Queen of Tomorrow (Stolen Empire #2)
by Sherry D. Ficklin
Release Date: 07/14/15
Clean Teen Publishing
280 pages

Summary from Goodreads:

Sophie—now Catherine, Grand Duchess of Russia—had a tough first year at Imperial Court. Married at sixteen to Grand Duke Peter, heir to the throne, and settled in their own palace, things are finally looking up. As a new day dawns, she thinks only of securing her future, and the future of their country, during one of the greatest political upheavals of her time. Fighting desperately against forces trying to depose the Empress Elizabeth and put the young Prince Ivan on her throne, Sophie soon finds herself in the middle of a war brewing between her beloved Prussia, and her new empire. But even as she navigates the fragile political landscape, she quickly realizes that she has only begun to discover the tangled web of deceit and infidelity woven over the lavish court of Oranienbaum Palace.

When a strange and delicate alliance forms between the young couple, she glimpses a future of happiness, only to see it lost in a moment at the hands of those who still seek to end her life—and prevent her reign. Out of favor with the empress and running out of options, Sophie will have to sacrifice her own innocence on the altar of Russia if she is to save the nation, and herself. To survive, she will have to do the unthinkable, betray those closest to her and become something greater and more dangerous than she ever imagined she could be… a queen.

Book Excerpt:

As soon as I turn the corner into the great hall I know something is terribly wrong. The stewards are watching from around the corner and a line of red and blue guard uniforms obscure Peter from my view. In the chair nearest the wall, the court physician is tending a guard who has a long wooden arrow protruding from his shoulder. I can tell he’s trying not to make a sound even as the doctor pushes on the shaft, driving it through the wound so it can be removed from the other side. As I pass by they both give me a look that’s a mixture of relief and pity.

I pass the line and nod to the valet who stands and loudly announces me.

“Her Grace, The Grand Duchess Catherine.”

The guards shift, allowing me to pass. Peter is standing several paces away, resplendent as always in a deep blue tunic adorned with diamonds and sapphires, while one of the uniformed men stands in front of the hay target, a bright red apple on his head. The poor boy can’t be more than fourteen and he looks like he’s about to vomit.

“Husband,” I offer warmly, gliding over to him. “What interesting amusement you’ve discovered.”

I pause, waiting for him to acknowledge me. But he releases the arrow before answering, narrowly missing the boy’s neck. Behind me the guards clap half-heartedly and the young boy shuffles back into line.

“A test of wills,” he says, turning to face me with a wide smile. “If a man can stand without fear before death, only then is he worthy to be in my service.”

Licking my lips I try to think of a solution.

“Of course, but surely this is not such a test. I mean, your skill with the bow is legendary. They must know you would not purposely shoot them, and so there is no risk.” He looks at me and blinks in confusion. I continue, “I mean, there’s no way you would hit them deliberately, so it seems there is no danger at all.”

I swallow. Truthfully, Peter’s aim leaves a great deal to be desired and most of his guards are well aware of the fact.

I clap my hands. “I know! What if I take the shot? Surely there is a good chance I might miss, then the risk of death would be much higher. What say you, Husband?”

I try to keep my expression playful. Finally, he nods.

“Yes, you are quite right. Who among you is brave enough to allow the Duchess to take a shot at them?”

In the line of men, a few raise their hands. Peter hands me the bow and moves to select my target. He chooses the tallest of the men and walks him to the target. Then he digs around in the basket for the smallest apple he can find, only half the size of my fist. He takes a bite before setting it upon the guard’s head and making his way back to me, a merry jaunt in his step.

Taking one of the arrows from the basket, I take a deep breath. Beside me Peter clutches his hands to his chest, giddy with the prospect of me missing and accidently shooting the poor guard in the face. I draw the bow slowly until I feel my hand almost touch my cheek. I exhale, closing one eye to focus on the small, red target, and release the arrow. It flies true and in less than a heartbeat there’s a thud as the impaled apple lodges itself into the wall behind my target.

This time the applause is genuine. Everyone looks elated and impressed.

Everyone, that is, except Peter, whose face falls into a disappointed frown.

I hold up my hands for silence, “How fortunate for you that The Grand Duke taught me how to shoot!” I say with a laugh, then I curtsey to Peter who looks only slightly mollified.

“True, true,” he says to the crowd. “But I tire of this. How about a new challenge?”

The guards clap again, probably in relief.

Peter takes the bow from me and glares at me with his ice blue eyes.

“Go stand in front of the target,” he demands.

I hesitate for a heartbeat only, knowing that to refuse would incur his wrath. So I nod and slowly glide down the hall, replacing the guard whom I have just spared. I clasp my hands behind my back and hold my chin high. Even at this distance I can see Peter’s mind churning. He could kill me, here in front of all these people. An accident.  A game gone terribly wrong. It would leave him free to marry his mistress Elizavetta who—much to her credit—is nowhere to be seen at the moment.

A shocked murmur ripples through the onlookers. I smile widely and take an apple from the basket, resting it on my head, just behind my diamond tiara.

“Calm down, you silly people. The Grand Duke would never hurt me. What kind of king accidentally shoots his queen? He would be a laughingstock! Have faith in your future king!”

A nervous laugh reverberates through the crowd at my words.

Peter glares at me as he considers my words. When he draws the bow, I see something flicker in his eyes, and I wonder if he cares what people would think, or if being rid of me might just be worth it to him.

 

Buy Links:

Amazon│Barnes & Noble│Kobo Books

 

Other Books in the Series:

Queen of Someday (Stolen Empire #1) Links:

Goodreads│Amazon│Barnes & Noble

 

About the Author

 

Sherry D. Ficklin is a full time writer from Colorado where she lives with her husband, four kids, two dogs, and a fluctuating number of chickens and house guests. A former military brat, she loves to travel and meet new people. She can often be found browsing her local bookstore with a large white hot chocolate in one hand and a towering stack of books in the other. That is, unless she’s on deadline at which time she, like the Loch Ness monster, is only seen in blurry photographs.

She is the author of several YA novels and in her spare time she co-hosts Curvy Writer Radio.

Author Links:
Website│Goodreads│Twitter│Facebook

 

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