Escape of the Grand Duchess
By Susan Appleyard
Escape of the Grand Duchess is a gripping historical novel that shatters the notion that royalty is synonymous with privilege and ease. At its heart is Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna —a Romanov who defied a doomed destiny and survived.
Unlike her ill-fated oldest brother, Tsar Nicholas II, and his family, Olga’s story is one of resilience, sacrifice, and daring escape. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a reckless gambler—who harbours secrets of his own—she finds hope in the arms of a dashing army lieutenant. But before she can claim her own happiness, she must first endure the brutal realities of World War I, where she serves as a nurse on the frontlines.
As the Russian Empire teeters on the brink of collapse, the infamous Siberian mystic Rasputin tightens his grip on the imperial court, setting the stage for revolution. With the Bolsheviks seizing power and the Romanovs marked for death, Olga faces an impossible choice: risk everything to stay or flee into the unknown with her true love and their children.
Rich in historical detail and driven by an unforgettable heroine, Escape of the Grand Duchess is a sweeping riches-to-rags tale of survival, love, and the strength it takes to forge a new life in the face of unimaginable upheaval.
“Please sir, I would like to speak to the Consul.”
“Wouldn’t everyone?” He brushed past me and went on his way. I dashed after him and caught him by the arm. He flinched away from my touch as if it burned. “Wait. I’m Grand Duchess Olga Alexandrovna—”
“And I’m Tsar Nicholas II. Don’t bother me again.”
I returned to my little group, who were sat against a wall in a hall that was peopled by the sick and the desperate. I felt helpless. Having come so far and endured so much, to end here without hope crushed my spirit. I felt as if something had died in me. Even if I was able to speak to the Consul, or the captain of one of the ships, how could I convince them who I was? They wouldn’t believe me any more than that unpleasant man had. I had no proof, no documents. I had jewellery among my belongings, but I looked like the kind of person who might have stolen it. I looked like a vagrant.
About Susan
Susan Appleyard lives in a cold and snowy part of Canada, but is originally from England, where she developed a love for history. She has published numerous historical fiction novels—two with a traditional publisher—before signing with Ingenium Books. Her books Dark Spirit: Ludwig II the ‘Mad’ King of Bavaria, In a Gilded Cage, and Queen of Trial and Sorrow have won B.R.A.G. Medallions; In a Gilded Cage was a finalist in the M.M. Bennetts Award for historical fiction and the Wishing Shelf Book Awards; and Bonfire of the Perfect won The Coffee Pot Book Club’s Book of the Year Award Gold Medal for medieval historical fiction. Escape of the Grand Duchess is her second book about the Romanovs, after The Disappearance of Michael Romanov.
Susan is a mother and grandmother who lives part of the year in Canada and the rest in Arizona—no prizes for guessing which part of the year she spends where.
"Writing is a lonely, sometimes frustrating, sometimes rewarding profession. It’s all I ever wanted to do. I’m really fascinated by the tragic end of the Romanov dynasty, and especially Olga’s story is one I simply had to tell."
— Susan Appleyard, Escape of the Grand Duchess
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