Review: Lost Roses by: Martha Hall Kelly

Title: Lost Roses
Author: Martha Hall Kelly
Publisher: Ballantine Books
Series: Lilac Girls #2
Format: Hardcover (432 p.)
Source: Library

Description:

The runaway bestseller Lilac Girls introduced the real-life heroine Caroline Ferriday. This sweeping new novel, set a generation earlier and also inspired by true events, features Caroline's mother, Eliza, and follows three equally indomitable women from St. Petersburg to Paris under the shadow of World War I.

It is 1914 and the world has been on the brink of war so many times, many New Yorkers treat the subject with only passing interest. Eliza Ferriday is thrilled to be traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya Streshnayva, a cousin of the Romanov's. The two met years ago one summer in Paris and became close confidantes. Now Eliza embarks on the trip of a lifetime, home with Sofya to see the splendors of Russia. But when Austria declares war on Serbia and Russia's Imperial dynasty begins to fall, Eliza escapes back to America, while Sofya and her family flee to their country estate. In need of domestic help, they hire the local fortuneteller's daughter, Varinka, unknowingly bringing intense danger into their household. On the other side of the Atlantic, Eliza is doing her part to help the White Russian families find safety as they escape the revolution. But when Sofya's letters suddenly stop coming she fears the worst for her best friend.

From the turbulent streets of St. Petersburg to the avenues of Paris and the society of fallen Russian emigre's who live there, the lives of Eliza, Sofya, and Varinka will intersect in profound ways, taking readers on a breathtaking ride through a momentous time in history. 

My Thoughts: 

The year is 1914 and Eliza is traveling to St. Petersburg with Sofya a relative of the Romanov's.  When a war is declared Eliza manages to return to the states while Sofya and her family travel to their country estate.  This book really showed how war affected them and what they do and how they help out with certain parts of the war!

I really enjoyed this story and how suspenseful it was while still staying true to the story.  There was so much these women went through while trying to survive the war that was raging on.  Definitely a book to captivate you and you keep you throughly entertained!  Can't wait to read the other book in this series Lilac Girls!