First published 2018
Elisabeth of Bavaria never expected to become Empress of Austria. At sixteen, she travels to Bad Ischl where her older sister Helene is supposed to meet Emperor Franz Joseph for their arranged engagement. Instead, the young emperor falls for Elisabeth herself. Suddenly thrust into the rigid Habsburg court, Elisabeth struggles between her free-spirited nature and the suffocating demands of imperial protocol. The court expects her to produce an heir and conform to centuries of tradition, but Elisabeth yearns for the mountains of her Bavarian childhood and the poetry that feeds her soul. As she learns to navigate palace intrigue and political pressures, Elisabeth must decide whether she can find happiness within the golden cage of the Austrian Empire. Her journey from reluctant bride to confident empress reveals the cost of power and the strength required to remain true to oneself in a world that demands complete submission.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, 20th-century, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: emotional, intimate, thought-provoking
Tropes: fish-out-of-water, reluctant-hero
Setting: Austria, Bad Ischl, Bavaria
Period: 19th Century
576 pages · Mass Market Paperback · DEBOLSILLO