I was inspired to write this book because of a passion for history, the struggles of women over the centuries to be their own person, to make their own way in a world of men, an underlying romantic soul and a wish for a happy ending always. Set in Russia in the reign of Peter the Great, Tanya is a woman born out of her time, strong and wilful she battles against overwhelming odds to find her own way in life, to be true to herself and loyal to the friends and lovers she meets along the way. In a time of turmoil in a land still gripped by mediaeval concepts, she struggles on to find her ultimate destiny.