The Secret Wife ~ Book Review

In 1914, Grand Duchess Tatiana is just on the verge of leaving her teenage years behind when she meets calvary officer Dmitri Malama.  Soon the two find love and have plans to marry with her parents, the Tsar and Tsaritsa of Russia, approval.  But fate comes crashing in on them as their beloved Russia as they know it faces collapse and revolution takes over.  As the family is removed from their palace home and taken away Dmitri desperately tries everything to try and save Tatiana.  When they get separated things take a tragic turn and Dmitri is left with more questions than answers as he tries to figure out what happened and where they could have moved Tatiana.  Forced to leave the country, he finds himself in limbo grasping onto any hope he can find.  When he meets Rosa he must decide whether to keep grasping at straws or to receive the second chance at love she is offering him.

In 2016, Kitty Fisher leaves London with a broken heart and marriage and comes to America to check out the cabin her great grandfather's estate left to her upon his death.  Back in the remote area of Lake Akanabee in New York State Kitty hopes to rebuild her heart even as she rebuilds the rundown, ramshackle cabin.  When she discovers a jeweled pendant under the front steps it leads her on a quest to find the origins and discovers an astonishing family secret.  

I read this author's more recent story of another member of the Russian royal family, The Lost Daughter, last year and loved it so was eager to read this earlier one as well.  The split timeline goes back and forth between the historical story and the current timeline as the author builds in the connections between the women of two different eras.  In the end I had very mixed feelings about this story because of my reading preferences in topics that I do not enjoy.  I loved it and then disliked it.  At first I was drawn into the story as the author built the relationship between the young Russian couple.  You really cheered on their fledgling relationship as it develops into love.  Her groundwork in the Russian history was so interesting and her weaving fictional with historical detail is excellent.  Though right from the beginning, the current timeline part of the story dealt with a topic that I do not like in my reading content,  I pressed on because it was more of how the character was dealing with it and what her future would hold.  At first both stories were captivating but as it progressed, the theme/topic I do not like became prevalent and choices were made and the events that eventually unfolded left me disappointed with the outcome of the story.  My rating reflects my enjoyment, not that the author wrote poorly.  The theme and choices made within that theme clashed with my world view and  just ended up not being enjoyable for me.  

I gave it an 8/10 rating.