Faberge Secret, The

The problem with this book is that it had to many focuses ... the eggs, Jewish history, love stories, the Romanovs. It is just that some of the plotlines, such as the secret messages and the loyalty/betrayal of the Romanovs, were heavily featured but then never resolved or carried far enough to feel resolved. I enjoyed the abundant detail as it gives me things to look up about a timeframe that I am much interested in! The ending was optimistic but also somewhat cliché for a romance ... if it were a mini-series, I would be cheering for the continuation though.

*received for free from netgalley for honest review* I was actually surprised by how much i liked this book, was really hard for me to put it down!

The Fabergé Secret by Charles Belfoure
Publisher: Severn House Publishers
Genre: Historical Fiction | Mystery & Thrillers
Release Date: June 29, 2021

The Fabergé Secret by Charles Belfoure is not what I expected, it is so much more! This book combines historical fiction and mystery so well! Honestly, this book was so much more than I could have imagined!

Set in 1903, St. Petersburg, Russia, we meet Prince Dmitiri Markhov, who is a very close friend of Tsar Nicholas and Tsarina Alexandra. Dmitri has a loveless marriage and is an aristocrat with a job (with no pay), working as an architect and civil engineer. When he meets Doctor Katya Golitsyn he finds his life takes a very different path.

I truly enjoyed this story. There was so much I didn't know about Russian history and this book opened my eyes to the Russian revolution. This book is filled with depth and interesting characters. It was truly engaging!

I'm so grateful to Charles Belfoure, Severn House Publishers, and NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

I appreciate a good historical fiction. Though the title says, "Faberge", it is less about him and his involvement, but more about Russian revolution. The author is a great story teller, very quick read.

This book surprised me. It was a really great historical fiction combined with a thriller. I often find myself drawn to this time period when looking for a new historical fiction book and was really pleased to have stumbled upon this gem. Really quite engrossing!

This book was very hard to put down, I love the Russian court history and the stories behind Faberge and his works. It was a great read, a little all over the place sometimes, but still a great read!

Imperial Russia, 1903. Prince Dimitri Markhov is an esteemed architect and engineer, always looking for new architectural challenges, which is explained by his upbringing. His father didn’t want him to “become the usual aristocratic wastrel,” thus when noticing Dimitri’s artistic talent, he encouraged it. The Tsar greatly admires his abilities, involving him in many projects. They become close friends. The story was about Prince Dimitri Markhov and Doctor Katya Golitsyn one of a few female doctors of the time. The author provides insight in the phrases and cultural innuendo's that the reader may not be familiar with explaining them and describing the impact. There is also a cultural part of this story. The famous jeweler of St Petersburg - Peter Carl Faberge is the official jeweler to the Imperial Court, who also sets the taste of St Petersburg society. There is a tradition of creating two Easter eggs each year: one for the Dowager Empress and one for the Tsarina. Each year’s Easter egg design is the most closely guarded secret in the Russian Empire. This year’s Faberge Easter egg is called the “Peter the Great Egg” - its outside detailing miniature painting of the Winter Palace outlined in little diamonds and inside holding a miniature gold statue of Peter the Great on a horse. This cultural part and the descriptions of the eggs are very enjoyable. The Tsar’s household is filled with spies, who pass notes to each other in code by placing notes inside the famous Faberge eggs in the display room in the palace. The reader might be surprised to find out who or who isn’t a revolutionary spy.

Thank you to the author, Netgalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for the honest review.

Published Date 29 Jun 2021
My review on 22 Jun 2021
Thanks to Severn House Publishers and NetGalley for giving me the chance to read The Faberge Secret by Charles Belfoure in exchange for an honest review.

The Faberge Secret by Charles Belfoure set in 1903 Imperial Russia at the time of the Japanese war, revolution, and Romanov problem with Jews.

(Queen Victoria I. grandmother) House of Romanov
I I
Alexandra (1872-1918) ________ Nicholas II (1868-1918)
I
Olga Tatiana Maria Anastasia Alexei

This is the beginning of the Russian Revolution, Tsar Nicholas II is under the pressure of revolutionary actions and blaming the Jews for that.
The story focused on Prince Dimitri Markhov (royal architect) and his beautiful wife, Princess Lara who are close friends of the imperial family. Lara and Dimitri were no longer in love, and their marriage was for appearance. So when Dimitri meets Doctor Katya Golitsyn (one of a few female doctors), they both found each other similar opinions and interests; Dimitri starts to understand and help the revolution movement.

This is the story of love, friendship, betrayal, royal family, Russian people, fabergé eggs, and jewels. Sometimes was hard to follow narration, but overall was an interesting book with a surprising ending. I enjoyed it!

I love Imperial Russia, the story, the intrigue, the characters. Prince Dmitri was a sympathetic character, the story compelling and the characters vivid. The plot was a bit thin, but the book was still interesting. I would read other stories by Charles Belfoure. Thank you NetGalley for allowing me to read and review this book.

I really enjoyed this book. It is set 1903 Russia, the buildup to the Revolution. Based on historical information. I love that the author kept to the actual truth of the history and didn't downplay the savagery of the pogroms.. Two love stories blended here, Nicholas and Alexandra, and Prince Dimitri and Doctor Katya.
It was a beautiful telling of the Romanovs and of course, Faberge Eggs, this story is fascinating and even educational!
The writing is well done, although I found the many different plot lines a bit hard to follow at times, but in the end, it was a thoroughly enjoyable book. I would, and have, recommended it to my friends.

I'm so grateful to NetGalley for providing me with a free copy of this ARC ebook in exchange for my honest review.

Such an enjoyable book! The characters, the plot, and the ending are amazing.
The author did a great job with his writing! Simply amazing writing here!
I thought the story was very interesting and kept my attention which is a major plus!

Thank you NetGalley and Severn House Publisher for this ebook copy!