I could not tear myself away from this engrossing, witty Regency-era social drama. It made me think of Elizabeth Bennet in a 19th century version of The Breakfast Club.

In the first pages of #NoLifeforaLady, Violet, its nineteenth-century twenty-something heroine, sets out to find her mother, who disappeared a decade earlier. Her determination to solve this mystery is matched only by her desire to thwart her bumbling father’s attempts to marry her off. She knows how to poke fun at herself, and her self-deprecating sense of humor and naïveté propel the reader through a series of intriguing adventures. I cheered Violet on and just had to know–will she find her mother? Will she find love? The book is enhanced by its beautiful, lyrical descriptions of Violet’s home, an English seaside village, and the author’s deep knowledge of flora and fauna adds depth. A lovely read.

The death of Peter the Great in 1725 threw Russia into a succession crisis. At its center is his daughter Elizabeth, the central character in Ellen Alpsten’s novel. who ___. The story opens with a flash forward chapter set at a decisive moment in Elizabeth’s life when the fate of the infant Tsar is in her hands. She must choose between him and herself. Alpsten introduces Elizabeth’s passion and political outlook from the first pages. The nation is threatened by foreign influence and domination, and a regency would assure that outcome. This book is the second in a series of biographical historical novels by author Ellen Alpsten.