The Romanov Dynasty is a few years from ruin and revolution. Set within the last few years of princes and Tsars, Prince Dimitri Markov is close to his family of Tsar Nicholas II and Tsarina Alexandra. The problem is he knows his loving and kind Tsar is completely blinded to the pogroms and revolution brewing in a country where the poor are in deep suffering.  Dimitri's wife Lara does not love him, but enjoys taking lovers. Dimitri does the same, hesitatingly. His true love is architecture, and he has been tasked to design the Tchaikovsky memorial hall and monument. Smart and desperate to make a change, Doctor Katya Golitsyn wants to end oppression in Russia, especially against the Jewish people. She and Dimitri meet at a royal ball and soon discover that though they are from different classes, they have far more in common than different. What begins is an affair that leads to both questioning their loyalties and the wisdom of the Tsar.

Narrator Nancy Peterson narrates this historical fiction novel by Charles Belfoure. The details are specific, the historical items well researched, but I have to say that the attitudes are purely American and it shows for people who are well-versed in Russian culture and history. Still, the book is a great deal of fun and enjoyable. The writing is lyrical and beautiful, making it easy to picture the ballrooms and bored Russian figures depicted as part of the upper class. 

The Faberge Secret is a fun listen and fascinating.

Charles Belfoure has a knack for giving the reader a great story, insight into the culture of the day and the people living in its time. This book takes place in St. Petersburg, Russia in 1903. Prince Dimitri is a friend of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife. The Tsar and Dimitri are not aware of the treatment of Jews until Dimitri falls in love with Doctor Katya and tries to right the treatment of the common folk. A look at the privileged Russians was interesting especially when compared to the common people. I loved learning about the Faberge eggs and their designs as well as the love the people held for them. Tsar Nicholas loved his children their and the interaction both in the home and outside were endearing. The reader learns a lot about the historical incidents and is treated to an exciting story.

In 1903 St Petersburg, Prince Dimitri Markhov is an architect and friend of Tsar Nicholas II and his wife Tsarina Alexandra. Dimitri is married to Princess Lara, but they have a loveless and extremely open marriage. When Dimitri meets Doctor Katya Golitsyn they are both immediately smitten. Dimitri starts to attend Katya’s art circle where Dimitri learns, amazingly for the first time, that non-nobles aren’t treated all that well in Russia. At the same time, the Tsar’s environment has been infiltrated by revolution sympathizers who exchange coded messages by hiding them in some of the Tsar’s collection of Fabergé eggs.

The descriptions of the Fabergé eggs were fascinating with their elaborate interiors. My only exposure to them has been from photographs (although I did see some of the exteriors when I briefly worked in an office building that housed a small collection of the eggs). However, that is a problem with the book; there is a lot of description. Every room, dress, hairstyle, menu, etc. is described in excruciating detail. Everything is explained, to the extent that I felt talked down to. If you don’t know the meaning of “challah” that’s why dictionaries were invented. Especially in the beginning, the book had a lot of info dumps. We are also told, rather than shown, what people are feeling.

This is an historical romance that is pretty light on the history. I don’t know a lot about the Russian Revolution, but it felt like the author used “The Russian Revolution for Dummies” as his source material, and the treatment of history was very simplistic. A lot more attention was paid to making the rooms seem realistic than the actions of the characters. Did princes suddenly flip and join the Revolution? Would Katya really bring her married prince home to have dinner with her family? I’m not convinced. Oh well, so long as love survives there is no need to worry about the messy details of a revolution. 3.5 stars

I received a free copy of this audiobook from the publisher.

I was captivated by this story of St Petersburg, Russia in 1903. I listened to the audio book and it was so helpful to hear how to pronounce all the names and places. The Russian people are poor, hungry and very unhappy, there is talk of revolution. Yet the Czar and the aristocracy are oblivious to the building crisis. This is Demetri’s story, he is a prince and the Czar’s close friend. Then he meets Katya, a female doctor and begins to see the other side. The reader gets a glimpse into the contrasting worlds of the wealthy aristocrats, as well as the brutal poverty and pogroms. Demetri is torn between these two worlds.

Thanks to Netgalley for the opportunity to read this book. I had such hopes for this after reading the description. The characters were flat and the story dragged.

DNF - unfortunately, audio books aren't for me. The story seemed interesting but it was too distracting for me. Apologies.

3/5 ⭐️
I’m not used to Russian names or history, but I enjoyed it. I was a bit confused at first but when the story picked up I got a bit more interested.

I have always been interested in the Romanov family, and I really enjoyed reading about them in this book! I felt like Belfoure did an amazing job of drawing vivid images of the ridiculous wealth and opulence against the utter poverty of the rest of the country. I was really disappointed in the Romanov family. They focused so much on blaming the Jewish population for all of the problems. It was really sad to read about.

Overall, I thought this was a really interesting story. I did feel a bit overwhelmed with the number of characters introduced, but as the story progressed, I was able to get a good handle on who was who. This is a great read for people that enjoy Russian historical fiction.

I had the chance to listen to and read this book. It was nice to alternate between the audio and the actual book. I liked the audio. The narrator was easy to follow, and I enjoyed their cadence and emotion in their reading.

I was provided a gifted copy of this book for free. I am leaving my review voluntarily.

Great audiobook! I absolutly love it and the reader is great gives you the feel of Russia because they have a russian accent. The story was so intreguing loved it on my long car ride over the holidays.

I want to thank the author and Netgalley for gifting me the audiobook. I ready truly enjoyed this story! I actually don't know much about Russian history, just a little bit. This story fascinated me. I can't wait to do more research. The author did a great job with his writing! It is very poetic and a lot of research done to complete the book. #netgalley #charlesbelfoure #historical #bravo

The Faberge' Secret by Charles Belfoure is an eye-opening listen. Thank you #NetGalley and #Dreamscape Media for this review audiobook copy. I loved it! I found the book to be a new perspective of what led up to the Russian Revolution. I had never heard the atrocities against the Jews in Russia before. The author did a fabulous job meshing history with fiction. He wrote vibrant imagery that had so many details. Having visited The Hermitage and parts of Russia, I could envision many things. The performance by Nancy Peterson was excellent. She brought the characters to life with her voice. She had the right inflection in her voice for the suspense, the tension, and intimacies.

The beginnings of the Russian Revolution is the setting for the Faberge Secret. It is the story of Prince Dimitri Markhov who is part of the royal court. Although he is married to Princess Lara, he falls in love with Doctor Katya Golitsyn. Katya shows Dimitri how the poor in Russia suffer, how the Jews are abused and killed. This leads Dimitri to a personal crisis, does he follow the royal lifestyle, or does he join the revolution? The title comes from the premise that the Faberge Eggs owned by the Romanovs are used to hide notes by the spies in their household. I received the audio version of this book from #NetGalley in exchange for my honest review. I enjoyed the book, and I thought the narration was well done.

Fantastic Piece!!!!!!!! Very accurate and I can say it being Russian myself. Provoked a lot of thoughts and sadness for my homeland. However, if we speak about an audiobook the only thing that gave me cringe is the Russian accent narration throughout the audiobook. Maybe, again, it is because I am a native speaking Russian. Other than that I truly enjoyed the book. Great job!

Overall, I think this is an intricately researched subject matter. Russian czars and czarina officianados will appreciate this novel with much zeal.

I am not sure, how I seem to like the narrators voice, although she seems to be very accomplished with her accents. I will agree with some of the other reviewers the pronounciation was a little strange.

A well written and researched story. Thank you to Netgalley and publishers for this free e-alc in exchange for my honest review.

Trigger warnings: antisemitism, murder, violence/gore, mention of rape

At the court of Tsar Nicholas II, Prince Dimitri Markhov is both a nobleman and an architect. He is close with the tsar, who asks him periodically to create monuments or buildings. Dmitri's most recent project from the tsar is a monument to the Russian composer Tchaikovsky.

Dimitri's wife Lara is beautiful and highly sought after in the Russian court as a mistress. Dmitri no longer loves her because of her infidelity, and they both take multiple lovers, as is expected from Russian courtiers.

At a party, Dimitri meets Dr. Katya Golitsyn. He is drawn to her because of her knowledge of music and architecture. They are both educated despite it being abnormal -- Katya because of her gender and Dimitri because of his rank. Katya is determined to end Russian persecution of the Jewish people, and Dimitri witnesses the horrors firsthand.

Although Dimitri is an aristocrat, he sees the need for Russia to become a constitutional monarchy like Britain. He joins revolutionaries in their mission to help the poor and disenfranchised people in Russia. He hopes his friends the tsar and tsarina will come around to his way of thinking to protect themselves, but the royals believe in their people and their right to rule.

Recommended for fans of Russian historical fiction and those that can't get enough of the end of the Romanovs.

This book was set back in the day. Which normally isn't my thing. I received the audio arc..... thank NetGalley!

But this book was good. I think if it wasnt for the narrator it could have been better.
Overall.... great story. The setting was great.

historical-novel, historical-places-events, historical-research, historical-romance, history-and-culture, ridiculous-expense, early-19th-century, political-intrigue, tsarist Russia, cultural-exploration*****

Some things were meticulously researched, others were creative/poetic license. But it made for a beautifully imaged historical romance full of political intrigue and visions of horror (pogroms). The beliefs about Tsar Nickolas by their church and people were quite interesting, the parts regarding their small family were heart rending because we know how that part ended, and the idiocy of the aristocracy was appalling (not only Russian, but they had more money). One thing that made me nutz was the repeated reference to Russia as Fatherland when everyone I know refers to Mother Russia. The love story and early political rumblings are covered in the publisher's blurb so there is no need to repeat or do the spoiler thing. But I did love the imagery of clothing, places, and the incredible artistry of the jeweler Faberge. It is a story well worth reading whether you believe everything you read or double check a lot of facts (me). The characters are made very real, even the awful ones. I really enjoyed it!
The narrator is Nancy Peterson who is an accomplished voice actor despite some awful mispronunciations.
I requested and received a free audio copy from Dreamscape Media via NetGalley. Thank you!