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Wednesday, August 13, 2014

The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin



The Fortune Hunter

Summary:

In 1875, Sisi, the Empress of Austria is the woman that every man desires and every woman envies.

Beautiful, athletic and intelligent, Sisi has everything - except happiness. Bored with the stultifying etiquette of the Hapsburg Court and her dutiful but unexciting husband, Franz Joseph, Sisi comes to England to hunt. She comes looking for excitement and she finds it in the dashing form of Captain Bay Middleton, the only man in Europe who can outride her. Ten years younger than her and engaged to the rich and devoted Charlotte, Bay has everything to lose by falling for a woman who can never be his. But Bay and the Empress are as reckless as each other, and their mutual attraction is a force that cannot be denied.

Full of passion and drama, THE FORTUNE HUNTER tells the true story of a nineteenth century Queen of Hearts and a cavalry captain, and the struggle between love and duty.

Summary & Cover taken from Goodreads.com
Length: 480 pages (Hardcover)
Source: Publisher Sent
Available Formats: Print/E-book/Audio
Publication Date: July 29th 2014 by St. Martin's Press (first published March 27th 2014)

As historical fiction is one of my favourite genres to read, I was thrilled when I was approached to review The Fortune Hunter on behalf of the publisher, though I have to admit ignorance as to who Sisi was and I thought it was wonderful to read this fictionalized account of her life.

This was also my first time reading a Daisy Goodwin's work, but as soon as I started the book I was sucked into the time period and the setting, and of course emotionally attached to her characters, especially that of Sisi, whom I absolutely adored. She could be quite erratic at times but I felt incredibly drawn to her personality and strength, although I did also love the other characters, I felt she was well and truly the shining star, as she should be.

I really found myself getting lost in the pages of The Fortune Hunter. It had more romance than the typical historical fiction novel however it didn't cross the line into historical romance novel. I liked how despite everything, and the fact that Sisi had some very grown up decisions thrust upon her fro such a tender age that she was a force of nature and seemed to make everyone know it. I also really liked Charlotte's character, I thought she was a bit of an enigma at times and perhaps a little uppity but she did grow on me. Bay Middleton however drove me a bit batty with his attitude and I'm not sure about him but I will say he deserved a few smacks.

What made it such an intriguing read though was that the author was able to aptly capture the time period, the society, the politics and I liked the glimpse she gave into the royal family of Austria, and the royal court as a whole. There were many things going on in the novel, there was love, heartache, betrayal and various political plots but they all went together into weaving a wonderful historical tale about a woman I'm keen to read more about and by an author I will be reading again in the near future. It was fast paced, passionately written and I could tell it was a labour of love for the author because of how well it was put on paper.

I would absolutely recommend The Fortune Hunter to all historical fiction fans especially those readers who are looking to read about a different branch of the royal family, and in a different time period as this novel takes place in the 1800's, rather than the usual Elizabethan era that is so often showcased. I thought it was a brilliant read and it left me thinking long after I finished it.

*I received a free copy of this book in exchange for my free and honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed herein are 100% my own and would like to thank St. Martin's Press for my complimentary copy.

Loved It!
★★★★
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https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/18404135-the-fortune-hunter
 
 
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3 comments:

  1. Yay! I've been wanting to read this one and other of her books so I'm so glad you enjoyed it! I'm definitely going to have to find this one soon!

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  2. This makes me think how my husband says sometimes, "Mo money, mo problems." It can be stereotypical to assume the wealthy have predetermined paths they are expected to take. I'm glad the British Royals have taken a somewhat different path in today's society. It's a bit sad to think how a young woman in this book's time period had to grow up fast with so much responsibility to maintain.

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