If you could go back in time and have tea with Olga Nikolaevna Romanov, the last Grand Duchess of Russia, she’d tell you that all she wanted was to live a normal life. As she pushes the boundaries of constraint, she sees a world that is very different from what her parents see…or want to see. Like all young people of this time, the focus was on extravagant balls, parties and finding an appropriate husband. When war breaks out and Olga serves as a nurse, she falls in love with a soldier. It upends everything she has been taught and she finds herself at a crossroads having to choose between romance, obligation, and family.

Having read many books about the Romanovs, I knew the circumstances and the outcome. History books have carefully selected official photographs of the family, but don’t convey the individuality of the children. For this reason, Turnbull chose to give readers a glimpse of the royal children’s everyday life behind the palace walls. Turnbull reveals that because so much emphasis was put on the heir’s health, the girls were often lumped together and overshadowed. Unfortunately, these children were born into a Russia where sons were essential for the survival of the dynasty and daughters were deemed of little consequence. It was refreshing to see behind the scenes of this family through Olga’s eyes and see that they were a loving, close-knit family, who, because of the youngest child’s health, kept to themselves. They faced many of the issues modern families experience and like most parents, had high hopes for their children’s futures.

Turnbull immerses readers in an authentic, historical world and uses Olga’s diary entries to bring authenticity to the heartbreaking story. She sheds light on Imperial Russia and the Revolution. Turnbull has honoured the life of Grand Duchess Olga with this thoughtful insight into her life and death.

I was gifted this advance copy by Bryn Turnbull, Harlequin Trade Publishing, MIRA, and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I will read anything, fiction, or non fiction pertaining to the last imperial Romanov family; so I was delighted to get approved. The latest historical fictional, penned by Bryn Turnbull, focuses on oldest daughter Olga. Using the braided time, readers read forward and backward from 1913-1918. It s a poignant story since the known outcome is inevitable. Turnbull spends a lot of time developing at least two of Olga’s romances. I think she deals with the sensitive topics very well. She also provides a glossary, historical note, and a nice bibliography.
It’s sure to attract a wide array of readers.

Prior to reading this book, I knew little about the Russian Royal Family, The Bolshevik Revolution, or Lenin. The lives of the Romanov family make for such a fascinating story and Bryn Turnbull told it in a way that was both understandable and captivating! I could not put this one down! I have a feeling this is going to rank as one of my favorite of 2022!

I read the first 10%. Fans of historical fiction and especially fans of the story of the Romanov family will really enjoy this book if it continues as it has. An easy 3 to 4 stars, and 5 for the right reader. I did notice there were a lot of interesting details to flesh out the story, which readers either love or hate/gloss over.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for the ARC.

I really enjoyed this book, set in the eyes of Olga, the oldest Romanov Sister. I’m a bit weary of WWII historical fiction, so I can always appreciate an author who writes about characters or events not often featured in HF. As someone who has always been interested in the Russian Revolution, this adds a unique perspective. I wasn’t too big about the alternating timelines as I felt it made the progression of the plot slower, but I can see where the contrast might interest some readers.

I cannot overstate how much I loved this book!! If you're a big history buff like me this is so up your alley. I'm fascinated by Romanov history and this story brought to life those last turbulent years in a way that had me teary-eyed and holding my breath multiple times throughout. A gorgeous gorgeous book. I have no other words. Awed.

Disclaimer: I was sent a free book and am voluntarily leaving this honest review.

I must admit when I first read the cover of this book I was excited to read it. I love anything historical. I immediately realize upon starting this book that the author did an exquisite job of doing her research.

That said I found myself going in waves of being really into the book but then having moments of complete boredom. I am not sure if it was all the detail put into the book or what but I found myself lost at moments.

Overall I totally appreciated the amount of work and research the author did to bring this book to life and found it fit the genre well. Though I had moments I wasn't completely into it I did enjoy the book overall.

It was a beautiful story of coming of age in a time when things were scary. Along with being part of such a tragic family that we have all learned about at some point in our studies of history.

Maybe not quite a 5 star read for me but close and definitely one I could revisit at some point.

This was enjoyable but also kind of..... Boring. I'm sorry! I really, really wanted to love this because it's the type of book I'm constantly searching for but it just wasn't exactly what I wanted it to be and thus left me disappointed. I don't think the time jumping helped the novel, I think it would have been better off in a linear timeline. I didn't feel as connected to the family as I wanted to, and even Olga felt kind of far away from me at times. The writing was good and it kept my interest the whole time, so I'll definitely check out Turnbull's other novels.

This interesting story centers on Olga, the oldest child of the last czar of Russia. It is from her perspective that we hear about the revolution and their exile.

I enjoyed reading from Olga's perspective and seeing the softer side of the family, but I found it a bit jarring to flip back-and-forth between two different time lines from chapter-to-chapter.

I am fascinated by stories written about the rise and tragic fall of the Romanov family in Imperial Russia. Most stories are centered around the youngest daughter, Anastasia, so I was intrigued when I saw that this book focused on Olga,the oldest daughter. Even though this is a historical fiction novel, it is very apparent that the author did quite a bit of research not only on the family but also on Russia and the turmoil it experienced during the reign of Czar Nicholas. The family was constantly on display and scrutinized for everything they did and because of that Olga yearned for a normal life. Nicholas and his wife , Alexandra, sheltered the children from everything, including what was actually happening in Russia at the time and because of that the reader gets the sense that they had a very warped sense of reality. The story follows Olga in her quest for normalcy and also love as she meets a handsome military officer and serves as a nurse for wounded soldiers. Olga seems to grasp how dire the situation is in Russia and the precarious situation the family is in but is also torn by her fierce loyalty and love for her family.
For the most part this novel was very well written although at times I felt like the author became too wrapped up and wordy in her descriptions to the point where I lost interest and glossed over them. Overall, I did like the story and thought the author did a good job.
Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for sending me an advanced readers copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

I've read a handful of books about the Romanov's, and I've really enjoyed them, so I was excited to read this one. The story takes place in two time periods, and it goes back and forth between the years prior to the Revolution and those following it, right up to the family's execution. With this format, readers can really experience Olga's growth.

I didn't find this book to be quite as engaging as others I've read about the family, and I had a much harder time connecting with Turnbull's characters (and it may have been even harder if I wasn't already somewhat familiar with the family).

The Last Grand Duchess was not bad nor was it that good. It was a middling book for me as the writing was good while the storytelling could have been better. I don't blame the author as the story of the fall of the Romanov family has been told many times and I have read many similar books telling the same story. Part of the problem I had with Bryn Turnbull's book is her characters did not grab or keep my attention. Again, perhaps the issue was with me as I wrote earlier I have read the fall of the Romanov family many times...

Review written after downloading a galley from NetGalley.

DNF

Ever since reading Robert K Massie's thorough biography of Tsar Nicholas II, Alexandra, and their family, I've admittedly had a hard time reading anything else (fiction or non fiction) about them. I think it's worth noting that Massie's works are referenced in the bibliography section and to be honest I'd start there. His biographical writing is much more exciting than this fictionalized biography of Olga Nicholaevna.

This book just really failed to hook me. There was immediately too much foreshadowing, not enough personality, and next to no world-building of early 20th century Russia. The alternating jumps in time really did the narrative no favors.

I had a hard time trying to get into the story. Nothing in this story really made me want to continue it and I really just didn't enjoy it; that was pretty disappointing. Was hoping for something more surprising or at something new that we didn't already knew about the Romanovs.

The story of people involved in Russian history are especially fascinating to me. The author did a wonderful job of bringing the characters to life. I have made several pre-Pandemic trips to Russia, so characters like Olga, her family and Rasputin really interest me.

The author is skilled is creating an interesting story around a significant and frightening historical events. I recommend this to people who find this era interesting. If you are one of them, please pick up a copy of LOST ROSES, by Martha Hall Kelly The extensive research done by these authors make reading enjoyable and educational.

Thank you Netgalley for this ARC in return for an honest review.

The Last Grand Duchess is a sumptuous look into a tragedy that forever changed history. For a family oft depicted on a pedestal gilded in gold and near fantasy, this is a realistic view into a close knit family that was often stifling and overprotective and very out of step with the moving of the times. One can feel Olga pushing against her restraints yet unable to avoid her fate. Turnbull has done her research and her passion for the story is evident on each page. Brava.

While I enjoyed this new look at Rasputin and and Russian royals, I found it difficult to really get into the story. The whole time I had a sense that I already knew what was going to happen, and there was not much emotional weight in the story to keep me going. I was pretty disappointed.

I liked that the author featured the oldest daughter Olga. The author deftly weaves together the story of the Russian Revolution and the Romanovs. Although her story is sad, she showed such determination and courage.

I actually didn't finish this. I may go back to it and form a different opinion. Maybe I know too much about Tsar Nicholas and the excesses of his family, but none of the characters seemed very sympathetic or original.