Author: Kerri Turner
ISBN: 9781489256706
RRP: $29.99
Publication Date: 21st January 2019
Publisher: HQ Fiction
Copy: Courtesy of the Publisher
If you have read our Author Spotlight with Kerri Turner you know that she has a passion for the ballet, and that passion has been combined with her love of writing to pen her debut novel The Last of the Romanov Dancers, set in the first quarter of the 20th Century.
Valentina Yershova’s position in the Romanovs’ Imperial Russian Ballet is the only thing that keeps her from the clutches of poverty. With implacable determination, she has clawed her way through the ranks, relying not only on her talent but her alliances with influential men that grant them her body, but never her heart. Then Luka Zhirkov – the gifted son of a factory worker – joins the company, and suddenly everything she has built is put at risk.
For Luka, being accepted into the company fulfils a lifelong dream. But in the eyes of his proletariat father, it makes him a traitor. As civil war tightens its grip and the country starves, Luka is torn between his growing connection to Valentina and his guilt for their lavish way of life.
For the Imperial Russian Ballet has become the ultimate symbol of Romanov indulgence, and soon the lovers are forced to choose: their country, their art or each other…
A powerful novel of revolution, passion and just how much two people will sacrifice…
The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers is published by HQ Fiction and is available now where all good books are sold.
Thanks to HQ Fiction 15 of our Beauty and Lace Club members will be reading The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers so please be aware there may be spoilers in the comments below.
I am really looking forward to reading what our members thought, and hanging out to get a minute to read it.
I devour books, vampires and supernatural creatures are my genre of choice but over the past couple of years, I have broadened my horizons considerably. In a nutshell – I love to write! I love interacting with a diverse range of artists to bring you interviews. Perhaps we were perfect before – I LOVE WORDS!
Thank you to Beauty and Lace and HQ Fiction for the opportunity to review “The Last of the Romanov Dancers’.
As a debut novel by Kerri Turner I particularly enjoyed the historical aspects of the Romanov reign and the authors obvious love of ballet.
I have some past reading in this area as I find it a fascinating part of Russian history. My knowledge about ballet and dance is very limited but this book encourages me to consider attending a ballet performance and discovering more.
The characters are credible in a rapidly changing Russia and show the struggle and inequity in Russian life. The author has nicely entwined history with a love story to create an enjoyable read.
I enjoyed The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers by Kerri Turner.
I really liked the combination of history, ballet and romance. It definitely kept me interested in reading the book.
I don’t know much about Russian history and was saddened by the gap between wealthy and poor.
I particularly liked the love story between Valentina and Luka and found the ballet element fascinating.
I would recommend this book. Thank you Beauty and Lace Club!
I am grateful to Beauty and Lace and HQ Fiction for the opportunity to read and review The Last Days of the Romanov Dancers.
I love Russian history, especially the period around the revolution, so was very excited to read this book. It was very true to the era and I loved how Kerri Turner switched between poor and wealthy experienced this time in history.
I did struggle though, as mentioned above by some other reviewers, with the way some Russian words and traditions were used without explanation. Being me and needing to know things, I then had to look them up on Google. If my phone wasn’t immediately next to me at the time I had to remember to go back later and do so.
The same was the case with some of the ballet moves – my ignorance I know, but when the difficulty of some of the moves was mentioned for example I had to know what was taking place.
In summary, I have more of an understanding of the behind the scenes of ballet now and may have to watch one to see if I can follow it more fully having had this experience.