealing with same internal difficulties common to most families; disputes over how to raise the kids, parents trying to control unacceptable behavior in their children, and worry about finding each child a suitable mate. But with that as a foundation, C. W. Gortner then layers in the struggle between autocratic rulers trying desperately to hold onto ancient power in a backward country that increasingly values more representative government. Whether to answer this struggle by tightening control or granting more freedom is at the heart of Romanov family history.

Minnie makes an interesting heroine. She wholeheartedly embraces Russia as her adopted country and grows to deeply love her husband. After she becomes a widow, she remains committed to the Romanov dynasty, but recognizes the need to address the deep suffering of the peasants in her country. Above all, she understands what it takes to honor the responsibility for governing and realizes early on that her son and daughter-in-law as woefully inept. Because instead of prioritizing their royal responsibilities and the escalating political climate of their country, both Nicolas II and his wife Alexandra remain totally fixated on each other and the health of their only son Alexei, who has inherited the deadly disease of hemophilia.

Minnie then becomes the reader's stand-in witness as Russia confronts repeated violent assassinations, the debacle of Rasputin, World War I, and finally, the Russian Revolution. With so much true historical drama to incorporate, it's a compelling read. And if, like me, you know the tragic end of the story, it is sometimes unsettling. I became fond of Minnie and so many of the other historical figures, I kept wanting to warn them all what was coming. But I guess that's exactly why this is such good historical fiction. Enjoy!

This book follows the life of the last beloved empress of Russia, Maria Feodorovna. It portrays her life from her early teenage years to the time of her death. This book covers the reign of Tsar Alexander II, Tsar Alexander III (Sasha, Maria's husband), and Tsar Nicholas II (her eldest son). It covers the political intrigue, marital and family issues, and the upheaval of Russia itself. From the tenuous reign of Tsar Alexander III, to the short, yet effective reign of Tsar Alexander III, and finally to the ill advised and mismanaged reign of Tsar Nicholas II, this book maps out the gradual decline of Russia into World War I and the Russian Revolution from Maria's (Minnie's) point of view. It also includes an extensive section at the end explaining the aftermath of the wars and their long term effects on the Romanov family and their descendants.
I thought this was a great view of Russian history through the eyes of a beloved empress who got caught up in her son's poor decisions. I learned so much and made connections I never had before in order to understand the larger and more detailed scope of the downfall of Russia's monarchy. This part of Russian history has always fascinated me, as it has many people. I never understood until now how incompetent Tsar Nicholas II was and how cruel and unreasonable Alexandra was. It was largely because of those two and their poor decisions that Lenin and his Communist revolutionaries were able to topple the monarchy. It broke my heart to read of Minnie's and the family's desperate attempts to advise Nicholas, yet he ignored them because of his unhinged wife, and because of that many of the Romanovs perished. I sympathized with Minnie and the heartbreak she had to endure her entire life because the author did such a great job in bringing her to life. I didn't care for the profanity, scarce though it was, and I didn't like the sexual content because I prefer it when authors keep the bedroom door closed. I know the author covered a great deal of material, but it was hard for me to keep track of some of the more distant family members, and it was a little hard for me to get through the book at times because of the tragic and depressing nature of the subject material. In spite of those things, I learned so much and I highly recommend this book to those who love history and want to learn more about the Romanovs.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. A positive review was not required, and all opinions expressed are entirely my own.

To read any story by C. W. Gortner is to immerse oneself into the complex and opulent world he painstakingly creates. I can't even begin to imagine the hours it took to research the material for this amazing story. But I can tell you that it was worth every minute because the story is filled with not just details and history of the family but also of the country not many of us know.

If you ever read and loved "War and Piece" then this story is definitely for you. You'll find that this story is as much as exciting and poignant as the other.

The Romanov Empress is well written, fast paced and truly enjoyable to read.

Melanie for b2b

(will go live on 7/26/2018)

It was refreshing to read a book about a Romanov Empress that did not focus on the last Romanov family. Rather, this is a story of the last tzar’s mother Maria Fyodorovna. We follow her as a young girl moving from Denmark to Russia to marry the tzar’s heir. Overall, this is a fictionalized account of Maria Fyodorovna’s life. So it is by no means serious historical fiction. Those who prefer well-researched and more comprehensive accounts of historical events will be disappointed. This is more of a light-weight loose historical retelling with many dramatized sections.

I read an advanced reader’s copy and it did have a lot of inaccuracies in the use of Russian patronymics and in one place a proverb was written in a very bad Russian. These are the kinds of details that irk me as a reader and show the author’s carelessness with research. If he takes so little care with the language, one can only assume that historical facts are probably just as muddled. I hope these were corrected in the final published version, but I did not check.

That said, I think the novel gives a very basic introduction to the life of the Russian imperial family, and those who enjoy historical drama, will undoubtedly like this novel. To me, it lacked historic authenticity and was overall a bit too shallow. 2.5 out of 5 stars.

If you are a fan of historical fiction or enjoy Phillipa Gregory's books, you'll want to read The Romanov Empress.

The Empress of the title is Maria, the mother of the ill-fated Tsar Nicholas of Russia. This novel is epic in scope and fascinating. I loved it and think you will too.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the author, and the publisher for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

I enjoyed this book, but I did have a hard time keeping track of all the Romanov relatives! Everyone seemed to have a nickname and it was hard to keep track of who was who. I liked the first half of the book better than the last half; Minnie, as Tsarina Maria Feodorovna was called, was more likable when she was young and first married to Sasha, who became the tsar. When Sasha died and their son, Nicky became Tsar, Minnie became very domineering and just plain unlikable. It was an interesting look at the family like of the Russian Tsars.

There is SO much history in this novel and the author handles it deftly. The story moves along at a good pace. There are a lot of Nicholas and Alexanders in the Russian family, but the author keeps them all sorted out for you, and the family tree at the beginning of the book is a big help. Maria Feodorovna was eyewitness to some amazing events and upheavel, not just in Russian history, but European history. The narrative really helps you understand just how interconnected and related the royal houses of Europe were at such a pivotal time in history as WWI.I loved that this novel inspired so much additional reading online. The author really researched his subject well and this makes me want to read more of his works. If you love European history, I highly recommend this one.

Opening line:
""We should dress alike," I said on that afternoon when life changed forever."

If you want to learn a little more about Russian history through a fictional story from 1862-1918 and follows Maria Feodoronva from when she is young to WWII. Her loves, her children, her kingdoms.
I found myself drawn to the young "Minnie" but after her fiance dies, I didn't really care anymore. I skimmed a lot. Maybe I just didn't care about the people, or the history, or something.
I know plenty of other readers will love this book, I didn't.

Thanks to netgalley for the early read!

As a big history lover, I was extremely excited to come upon this book. I was always interested in Romanovs downfall, and it was very interesting to hear about it from the point of view of the matriarch of the family herself.

The book is mainly focused on the life of Dagmar of Denmark, later known as Maria Feodorovna. The story begins with the wedding of her eldest sister, later the Queen of England, and ends with her exile from Russia more than 50 years later.

Although the book is set as Dagmar's biography, it contains many historical details about Romanov's reign and opens readers mind and welcomes them into the royal world of Russian's last emperors. I've learned many interesting details that I have not come upon in countless articles I've read about last Romanovs. Therefore I highly recommend this book to any historical fiction book lover.

While reading the story of Maria Feodorovna, I was quite taken aback by her character. Her strength, dedication to Russia and the house of Romanov, and ability to survive are just a few of many reasons that made me admire her.

Thank you NetGalley and Random House for a free copy of this fascinating novel.