Title: The Romanov Legacy: A Novel
Author: Marilyn Baron
Genres: Historical Romantic Thriller/Women’s Literature and Fiction
Tagline and Book Blurb:
Tagline: Two women, centuries apart, and the secrets that bind them.
Blurb:
Melody, a young single mother, discovers she’s descended from the last Tsar, Nicholas II. She becomes the best hope of a secret global society, Guardians of the Romanov Legacy, dedicated to restoring a Romanov to the throne of a New Russia. A diary and an heirloom necklace inherited from her murdered grandmother hold the key to her identity and to the location of the Tsar’s lost shipment of gold.
She must accept the sacrifices her birth demands and trust the machinations of the estranged father of her child. To refuse means turning her back on her heritage, her daughter’s legacy, and the long line of her family’s women who were keepers of the secret. Will her longing for true love have world-changing consequences?
Excerpt:
“You must take your proper place in history, restore a true Romanov to the throne.”
She sighed. It all sounded so right. She was beginning to buy into the whole fantasy. Like it was meant to happen. She did identify with the girl in the diary. They had both fallen in love with the wrong men. And from those unions, daughters were born. She was carrying on a long tradition of Romanov women, women who remained in the background but who, through her, would be restored to their rightful places.
“I don’t see that I have a choice,” she said.
“So, you’re willing to truly commit to our cause?”
“In doing so, I’d also be committing Katya’s life, too. Now that you know Katya is your daughter, do you still feel it’s the right thing to do?”
“Yes, more than ever. I believe in the Guardians’ mission. It is her destiny. Now that I know Katya is mine, I—”
“What?” she asked, looking up at him.
“I want to make you mine, too.” Then came the words of apology for everything he had put her through, the betrayal, and for the burden of raising Katya alone.
“Is it too late for us?” he asked.
She let out a breath. She still loved him, would probably always love him. But could she trust him? It was obvious he adored Katya.
“I won’t rule it out, but I’m not making any promises,” she said. Until I understand your real motives. Do you love me or are you just using me? Do you plan to make me your bride to reign alongside me, or to control me in order to control New Russia? Would you still love me if I weren’t Maria Tatyana and I didn’t look like your ideal, Anastasia? Or will I simply serve as your mistress?
“Maybe, in time,” she added. “Who can know the future?”
He leaned over and kissed her gently, and she responded by kissing him back.
“That’s all I ask for. A chance.”
****
Maria Tatyana took a heavy breath, read over the document, and signed, ever conscious of the soldiers, their rifles at the ready. Did it make a difference that she signed the document under duress? So had Tsar Nicholas. What choice did she have?
She only hoped Nikolai would be there to care for Katya so she’d have at least one parent to love her. He would have to love their daughter enough for both of them. And she knew he would. Nikolai had come to adore his daughter. She was only sorry it had taken her so long to admit her feelings for him.
If he were here now, she wouldn’t hesitate to tell him how she felt. He had betrayed her in the past with his wife, the Countess. Perhaps she was behind this abduction. Perhaps this was her end goal from the beginning.
“And now the whole world can tune in and watch you die,” Miss Cormier stated.
Of course, Miss Cormier had this ending in mind from the beginning. She was a false Guardian. It was high drama. A reenactment of the final moments of the Tsar and his family on the same spot, more than a century apart. The curse of the Romanovs revisited. But it wasn’t the end of the Romanov dynasty. There was Katya, and she would thrive.
Melody’s mouth was parched. Her head ached. She couldn’t believe she was going to die in this basement prison before she got a chance to see Katya again. She hoped her daughter would remember her. She hoped Nikolai would keep her memory alive.
She realized the full import of what Miss Cormier was saying. The nanny intended to execute her and document it for all the world to see. She had a sudden flash to a page on the Internet, the wallpaper in the basement of Ipatiev House, riddled with pockmarks, bullets, gouges in the floor. Screams fairly echoed off the screen. Nicholas and Alexandra must have turned to each other suddenly, reaching to shield their son. The four daughters, including Anastasia, would have hugged each other once they realized their fate in those final moments of chaos and agony.
In contrast, she was totally alone. No one would be coming to save her either. What would they do with her body? Would anyone ever find her remains? She wished she didn’t know what horrors awaited her. She hoped the end would be quick and painless. She would give her crown to return to Downingtown, Pennsylvania, to an anonymous life as ordinary Melody Segal.
A tiny tear slipped down her cheek. But that was as far as she would display her emotions. She held her head up regally. After all, she was an Empress. She was determined to die with dignity. She wondered if Marie Antoinette had held her head high before it was unceremoniously severed and dropped into a basket.
“There won’t be a last-minute reprieve if that’s what you’re thinking,” warned Miss Cormier.
Would they actually go through with it? Would they really execute her in cold blood like they did the Tsar and his family? She was terrified they would. She could hear the sound of her heartbeat amplified. She was having a full-blown panic attack. She couldn’t breathe. She feared she would die of fright before they had the chance to cut her down in a hail of bullets.
Miss Cormier lifted her hand to give the command. Hatred flared in her eyes. What had she done to deserve the woman’s anger? Fallen in love? Then the guards raised their rifles in unison to open fire. She closed her eyes tightly so they couldn’t see the hope fade from her face. She couldn’t bear to confront her own mortality. She held her breath.
Then she heard the bullets ping. Where was she hit? How long would it take to die? She hoped it would be over soon. She sagged in her chair, mercifully blacking out.
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What makes your featured book a must-read?
Set in Switzerland, Italy and Russia, The Romanov Legacy is a high-concept Women’s Fiction with a fast-paced contemporary and historical timeline about two women, born a century apart, who fall in love with the wrong men, with disastrous consequences that could change the world.
A long line of mothers and daughters are keepers of the secret of the Romanov legacy. One of them will ascend to the throne of New Russia.
The Romanov Legacy has been nominated for the 2022 Georgia Author of the Year Awards in the Romance Category.
The Romanov Legacy won Best Audiobook Narrator of the Year in the 2021 N.N. Light Book Awards.
Giveaway –
Enter to win a $25 Amazon US or Amazon Canada gift card
Open Internationally. You must have an active Amazon US or CA account to win.
Runs May 5 – May 13, 2022.
Winner will be drawn on May 14, 2022.
Author Biography:
Marilyn Baron writes in a variety of genres from women’s fiction to historical romantic thrillers and romantic suspense to cozy mysteries. She’s received writing awards in Single Title, Suspense Romance, Novel with Strong Romantic Elements and Paranormal/Fantasy Romance. She was also The Finalist in the 2017 Georgia Author of the Year Awards (GAYA) in the Romance Category for her novel, Stumble Stones, and The Finalist for the 2018 GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, The Alibi. She was nominated in 2022 for the GAYA Awards in the Romance category for her novel, The Romanov Legacy. Her latest novel, The Case of the Missing Botticelli: A Massimo Domingo Mystery, released January 24, 2022, is her 28th work of fiction. A public relations consultant in Atlanta, Marilyn is past co-chair of Roswell Reads and serves on the Atlanta Authors Series Committee. To find out more about what Marilyn writes, visit her website at: www.marilynbaron.com/.
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