Allison Pataki Libri

Nel 1853, la famiglia degli Asburgo, la più potente dinastia d'Europa, regna su un impero che si estende dall'Austria alla Russia e dalla Germania all'Italia. La giovane e affascinante Erzsébet, conosciuta come Sissi, si reca alla corte asburgica con la sorella, promessa sposa dell'imperatore Francesco Giuseppe. Tuttavia, al suo arrivo, Sissi si trova di fronte a un dilemma inaspettato: si innamora perdutamente del fidanzato della sorella, che ricambia i suoi sentimenti. Francesco Giuseppe, colpito dalla personalità aperta e dal fascino di Sissi, decide di rompere il suo impegno e dichiarare il suo amore per lei. Immersa in una delle corti più insidiose d'Europa, Sissi ignora le insidie e le sfide che la attendono, mentre cerca di conquistare e mantenere l'amore dell'imperatore, oltre all'affetto del popolo e del mondo. Il romanzo di Allison Pataki offre uno sguardo intimo sulla vita di una delle famiglie reali più affascinanti della storia, illuminando il brillante impero asburgico e la sua incantevole "regina delle favole".

As the French Revolution transforms her world, Desiree Clary faces the harsh reality that her life and family are in jeopardy. To save them from the guillotine, she encounters the ambitious Napoleon Bonaparte. Their lives become intertwined when her sister Julie marries his brother Joseph, leading to a passionate courtship and secret engagement. They plan to reunite in the capital once Napoleon's career stabilizes, but heartbreak strikes when he becomes enamored with Josephine de Beauharnais. Desiree's life is further upended as she navigates the dazzling yet treacherous social scene of Paris, becoming entwined with Napoleon and his family. Her fortunes shift again upon meeting Jean-Baptiste Bernadotte, Napoleon's confidant and star general. As these two men become rivals, Desiree is faced with a critical choice: the love of her new husband or her loyalty to her nation and its Emperor. From the opulent French Riviera to the vibrant streets of Paris and Stockholm, Desiree finds herself at the heart of an empire's rise and fall, grappling with political giants and shifting alliances. As she evolves from an impressionable girl into a determined young woman, she learns to trust her instincts and follow her heart to survive in this tumultuous world.

An epic reimagining of the remarkable life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, an American heiress and trailblazing leader of the twentieth century, unfolds through the lens of her extraordinary experiences. Known for hosting presidents and adorned in diamonds, Marjorie embodies a blend of Midwestern roots and an insatiable drive to live, love, and give. Her life was marked by daring adventures, from rescuing the Tsar's treasures in Moscow to evading Nazis in London, and dining with everyone from the homeless during the Great Depression to European royalty and Hollywood stars. Her journey began on the Great Plains, where she played a pivotal role in transforming her father's Postum Cereal Company into the vast General Foods empire. Defying traditional roles, Marjorie emerged as a leader in her family's business and a pioneer in philanthropy and high society. Living like an empress and working as a titan of industry, she shaped a century while navigating the complexities of her personal life. Marjorie's story, set against the backdrop of her opulent homes, is also marked by heartbreak. With four dramatic marriages, she sought her happily-ever-after with a blue-blooded playboy, a charming financier, a diplomat with a dark side, and a bon vivant with shocking secrets. Marjorie approached love with the same grand scale she applied to all aspects of her life.

"In imperial Vienna, where the court halls buzzed with waltzes and champagne, as well as temptation, rivals, and cutthroat intrigue, the intensely personal tale of Empress Sisi unraveled. Infamously beautiful, a mother of four, and wife of Emperor Franz Joseph - whom she unintentionally stole away from her sister - Sisi's reign was anything but simple. Against the backdrop of a rich, romantic, and volatile time period--marked by pivotal events such as the opening of the Suez Canal, Vienna's World Exhibition, and the lead up to WWI--Sisi, the beloved "Fairy Queen," was a woman well ahead of her time during a true Golden Age in European history"-- Provided by publisher

"Socialite Peggy Shippen is half Benedict Arnold's age when she seduces the war hero during his stint as military commander of Philadelphia. Blinded by his young bride's beauty and wit, Arnold does not realize that she harbors a secret: loyalty to the British. Nor does he know that she hides a past romance with the handsome British spy John André. Peggy watches as her husband, crippled from battle wounds and in debt from years of service to the colonies, grows ever more disillusioned with his hero, Washington, and the American cause. Together with her former love and her disaffected husband, Peggy hatches the plot to deliver West Point to the British and, in exchange, win fame and fortune for herself and Arnold."--from cover, page [4].

Napoleon, das Kaiserreich und die Krönung einer Liebe Marseille, 1794: Die Revolution hält ganz Frankreich in Atem. Désirée Clary trifft den charismatischen und ehrgeizigen Napoleon Bonaparte. Als ihre Schwester Julie seinen Bruder Joseph heiratet, wird auch Désirées eigene Zukunft unwiederbringlich mit der des jungen Generals verbunden. Napoleon macht Désirée heimlich den Hof, aber sein Versprechen, in Paris auf sie zu warten, hält er nicht ein – und nur wenige Jahre später ist er nicht nur einer der mächtigsten Männer Europas, sondern auch ihr politischer Feind ... Von der Bestsellerautorin von »Sisi – Kaiserin wider Willen«: der mitreißende Roman über die Frau, die Napoleons Herz eroberte – und zur Mutter einer Dynastie wurde

Der Roman über Sisi – Rebellin ihrer Zeit und große Liebende Österreich, 1853: Ohne darauf vorbereitet zu sein, wird die junge bayerische Prinzessin Sisi Kaiserin am Hof der mächtigen Habsburger, dem Zentrum der politischen Intrige und feudalen Ränkespiele. Die Ehe mit Kaiser Franz Joseph wird aus Liebe geschlossen, und es gelingt der freien, naturverbundenen Frau, die Zuneigung ihres Volkes zu gewinnen. Doch schon bald muss Sisi sich fragen, wie sie die Rolle der Monarchin erfüllen kann, ohne sich selbst zu verlieren – und ohne die Liebe zu Franz Joseph aufs Spiel zu setzen. Eine epische Geschichte über Macht, Liebe und eine der spannendsten Epochen der Geschichte Europas »Ein wunderbarer Roman über eine missverstandene Herrscherin, der den rebellischen, glamourösen Geist Sisis heraufbeschwört.« C. W. Gortner, Autor von »Marlene und die Suche nach Liebe«

Nepoznata i dirljiva priča o austrougarskoj carici Elizabeti, poznatoj kao Sisi, otkriva njezin život iza vanjskog blještavila. Udana za cara Franju Josipa, Sisi je uživala popularnost među narodom, no bila je mudra i nesretna žena. U bečkim dvoranama palače Hofburg, zvuci carskih valcera i šampanjca skrivaju kušnje, suparništva i okrutne intrige. Sputana strogim protokolima i krutim brakom, Sisi postaje nemirna, pronalazeći mir na imanju u okolici Budimpešte, gdje jaše konje i uživa u društvu mađarskog grofa Andrássyja, u kojeg se zaljubila. Međutim, tragične vijesti prisiljavaju je na povratak u prijestolnicu, gdje je okružena tračevima, zavisti i tugom, a opasnost vrebaju iz svake sjene. Ljubavne afere, gubitci, vjernost i izdaje isprepliću se u njezinom životu, dok se bori između želje da održi obitelj ili pobjegne iz gušećeg braka. Kroz roman prolaze povijesne ličnosti poput bavarskog kralja Ludwiga i tragičnog princa Rudolfa, dok Sisi, modna ikona 19. stoljeća, odlučuje spasiti carstvo. Može li spasiti i sebe?