Susan M. (susyclemens) reviewed The Countess (Masquerade Historical, No 34) on + 158 more book reviews
I was impressed with this book. It was an excellent read, for something written in 1967 and reissued in 1980! The plot was very involving - Alexandreya is the countess of the title. She travels to St. Petersburg from her country town at the request of her sister, who is unhappily married to a brute. On the way to town, Alexandreya meets Dimitri, one of Princess Catherine's (soon to be Empress Catherine the Great) elite bodyguards and trusted friends. When the Empress Elizabeth suddenly dies, there's a power struggle between Tsar Peter III and Empress Catherine, in which Alexandreya is caught in the middle - Dmitri is Catherine's man, but Alexandreya's brother-in-law is one of Tsar Peter's. There are actual betrayals and mistaken betrayals all around. Good story, well written, very tense and full of action. FYI, if you care about these things, there are no sex scenes, just tension & kissing.
