Book Whisperer Linda Sullivan recommends one historical fiction novel in The Romanov Empress: A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna and one that could be non-fiction in Counterfeit: A Novel.
Linda says The Romanov Empress by C.W. Gortner is historical fiction at its best and recommends it as an audiobook. 
“Emperor Sasha (Alexander III) and Empress Minny (Maria) ruled Russia until 1896. The members of the Russian court were big spenders, and the descriptions were astounding. The family dynamics held me captive. The jockeying for position, the loving relationship between Sasha and Minny, her political instincts, popularity and her adversarial relationship with her daughter-in-law, Tsarina Alexandra (Anastasia’s mother).
“Check out Romanov family tree– it is impressive!”
After an 11-year career in fashion, freelance publicist and fashion show coordinator, author Gortner spent the next 12 years in the public health sector. In 2012, following the international success of his novels, he became a full-time writer.
Half-Spanish by birth and raised in southern Spain, Gortner now lives in Northern California.
The second recommendation for the week, Counterfeit: A Novel, is another novel better as an audiobook.
Author Kristin Chen is the New York Times best-selling author of three novels. This latest has been a top choice by several key book clubs and top magazine editors. Chen was born and raised in Singapore and currently lives in New York City and San Francisco.
Linda clues the plot: Ava Wong and Winnie Fang were freshman roommates at Stanford when Winnie leaves under suspicious circumstances. Fifteen years later, Winnie is in town and wants to catch up. What comes next is an interesting peak behind the curtain of the counterfeit trade.
She says, “You’d better check your luxury handbags and your diamonds, my friends. The counterfeit trade of near perfect replicas is strong!”
Remember: Knox County Online Library to search for Linda’s recommendations each week.
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