Congress of Secrets

In 1814, the Congress of Vienna has just begun. Diplomats draw a new map of Europe, and aristocrats and royals celebrate the downfall of Napoleon, among them Lady Caroline Wyndham, a wealthy English widow. But Caroline has a secret: she was born Karolina Vogl, daughter of a radical Viennese printer. When her father was arrested by the secret police, Caroline's childhood was stolen from her by dark alchemy.

Under a new name and nationality, she returns to Vienna to save her father. When she finds Michael Steinhüller, her father's old apprentice, now a charming con man, she also finds an unexpected chance at love.

But the forces that shattered Caroline's childhood still rule Vienna behind a glittering façade of balls and salons, and her disguise is perilously fragile.

Stephanie Burgis is the author of Masks and Shadows. She has published over thirty short stories for adults. Kat, Incorrigible (US)/A Most Improper Magick (UK) won the Waverton Good Read Children's Award in 2011 for Best Debut Children's Novel by a British writer. It was followed by Renegade Magic/A Tangle of Magicks and Stolen Magic/A Reckless Magick. Born in Michigan, she now lives in Wales with her husband, writer Patrick Samphire, and their children. Before becoming a fulltime writer, she studied music history as a Fulbright Scholar in Vienna, Austria, and worked as a website editor for a British opera company.