My Childhood Obsession and a Cover Reveal

Hello again, friends!

History Lesson:

Once upon a time, the Romanov family ruled Russia. The Tsar and his family were put under house arrest during the Russian Revolution, and finally executed in 1918. (This is a VERY truncated history lesson, obviously, so if you want to know more about the family, and Anastasia in particular, you can read this article on Wikipedia). Here's the thing though, several years later, a woman named Anna Anderson showed up claiming to BE Anastasia, sparking a several decades long debate over what actually happened to the Tsarina.

I don't think we've ever talked about the fact that I had a slight obsession with the Romanov family growing up which may or may not have had something to do with the release of a certain movie circa 1997. *cough*

I LOVED the movie, (though granted, there's virtually no historical accuracy about it) and when I found out it was based on a true story, my imagination took off running. I went to the adult section of the library and looked up all the books I could find on Anastasia and her family, copied a bunch of articles, created a little scrapbook of clippings and wrote little responses to them....all on my own, this was not a school project. Which was good, because there is nothing academic about my responses, they were mostly emotional ramblings of a pre-teen girl enthralled with the idea of a real-life mystery).

I was also determined to solve the mystery of what happened to Anastasia until, of course, they finally solved it and killed that dream.

Some of my sources for my little scrapbook (if you're interested):
Anastasia's Album
Anastasia: Dead or Alive?

Fast forward twenty years and Anastasia takes Broadway so, of course, I dropped everything and went to New York for a crazy whirlwind trip with my dear friend, Julie. Aaaaaand yes it was beautiful and made me relive all my childhood fantasies and fueled my obsession a little bit more! If you haven't heard the soundtrack you should DEFINITELY give it a listen! Christy Altomare is amazing!

 **Favorite New Songs**
Stay, I Pray You
In a Crowd of Thousands

But for all my love of Anastasia and her story, and with all the many, many times I have watched the movie and listened to both soundtracks, I have never read a retelling of her story.

All that is going to change with the release of Romanov by Nadine Brandes on May 7th, 2019!

Nadine Brandes, author of Fawkes and the Out of Time series, has a new book coming out retelling the story of Anastasia Romanov in a unique and intriguing way!

The history books say I died.

They don’t know the half of it.

Anastasia “Nastya” Romanov was given a single mission: to smuggle an ancient spell into her suitcase on her way to exile in Siberia. It might be her family’s only salvation. But the leader of the Bolshevik army is after them . . . and he’s hunted Romanov before.

Nastya’s only chances of survival are to either release the spell, and deal with the consequences, or enlist help from Zash, the handsome soldier who doesn’t act like the average Bolshevik. Nastya’s never dabbled in magic before, but it doesn’t frighten her as much as her growing attraction for Zash. She likes him. She thinks he might even like her . . .

That is, until she’s on one side of a firing squad . . . and he’s on the other.

*shudders* Doesn't that give you some delightful little chills! I am SO excited about this book.

Now for the cover reveal...

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https://nadinebrandes.com/romanovlinks

Oh. My. Goodness.

I WISH this book was coming out in the Fall (and that I lived in a state where it actually got cold) because that cover just makes me want to grab a blanket, curl up with a Pumpkin or Chai Tea Latte and devour it! Can we talk about the gorgeous leafy design and that beautiful silhouette!? It LOOKS Russian!  This is SO perfect for the setting, I can't stand it. 

Romanov is up for pre-order on Amazon (<---click b="">so go ahead and reserve your copy now! You won't want to miss out on this book!
<---click b="">Also, make sure to add it to your Goodreads list!

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An Hour Unspent - Release Day! Review! Giveaway!

Happy Release Day to Roseanna White for the final book in her Shadows Over England series, An Hour Unspent! Roseanna has a bunch of giveaways posted on her website, and an upcoming coloring contest that sounds pretty exciting! Make sure you head over there for some fantastic goodies! The books are on sale at the author's website where you can signed copies, and the first two books are currently 20% off! They are also available on Kindle and paperback at Amazon.

About the Book:

Once London’s top thief, Barclay Pearce has turned his back on his life of crime and now uses his skills for a nation at war. But not until he rescues a clockmaker’s daughter from a mugging does he begin to wonder what his future might hold.

Evelina Manning has constantly fought for independence but she certainly never meant for it to inspire her fiancé to end the engagement and enlist in the army. When the intriguing man who saved her returns to the Manning residence to study clockwork repair with her father, she can’t help being interested. But she soon learns that nothing with Barclay Pearce is as simple as it seems.

As 1915 England plunges ever deeper into war, the work of an ingenious clockmaker may give England an unbeatable military edge—and Germany realizes it as well. Evelina’s father soon finds his whole family in danger—and it may just take a reformed thief to steal the time they need to escape it.

My Review:

I have so loved this series and this family, it is sad to see their story ending, but this heart-warming conclusion to the series did not disappoint! I experienced all the feels as I finally got to learn more about Barclay, the self-designated big brother of the noble family of thieves. Central to the core of his character is the desire to protect and care for others. Once someone touches his heart he is committed to them no matter what, often sacrificing what little he has to make sure they are provided for.

Evelina was quite a feisty character! Battling and surviving a childhood illness, as well as her domineering mother and aunt, has given her a fierce desire for independence and a passion for justice. She fights for the rights of the working class, even though it's not quite the fashionable cause her mother and suffragette friends would have her involved in.

Though Barclay and Evelina come from such different worlds, they see each other's profound strengths as well as their biggest hurts and fears.  My favorite part of reading is watching the characters come to grips with their most defining traits and come to a better awareness of themselves. Roseanna White does this very well in all her books.

One nice surprise in this book is that we (finally!) get to learn a bit more about the mysterious Mr. V!!! Alice's small role in the story was also a real treat.

This is a beautiful story of love and family, and the importance of spending your time well, woven into the historical backdrop of World War 1. I have loved these characters and their story. I am sad to see them go, but this was such a sweet conclusion for Barclay and his family. I hope you enjoy this story as much as I have.

I received a copy of this book for promotional purposes. The opinions expressed are my own.

Favorite Quotes:

"The Lord uses even our broken pieces in the most remarkable ways."

"Something had to be done. And the certainty of what settled on him with that same solid weight that he knew so well. The one that always said, Give the little one your food and You don't need a coat. Not like he does. That certainty he was only now beginning to realize was God, showing him the way to love those put in his care."

"God saw him anyway, in complete clarity. So why try to hide?"

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