Curse Not the King

Romanov Trilogy #2

by Evelyn Anthony

The tale of the treacherous battle for the throne between Catherine the Great and her son Paul, set against the backdrop of late-eighteenth-century Russia
 
The year is 1773. Catherine the Great has been in power for a decade. Since the assassination of her husband, Peter III, in a coup d'état, she has been empress of all the Russias. She rules with enlightenment and grace, driven by ambition and her secret dream to free Russia’s millions of serfs. Tonight she is celebrating the wedding of her son Paul Petrovitch. He was nine—and the rightful heir to the throne—when Peter died and Catherine seized power. Her son has neither forgotten nor forgiven, and hatred for his mother—and his father’s murderer—festers in his heart. He doesn’t know that Catherine committed a terrible crime to safeguard his liberty and his life. She prays that marriage will be the solution to his violent rages and the dangerous enmity between them.
 
Curse Not the King chronicles the struggle for dominance between mother and son. Notorious for her love affairs, Catherine ruled an empire shadowed by treachery, intrigue, and deadly betrayals. But she was never able to make peace with Paul, who would go on to become czar, finally attaining his long-awaited revenge, and whose own son Alexander would reign after him.
 
Curse Not the King is the 2nd book in the Romanov Trilogy, but you may enjoy reading the series in any order.

Genres: Historical Fiction, Russia, Fiction, 18th Century, Historical

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1954

About the author

Evelyn Anthony was the pen name of Evelyn Bridgett Patricia Stephens Ward-Thomas,

Started her career as a writer of historical fiction, later switched to writing contemporary thrillers, often with an espionage theme.

She met Michael Ward-Thomas on a double date in The Dorchester and both were attracted to each other.] He worked for the Consolidated African Selection Trust. They switched partners and were married a few months later.

They bought Horham Hall in 1968 but found that it was costly and sold it in 1976 and moved to Naas, County Kildare where she had relatives. Increased income from her writing allowed her to buy Horham Hall back in 1982.

In 1994 she became High Sheriff of Essex, the firswt woman in over 700 years to hold this office.

In 1995 her daughter Kitty died of a heroin overdose, leading Evelyn to not write for another seven years.

In 2004 her husband died of a stroke.

She was survived by her children Susan, Anthony, Ewan, Christian and Luke as well as 16 grandchildren.

NB:Some sources give Ms Anthonys year of birth as 1926.

Additional information added from Wikipedia

Reviews

[Robbi Leah Freeman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of Paul the 1st of Russia, is he a mad man or just wrongly treated. I enjoyed this account of Paul who not many pay attention to because his mother, Catherine the Great, gets so much attention.
Entering the distant world of Russia, author keeps your attention with the Romanov family. The are greedy, sexual, crazy, insane, paranoid (with good reason), and only sometimes does the good come out. A fun read for history fans and still great enough for people who aren't history fans to enjoy.

[HalKid2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was a tonic, addressing both my love of Russian history and my admiration for Evelyn Anthony as an historical novelist. In this second of her three books about the Romanovs, we meet the mature Catherine the Great, her lovers Potemkin and Zubov, her hated heir Paul, and a cast of characters that are all consumed by court intrigue, politics, and plotting. You will discover what a fascinating and complex historical figure Grand Duke Paul (later Czar Paul I) is with his two wives, numerous mistresses, vicious and ruthless associates, and strange mental health issues. It's a very fun read!

[Claudia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good historic fiction

Good read moves along very well. Enjoyed reading it ready to read the third book author did a good job

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

As this historical novel opens, Catherine the Great has been Empress of Russia for ten years. She has been a good monarch on the whole, though her desires to be more liberal in some of her policies have been frustrated by unrest within Russia and wars without. Her son, Paul, the heir apparent, hates her, convinced as he is that she murdered his father (Peter III), the legitimate Tsar, to claim the throne for herself. And Catherine seems entirely without maternal instincts: she hates Paul, too, and is eager for him to produce an heir so that the succession can skip over her son when she dies. Intrigue swirls around both figures, with enemies and friends alike plotting for an advantage over the other camp. -- Paul emerges from the pages of this novel a complex figure: everyone thinks him ugly, he is considered insane by many (though periodic intrigues against him have fostered this view), he is not a very loving husband to either of his two wives, but he is intelligent, not without ability, and -- perhaps surprisingly, given his upbringing and isolation -- capable of kindness, even love. Yet his mother is implacable: once Paul's son Alexander is born, Catherine removes him from parental care and molds him into the ruler she wants to follow her. -- A most interesting book, then, but I am doubtful as to the historical accuracy of much of the narrative. (Paul's relationships with his wives, for example, seem more complex than depicted here, and his second wife -- Maria Feodorovna -- was not the Plain Jane Evelyn Anthony would have us believe: in fact, during their European tour, bystanders were a bit put-off by the couple's PDAs.) The story ends with Paul's assassination (with son Alexander's connivance -- the historical jury is out on that one!) and the beginning of the new Tsar's reign. (On to Book 3!)

[JT CAREY · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first in the series was interesting and made you want to read more. This book continued the family saga. Here and there were subplots that had me on the edge of my seat; however, that said, the bulk was more boilerplate writing than anything. I felt it was written to bridge the first and last book. I'm a little disappointed to say the least with this trilogy as it started off with such promise.

[Blubonnet1 · Rating 5 out of 5]

0423/2024

[Tanzanite · Rating 4 out of 5]

The second book in Anthony’s Romanov Trilogy (also published as Royal Intrigue) covering the reign of Catherine the Great and her son Paul. Published in the 1950’s and out of print, I really liked this one and thought it was well written even if somewhat melodramatic at times.