
The Second Empress
A Novel of Napoleon's Court
Failed to add items
Add to Cart failed.
Add to Wish List failed.
Remove from wishlist failed.
Adding to library failed
Follow podcast failed
Unfollow podcast failed

Get 2 free audiobooks during trial.
Buy for $20.25
No default payment method selected.
We are sorry. We are not allowed to sell this product with the selected payment method
-
Narrated by:
-
Adam Alexi-Malle
-
Emma Bering
-
Tanya Franks
-
By:
-
Michelle Moran
About this listen
National best-selling author Michelle Moran returns to Paris, this time under the rule of Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte as he casts aside his beautiful wife to marry a Hapsburg princess he hopes will bear him a royal heir....
After the bloody French Revolution, Emperor Napoleon’s power is absolute. When Marie-Louise, the 18-year-old daughter of the King of Austria, is told that the Emperor has demanded her hand in marriage, her father presents her with a terrible choice: marry the cruel, capricious Napoleon, leaving the man she loves and her home forever, or say no, and plunge her country into war.
Marie-Louise knows what she must do, and she travels to France, determined to be a good wife despite Napoleon’s reputation. But lavish parties greet her in Paris, and at the extravagant French court, she finds many rivals for her husband’s affection, including Napoleon’s first wife, Joséphine, and his sister Pauline, the only woman as ambitious as the emperor himself. Beloved by some and infamous to many, Pauline is fiercely loyal to her brother. She is also convinced that Napoleon is destined to become the modern Pharaoh of Egypt. Indeed, her greatest hope is to rule alongside him as his queen - a brother-sister marriage just as the ancient Egyptian royals practiced. Determined to see this dream come to pass, Pauline embarks on a campaign to undermine the new empress and convince Napoleon to divorce Marie-Louise.
As Pauline’s insightful Haitian servant, Paul, watches these two women clash, he is torn between his love for Pauline and his sympathy for Marie-Louise. But there are greater concerns than Pauline’s jealousy plaguing the court of France. While Napoleon becomes increasingly desperate for an heir, the empire’s peace looks increasingly unstable. When war once again sweeps the continent and bloodshed threatens Marie-Louise’s family in Austria, the second Empress is forced to make choices that will determine her place in history - and change the course of her life.
Based on primary resources from the time, The Second Empress takes readers back to Napoleon’s empire, where royals and servants alike live at the whim of one man, and two women vie to change their destinies.
©2012 Michelle Moran (P)2012 Random House AudioListeners also enjoyed...
-
Nefertiti
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods.
-
-
Boring! Not even close to the synopsis.
- By The Louligan on 09-18-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Rebel Queen
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest. India is fractured and divided into kingdoms, each independent and wary of one another, seemingly no match for the might of the English. But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge.
-
-
Very entertaining
- By Riverderby on 04-29-15
By: Michelle Moran
-
Madame Tussaud
- A Novel of the French Revolution
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador Thomas Jefferson to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and word even arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses....
-
-
Tales from a turbulent time
- By Tim on 07-23-12
By: Michelle Moran
-
Cleopatra's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.
-
-
A pretty engaging story
- By BATFS on 12-23-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Mata Hari's Last Dance
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom...or death. Alone and despondent, she is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she's been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers. As she waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison.
-
-
Throughly enjoyable
- By scalante on 09-07-16
By: Michelle Moran
-
The Queen's Fortune
- A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire
- By: Allison Pataki
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the French revolution ravages the country, Desiree Clary is faced with the life-altering truth that the world she has known and loved is gone, and it’s fallen on her to save her family from the guillotine. A chance encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious and charismatic young military prodigy, provides her answer. When her beloved sister, Julie, marries his brother, Joseph, Desiree and Napoleon’s futures become irrevocably linked.
-
-
Fascinating Heroine
- By HistoryNerd on 04-08-21
By: Allison Pataki
-
Nefertiti
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 16 hrs
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Nefertiti and her younger sister, Mutnodjmet, have been raised in a powerful family that has provided wives to the rulers of Egypt for centuries. Ambitious, charismatic, and beautiful, Nefertiti is destined to marry Amunhotep, an unstable young pharaoh. It is hoped that her strong personality will temper the young ruler’s heretical desire to forsake Egypt’s ancient gods.
-
-
Boring! Not even close to the synopsis.
- By The Louligan on 09-18-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Rebel Queen
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 11 hrs and 10 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
When the British Empire sets its sights on India in the mid-nineteenth century, it expects a quick and easy conquest. India is fractured and divided into kingdoms, each independent and wary of one another, seemingly no match for the might of the English. But when they arrive in the Kingdom of Jhansi, the British army is met with a surprising challenge.
-
-
Very entertaining
- By Riverderby on 04-29-15
By: Michelle Moran
-
Madame Tussaud
- A Novel of the French Revolution
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Rosalyn Landor
- Length: 15 hrs and 22 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Marie Tussaud has learned the secrets of wax sculpting by working alongside her uncle in their celebrated wax museum, the Salon de Cire. From her popular model of the American ambassador Thomas Jefferson to her tableau of the royal family at dinner, Marie's museum provides Parisians with the very latest news on fashion, gossip, even politics. Her customers hail from every walk of life, and word even arrives that the royals themselves are coming to see their likenesses....
-
-
Tales from a turbulent time
- By Tim on 07-23-12
By: Michelle Moran
-
Cleopatra's Daughter
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Wanda McCaddon
- Length: 11 hrs and 52 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The marriage of Marc Antony and Cleopatra is one of the greatest love stories of all time, a tale of unbridled passion with earth-shaking political consequences. Feared and hunted by the powers in Rome, the lovers choose to die by their own hands as the triumphant armies of Antony's vengeful rival, Octavian, sweep into Egypt. Their three orphaned children are taken in chains to Rome; only two---the 10-year-old twins Selene and Alexander---survive the journey.
-
-
A pretty engaging story
- By BATFS on 12-23-09
By: Michelle Moran
-
Mata Hari's Last Dance
- A Novel
- By: Michelle Moran
- Narrated by: Zara Ramm
- Length: 7 hrs and 17 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Paris, 1917. The notorious dancer Mata Hari sits in a cold cell awaiting freedom...or death. Alone and despondent, she is as confused as the rest of the world about the charges she's been arrested on: treason leading to the deaths of thousands of French soldiers. As she waits for her fate to be decided, she relays the story of her life to a reporter who is allowed to visit her in prison.
-
-
Throughly enjoyable
- By scalante on 09-07-16
By: Michelle Moran
-
The Queen's Fortune
- A Novel of Desiree, Napoleon, and the Dynasty That Outlasted the Empire
- By: Allison Pataki
- Narrated by: Justine Eyre
- Length: 15 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As the French revolution ravages the country, Desiree Clary is faced with the life-altering truth that the world she has known and loved is gone, and it’s fallen on her to save her family from the guillotine. A chance encounter with Napoleon Bonaparte, the ambitious and charismatic young military prodigy, provides her answer. When her beloved sister, Julie, marries his brother, Joseph, Desiree and Napoleon’s futures become irrevocably linked.
-
-
Fascinating Heroine
- By HistoryNerd on 04-08-21
By: Allison Pataki
-
The Accidental Empress
- By: Allison Pataki
- Narrated by: Madeleine Maby
- Length: 18 hrs and 4 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The year is 1853, and the Habsburgs are Europe's most powerful ruling family. With his empire stretching from Austria to Russia, from Germany to Italy, Emperor Franz Joseph is young, rich, and ready to marry.
-
-
learn your pronounciation
- By SK on 03-18-15
By: Allison Pataki
-
Mistress of Rome
- Empress of Rome, Book 1
- By: Kate Quinn
- Narrated by: Elizabeth Wiley
- Length: 15 hrs and 44 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Thea is a slave girl from Judaea, passionate, musical, and guarded. Purchased as a toy for the spiteful heiress Lepida Pollia, Thea will become her mistress' rival for the love of Arius the Barbarian, Rome's newest and most savage gladiator. His love brings Thea the first happiness of her life, but that is quickly ended when a jealous Lepida tears them apart.
-
-
If you loved the series Rome; don't miss this.
- By Dixie Diva on 12-16-15
By: Kate Quinn
-
The Romanov Empress
- A Novel of Tsarina Maria Feodorovna
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 17 hrs and 49 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Narrated by the mother of Russia’s last tsar, this vivid, historically authentic novel brings to life the courageous story of Maria Feodorovna, one of Imperial Russia’s most compelling women, who witnessed the splendor and tragic downfall of the Romanovs as she fought to save her dynasty in its final years.
-
-
Pure Excellence!
- By Bunny on 09-09-18
By: C. W. Gortner
-
Becoming Marie Antoinette
- A Novel
- By: Juliet Grey
- Narrated by: Juliet Grey
- Length: 16 hrs and 27 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Raised alongside her numerous brothers and sisters by the formidable empress of Austria, ten-year-old Maria Antonia knew that her idyllic existence would one day be sacrificed to her mother’s political ambitions. What she never anticipated was that the day in question would come so soon.
-
-
Narrator was amazing!!!
- By Jasmina on 09-12-17
By: Juliet Grey
-
Antoinette's Sister
- By: Diana Giovinazzo
- Narrated by: Marisa Calin
- Length: 11 hrs and 43 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
As Marie Antoinette took her last breath as queen of France in Paris, another formidable monarch - Antoinette’s dearly beloved sister, Charlotte - was hundreds of miles away, in Naples, fighting desperately to secure her release from the revolutionaries who would take her life. Little did Charlotte know, however, that her sister’s execution would change the course of history - and bring about the end of her own empire.
-
-
Started off good, but I lost interest as time went
- By Tess of the D'urbervilles on 02-02-22
By: Diana Giovinazzo
-
Daughter of the Gods
- A Novel of Ancient Egypt
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Ilyana Kadushin
- Length: 15 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Egypt, 1400s BC. The pharaoh's pampered second daughter, lively, intelligent Hatshepsut, delights in racing her chariot through the marketplace and testing her archery skills in the Nile's marshlands. But the death of her elder sister, Neferubity, in a gruesome accident arising from Hatshepsut's games forces her to confront her guilt...and sets her on a profoundly changed course.
-
-
Great story
- By Maria on 01-30-21
-
The Confessions of Catherine de Medici
- A Novel
- By: C. W. Gortner
- Narrated by: Cassandra Campbell
- Length: 15 hrs and 58 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In this brilliantly imagined novel, acclaimed author C. W. Gortner brings Catherine to life in her own voice, allowing us to enter the intimate world of a woman whose determination to protect her family’s throne and realm plunged her into a lethal struggle for power. From the fairy-tale chateaux of the Loire Valley to the battlefields of the wars of religion to the mob-filled streets of Paris, this is the extraordinary untold journey of one of the most maligned and misunderstood women ever to be queen.
-
-
Pretty good but historical details are terrible
- By Kindle Customer on 07-10-11
By: C. W. Gortner
-
The Last Queen
- A Novel of Courage and Resistance
- By: Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni
- Narrated by: Sneha Mathan
- Length: 13 hrs and 41 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
Sharp-eyed, stubborn, and passionate, Jindan was known for her beauty. When she caught the eye of Maharaja Ranjit Singh, she was elevated to royalty, becoming his youngest and last queen—and his favorite. And when her son, barely six years old, unexpectedly inherited the throne, Jindan assumed the regency. She transformed herself from pampered wife to warrior ruler, determined to protect her people and her son’s birthright from the encroaching British Empire.
-
-
One of the best books on Rani Jinda
- By Kamal Singh on 12-08-22
-
A Most English Princess
- A Novel of Queen Victoria's Daughter
- By: Clare McHugh
- Narrated by: Katharine Lee McEwan
- Length: 17 hrs and 32 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
To the world, she was Princess Victoria, daughter of a queen, wife of an emperor, and mother of Kaiser Wilhelm. Her family just called her Vicky...smart, pretty, and self-assured, she changed the course of the world. January 1858: Princess Victoria glides down the aisle of St. James Chapel to the waiting arms of her beloved, Fritz, Prince Frederick, heir to the powerful kingdom of Prussia.
-
-
A most delightful audiobook
- By Trudy D on 10-28-20
By: Clare McHugh
-
Courtesan
- By: Diane Haeger
- Narrated by: Corrie James
- Length: 22 hrs and 36 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
The Court of François I is full of lust, intrigue, and bawdy bon temps—a different world from the quiet country life Diane de Poitiers led with her elderly husband. Now a widow, the elegant Diane is called back to Court, where the King's obvious interest marks her as an enemy to the King's favorite, Anne d'Heilly. The Court is soon electrified by rumors of their confrontations. As Anne calls on her most venomous tricks to drive Diane away, Diane finds an ally in the one member of Court with no allegiance to the King's mistress: his teenage second son, Henri.
-
-
Heart Breaking
- By Anonymous User on 11-29-23
By: Diane Haeger
-
The Secret History
- A Novel of Empress Theodora
- By: Stephanie Marie Thornton
- Narrated by: Patricia Santomasso
- Length: 13 hrs and 54 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
In sixth-century Constantinople, one woman, Theodora, defied every convention and all the odds and rose from common theater tart to empress of a great kingdom - the most powerful woman the Roman Empire would ever know. The woman whose image was later immortalized in glittering mosaic was a scrappy, clever, conniving, flesh-and-blood woman full of sensuality and spirit whose real story is as surprising as any ever told....
-
-
How very hard to sympathize with a narcissist
- By DrBon on 03-15-22
-
Lily of the Nile
- The Cleopatra's Daughter Trilogy, Book 1
- By: Stephanie Dray
- Narrated by: Kyla Garcia
- Length: 12 hrs and 39 mins
- Unabridged
-
Overall
-
Performance
-
Story
With both of her parents dead, Princess Selene and her two surviving brothers are left at the mercy of their captors, taken from Egypt and put on display as war trophies in Rome. Trapped in an empire that reviles her heritage and suspects her faith, Selene struggles for survival in a court of intrigue. She can't hide the hieroglyphics that carve themselves into her hands nor can she stop the emperor from using her powers for his own ends.
-
-
Simple & basic storytelling that fell short of expectations!
- By Kris on 02-17-19
By: Stephanie Dray
Critic reviews
I stayed up all night to finish this! A must buy for anyone who enjoys historical biographies and historical fiction.
A brilliant novel!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Overall interesting and educational
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
interesting & captivating
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Good story, poor performance
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Loved it!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
loved it
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Great Read!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
History Lesson/Soap Opera!
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
Entering
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.
I teresting
Something went wrong. Please try again in a few minutes.