The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna by C. W. Gortner

The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna.  C. W. Gortner. Random House Publishing Group/Ballantine. July 2018. 464 pp.  ISBN#: 9780425286166.

“We existed in a dream, enclosed in our lacquered splendor like the varnished miniatures of our fabled Easter eggs, even as the world beyond our gates began to crumble.”  The world of Maria (Minnie) Feodorovna begins as a child, then known as Dagmar of Denmark, living in a simple world that dramatically changes as her father becomes the King of Denmark.  Maria is grateful for the closeness of her family in the coming years when her sister Alix becomes Queen of England and others marry to other rulers or royalty.  Maria marries Sasha or Alexander, Prince of Russia, then becoming part of the four hundred-year-old Romanov dynasty as the Empress of this great nation.

Maria’s early years in Russia are full of dancing, fine dining, and the gentle love of her Sasha, gruff but gentle, fiercely devoted to his autocratic role as Emperor of all of Russia.  He gives Minnie the first of the Faberge eggs that unfold with multiple layers of grand, gorgeous jewels, special editions not available to the public.  The current climate, however, is not kind to the Romanovs.  By the time that Alexander realizes that autocratic rule is tearing his nation apart with poverty and civil war, it is too late.  Rather than implement the change of a Parliament or Duma, he tragically dies and Nicholas, their eldest son, refuses to authorize his father’s will, a position he insists on upholding as the nation begins to unravel.  The influence of the Dowager Empress waxes but quickly wanes with the competing influence of Nicholas’s wife, the Empress Alexandra.

Maria is wise beyond her years but cannot control the family scandals as her children, nieces and nephews begin to ignore custom and tradition.  The strong-willed, austere Alexandra embraces the peasant monk, Rasputin, who appears to be responsible for repeated healing of the son of Nicholas and Alexandra.

Royalty and high society couples dance the nights away, wearing the finest couture encrusted with luxurious jewels, vacationing with each other in a style that resonates with a reminder of “Nero fiddling while Rome burned.” However, the reader shares in Maria’s growing sadness and shock as familial and national events culminate in disaster.

Words cannot convey the depth of this comprehensive depiction of both the Empress Maria Feodorovna and the Romanov family.  It is truly a brilliant story, replete with virtues and vices, fierce loves and hates, glamor and scandals.  This reader hated for this amazing, well-crafted novel to come to an end. Read it once, twice – know this is a classic work of historical fiction, soon to be named among the “best” accounts of the Romanov family in its final days!

The Tudor Vendetta: A Novel (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles) by C. W. Gortner.

The Tudor Vendetta: A Novel (The Elizabeth I Spymaster Chronicles).  C. W. Gortner. St. Martin’s Griffin. October 2014. 304 pp.  ISBN#: 9780312658588.

Elizabeth I is now Queen of England and requests the presence of Brendan Prescott.  Brendan is reluctant to return to London because he lied to the woman he loves, Kate, in order to save the life of Elizabeth.  He also knows he will again be facing the extreme animosity of his old nemesis, Lord Robert Dudley, now serving the Queen and perhaps her lover as well.  With the usual barbs and violent encounters, Brendan and Dudley rise to the bait but are quickly silenced by the will of the Queen.  Elizabeth has a job for Brendan, to investigate the disappearance of her lady’s maid, Lady Parry, after she left for her family home in Yorkshire.  One is left wondering why Lord Cecil and Dudley are against Brendan pursuing this quest, but Brendan serves the Queen not only out of loyal service but also as a secret relative of the royal family.  Something is definitely being left unsaid.

From the very first day of his arrival at Yorkshire, Brendan, with Shelton, the man who raised him, meet only secrecy and coldness to the point of rudeness.  To say more would be a spoiler that would ruin a tense, vibrant adventure and mystery. For some very old enemies of Brendan are involved in the disappearance of Lady Parry and the presence of a very young boy Raff  is the central key to a series of lies, attempted murders and actual murders.  Behind it all lies the hate behind the Papists who were so severely persecuted and killed at one time under the rule of Elizabeth’s father, Henry VIII.  Elizabeth herself may be Queen but understands that her security is far from guaranteed as she has as many enemies as she has friends.

Having read the previous Spymaster Chronicles novels, this reviewer states that The Tudor Vendetta  is definitely the best novel in the series.  The author’s  crafting of a complex plot/conflict flows more easily herein and the reader will absolutely be unable to predict how this search for Lady Parry will end and who is behind her disappearance.  Brendan is not only courageous but also displays sensitivities toward those he has hurt.  He learns quickly not to trust even those who claim to be his friends.  For that is the nature of Elizabeth’s court; mistrust rules and one is loyal to royalty as long and only as long as that ruler remains head of State.

The Tudor Vendetta is credible, exciting historical fiction that this reviewer highly recommends!

The Tudor Conspiracy: A Novel by C. W. Gortner

The Tudor Conspiracy: A Novel.  C. W. Gortner. St. Martin’s Griffin. July 2013. 352 pp.  pbk. ISBN#: 9780312658496.

Mary Tudor and Princess Elizabeth are bitter enemies forevermore.  Mary is now Queen of England and doing everything possible to force her sister to convert from Protestantism to the Roman Catholic faith.  That victory would guarantee England remains a Catholic country and would enable Mary to marry Philip, Prince of Spain.  Imagine how such a union would change the face of history!

“Nothing is ever as it seems!” is the essence of this plot and Brendan Prescott, spy who once saved one of the sisters, is the protagonist called to the Queen’s presence for specific employment.  His job?  Prove Elizabeth is a traitor; bring evidence that will enable Mary to eliminate her ever-threatening sister.  Court intrigue, rumors and plots fill every page as supposed friends and implacable foes lead and mislead this easily targeted spy.  The reader must pay attention as Brendan seems to serve both sisters with equal determination.  Yes, he is misled at times but learns to become sharper mentally and trust his increasingly correct instincts as to who is really vying for favor.  There are truly no innocents herein!

Private letters, secrets, poison, murder, brutal beatings, threats, sword battles, sexual temptation and more force the reader’s excitement into more intense reading and flipping of these riveting pages.  For C. W. Gortner is a master of the mystery, the spy novel, the adventure story, the intricacies of England’s domestic and international manipulations of history, the obsessive lust for power and revenge, and the foibles that betray even the most careful antagonists!

The subplot of this novel awaits the reader’s pleasure as Brendan searches for his true identity amidst the royalty related to the Tudor sisters.  This quest is no less satisfying and the reader is rooting for Brendan every step of the way.

The author’s brilliance shines clearly in the way his characters seem to move through an emotional gauntlet of fury, confusion, fear, mourning, happiness, and mistrust in a matter of minutes.  One is never sure what will happen in the next second which makes the anticipation even more enticing!  Words cannot properly convey how well-crafted The Tudor Conspiracy… is.  Treat yourself, if you haven’t done so yet, to a brilliant, literate, engaging and exciting read which illuminates the intricacies of this well-known royally entangled historical period and characters!  Stunning!

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile by C. W. Gortner

The Queen's Vow: A Novel of Isabella of Castile. C. W. Gortner. Random House Publishing Group.  June 2012.  400 pp. ISBN #: 978034552396.

Isabella's initial exposure to politics comes just before the demise of her father, a man who will die from grief after his closest adviser is murdered.  At least that is what Isabella's furious mother believes.  Standing by her father's deathbed, Isabella is startled to recognize the look of greed on her half-brother Enrique's face, a look that clearly presages the kind of King he will become.  For The Queens's Vow is about Isabella's newly found fortitude which will be sorely tested first by her brother, advised by the evil Marquis of Villena, and then as the novel progresses by numerous other so-called "advisers."  Sometimes readers may forget that Kings and Queens are human beings with strengths and fragile aspects of personality that shape history for years, if not centuries.  We are reminded in this fiction account that women were not expected to be successful rulers, being deemed less possessed of intelligence, capabilities, and skills necessary to accomplish such a daunting task.  Isabella is presented as a woman ready to rule wisely and fairly, a woman who learns from her own mistakes.

Before that comes to pass, however, King Enrique seems incapable of fathering an heir while his wife manages to conceive a beautiful girl, much to the delight of court and public gossipers. That wouldn't matter much to Isabella except that the Queen insists her daughter is the heir to the throne and does everything in her power to guarantee that neither Alfonso (Isabella's other brother) nor Isabella will ever rule Castile.   Queen Juana's road to perdition makes for tense and riveting reading, supplemented by the increasing notorious influence of the King's own lover. 

Isabella's world dramatically alters after she meets Prince Ferdinand of Aragon; they are magnetically connected immediately with a tenderness and passion totally unexpected in the swirls of Court dissension and machinations.  Their brief meeting marks the beginning of an eventual marriage of mind and heart that will have its highs and lows but more notably will be marked by the manner in which they treat each other, with respect and equality hardly seen in that particular country or century.  Their union continues with the rise of military conflicts and the Church's insistence that an Inquisition be conducted to root out Jewish conversos heretics (and more as Isabella suspects) that is earning Spain divine disfavor.  These are just a few of the contentious problems that the couple must deal with as they begin to raise a family and gird Spain for prosperity in years to come!

The Queen's Vow is finely researched and even more finely written!  We come to know Isabella intimately in mind, heart, and body as she lives through a tumultuous time, her intense longing to be the determiner of her own unique destiny!  Many have been Queens but few manifest the regal qualities that truly define female leaders like this magnificent "Majestad."  Phenomenal accomplishment, C. W. Gortner - this novel deserves the highest acclaim!

The Last Queen: A Novel by C. W. Gortner

The Last Queen: A Novel by C. W. Gortner. Ballantine Books. July 2008. ISBN #: 9780345501844

Juana of Castile, more commonly known as Juana La Loca, fumes in mid-sixteenth century Spain as she is forced into a betrothal with Philip of Hapsburg. How many political ties of nations were both forged and decimated by the ever-changing vicissitudes of power-hungry monarchs throughout Europe. Outrageous and disgusting, Juana imagines, but she must cooperate with her parents' political plans!

Imagine Juana's surprise at the consuming attraction she feels toward Philip when she first meets him and he meets her. Their initial meeting is so strong that they consummate their unorthodox marriage immediately and only later suffer the formal rite for the people's joyful celebration. So lost is Juana in this glorious, lustful union that she forgets she has been groomed by her parents, Ferdinand and Isabella, to be the proud Queen of Spain.

Little by little, though, we learn that Isabella is the primordial force in ruling Spain and strong, compliant Ferdinand hides an insatiable hunger to rule in his own right. Indeed, Juana's Philip, fatherless from a young age and counseled by a greedy, rapacious cleric, has more in common with Ferdinand than one would ever imagine in the early scenes of this initially romantic story.

Juana carries a secret which occasionally lurks in her daily thoughts. Was her grandmother mad or did she become so after Isabella forced her into seclusion with only basic needs and services provided? Is there a family strain of madness or is this just more of the political machinations driving a constantly threatened monarchy?

By the time Isabella is dying, Philip has matured into a King who will ride the see-saw of politics into what he perceives to be his best shot at expanding his Hapsburg kingdom and protecting it from attack by more powerful kingdoms. The second half of this riveting story is riddled with suspense as the once intense lovers, Philip and Juana, evolve into bitter enemies through a series of planned but stunning moves. Will Philip forge a new treaty of peace with France, Italy or Spain? Watch how Juana appears to compliantly follow her husband but tenaciously plans and implements her own confrontations and loyalties!

Here is where the author truly excels, imagining and presenting a dramatic campaign for power in such a forceful and beguiling manner that the reader is totally unprepared for the conclusion.

C. W. Gortner's physical descriptions of Spain, the Hapsburg empire and the other European lands through which Philip and Juana live and travel are beautiful, even gorgeous, like a lush painting come alive that the reader is privileged to enter. The reader also receives a fine sense of the politics and history of the time which immensely adds to the fascinating plot moving forward to a captivating end!!

The Last Queen: A Novel is a superb, phenomenal read and should be on the top ten fiction bestsellers across the country! Here's to hoping C. W. Gortner will keep writing such masterful, literary historical fiction!!!