Although the title indicates the book is primarily about the four Grand Duchesses it's really about the family. Many books focus on Nicholas, Alexandra and their hemophiliac son, Alexei and the strange monk Rasputin. This book almost makes Alexei a background presence but the girls' parents and particularly their mother are very much a part of it.

While venturing into some different territory it's still limited by the limited information about some rather sheltered and isolated young women. It's hard to feel like the girls are truly known any better but it was still an interesting book. I would not necessarily recommend it as an entry into the tragic story of this family but for people like me who are interested in the history of the Romanovs it's an interesting perspective.

I had high hopes for this one but it ended up leaving me feeling a bit disappointed. It felt a bit slow, particularly at the beginning. The characters were a bit flat. It felt a little disjointed and didn't flow well. It was almost like two different stories featuring the same characters with the part about the plague simply inserted between two sections of the mystery story. I doubt I'll read more of this series.

I've enjoyed some of the books that Andrew Gross has co-written with James Patterson but this one was a disappointment. The fast paced and action filled story I expected was there the believability of the events which precipitate the story just isn't there. The main character, Dr. Henry Steadman tells the sections from his viewpoint in an odd way. The tension and stress is told with exclamation points rather than action that draws the reader into the story. The confusing timeline in the first half of the book finally made sense but by then I didn't care. The second half included a ridiculous romantic angle and some pretty amazing (as in completely unbelievable) deductions by Steadman. It's not awful, but it's not one I can recommend.

Having been a fan of Robinson’s Inspector Banks series for years, I expected to like this standalone mystery. I was not disappointed at all. The format of telling the story of the present day investigation while telling the historical part of the story through excerpts from books and from Elizabeth Fox’s own diary works well. It’s a mystery but it’s also about relationships, guilt, and a bit of a history lesson added to the mix.

Robinson takes a break from procedurals and scores a win with this one. The story kept me guessing and the musical references made me wish there was a playlist available.

This was a beautiful, exciting, sad, happy and altogether elegant story. The author created a world in which I thoroughly enjoyed losing myself. I intentionally waited to read it until I had time to read it in just a few sittings. I’m glad I did. This is the kind of book that wraps it’s setting around you as you read. The imagery is both delicate and strong and always beautiful even in the darker parts of the story. At its heart a love story, the book is about a competition between magicians that takes place within a mysterious circus that seems to appear and disappear and is only open at night. Its storylines weave in and around each other and forward and backward in time in a way that feels almost like a dance. There is a distinct elegance to the writing and the story that takes the reader on a wonderful journey.

I knew from his previous book about Catherine de Medici that I enjoyed C.W. Gortner’s writing, but this one fell a bit flat for me. It started out promising with an apparently naïve young man being sent to court at a time when scheming and plotting was at its dirtiest and nastiest. Within a few short pages he’s gone from his first exposure to life at court to being sharp enough to be conscripted as a spy for a member of Elizabeth’s inner circle. I know it’s historical fiction but some of the quick turnarounds and emotional attachments in this one just seemed too quick.

Despite that, I liked Brendan Prescott as a character. He seemed to have a strong inner place from which he made his decisions and alliances. The secondary characters that he joined up with along the way were interesting and for a planned series might make a good core of recurring characters.

I know it’s planned as a series, but I’m just not sure it’s a series I’ll bother to continue reading.

This is not a fast paced book that I wanted to read as quickly as possible to get to the resolution of the crime story. It's a book that I wanted to read slowly and savor the words and images that Franklin paints with them. It's a thoughtful, slowly building story that shifts back and forth between the present day and flashbacks to Larry and Silas as teenagers and how their friendship developed and then broke apart. While it is partly a crime story it’s even more the story of both Larry and Silas.

The descriptions and imagery are the kind of writing that makes me stop on a regular basis and reread a paragraph just for the words. It's heavy with atmosphere and the tension that gradually builds makes it a quiet thriller. While by the time the investigation is resolved it’s not any surprise the other parts of the story remain enough to keep the interest level high and the story moving along.

The writing had the same magic for me as Franklin's first novel "Hell at the Breech" without being quite as brutal.

Catherine is such an interesting character and despite what is known of her, there is also much speculation and guesswork regarding her motives and methods. I thoroughly enjoyed the way that the author presented Catherine as a young girl eager to fulfill her expected role, a mother and politically savvy monarch.

The opposing sides of her nature and actions are all present in the story and make it difficult to decide whether to love, despise or sympathize with her. I think that I ended up with somewhat mixed feelings about Catherine. She knew that as the daughter of noblemen, her life was not her own, but after the death of her husband she became a power to be reckoned with as she did everything she could to secure the throne for her children. Whether what was necessary was right or moral may not have always been what determined her actions, but perhaps her ultimate motivation was right. She was clearly a complex woman in a complex time.

I was very impressed with the character, the story and the writing. I’m looking forward to reading The Last Queen and am eagerly awaiting Gortner’s next book.

The book is a mix of three stories that at the beginning seem totally unconnected, but as you read, the connections start clicking and pretty soon you can’t put it down because you just have to find out how this all ends. The question of identity is at the heart of this book. False identities and hidden truths abound. Pretty soon the characters and the reader are both questioning the true identity of everyone.

I liked this book a lot. I kept making guesses as to how it would all resolve and changing my mind. If you need a book with clear linear timelines or all the ends tightly wrapped up in a bow, stay away from this one. If you like a story of intrigue, deception and a bit of mystery and suspense, I recommend it highly. Although I felt like I didn’t truly like the main characters, the ever more involved web of story and timelines kept me turning the pages as fast as I could.

This book is somewhat reminiscent of The Thirteenth Tale. It’s told in flashback by an elderly woman, sisters (one named Emmeline) are part of the story, the setting is in an old family house, and many secrets are gradually revealed. That said, it’s also very different from The Thirteenth Tale. Yes, it’s a story about a family and their servants, but it’s so much more. It’s a story of the time. England during and after World War I was a country and society in the midst of change. The concept of “Duty” is a theme throughout the book – The household staff and their duty to the family they work for, the duty to family and country that crossed all class levels. The impact of the war on the families who lost sons and fathers as well as the survivors who came home forever altered by their wartime experiences is as much a part of this book as the primary story.