Oksana

It's 1917, on the eve of the Russian Revolution and Nicholas Romanov II has abdicated from the throne and is under arrest. He is desperate to saves the lives of his family, so when he encounters Anton Klassen, a Russian-German Mennonite, his hope is renewed. As a Mennonite, Anton is a pacifist and was pardoned from fighting, but wishes he could serve the Motherland in some manner. The former Tsar convinces Anton to protect Oksana, a maid who is important to the Romanov family. The young man agrees and heads to Petrograd. At the Alexander Palace, Olga and her maid Yulia are packing. According to her father's instructions, she and Yulia must escape before it's too late. Olga is reluctant to go at all and abandon her family but she obeys her father's wishes. Olga and Yulia sneak out, while Oksana the maid takes the place as the oldest grand duchess. Apparently Oksana is identical to Olga and has doubled for her in the past. She is more than willing to serve the royal family, no matter what the cost. The moment Olga meets Anton, she treats him as her inferior but soon remedies her behavior. She must be careful or she'll blow her cover. Both she and Yulia are successful in leading Anton to believe that she is Oksana, a close and personal servant of the Romanov family. Despite the many slip-ups, Anton is none the wiser. For a time, with the help of a monk, they are able to hide in Petrograd until Gleb, a Romanov cousin, discovers where they are hiding and violates Yulia. It is determined that it is no longer safe for them to stay in Russia, so they plan to runaway to Anton's father's home. First Anton converts to the Russian Orthodox Church, then they marry in order to travel together, but it is only a marriage of convenience. Of course like most books where the hero and the heroine marry out of convenience, they fall in love and Olga ends up pregnant. When Olga's life is threatened again, they disguise themselves as a monk and a nun and hide away in a church. Olga reveals her true identity and Anton briefly distances himself from her, but it doesn't last long. While Anton and Olga are out on a picnic, Gleb ambushes them and the grand duchess' life is threatened until Gleb is rendered unconscious. Olga goes into labor and after the baby is delivered, she is led to believe that her baby daughter died and that during the fight between Anton and Gleb, Anton was killed. She is devastated but agrees to flee the country before it is too late. As a hopeless romantic, "The Sovereign's Daughter" entertained me for an entire afternoon until I finished it. The authors know their Russian history and the characters of Anton and Olga are endearing. Yet as an avid Romanov fanatic, I am a little disappointed. When I reserved this book I had no idea that this was about a missing Russian grand duchess; I assumed it was about a dedicated servant of the royal family. Obviously this book is outdated. We all hoped that maybe one of the Romanov children made it out alive, bu

THE SOVEREIGN'S DAUGHTER is a richly textured love story set in war-torn Russia. The Mennonite, Anton, only meant to lead a quiet, unassuming life, but his character is tried and tested when he is entrusted to protect Tsar Nikolai's chambermaid. The conflicts and trials these characters endure touched my heart and kept me turning pages. And in my journey through this story, I learned so much about the Bolshevik revolution. The two authors, Susan May Warren and Susan K. Downs, both lived in Russia. Every scene is authentic and compelling. Highly recommended reading.

It is the time of the Russian revolution where anyone connected with the royal family is no longer safe. Anton has been trusted with command by the tsar to take two servant girls from the royal house into safety. He soon falls in love with one of the girls, Oksana who seems to be hiding a secret from him. The two are constantly at odds but Anton has vowed to keep her safe. When he finds out her secret, will he still keep his promise to her or will he betray her trust? I was afraid when reading this book I would be lost because I hadn't read the 2nd and 3rd book in the series. I had read the first book, Ekaterina, and had enjoyed it very much. However this book reads as a novel by itself although reading the other books will probably help to connect the complete storyline. I'm a huge fan of Russian history especially when dealing with the Russian royal family. I have always found the rise and fall of the last Tsar of Russia and his family fascinating. This story weaves historical fact with fiction beautifully. It's a really good story too, with lots of suspense and romance. What I also enjoyed about this story is that while most stories during this time period focus on Anastasia, this one was mainly about Olga. It was nice to read about a different perspective. It was obvious lots of research went into writing this book. I could almost imagine I was part of the story myself, trying to get into disguise and running for my life. Even though I haven't read the two books in between I can see how the first book and the last book tie into together with lots of clues finally being revealed. Excellent historical fiction and highly recommended.

This final book in the "Hiers of Anton" series was superbly written and I enjoyed it so much. Downs and Warren have done an excellent job in this book, as well as the series as a whole, in telling the story of this Russian family and how they discover who God has called them to be. The story grips you from the beginning and the ending is awesome! This series was written backwards, starting with the most current family members and ending with the oldest. I look forward to reading the series again, only in reverse! Downs and Warren have won a fan in me!

Just before the Royal House of Romanov in Russia is forced into house arrest by the Revolutionists, Imperial Tsar Nikolai Romanov entrusts one his most precious belongings to a young Mennonite, Anton Klassen. Agreeing to protect and escort two of the Tsar's servants to safety, Anton travels to the palace to retrieve Oksana and Yulia. Oksana, however, carries many secrets with her as Anton takes her away, including the fact she is not who she claims to be. Originally born Olga Nikolaeva Romanov, Grand Duchess of Russia, she uses the name of the faithful chambermaid who exchanged places with Olga in the palace. Trained to be her body double, the real Oksana chose of her own free will to remain behind to save Olga. Now under a borrowed name, Olga will have to learn to cope with a new life, even as she waits to be reunited with her family. I find it very interesting that the books in this series have been done backwards as it were, with each book in the series going further into history instead of forward. Oksana is probably the best book in the Heirs of Anton series, aside from the first one, Ekaterina. Downs and Warren have written a wonderful romance combined with suspense. Oksana was a very well done novel.