The Forbidden Waltz

by Sofi Laporte

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A Forbidden Love. A Secret Identity. A Royal Scandal.

In the dazzling courts of Vienna during the Congress, love defies an empire. When the emperor's charming son falls for a spirited English commoner, their secret romance must be kept hidden at all costs.

Philippa Cranwell has lost everything, yet she refuses to lose hope. When the man she loves mysteriously vanishes, she follows the faintest trail to Vienna and accepts a dangerous bargain with the Secret Police. Disguised as a palace maid, she is meant to uncover answers, not lose her heart.

Klemens Lindenstein is nothing like the man she remembers. Once her father's brilliant, carefree student, he now moves through the imperial court with effortless charm, concealing a truth that would shatter her world. For Klemens is Archduke Leopold Klemens of Austria, the emperor's scandalous youngest son and the court's most whispered-about rake: Prince Lucifer.

When their paths collide in the glittering halls of the Hofburg Palace, old affection ignites into something dangerously irresistible. But with Pippa bound to the Secret Police and Klemens bound to his imperial duty, their love becomes a dance of secrets and stolen moments that could destroy them both.

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Book Details

Genre

Historical Romance

Series

Viennese Waltz • Book 2

Audience

Upper YA

Bell Peppers

🫑🫑

Profanity

2 Mild

Violence

2 Mild

Drugs, Alcohol, Tobacco

3 Moderate

Publication Date

February 16, 2026

Language Versions

English

Narration Type

Human

Fiction Form

Novel

Sensitive Themes

Grief or loss of a loved one, Poverty or homelessness

Editorial Reviews

"Another wonderful story of longing and hope, filled with secrets, palace intrigue, forbidden love, and persistence... " - Reader on Amazon

"This is a delightful story, well plotted, well written with excellent characterisation..." - Reader on Goodreads

Lovely fairy tale ending

Having been to Vienna and the Schönbrunn Palace, I was intrigued with this glimpse into the Viennese court, political intrigue, and all the delegations present for the congress. My heart went out to Pippa for the impossible position she was put into and the double life Klemens lived, all while longing for a simple life with their true loves. Without giving anything away, suffice it to say the fairy tale ending was every girl’s dream! Make sure you read the authors notes for more fascinating historical details. Thanks to the author, I received an ARC with no obligation, and this is my honest review.

Disappointing

Yeah, I didn’t love this one. The political and spy aspects are dry and boring, and the relationship unromantic and underdeveloped. The ending gets a little better, but I still had to force my way through it. I loved the first book of the series, so was disappointed to not enjoy this one.Content:There no foul language, sex, or violence. The romance is limited to lightly descriptive kisses. There are scenes of revelry, but it’s not graphic and the MCs do not participate. There are many mentions of mistresses and affairs. There is no mention of faith or God.

Beautifully written, engaging story

The Forbidden Waltz is, at its heart, a love story. At the same time, our heroine finds herself deeply involved in mysterious and potentially dangerous circumstances in a lavishly detailed and vastly engaging story that carries the reader along through the many twists and turns of an exceptionally well-written tale. The author’s finely-honed skills for description and careful plotting are in full evidence, making The Forbidden Waltz a very enjoyable reading experience. As is always true with this author’s charming stories, I was rooting for the heroine from the first page; she was both inventive and resilient, traits to be admired.Once again we are visiting the Congress of Vienna (September 1814–June 1815), which serves as the dramatic backdrop of the Vienna Waltz series. This time we view the scene from a very different vantage point: that of a palace maid. Our heroine, an educated young woman who has reluctantly, but necessarily, accepted the job, has also been forced into spying on Congress participants. The Vienna Congress was famous for the vast numbers of spies working on behalf of the major powers involved, and in this book we get a look at that facet of the Congress, and get a sense of what life was like for those who worked behind the scenes. In other words, we learn a bit about history while reading a beautifully written story. Wonderful!

Finding Her Missing Fiance Brings Her to Vienna

I just love this series with all of the history of the courts of Vienna during the Congress, just after the Napoleonic Wars. Each book in this series probably can be read in any order as the books seamlessly overlap. The characters are wonderful and the story is well written. This one is about the son of the emperor who has fallen in love with a commoner. As his father is preparing an arranged marriage for him it seems like there is no solution for this couple to be together.Philippa Cranwell arrives in Vienna to find her fiance who has not answered her recent letters. With the death of her father and the loss of her home she arrives just as the delegates from many countries are coming for the Congress. When her purse with all of her money and identification papers is stolen, she is brought to the police who make a deal with her to keep her out of jail. She must get a job as a maid in the emperor's palace and spy for them. With her days so busy it seems it will be impossible to find her lost fiance, Klemens Lidenstein.Archduke Leopold Klemens of Austria, the emperor's scandalous youngest son and the court's most whispered-about rake: Prince Lucifer has been keeping his relationship with Pippa a secret for years. He would sneak away form the palace in the summer to become a student of Pippa's brilliant father under the name Klemens Lidenstein. He fell in love with Pippa and promised to marry her but now he has no clue where she has gone. He has no idea that she is actually living in the palace working as a maid. When he finally realizes she is safe in his household, he will have to regain her trust and find a way to finally make her his wife in the midst of all the palace intrigue.I received a copy of this book from the author and this is my honest unbiased review.

SO GOOD!

This was amazing!I loved the storyline.I honestly worried that this one would end badly- I’m glad I was wrong.There were lots of twists and turns in this one and I loved that Philippa continued being optimistic even when life threw her some terrible curveballs.I know almost nothing about the courts of Vienna- this book gave me a glimpse of life during that time, but not so much that I was bored or overwhelmed.I can’t wait for the next book!