Tsarina by J. Nellie Patrick

I added Tsarina to my to be read list after reading Catie's review. I don't read much fiction set in Russia but was excited to read some. I'm glad I picked up Tsarina. It was a wonderful story and very engaging.

Natalya's in love with Alexei Romanov, the heir to the Russian throne. Natalya and Alexei are truely in love and feel that they are destined to be together. Natalya looks forward to being the tsarina but mostly looks forward to spending her life with Alexei. But this a tumultuous time in Russia's history. Will Natalya and Alexei survive? Will Natalya be able to save Russia?

At first I wasn't sure about Natalya. She was a little spoiled and I knew her life was going to change drastically before the middle of the book. But she quickly stepped it up and I enjoyed seeing her take charge. Natalya would have been a kick ass tsarina. Her love for Alexei and Russia kept her from running away. It kept her in Russia, fighting not to lose what she loved dearly. Her friend, Emilia, helps her as does Leo, a Red who wants to bring down the government and put Lenin in power. Leo is an unlikely ally. I wound up liking him a lot.

Tsarina was an excellent story about love, war, and loyalty to one's beliefs. I enjoy reading historical fiction that's outside of the United Kingdom. I'll be looking for more from J. Nellie Patrick. Oh, I just found out that J. Nellie Patrick is Jackson Pearce's pen name. No wonder it was so fantastic. Others who shared their thoughts on Tsarina: Pub Writes, Books Take You Places, Just A Lil' Lost, My Friends are Fiction, Read. Breathe. Relax, and The Incredible Librarian.
This is my forth book for the Historical Fiction Reading Challenge.