A work of historical fiction centered on the life of Empress Elisabeth of Austria, also known as Sisi.  The novel begins when Sisi leaves her rural life in Bavaria to accompany her mother and sister, Helene, to Austria where they have been summoned to meet the Austrian Prince, Franz Joseph.  He is betrothed to Helene but falls in love with Sisi and marries her, much to the dismay of his mother.  The book ends with Elisabeth’s coronation in Hungary.  Sisi goes on to live another thirty-one years which leads me to believe Pataki plans on writing a sequel.

The Accidental Empress is a fast, easy read that piqued my interest in the Hapsburg Empire.