In the Shadows With Catherine the Great

When a young Prussian princess is summoned to the Russian empress's court as a potential bride, she has no idea her life will yield heartache, danger, intrigue, and endless power struggles. Meanwhile, a 21st-century American teen visiting St. Petersburg is inexplicably catapulted back to the 18th century. Lost and bewildered, she emerges as a maid of honor to the future Catherine the Great.

As Catherine struggles with an unbearable royal marriage and fights despair, her new lady Maria falls in love while struggling to keep her identity and 21st-century worldview a secret. Neither feels safe in the glittering, treacherous, and lust-filled world of imperial Russia. In chapters that alternate their points of view, "In the Shadows" is a meticulously researched tale of romance, friendship, pageantry, spies, and deceit that explores the early years of the world's greatest stateswoman.

REVIEWS

This meticulously researched, accurate account of life at the Russian Imperial Court in the 18th century serves as a model of what a historical novel should be. Rypma’s familiarity with life leading up to and including the beginning of the reign of Catherine the Great shines through on every page. An engaging way to introduce readers to this complicated and treacherous history, as well as a mini “refresher course” for experts in the field. Even though I must have taught this very history for over 40 years, I couldn’t wait to turn the page to see what happens next.
Dr. Edward Alan Cole
Professor Emeritus of Russian Intellectual History


With her latest novel, Rypma lets us time travel with her intrepid heroine back to Imperial Russia as an insider during the early reign of Catherine II as she transforms into “the Great.” Characters come alive on every page as they weave their way through the intrigues, romances, and misadventures while the court travels from palace to palace. In inexperienced hands, the historical details that make up the novel's foundation could potentially bore readers; on the contrary, Rypma’s background as a renowned scholar of Russian literature; a poet and novelist of note; and a former travel journalist add to the sparkle of prose—not unlike the many jewels that adorn her heroine. Vivid characterization, expert plotting, and accessible writing make this novel a pleasure to read. I cannot wait for the sequel.
Dr. Christine A. Rydel
Prof. of Russian Language & Literature, retired
Editor, Ardis Publishers

This fascinating look at 18th-century Russia through the eyes of two charming protagonists is an elegantly written novel that offers a fresh look at two nations. The author’s passion for Russian culture and her careful, thorough research provide a thought-provoking alternative to the destructive tendency to cancel otherness in today’s political climate. Above all, it is a book that takes seriously the history of a country outside Rypma’s own culture. It is a book written with love—and a book meant to be loved.
Prof. Svetlana Shimberg
Leningrad State University