The Fortune Hunter by Daisy Goodwin (480 pages, 2014) is a lush historical novel set in 1875, revolving around a scandalous love triangle between Empress Elizabeth of Austria ("Sisi"), dashing Captain Bay Middleton, and wealthy heiress Charlotte Baird. The story, which blends fact and fiction, centers on the intense attraction between the restless Empress and Bay, a skilled horseman, which threatens his engagement to the intelligent, photography-loving Charlotte.