First published 2015
Fifteen-year-old Elisabeth "Sisi" arrives at the Habsburg Court in 1853 with a simple mission: accompany her older sister to meet her betrothed, Emperor Franz Joseph. The young ruler commands Europe's most powerful empire, stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy. But when Sisi steps into the glittering world of imperial Vienna, everything changes. She falls for her sister's intended groom, and he falls for her. Franz Joseph breaks his engagement and proposes to Sisi instead. Now thrust onto the throne as Empress of Austria-Hungary, Sisi must navigate the most dangerous court in Europe. Political alliances crumble and family loyalties shatter as she fights to secure her position. The teenage duchess must learn to rule an empire while protecting the love that put her on the throne. Her survival depends on winning over not just her emperor, but her people and the world.
Genres: romance, historical-fiction, biographical-fiction, 19th-century
Vibes: atmospheric, emotional, intimate, suspenseful
Tropes: enemies-to-lovers, fish-out-of-water, royal-romance
Setting: Austria, Europe, Vienna
Period: 1853
495 pages · Hardcover · Howard Books