A powerful woman is always hard to resist; think Cleopatra, Eleanor of Aquitaine, Elizabeth I and possibly the most irresistible of all; Russia’s Catherine the Great.
Eva Stachniak certainly knows how magnetic the pull of a feisty female can be, and her sensuous and sizzling novel that is set in the very dangerous heart of St Petersburg features three such amazing women.Two of these are real; the notoriously ruthless Empresses Elizabeth and the aforementioned Catherine, whilst the third is fictional.
A young Polish girl who ends up as a court spy for both women, their covert eyes and ears. There is another star of the thriller set in the 18th century; the Winter Palace. This is a treacherous place where everything is possibly but also somewhere that every word you utter can be taken and used against you.
Trust no-one here as even your friends will betray you and being able to seem invisible in the best virtue you can possess.This is a story that justly deserves the much overused literary term of ‘epic’. It far exceeds the normal parameters of a typical historical novel and both the social and political detail is fascinating.
The way in which the story is told of how Catherine effectively stole the throne from her husband is both a revelation and a real eye opener. The recounting of those events that shaped the future of Russia is spellbinding, and all seen through the eyes of the girl groomed as a spy.
The scandals, the scheming and the sexual immorality that exist beneath the surface of the claustrophobic and tyrannical rule that exists in The Winter Palace make the battles and japes that Elizabeth Tudor embarked on seem likes childs play.
These pages are packed with details and drama, paranoia and subterfuge and the downside of absolute power. This book is a fantastic display of historical storytelling and has you gagging for the highly anticipated sequel.
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