I enjoyed the story and was not bothered by the historical ...
348659
I enjoyed the story and was not bothered by the historical inaccuracies -- this is a work of fiction, so in my mind fictitious facts are not overly offensive. Was it a page turner? Not for me. The story was somewhat uneven, but overall entertaining.
4191917
A good story - gives some historical flavor as well.
185349
It's a cute little story, but it wasn't my thing.  I grew up in the area, so that's why I was interested and I really did enjoy the historical elements.  Very cool.  If it appeals to you, don't hesitate and BUY IT.  It just wasn't for me, but I think it's OK.
936578
Three stars is actually a pretty high review from me. I thought the story was interesting and different - though I don't read a lot of fantasy/sci-fi, so for all I know it may be the same old, same old. The characters and culture are engaging, and so much is left unrevealed at the end of the book that I feel compelled to get the the second in the series when it's available.
2365090
Maybe not one of my favorites, but I did like the story.
3660752
I enjoyed the book, was entertaining, it moved along well, but I don't care for books that leave you hanging
4277057
I liked th premise of the story. Usually I don't care for historical fiction weaved with the present but this one worked well.
4289905
At times i was confused by the "looking back", but most of the time this was an engaging story.  I did not, however, come to care about the characters which is what i like.  That is not really a criticism, just my preference.
2807292
A surprisingly sharp historical mystery. The details of the era and the customs sounded authentic (I have no idea if they were really were or not) and the inclusion of a talented female protagonist was a welcome breath of fresh air. It was a good story and a satisfying mystery, though not overly convoluted. That said, the romance was a bit of stereotype, and the love scenes were annoyingly naive.
2622123
I really enjoyed this book, I'm not a big fan of romance books, so this was a great option for me. There was well written based on historical information and relationships without resorting to relying on sexual details to hold the reader's attention
2510025
This story held my attention & I usually don't read this type.
1599858
This was an interesting story with a duel plotline: the modern day Jesse on a quest to find her birth mother, and Bayard from 1321 whose older brothers choice of wife is causing strife in town.

I found that the historical story was far superior to the present story. Bayard was a well developed character, and all his actions were believable. His was a difficult life, but it had both ups and downs, and we got to see quite a few sides of him during his narrations.

On the other side, Jesse greatly aggravated me. She made several decisions that seemed ridiculous, and I wanted to shake some sense into her several times. Beyond that, Jesses story felt a little flimsy, without much purpose. It wasn't tied to Bayards story very convincingly, and felt like a distraction from the main story.

Overall, I was seriously torn on the book as a whole because it didn't feel very whole. It felt like a good historical story mixed with a weak modern story. Id suggest reading it for the historical aspects mainly, as they were quite well written.
2195871
I enjoyed this story and the writing style of the author. The characters were well-developed and interesting. It was an interesting historical fiction-like read with some predictability that didn't necessarily ruin the story.
3063323
The story is interesting from a historical standpoint and it seems to stay close to the actual events. I like a more thorough character development in a novel. I felt that I was reading a newspaper account of events rather than being able to really understand these characters.
62133
It was an interesting story, but not as intriguing or involved as I expected or wanted.  I enjoyed it but it is not a book I was dying to get back to once I put it down.
4001418
First of all, I appreciated that the author was very clear about the fact that she essentially just made most of the history up in her end notes - that way no one will think this was realistic.  The bare bones of the story (insignificant German princess, convert to Orthodoxy and Russia, favored by the Empress, Peter's lack of maturity, her mother's scheming) were there, and if you're not hung up on history, you can really enjoy the period flavor.

Although it lacked a lot of historical accuracy, it was a fun read.  It moved quickly, and had interesting moments.  Sophie/Catherine has stupid moments, but she is a teenager.  Overall, I thought characterizations were okay.  I got it while it was free, but I doubt I would play for sequels.
4682227
I  choose a three rating because, while it was enjoyable, it was not an exciting story.  I enjoyed learning about nineteenth century life in small German villages and the immigration process many went through.  I was saddened to learn of the plight of unwed mothers and women in general, at that time.