Acquired Book By: I am a regular tour hostess for blog tours via Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours whereupon I am thankful to have been able to host such a diverse breadth of stories, authors and wonderful guest features since I became a hostess! HFVBTs is one of the very first touring companies I started working with as a 1st Year Book Blogger – uniting my love and passion with Historical Fiction and the lovely sub-genres inside which I love devouring. Whether I am reading selections from Indie Authors & publishers to Major Trade and either from mainstream or INSPY markets – I am finding myself happily residing in the Historical past each year I am a blogger.
What I have been thankful for all these years since 2013 is the beautiful blessing of discovering new areas of Historical History to explore through realistically compelling Historical narratives which put me on the front-lines of where History and human interest stories interconnect. It has also allowed me to dive deeper into the historic past and root out new decades, centuries and millenniums to explore. For this and the stories themselves which are part of the memories I cherish most as a book blogger I am grateful to be a part of the #HFVBTBlogTours blogger team.
I received a complimentary ARC copy of “The Romanov Heiress” by the author Jennifer Laam in exchange for an honest review. I did not receive compensation for my opinions or thoughts shared herein. However, this was separate from my participation in this promotional tour for the novel of the same title — as I took it upon myself to feature a preview of a forthcoming review during the blitz instead of a standard highlight of the novel which is run during a traditional spotlighted post of this nature.
On my connection to Ms Laam:
I previously crossed paths with Ms Laam whilst hosting her blog tour for the novel “The Lost Season of Love and Snow” – which was also a tour hosted by HFVBTs. I also hosted a guest feature by Ms Laam as well for that particular tour and had intended to do so again but realised that that wasn’t in the cards this time around. I haven’t yet had the joy of reading the other novels by this author which I aim to gather at some point post-relocation, as most of my readers and visitors alike know by now that I am relocating at the end of March. Her novels: “Secret Daughter of the Tsar” and “The Tsarina’s Legacy” are the ones I’ll be gathering next to read.
Whilst reconnecting with the author ahead of her promotional tours – one through Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and one through Xpresso Book Tours, I asked the author if this latest release (ie. “The Romanov Heiress”) was going to be releasing into print or audio, as I had only seen it noted as being a Digital First release instead. This happens quite often enough nowadays and I understand the reasons behind it in the marketplace of publishing. However, as I’m a traditional reader of books in print and/or a listener of audiobooks – it was something I wanted to ask the author directly about ahead of promoting the book to my readers and visitors in case the same might be true for them as well.
During that conversation, I learnt there will be a print edition of the book but I didn’t have a confirmed timeline of when it would release. Whilst conversing with the author, she offered to send me an ARC copy of the novel in print and I gladly accepted that as I was quite eager to see how she treated the legacy of the Romanovs as well as funnelling her own vision of their story into her novel. She is one of the Historical Fiction authors I’ve read in the past of whom I regularly keep an eye on for a new release and welcomed the chance to read this story of hers this Spring (despite the timing of my relocation).
Thereby, I am sharing this as the ways in which I received the book was separate from the promotional tours and thereby were not directly connected to either Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours non Xpresso Book Tours as well.
On why this review is a more condensed version of a regular one I usually feature:
For those who follow my blog you will have denoted that the last time I posted an update about my life behind the blog was in mid-Feburary, when I shared my post about exiting stage left. In the weeks which followed, I lost interest to journal what was happening in regards to my relocation because of how hard it was to resolve and how exhausted I was trying to maintain my work schedules in and round sorting out where to relocate too. That was also complicated by wanting to visit with my father whose now residing in long-term care (which is also journalled extensively through my Sunday Posts of the last few months) and that was tricky in of itself as I had to balance those visits with both of my jobs. And, of course, with working comes added stress and with packing a flat comes extreme exhaustion. Ergo, this is the first time I’ve been able to sit down with a story after my readings of Caleb Wygal’s Cosy Mysteries! The latter of which I am going to be continuing with my reading of Death Washes Ashore.
If your curious – a new life update will be forthcoming this week during my next Sunday Post – however, for now, I wanted to address the shorter review attached to this promotional tour. I was hopeful I could get a bit further along into this novel ahead of my tour date, however, as it only arrived at the head of this week by post and as my life/work balance alongside my packing hours haven’t exactly been yielding a lot of ‘extra’ time for personal pursuits such as reading — you could say, I was just grateful I could read the first twenty-five pages and share those remarks with you instead for this lovely tour.
This abridged review is part of my #25PagePreview posts and at a future date I am hopeful I can share a more expanded rumination of my time spent within the author’s vision of the story.
The Romanov Heiress
by Ms Jennifer Laam
Source: Direct from Author
Four sisters in hiding. A grand duchess in disguise. Dark family secrets revealed…an alternate future for the Romanov sisters from Jennifer Laam, author of The Secret Daughter of the Tsar and The Lost Season of Love and Snow.
With her parents and brother missing and presumed dead, Grand Duchess Olga Romanova must keep her younger sisters safe. The Bolsheviks are determined to eliminate any remaining holdovers from the tsarist regime, hunting down the last Romanovs and putting them to death. Now living in England, the Romanov sisters remain hidden to protect their identities, even as isolation strains their relationships.
But they can’t distance themselves from the world forever.
Olga learns that a peer of the realm has accused the late Empress Alexandra of betraying Russia and her allies during the Great War. Under the spell of the scheming Grigori Rasputin, Alexandra disclosed military secrets to the enemy and pursued a separate peace with Germany. If this rumor becomes history, it will destroy her legacy and her family’s future.
Places to find the book:
ASIN: B0BSXSCL9T
Published by Self Published
on 20th March, 2023
Format: Paperback ARC
Converse via: #HistFic or #HistNov and #HistoricalFiction
+ #TheRomanovHeiress as well as #HFVBT
Available Formats: Digital First Release + Paperback Edition to follow
About Ms Jennifer Laam
An avid history nerd long fascinated with the Romanov sisters, Jennifer Laam’s next books, including THE ROMANOV HEIRESS (March 2023), will explore their stories with several “what-ifs.”
A proud native of Stockton, CA, Jennifer currently lives in Sacramento with a spoiled tabby cat named Jonesy. When not reading or writing, she enjoys planning cosplay for the next San Diego Comic-Con, experimenting with vegetarian recipes (to mixed results), and obsessing over House Targaryen or Baby Yoda.
The Romanov Heiress by Jennifer Laam
For those of us who appreciate reading about Russian History and especially about what happened to the Romanovs – Laam enters us through a very realistically gritty lens of what it is like to survive the impossible. From the first moment you open the novel of The Romanov Heiress you’re deposited into the moment the sisters realise that the life they once had is no longer their current reality. You could feel their fear but you could also hear the resolve of Olga who knows it is up to her to find a way forward at a time in life which feels like everything has shattered away from them. Including the connections, they had with their parents and their brother; lost for now during their escape and without any hope of learning more of their fate. The courage it takes to rise through those kinds of ashes is warmly felt by how Laam writes the emotional heart of this novel.
We are with the sisters in England, where they are attempting to put together their lives away from family and country. It is here where we see how hard it is for Olga to reign in her sisters but also to instill in them the fortitude they need to survive. To not focus solely on the everyday but to remain hopeful about tomorrow; to encourage them not to lose hope but rather to find something in the moment to give them resolve for when their lives will repivot forward again. It is a hard-won battle, as Anastasia is the one sister who likes to test her the most; as she’s not willing to remain hidden and kept behind curtains but rather wants to boldly go outside and live her own life. Olga of course can’t blame her and understands the need to break free but worries about the cost of that kind of freedom ahead of truly being safe to be amongst others who would recognise them.
You could feel the truer weight of their anxieties – of needing to be amongst the living but to do so, would jeopardise their own safety and potentially erase their futures. Laam tucks close to the sisters and allows us to be privy to their thoughts and also, the dynamic of how they are connected to each other, as well. As they each have a say in what is going on but there is a definitive person in charge and that responsibility falls to Olga. And yet, I had a feeling it is a burden of sorts for her as she doesn’t see herself as a motherly figure for her sisters but rather, a sister who had to step up one day when their lives were upturnt by tragedy.
On the historical styling of Jennifer Laam
& re-envisioning of the Romanovs:
It has been awhile since I have read emotionally gutting Historical Fiction set during war or another uprising period of History which is why when I first started reading The Romanov Heiress, I questioned if it were the right time for me to delve into the storyline. Mostly because of the weight of what I was going through myself personally – sometimes, you can push yourself a bit too far by what you’re selecting to read. However, having said that – and knowing how dramatically realistic Laam wrote this novel (as I was expecting of her having previously read her style of historical narrative) – I held on and was thankful I had as Olga herself was the character who serves such a good anchour and tether into this part of Russian History.
I will say though – there are passages and reflections from Olga that are hard to process and read – especially in regards to when she was talking about the graffiti she had to endure seeing in the bathroom. Laam doesn’t hold back from cluing us into the harder moments of their lives whilst also noting how hard they had to fight against the powers against them; including, the ways in which they were being oppressed and worked against with images, thoughts and words. The strength to overcome those kinds of obstacles takes as special kind of fortitude because you have to remain mentally strong and resolve that what is in front of you is not a reflection of who you are but one person’s attempt to break you.
As the story shifts forward, you are encouraged to continue the journey with Olga and to see what she and her sisters can do to affect their own destinies. Their road is a difficult one to walk but their bolstered by each other and they have a certain resolve inherited inside them by their parents as well. I felt Laam did such a beautiful job in keeping up in the present moment of their lives in England but kept us anchoured to what was happening in the larger scheme of the story and of the times in which they lived by continuing to draw us back into the foreground of the political landscape which was crucial to their own future.
This blog tour is courtesy of:
Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours!
Follow the Virtual Road Map
especially as there is a beautiful giveaway attached
whilst you visit others participating: along the route:
{SOURCES: Book cover for “The Romanov Heiress”, book synopsis, author biography, the tour host badge and HFVBTs badge were all provided by Historical Fiction Virtual Book Tours and used with permission. Post dividers by Fun Stuff for Your Blog via Pure Imagination. Tweets were embedded due to codes provided by Twitter. Blog graphics created by Jorie via Canva: Book Spotlight banner, #24PagePreview banner and the Comment Box Banner.}
Copyright © Jorie Loves A Story, 2023.
I’m a social reader | I tweet my reading life
.@joriestory NEW #HistFic!
📖A #25PagePreview review#HistoricalFiction about the Romanovs
The courage it takes to rise through those kinds of ashes is warmly felt by how Laam writes the emotional heart of this novel.
💚📖https://t.co/Ij0RpbPkD5 pic.twitter.com/JZoNy9dP3v
— Jorie Story 📖🎧 (@joriestory) March 18, 2023
Reading this book contributed to these challenges:
- 2023 Historical Fiction Reading Challenge
I’ve always been somewhat fascinated with the Romanovs (the intensity depends on how recently I’ve watched/thought of the movie Anastasia) so this book sounds very interesting to me!
Hope things have been better with you – I’ll be keeping an eye out for your Sunday post, though no pressure if life gets in the way!