Romanian History: A Captivating Guide to the History of Romania and Vlad the Impaler (History of European Countries) Paperback – January 16, 2021

I love these books as they are always informative, educational and interesting! Provides the right amount of facts/tidbits - not too little, not too much.

This was an easy read if you want to learn the history of Romania. I found it extremely interesting and it kept my interest throughout the book.

Really enjoyed the extra information about Vlad the Impaler. Would have liked more of the Cold War history however. The narrator did a great job on this!

The format is great. It kept me engaged until the end. This is a book for history students. I recommended it

Captivating History takes us to explore the history of Romania in this book.I didn't know that much about Romania other than a little about gypsies and Vlad Dracula when I started reading this book and I am so glad I read it.I really enjoyed reading and learning about:Who the Dacians were and if they really are the ancestors of the Romanian peopleHow Romania connected the West and EastHow the first independent Romanian kingdoms formed and took the role of guarding Europe against Ottoman invasionsVlad Tepes, Stephen the Great, and Michael the Brave, three medieval heroes who are still celebrated today.The Phanariots, the Greek rulers of Moldavia and WallachiaHow communism almost destroyed the nationand how the Romanians freed themselves from the Ceausescu Regime.My favorite being the first three chapters about the ancient prehistoric origins of the Romanian people.The Romanians are fascinating people and Captivating history does a great job of introducing them to us in this book and taking us through their history.I enjoyed this book and highly recommend it.Vlad The Impaler:I think most of us know or think we know at least a little bit about Vlad the Impaler, also known as Vlad Tepes,Vlad Dracul or Vlad Dracula,the inspiration for Bram Stoker's Dracula.Most of us know of the myths of Dracula and the Hollywood spin.Captivating History introduces us to the the Vlad Dracula that not a lot of us know.Vlad Tepes led a life that most of us can't even imagine right from birth,which, I'm sure contributed to his actions and the myths.Vlad Dracula was a blood thirsty warrior, but also prevented the Ottoman empire from taking over. His blood thirsty rampages and penchant for displaying the bodies of his enemies as both warning and deterrent, I'm sure we're pretty effective to keep enemies in check.Vlad is an interesting subject and Captivating History has once again introduced and captured a figure from history well.I highly recommend this two book bundle.

Really fascinating and well written book about a little-known region, surrounded in mystery. Romania was actually three principalities, situated in a very crucial area, with a major port city on the Black Sea, and a supremely important part of the main trade route with the East. As a result, Romania was constantly fought over by the most powerful empires of Eurasia: Rome, Constantinople, Ottomans, Hapsburgs, Russians, Nazis, you name it. So, to survive, Romania had to battle, or make peace and pay tribute to the major empires of Eastern Europe. As a result, Romania was a crossroad and a blend of cultures and peoples. Truly interesting. The second part of the book deals with one of the best known, least understood, and most reviled and legendary rulers of Romania, Vlad the Impaler, or Vlad Dracula, if you prefer. Yes, that Dracula. He was, by no means, a jolly good fella; no one that you would invite to dinner. But a strong, powerful leader he was. The story examines the life, the legend, and the legacy. Truly a wonderful book that I thoroughly enjoyed reading.

Again I am asked to write a review on a book bundle in which I have just finished a review on part of the book. I have just reviewed The History of Romania, therefore, if you want to read what I wrote go to that review. As far a Vlad the Impaler, I have read and seen various bio documentaries and programs that have provided a lot of information on Vlad. Admittedly, I first decided to research Vlad because the first time I heard his name was when they claimed that Vlad was the inspiration for Dracula and I wanted to see the connection. Blood-thirsty, I have no doubt; but a drinker of blood to gain immortality - give me a break. A leader who was one of those who helped prevent the Ottoman Empire from gaining control of Europe was a better means of gaining immortality. And let's not forget that his period of time was a more violent period in history than ours (which can be debatable) and when we "more civilized" people think we are better because of our technology, etc., that it is just a different time in the history of this world we live on.

I was disappointed to see the quality and to find there is NO NAME OF AN AUTHOR which leads me to believe this book is compiled from the internet with no other research, the photos are THE WORST QUALITY and literally look like they were cut and paste from the internet, I showed this to a Romanian friend and she said it is total garbage.