The Second Empress

Book excerpt: Two women vie to change their destinies after Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte orders marriage to a princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir in this compelling novel from the internationally bestselling author of Nefertiti and Maria. “A fascinating tale that won’t soon be forgotten.”—Times Record News After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When eighteen-year-old Marie-Louise is told that the emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, or refuse and plunge her country into war. To save her father’s throne, Marie-Louise is determined to be a good wife. But at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her new husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s sister Pauline, who is fiercely jealous, utterly uncontrollable, and the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. When war once again sweeps the Continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family, the second empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history—and change the course of her life.