The Empress
Gigi Griffis
Publication date: September 27, 2022 by Zando Projects
Genre: Historical Romance
Rating: 4 🍷🍷🍷🍷
Summary: The year is 1853, and Princess Elisabeth “Sisi” of Bavaria has been very clear: She will wait for the head-over-heels love the poets speak of, or she will have no love at all. Just because her older sister, Helene, is eagerly heeding their mother’s advice and preparing to marry Emperor Franz of Austria does not mean Sisi must also subject herself to such a dutiful existence. Sisi knows there is more to life than luncheons and corsets—if only someone would let her experience it all firsthand.
Meanwhile, in Austria, the emperor is recovering from an assassination attempt that left him wounded and scared. In a bid to keep the peace, Franz has recommitted himself to his imperial duties—and promised to romance the pliant Helene of Bavaria at his upcoming birthday celebration. How better to unite the empire than with the announcement of a new empress? But when Sisi and Franz meet unexpectedly in the palace gardens, away from the prying eyes and relentless critique of the court, their connection cannot be denied. And as their illicit conversations turn into something more, they must soon choose between the expectations of their families and standing up for what they truly believe in . . .
My thoughts: Any book that brings history to the forefront of conversation makes me giddy with delight! Griffis brings the screen to the page with her adaption of the scripts from the Netflix show The Empress. Sisi is brought to life in these pages. Readers are first introduced to a young Sisi whose mother is trying to arrange for her marriage. Sisi has witnessed first hand what a loveless marriage can be like and she wants nothing to do with it. She is a headstrong young woman who has very romantic ideas about what love should be like. That is until she meets her sister's intended. Emperor Franz Joseph falls head over heels in love with Sisi and that's when things really start to sizzle.
This is a fantasized version of the relationship between Franz Joseph and Sisi. While there are many historical facts inserted in the story, in reality the relationship between the two was not as sumptuous as the pages made it out it be. That being said the romance created for the screen was very effectively described on the page by author Griffis. Delicious read!
I received a copy of this title via NetGalley.
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