Stolen Empire

For fans of the Netflix original series, The Last Czars. Take a decadent look back at one of the most intriguing monarchs in history"A must read romance!"~ Serena Chase, Special for USA TODAYBefore she can become the greatest empress in history, fifteen-year-old Sophie will have to survive her social-climbing mother's quest to put her on the throne of Russia--at any cost.Imperial Court holds dangers like nothing Sophie has ever faced before. In the heart of St. Petersburg, surviving means navigating the political, romantic, and religious demands of the bitter Empress Elizabeth and her handsome, but sadistic nephew, Peter. Determined to save her impoverished family--and herself--Sophie vows to do whatever is necessary to thrive in her new surroundings. But an attempt on her life and an unexpected attraction threatens to derail her plans.Alone in a new and dangerous world, learning who to trust and who to charm may mean the difference between becoming queen and being sent home in shame to marry her lecherous uncle. With traitors and murderers lurking around every corner, her very life hangs in the balance. Betrothed to one man but falling in love with another, Sophie will need to decide how much she's willing to sacrifice in order to become the empress she is destined to be.In a battle for the soul of a nation, will love or destiny reign supreme?Don't miss the series dubbed a "must-read romance" by the USA Today and "An entertaining and racy read" by School Library Journal. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history. This series is complete with all three books available to read today.Novels inThe Stolen Empire Series by Sherry D. Ficklin:Queen of SomedayQueen of TomorrowQueen of AlwaysThe Winter QueenThe Hollow Queen

Sophienow Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russiahad a tough first year at Imperial Court. Married at sixteen to Grand Duke Peter, heir to the throne, and settled in their own palace, things start to look up. As a new day dawns, Catherine thinks only of securing her future, and the future of their country, during one of the greatest political upheavals of her time. Fighting desperately against forces that try to depose the Empress Elizabeth and put the young Prince Ivan on her throne, Catherine soon finds herself in the middle of a war brewing between her beloved Prussia and her new empire. While navigating the fragile political landscape, she quickly realizes that she has only begun to discover the tangled web of deceit and infidelity woven over the lavish court of Oranienbaum Palace.When a strange and delicate alliance forms between the young couple, Catherine glimpses a future of happiness, only to see it vanish at the hands of those who still seek to end her lifeand prevent her reign. Out of favor with the empress and running out of options, Catherine must sacrifice her own innocence on the altar of Russia if she is to save the nation and herself. To survive, she will have to do the unthinkable, betray those closest to her and become something greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined she could be a queen.

If her time at court has taught Catherine anything, it's that there is no room for weakness in Imperial Russia. With the Empress' health failing and rumors of a change in the line of succession, her place in the royal line is once more in jeopardy. Tormented by her sadistic husband and his venomous mistress, Catherine must once more walk the fine line between pleasure and politicsbetween scandal and survival.When her young son becomes the target of those rebelling against Peter's reign, Catherine will have to rise up to protect herself, her child, and her nation from his unstable and potentially catastrophic rule. This means putting herself at odds with the most dangerous man she's ever known, trusting those who once proved to be her enemies, and turning a nation against its sovereign. In the ultimate battle for the crown, new alliances will be forged, loyalties will be tested, and blood will be shed.Don't miss this breathtaking conclusion to the Stolen Empire series!Queen of Always is a YA historical fiction based on the life of young Catherine the Great. Fans of the hit TV show REIGN will devour this scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most dynamic women in history.

Far from the shores of England, another Elizabeth was born to rule a nationThe daughter of Peter the Great, Elizabeth is a princess by birth, yet a warrior by blood. Never content to be a pawn in the game of men, Elizabeth is destined to sit upon a throne. But when her father's sudden death leaves her mother and sister at the mercy of the scheming Privy Council, she will have to abandon her beloved Russia in order for her family to survive.This is not a fairy tale.And Elizabeth is not an average princess.She is a Romanovone woman in a line of powerful female rulers who will change the fate of Russia forever.

As a princess of the Romanov Empire, Elizabeth has enjoyed a life of luxury and privilege. But the sudden deaths of her parents leaves her unprotectedawash in the dangerous tide of her family's political rivals.When the supreme council crowns her half-nephew Peter II in her place, Elizabeth is left with no title, no power, and no allies. Now little more than a bastard in the eyes of the world, she is sent to serve in the palatial home of Prince Menshikovthe real power behind the boy king. But Elizabeth refuses to fade quietly into the background. Determined to uncover the truth behind her mother's murder and expose the men who mean to rule Russia in secret, she grows closer to the handsome young king and swears to protect him and his rule at any cost. But the forces that oppose them are as dark as they are far-reachingand this time, Elizabeth could lose more than just her titleDon't miss the series dubbed a "must-read romance" by the USA Today and "An entertaining and racy read" by School Library Journal. The Hollow Queen is a scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history.

Fans of The Last Czars, a Netflix original series, will love this decadent look at one of the most intriguing monarchs in historyDon't miss the series dubbed a "must-read romance" by USA Today and "An entertaining and racy read" by School Library Journal.Long before Catherine was great, Elizabeth was destined to rule the Romanov empire...The last true Romanov, Elizabeth has once again been denied the throne of Russia. Grieving and isolated, she struggles to protect the few loved ones she has left. But when Empress Anna's health begins to fail, Elisabeth's very existence becomes a threat to Anna's plans to place her chosen heir, the infant Ivan, on the throne.Knowing only one of them will survive, Elizabeth enters into a dangerous alliance with Anna's former lover in the hopes of not only returning the crown to its rightful line, but also rescuing her nearly bankrupt nation from the hands of an enemy king determined to bring the country under his rule.Desperate and willing to sacrifice anythingand anyoneto her gambit, Elizabeth must make her final choice between the destiny that was promised to her and the one man she might truly love.Don't miss the series dubbed a "must-read romance" by USA Todayand "an entertaining and racy read" by School Library Journal.The Hollow Queen is a scandalous glimpse into the life of one of the most vibrant women in history.

The Stolen Empire series is a decedent journey through the eras of Russia's most scandalous queens, Catherine the Great and Empress Elizabeth. Beginning with the humble origins of young Sophiethe girl destined to become Catherineand culminating with her coronation, this series offers a fanciful glimpse inside the life of the dynamic, strong young woman who won the hand of a king, the heart of a nation, and, ultimately, sacrificed her own innocence on the throne of an empire. The trials and tribulations of court left their scars on young Sophie, but she faced down every obstacle with the courage and grace of a queen.But before Catherine was great, there was Elizabeth, daughter of Peter the Great, whose claim to the sovereignty of Russia was thwarted at every turn. Passed over time and again, she battled a corrupt council, distant and unhinged relatives, and even her own desires to seize the throne that should have been hers. Surviving personal tragedies, unimaginable losses, and political sabotage, Elizabeth clawed her way to the top, becoming the first woman to lead the Romanov Empirebut also the one who laid the groundwork for its eventual destruction.Don't miss this scandalous series about the tenacious women who rose up to rule in infamy, and, in doing so, changed the fate of Russia forever.