In her new novel, The Queen’s Fortune, author Allison Pataki delves into a “good royal drama” — one that happened over two centuries ago.

Pataki tells the true story of Desiree Clary, a 19th-century Frenchwoman who fell in love with Napoleon Bonaparte, who went on to become the French Emperor and then broke her heart. Turns out getting jilted by the 5-foot-7-inch Bonaparte wasn’t such a bad thing for Clary, who eventually married Jean Bernadotte and became the Queen of Sweden for 26 years.

Though Napoleon is one of Europe’s most famous and chronicled leaders, Desiree’s story is largely untold, says Pataki, 35, the daughter of former New York Governor George Pataki.