This book is my favorite historical fiction book that I’ve read not just this year but in a very long time. The vivid details and descriptions really pulled me in and made it impossible to get out of my head.

Loved this book. You always hear about the Russian Revolution and the killing of Tsar Nicholas and his family, especially was Anastasia killed or did she live. But I have never heard the history of The Dawager Emperess Maria Feodorovna. We never studied this time in history, I think we may have touched it one day in history class. So it is very interesting to me. And who does not love Disney’s Anastasia??!!

Although this was highly fictionalized with conversations, i learned a lot about the connections between the Russian, English, Greek, Danish, and German royals. I have seen pictures of King George and Tsar Nicholas, and yes, they could have been brothers ( FYI - check out a recent picture of Duchess Kate’s brother, who I know is no relation, but just look and then look at the one of King George and Tsar Nicholas together—— told ya!). But I had no idea of the, shall I say hatred, between Maria and Alexandra, talk about ice cubes. But very interesting to learn Alexandra was so authoritative in the Russian court. But it was Maria that tried to hold the Empire together.

This book was good, I would highly recommend it. It has just the right amount of history, drama, and romance. It definitely peeked my interest to read more about the Romanovs and the Russian Empire.

Thank you to NetGalley and C. W. Gortner for this great read. I am not required to give a favorable review.

Amazing amazing book that kept me wanting to hear more about Minnie. The author has written fabulous books about other royals throughout history such as Catherine de Medici and the Spanish Queen Juana and this book was just as amazing as his previous ones. I have read every book on Romanov history and the author’s storytelling of Empress Maria was fantastic.

C.W. Gortner has been a favorite of mine since reading The Last Queen. He writes vividly, creating strong characters with realistic personalities breathing life into history with each new book release.

The Romanov Empress is one of my most anticipated books of 2018. I had signed up to be part of the HFVBT and was about 30% of the way through reading when life got chaotic and I ended up dropping out, switched over to the audiobook. It’s tricky doing that sometimes, will it work? Will I enjoy it reading more? In this instance the audio was wonderful - Katharine McEwan was the reader and one of my favorites. Coming in at almost 18 hours, my time driving, sitting and waiting just flew by.

I love reading about women that aren’t well know but still played a big part in the past. The Romanov’s are relatively new to me (this is my 3rd book) and coming from this perspective really gave me a sense of the background to what took place in 1918. Told through the eyes of Nicholas II’s mother was perfect. First introduced as a young women in Denmark her transition to a Russian Empress marked her as a strong woman, smart and compassionate and fiercely devoted to her family.

Reading a CW Gortner book is always a treat. With attention to detail, lots of history (without sounding like a history book) he has written a captivating story of a turbulent time in Russia’s past. I was actually hoping for a different outcome. He made me care for the family and citizens of that country. It’s evident the author has not only done extensive research but also has a passion for the era - it shines through in his writing.

I highly recommend this book to those that love reading about strong women in history that we rarely hear about.

My thanks to Amy at HFVBT’s and Random House for an advanced copy (via Netgalley).

I love the story. The details are lush and wonderful. This author's writing gets better with every novel. If you like history fiction give this author a go.

I have a fascination with history in general. I really love the mystery that has always surrounded the Romanov family. This was a lengthy book but in the spirit of full disclosure.....it was AMAZING. I couldn't put it down. The way the story is told from Maria Feodorovna's point of view adds so much to the plot. C.W. Gortner wove a story that combined truth and embellishments into a wholly believable tale of intrigue, mystery, family, murder, and politics. 5 stars all the way!

Covering decades in the doomed Romanov Court, veteran author C.W. Gortner uses his many strengths as a historical fiction writer to illuminate the life of Dagmar of Denmark, who became known to history by her adopted name of Empress Maria Feodorovna. Mother to the last Tsar of Russia, this kind and clever woman left an impact all her own both on her family and on the country she adopted as her own.

Dagmar, who usually answered to the name Minnie though she had a plethora of nicknames, led a fascinating life. The second daughter of an impoverished and unexpected king of Denmark, her story is full of both heartbreak and quiet determination. Fiancee first to Tsarevich Nicholas Alexandrovich, but the eventual wife of his brother Emperor Alexander III, her romantic life was unpredictable and tangled. Her many allegiances -- to her beloved home country, then to Nixa, then her autocratic husband, and finally to her children and grandchildren -- made the intersections of her identity relatable and recognizable to modern readers. She was a woman pulled in many directions who did the best she could for her country and for her descendants.

Life in the Romanov court is brought to vibrant reality under Gortner's pen, albeit with a few improvisations on the factual. Minnie's introduction to Russian culture and perspective is fresh and atmospheric; seeing Russia through the eyes of the tsars and their family is memorable. Some details and events have been adjusted, moved, or ignored to streamline the narrative and the authorial decisions make sense; Minnie's life was long and convoluted but the gist of her story is contained within The Romanov Empress. She's presented as a whole person; fallible and flawed, but one who no doubt tried to stave off the inevitable decline of her 400-year-old dynasty.

Large in scope but without sacrificing the finer details, The Romanov Empress paints a realistic and researched version of Dagmar. Her personality and opinions shine through, even when overruled by her more despotic spouse; a figure in the Russian court for most of her life, it's easy to get lost in the romanticized version of this period in history. But Maria was a real woman, who loved, lost and then tried to find her grand-daughter after the worst horror befell her extended family. Through all the stages of her public life -- impoverished princess to wary tsarevna to strong-willed tsarina -- Minnie never lost her quiet strength or her deeply-held beliefs. She was an impressive woman and Gortner shows her in all her imperfect humanity.

Thank you to Netgalley for giving me the chance to read and review, "The Romanov Empress"
by C. W. Gortner. As a lover of historical fiction novels, this one truly blew me away. I can also say with 100 percent certainty that this is the best book of the year and my most new favorite work of historical fiction. I have never read a historical fiction novel that touched so many of my emotions. I loved Maria Feodorovna. She was fearless and always stood up for what she believed in, despite women not having many rights in the 1800's and 1900'.s. The Romanovs were very admirable. There really is not enough wonderful things that I can say about this novel. If you love historical fiction, this is the holy grail.

Romanov Empress is written about the life of Tsarina Maria Feodovna as if she was telling the story. I had my hesitations regarding a historical fiction book written in the first person. And to be honest, my opinion wasn’t changed after reading Romanov Empress. I do admire the amount of research that C.W. Gortner did. He covered a lot of history. It must have been a challenge to write this book in the 1st person without distorting history since there may have been events happening that Maria Feodovna was unaware. I respect authors for taking the time and effort to educate and entertain those of us who enjoy historical fiction.
I am sure those who like books written like a diary account will really enjoy this book. It is always a temptation to give a 5 star reviews when receiving a free copy. However, while there were a lot of positive things that could be said about Gortner, Romanov Empress missed the mark for me. I had a hard time finishing it. I received a free copy in exchange for my honest review.

I posted review on Amazon and Good reads. Because I was not impressed with this book, I limited my reviews to those two sites.

I found The Romanov Empress to be a fascinating read from cover to cover. The detailed research done by C. W. Gortner is extraordinary. He has, changed some dates and anglicized many of the Russian names, but I felt, having read a lot about the time of Nicholas II and Alexandra and, of course their execution but not much about his parents, he gave us a precise story. I have always been fascinated by Russian history and by now you are aware of my passion for historical novels....this detailed intriguing story did not disappoint me, in fact it makes me want to find more novels and non-fiction about this period in time. I was aware of the intermarriage of the European royals, but this telling put these marriages in perspective. The world, in all ways, was at a major turning point and now, a century plus years later, is still in turmoil. Can we change our destinies, I doubt it, but shouldn’t we learn from history or are we destined to keep making mistakes!!!! Oops, seems a bit deep doesn’t it....perhaps Tzarist thinking! Let’s get to our story....

It is basically a love story of a man and woman who happen to rule Russia and their children and their children’s children. It is also the story of a very strong woman, “Minnie” (the Tsarina), who was instrumental, to a great extent, in forward thinking of women’s rights as well as preserving, above all else, the Romanov dynasty, which she supported, in all ways, until the very end. We learn about her sister’s marriage to Bertie, The Prince of Wales, Queen Victoria, the Russian court, exquisite descriptions of the social protocol of the time, the fashion, much from Charles Frederick Worth, the art, the jewelry, oh the jewelry, and, of course, the palaces. And mostly the pride in upholding the centuries of Romanov rule and then seeing this regime destroy itself....so very sad! Do I recommend the book, yes, yes and yes.

I will definitely read more of Gortner’s novels, I’m considering his Mademoiselle Chanel as an upcoming nenasnotes The Fashion Book Club selection

I enjoyed The Romanov Empress. It was an epic read with beautiful writing and at the same time was enjoyingly readable. The setting is grand and opulent set against the backdrop of war and turmoil. I liked Maria, she is an inspiring woman who does her best to honor Russia in a story about sacrifice, strength, family, and love.

Excellent novel, told in the first person, about the Empress Maria, wife of Czar Alexander III and mother of czar Nicholas II. Needless to say she lived through very exciting times including repeated assassinations, bombing, revolts, wars, and, ultimately, the Russian Revolution. Today though, she is little known.

Although I really loved Maria's voice, what's best about this book is that it's viewpoint is different from virtually all other books I've read about the period, revisionist or not.

I thoroughly enjoyed it.

As the book’s subtitle makes clear, A Romanov Empress concentrates on the life and experiences of the woman who would become known as Maria Feodorovna, Tsarina of Russia. From her childhood as a member of the impoverished Danish royal family, through the tragic circumstances of her marriage to Tsar Alexander and finishing with the events of the Russian Revolution, Minnie, as she is called by intimates, acts as the reader’s perceptive observer.

A Romanov Empress covers a turbulent period in Russian history but presents it largely from the perspective of the Imperial family with limited treatment of the lives of the Russian population. Thus the emphasis throughout is on the domestic goings on within the Imperial household, meaning social and political developments in Russia are viewed predominantly for their ability to threaten the future of the Romanov dynasty.

The author gives us an intriguing picture of a woman who wielded what power she could from ‘behind the throne’, in particular the important business of making suitable strategic marriages for her children and relatives with other crowned heads of Europe. Life in the Imperial household is one based on precedence and formality, a life of luxury that contrasts with the poverty experienced by much of the Russian population. However, eventually even the Tsar and his family cannot be entirely cushioned from the impact of growing social and political unrest.

When Minnie’s son, Nicholas, inherits the throne following the death of her husband, he chooses not to heed her advice about how to deal with the increasing unrest resulting in violent scenes that only make matters worse. Not for the first time when reading about the lives of women in history, this reader wondered whether things might have played out quite differently had a woman like Minnie been in charge instead of being relegated to the sidelines.

I found the relationship between Minnie and her sister, Alix, really touching. The way they supported each other through the many and various tragedies in their lives, including the deaths of children and spouses, was heart-warming. I found it interesting that the author presents the relationship between Minnie and her daughter-in-law, Alexandra, as anything but convivial; especially given they seemed to have much in common in terms of their background and lack of preparation for the roles they found themselves in by marriage. So much for female solidarity!

The book has an impressive level of detail and is definitely not a quick read; it’s clear the author must have undertaken an immense amount of research. Personally, I enjoyed the first half of the book where the reader is really immersed in the daily life of the Imperial household more than the second, where external events come more to the fore. Throughout the book, there are a lot of different characters to keep track of and I certainly needed to make frequent use of the helpful family tree to check names and relationships.

The Romanov Empress is a fascinating insight into the life of a woman who lived through a turbulent period in Russian history. I received a review copy courtesy of publishers, Ballantine Books, and Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours, in return for an honest and unbiased review. (3.5 stars)

The Romanov Empress by C. W. Gortner is a captivating look at the life of "Minnie", the woman who would become the mother of Tsar Nicholas II, the father of Anastasia.

Written from "Minnie's" point of view, this book easily follows her life from her earliest childhood days when she was known as Dagmar, Princess of Denmark, through her adolescence and ultimately her life as tsarevna, tsarina, empress and dowager empress of Russia.

Filled with well-researched Romanov history, Gortner's book reads more like a novel than an historical tome, which makes it far more fascinating and compelling. The reader becomes immersed in Minnie's romances, trials, joys, sorrows and frustrations at every turn. She puts a "face" to an actual historical figure and makes that person so believable that the reader identifies with her life's experiences.

If only all historical figures had their stories told with such compassion and realism, how much more interesting it would become for today's youth to identify with "what's gone before".

Because I have read and loved several of C.W. Gortner's historical fiction novels, my policy has pretty much been to jump at the chance to read and review any of his books offered to me. He is a great writer of historical fiction with a talent for making each of the main female characters jump from the page and engage the reader in her story.

I am very appreciative of the fact that instead of telling the story of Nicholass II's wife, Alexandra, he instead tells the fascinating story of Nicholas's mother. Minnie, as she is known to family and friends, is a strong, intelligent woman with a canny ability to see the big picture and take action when needed.

Minnie was born Marie Sophie Frederikke Dagmar of Glucksburg, Denmark; her father was from an impoverished princely cadet line who suddenly became the heir-presumptive to the throne of Denmark. The story of how she went from a poor princess to the Empress of Russia is a fascinating one that rivals many fairy tales. Her story then turns into a love story, then a political drama and finally a tragedy.But through it all Minnie is a strong and capable woman - she is a survivor. Despite all the sadness of life, she maintains that what else can one do but live? I found her story to be very inspirational and I found Minnie to be an admirable woman. She always tried to do what she felt to the right.

I loved all the historical information that Gortner includes in the novel -- I love history and I appreciate that he makes sure to frame the events of the story within the larger historical context. The familiar story of Russia during WWI and the aftermath from Minnie's point of view was unique and I learned so much about what happened to some of the family members during this chaotic and dangerous time period. The novel includes England and Minnie's family members as well as the family of Nicholas II.

I want to read more about Minnie and her life as a result of reading The Romanov Empress. This always seems to be the case after reading one of Gorner's novels -- I rush out and read a bunch of non-fiction about the main character because the novel peaked so much interest. To be quite honest, Minnie seems to have been a much more interesting, intelligent and capable woman that Alexandra was.

As always with a Gortner novel, I can happily and heartily recommend The Romanov Empress to anyone who enjoys historical fiction, history, Russian history, the Romanov family, or fiction in general.

I loved this! Historic fiction books are some of my most favorite to read and this one did not disappoint. Vivid and with historical details previously unknown to me, the period before the Soviet era truly came to life in the author’s hands. I love reading about the Romanovs, but tsar Alexander’s mother was not someone I had studied. A most enjoyable and educational read!

I found this book to be fascinating with historical information that was new to me. I have read several books on the last Tsar of Russia, but this was the first on his mother, Maria Feodorovna (Dagmar of Denmark). I read with interest her rather impoverished childhood and that of her sister, who would later become the wife of King Edward VII of England. The information regarding her father-in-law, Alexander II, gave insight into a man who could have possibly made a profound difference in the way Russian history unfolded, if he hadn't been assassinated. Maria led a remarkable life and while she was able to influence her son, Tsar Nicholas II, early in his reign, he later became too greatly influenced by his wife, Alexandra, which led to some unfortunate decisions with tragic consequences. If you love to read historical novels, this book is one you must be sure to read. (I was given this book for my honest review, but I would have gladly purchased it!)

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.