About this book:
“Natalia
Blackstone is a rarity in Gilded Age America. As a trusted analyst for her
father's bank, she is helping finance the legendary Trans-Siberian Railway.
From her office in New York City, Natalia relies on a charming Russian
aristocrat to oversee the construction of the railroad on the other side of the
world.
But while overseeing the work, Count
Dimitri Sokolov witnesses the deadly result of the Russian Monarchy's will to
see the railway built. To silence him, the state has stripped Dimitri of his
title, his lands, and his freedom . . . but Dimitri has a key asset the czar
knows nothing about: his deep and abiding friendship with Natalia Blackstone.
From the steppes of Russia to the
corridors of power in Washington, Natalia and Dimitri will fight against all
odds to save the railroad and share the truth of what happened, but how can
their newfound love survive the ordeal?”
Series: Book #2 in “The Blackstone Legacy” series. Review of Book #1 Here!
Spiritual Content- A Scripture is quoted; Prayers, Thanking God, & Crossing
one’s self; Talks about God; ‘H’s are capitalized when referring to God; A bit
of witnessing (which mentions the Holy Spirit); Natalia lights candles and
prays at her mother’s private chapel; Mentions of God; Mentions of prayers,
praying, blessings over food, & crossing one’s self; Mentions of chapels,
churches, & cathedrals; Mentions of hymns & Christmas carols; Mentions
of religious icons; Mentions of a baby’s christening & choosing a godfather
not because of religious reasons, but political connections; Mentions of the
pope & a bishop for the Roman Orthodox Church; A few mentions of those
& events in the Bible; A few mentions of Jews & a synagogue; A few
mentions of nuns & convents; A couple mentions of blessings; A mention of a
Bible; A mention of a set of chocolates that were the finest things since
manna; A mention of a musician making an instrument sound like a sacred rite; A
mention of a man living like a monk; A mention of a mosque;
*Note: Mentions of Greek gods,
goddesses, & Mythology; A couple mentions of Russian folklore believing
that birch trees protect against evil (Dimitri says he’s a Christian, but does
think the trees have protected the property); A mention of a godforsaken place;
A mention of a food being like it was “kissed by the gods”; A mention of a
talisman.
Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘give a fig’, a form of ‘shut up’,
three ‘dumb’s, four forms of ‘idiot’, and seven ‘stupid’s; A couple mentions of
curses (said, not written); Some eye rolling & sass; Almost dying, Being attacked, Being
held at gunpoint, Pain, Injuries, Blood/Bleeding, & Passing Out (semi-detailed);
A bomb, explosion, pain, & passing out (including seeing a child thrown, semi-detailed);
Dimitri socially drinks (& also drinks when deemed needed because of injuries/pain
and to keep warm), smokes cigars with others (which he says he doesn’t like
smoking, but the cigars’ fragrance), & plays poker; Many mentions of a massacre/rebellion,
violence, shootings, drownings, & witnessing it (semi-detailed); Many mentions
of drinking, social drinking, alcohol, making alcohol, saloons, & drunks; Many
mentions of gossip & rumors; Mentions of bombs, explosions, an
assassination, an assassination attempt, injuries, & deaths (up to semi-detailed);
Mentions of a dead body; Mentions of wars, fighting, & injuries; Mentions
of Liam being kidnapped as a child (Book #1); Mentions of frostbite (up to semi-detailed),
amputation, & someone saying how they can end their life (barely-above-not-detailed);
Mentions of injuries, illnesses, blood/bleeding, & pain (up to semi-detailed);
Mentions of thinking someone is a hypochondriac & thinking they’re dying; Mentions
of convicts/prisoners, prison camps, arrests, & being exiled; Mentions of bandits/thieves,
robberies, & stealing; Mentions of smoking, cigars, pipes, & tobacco; Mentions
of jealousy; Mentions of lies & lying; Mentions of eavesdropping; A few
mentions of serfdom (similar to slavery); A few mentions of a communist anthem;
A few mentions of opium dens; A few mentions of blackmail; A few mentions of poker
& gambling; A couple mentions of close calls with death (barely-above-not-detailed);
A couple mentions of street gangs; A mention of dog waste;
*Note: A couple parts reference
adoption in ways that may be hard for some adoptees to read: Such as Natalia’s
father saying they never adopted because “[He wasn’t] sure if [he] could
love a stranger’s baby. One can never be sure what sort of people the parents
are.” and later when a woman tells her husband not to adopt another child
while she’s not around; Mentions of novels, authors, & characters
(including spoilers for all of them: ‘War and Peace’, ‘Little Women’, and
the ‘Adventures of Huckleberry Finn’); A couple mentions of damning
details about someone in a newspaper.
Sexual Content- Trying to kiss
someone (barely-above-not-detailed), three hand/palm kisses, a fingertip kiss
(borderline semi-detailed), two forehead kisses, an almost (detailed) kiss, a barely-above-not-detailed
kiss, two border-line barely-above-not-detailed // semi-detailed kisses, a semi-detailed
kiss, and a detailed kiss (mentioning desire and being aroused); Remembering a
kiss & embraces (up to semi-detailed); Wanting to kiss & embrace (up to
semi-detailed); Touches, Nearness, Warmth, Hand holding, & Embraces (up to semi-detailed);
Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Even though he says he heart belongs to
Natalia, Dimitri slightly flirts with another woman, a moonlight stroll is mentioned
and she kisses him; A man asks Dimitri if Natalia is his mistress; Mentions of a
man dallying with the servants, one becoming pregnant, & his illegitimate
child; Mentions of flirting, winks, & blushes; Mentions of reputations
& chaperones; A few mentions of kisses & kissing; A couple mentions of a
woman saying Dimitri is looking at Natalia with lascivious eyes (which he retorts
that his eyes are full of reverence and that he knows the difference “between
crude physical needs and something more lasting”); A couple mentions of jealousy;
A mention of someone saying a ballerina is a little better a prostitute; A mention
of a cheek kiss; A mention of a woman not doing something salacious with a man;
A mention of men singing bawdy songs; A mention of a man’s eyes shining with
masculine appreciation when he looks at Natalia; Love, falling in love, &
the emotions;
*Note: Mentions of a man not being
able to father children (*Spoiler* Due to having mumps after puberty, Dimitri
is considered to be sterile; It’s said that he “could enjoy marital
relations, there would never be children as a result of them” Natalia wants
to have biological children, is sadden by this fact, and doesn’t know if she
could give up that dream. They both struggle with this fact. At the end, she
realizes that if they adopted children like he said, the children would be lucky
to have him as a father. *End of Spoiler*); Mentions of miscarriages, a
stillborn baby, & a mother dying in labor; A few mentions of seeing a
mother nurse; A couple mentions of Natalia and her new stepmother being the
same age; A mention of a woman’s gown with a plunging neckline; A mention of a
woman’s hefty bosom.
-Natalia Blackstone, age 28
-Dimitri Sokolov, age 34
P.O.V.
switches between them
Set in 1900-1902
352 pages
~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*
Well, that was an adventure in every
sense of the word.
Like most of Elizabeth Camden’s
books, I was completely sucked into the world and the character’s lives by the
opening chapters. I can’t place was it is about the author’s writing style,
but, oh, I love it so.
I really enjoyed reading about
Russian culture and some of the historical events that took place in the early
1900s. It was all really interesting.
It was partially a long-distance relationship,
while I really enjoyed seeing in a historical novel. I wasn’t a fan of the few
parts that had sexual tension between Natalie and Dimitri when they were
together. Some of it was more than a bit much in my opinion, so because of
those few elements (and some mentions of other things), however, the ratings
are lower for this book. There were a couple kisses that if this wasn’t a
contemporary book, the phrase “make-out” could have been used for both of those
scenes.
I did like Natalia and Dimitri
when they were together due to their personalities being great together, but
also their separate parts. She was very much a planner and gets things done; He
was more of the flying on the wind (😉) personality, but he had a great
way with words. He could be light-hearted and yet also serious, but it never
felt like it was two separate characters with the same name. Overall, they both
were good characters. I do think they balanced each other out well, personality
wise. I appreciate how they discussed and conversed with each other and there
weren’t any secrets kept for long. I do wish there had been more faith content
and discussions, but I’m somewhat satisfied with what was there.
After only partially enjoying the first book in this series, I was a little hesitate about this one. I don’t know
much about Russian history, so I think that’s why. I was concerned about
keeping up with the characters and events, but I’m a bit proud to say that I
feel like I did well while reading. The timeline of this book being stretched around
two years made it realistic and helped break up certain events.
For older teens and up, who are
interested in Russian history and culture, this may be a fascinating novel. I’m
definitely looking forward to reading the third book with Liam’s story when it
releases.
See y’all on Friday with a new
review!
*BFCG may (Read the review to see) recommend this book by this
author. It does not mean I recommend all the books by this author.
* I
received this (Advance Reader Copy) e-book for free from the Publisher (Bethany
House) for this honest review. Having read an ARC, there are some details
listed in this review that may have been changed in the final print edition.
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