Received an advanced reader copy from Net Galley. 
 This was good historical fiction from a time period with which I'm familiar but not of the story of the Empress of Austria. I'm intrigued enough to want to read more and that part of the story seemed more interesting than the British characters' love story. 
 I can't quite put my finger on what kept it from being a great novel, though. The pacing was a bit off, as in some events/time went quickly, and others slowly. The ending was abrupt but, I suppose, happy, and I enjoyed the final scenes leading up to it, but it somehow felt like a let down. I suppose I felt like I knew how it would end. The American character, Caspar, seemed forced and just used as a foil to the stuffy British characters as well as to say the things that Charlotte was not allowed to. 
 Enjoyable, a pretty quick read, and a good jumping off point for this time in history but not a must-read.