I was given an ARC by the publisher in exchange for an honest review

The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh is a historical novel focusing on the royal family that ruled over a lot of Europe in the late nineteenth century, particularly on Ella and Alix, a future Grand Duchess and Empress of the Russian Empire respectively. The novel starts from the childhoods of Ella and Alix and goes all the way to the coronation of Tzar Nicholas.

McHugh doesn’t glorify the Russian Empire, critiquing it and the opulence enjoyed by the royal family while also drawing attention to attempts on the royal family’s life that shows the people of Russia were unhappy for a long time. This chapter of the history of the Romanov family is not explored often, with a lot of media focusing on Anastasia in particular. Ella and Alix were Prussian princesses with connections to the British and Danish royal families and the novel highlights how closed the family tree of this family was and the negative impacts it could have on the children.

What I liked was the multi-POV style of the book, using different people to show varying perspectives on the Russian Empire, its royal family, and the other royalty at the time. My favorite POV was probably Alix’s for how her grief was portrayed and how she grew throughout the novel.

I would recommend this to fans of royal history, readers who want to learn more about the Romanov line, and readers interested in Prussian history.

The Romanov Brides is a fascinating look at some of the final years of imperial Russia, through the lens of Germanic princesses Alix and Ella. Alix would later become Tsarina Alexandra, wife of the final Tsar of Russia, Nicholas II. The story begins in Alix and Ella's childhood, following the pair through royal marriage negotiations facilitated by their grandmother, Queen Victoria of England, and the various forces influencing their ultimate decisions.

There is a lot that I enjoyed in this story. Our opening scene follows Alix and Ella as an illness sweeps their family in childhood, a tragic event that will shape the rest of their lives. As the story unfolds, McHugh's detailed research is paramount, as she eloquently illustrates scenes from Alix and Ella's lives as they move closer to their eventual marriages. While the book generally follows the perspective of Alix or Ella, McHugh includes a number of scenes from outside characters, allowing a fuller understanding of the world and the political ramifications of these unions. While a few of these felt superfluous or unnecessary, the majority truly helped the overall story.

My biggest issue with the book is the timeline. Starting in childhood, the story continues up to Alix's wedding day, including every bit of detail regarding changing issues with her eventual marriage to the heir to the Russian throne. As a historian myself, I enjoyed this attention to detail of marriage politics in the period. However, I was drawn to the title due to the knowledge that Alix would become the last Tsarina, a fact that we do not see on the page. The story ends at her wedding, and a short afterward details the end of her and Ella's lives. I would have loved to have seen her role as Tsarina, and how she and Ella continued to balance their lives with the tumultuous times in Russia.

Overall, this was a very interesting take on an aspect of Russian history that I would like to know more about. If you are interested in how royal marriages came to be in the late nineteenth century, this is a fantastic read. If you are more interested in the end of the Romanovs and the Russian revolution, I am afraid this is not the book for you. I look forward to more of McHugh's writing, as she clearly balances fact and fiction well in her historical fiction writing.

Thank you, NetGalley and William Morrow, for my free ebook for review.

Clare McHugh's "The Romanov Brides" offers a captivating glimpse into the lives of Princess Ella and Princess Alix of Hesse and by Rhine. The novel vividly portrays the sisters' early experiences, from the loss of their mother at a tender age to the intricacies of their family dynamics, including their relationships with their father, siblings, cousins, and grandmother, Queen Victoria. The narrative delves into the women's inner turmoil and the weighty decisions they face, particularly in the realm of marriage. One striking aspect is the evolution of their religious inclinations and beliefs.

Central to the story are the sisters' marriages, with a focus on the courtship and marriage of Ella and Grand Duke Serge, as well as the love story of Alix and Nicholas II. Against the backdrop of provincial life in Hesse, the opulence of Russia, and the austerity of England, the novel expertly weaves in the matches Queen Victoria seeks to arrange within her family, the necessity of paternal approval for marriage, and the disparities in governance, religion, and the mounting unrest in Europe.

Overall, "The Romanov Brides" offers a profound exploration of the sisters' lives, their unique personalities, and the tragic events that ultimately befall them.

I would like to thank NetGalley and William Morrow Books for an advanced reader copy of The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh.

As someone who loves historical fiction, I am always excited when I see a book about a period of history I know little about and something I do not seen often covered in the genre. The Romanov Brides covers the early life and marriages of Princess Alix and Ella of Hesse, the future Empress Alexandra (last empress of Russia) and Grand Duchess Elizabeth of Russia. Both of their lives do not have a happy ending, but this book is not about that. Instead, the books follows them both falling in love with their future husbands and getting married.

Overall, I really enjoyed The Romanov Brides. The book covers a long period of history in a short amount of time, and I thought this was well done, for the most part.

Alix and Ella are both engaging characters that I really enjoyed, along with their future husbands, Serge and Nicolas. I am not an expert in any of the historical figures in this book so I do not know how accurate it was, but I enjoyed their characters and they represented the time period well. The romance between both couples is not the most romantic, but this makes sense as they are nobility and do not have the true freedom to marry for love. From what we do get to see, both couples are cute and work well together. The non-romantic relationships were also good in this book, familial relationships get explored on all ends and developed throughout the book.

My only issues with book was the pacing towards the end and the narration. Towards the end of the book, the pacing is pretty slow and then ramps up very quickly at the end, so it seems like the book ends out of nowhere. As for the narration, the perspective of who is narrating changes every few chapters and sometimes, it can be difficult to tell who is narrating immediately in the chapter.

Overall, I would give The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh a 4 out of 5 stars. Minus the pacing issues, I really enjoyed the story, characters, and relationships in this book.

The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh tells the story of Princess Alix and her sister Princess Ella who become brides to Nicholas and Sergei of Russia. We all know what became of Nicholas and Alexandra, but this was the earlier story of their lives from childhood to the marriage of Alexandra and Nicholas. Well written and researched. It was interesting to see how Queen Victoria of England was an influence in their lives. Also it was noted how hemophilia was a concern in this family. A good read for historical fiction lovers. Thank you to NetGallery and William Morrow for letting me read this book in exchange for an honest review.

I zoomed right through this book. While Alix’s story is well known to most, I had not much knowledge of her sisters Elizabeth “Ella” and Victoria. Alix’s lack of “royal” personality was well known, and in time did not endear her to the Russian people she became the empress of, but this book endeavors to bring more heart and depth to her., Victoria, however, I would have liked to seen more of, as her was told rather quickly and she effectively faded into the background. Ella’s character, though starting sad at the beginning of her marriage, shined through and overcame the challenges that faced her. She was given more depth and fleshing out than Victoria was, but I found myself wanting more from both of them. Telling the story of three individual women who are all apart of history is not easy, and for the most part, I enjoyed what Clare McHugh did with her characters. For fans of the author, or Russian/Romanov History, or fans of the entwined history of Queen Victoria”s many descendants, this novel is a must to add to your reading of 2024!

Thank you to William Morrow and NetGalley for the E-ARC copy!

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.
The Romanovs are one of my favorite historical topics, so anytime I find a book about them, I jump at the chance to read it. And not only did The Romanov Brides promise a new take on the topic, shifting away from the tragic final years and the Russian Revolution, but instead on the courtship of Nicholas and Alexandra, as well as the earlier marriage between Alexandra’s sister, Elisabeth and Nicholas’ uncle, Serge, but it was by an author who I’d previously read a book from about Victoria, the Princess Royal.
McHugh really gets into the nitty-gritty of how the Romanovs, the British Royals, and the different German royal families, from the Prussians to the Hesses, are all connected. While it initially seems daunting, I appreciate how she simplifies it, while also conveying the information in-text. It really provides context for how things would shake out and explode just a few decades later in World War I with cousins fighting each other. I did find it funny that Wilhelm II was portrayed as being on such civil terms with his cousins, but McHugh makes it believable…even having Wilhelm play matchmaker for Nicholas and Alexandra (Alix) when all else seemed to fail (along with a dose of dramatic irony, with him referencing deteriorating German-Russian relations!)
But despite the book being full of characters and shifting perspectives, I liked how the book never forgot the centering of the sisters, mostly Elisabeth, Alix, and Victoria, and their bonds with one another. I admit, despite not knowing a ton about her going in, Elisabeth ended up resonating with me the most. She genuinely did not know what to expect going into her marriage with Serge, and the secrets he was keeping. He’s ultimately a good man, even if he isn’t able to give her the family she thought she’d have.
For Alix’s part, I also felt for her. From the opening chapter, I recognized some of the elements of her childhood, like a hemophiliac sibling and the general dynamic between sisters as mirroring what I had heard of the life her children had, with the main difference being that Alix’s family weren’t of major importance in the grand scheme of things. I truly sympathized with her, as she grappled with her feelings for Nicholas and his for her, and how she tried to reconcile them with her faith. And while, in hindsight, perhaps she and others were right in their reservations, it was obvious that, even if Nicholas wasn’t suited for the role of tsar and Alix wasn’t suitable to be tsarina, he and Alix were truly perfect for one another as husband and wife.
While she’s not as pronounced a character as Elisabeth and Alix are, I really liked also learning a bit more about the woman who would later become Victoria Mountbatten. I particularly enjoyed learning about how she oversaw Elisabeth’s eventual burial after her body had been rescued, not to mention that she was named one of the godparents for Charles III.
This is an engaging read, and it’s perfect for readers who enjoy historical fiction about royalty.

There is much to learn while reading this novel, making it an interesting book. My thanks to NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review. Reviewed on Goodreads.

I’ve always had a fascination with the tragic tale of the Romanov family and hoped this book would satisfy my longstanding interests. In addition, THE ROMANOV BRIDES delves into the extended family of Queen Victoria and the various European royalty crisscrossing the continent and their intermarriages. The book spends too much time on imaginary conversations and internal dialog and not enough on actual activities. The book seemed slow moving to me and frankly I lost interest. It felt as though written for a younger reader. I received my copy from the publisher through NetGalley.

Royal families ruled the pre-WWI world were so intertwined that they were intermarried..and in the book it shows Queen Victoria was the meddling match maker. History shows, as does the book that the Queen never liked or trusted the Russian Royal family (the Romanovs) even though they were family and she was adamant that she did not wish her granddaughters to marry Russians.

The book follows the story of Princess Alix of Hesse—the future Alexandra, last Empress of Imperial Russia and her sister, Princess Ella who both marry into the Romanov royal family. In theory, the marriages should have brought an alliance, but history had something else to say.

I enjoyed the story, I find we don’t have enough historical fiction in Russia or pre-WWI (or WWI) era. The world was volatile then and is ripe with stories. Thank you Clare McHugh for this book!

Thank you NetGalley and William Morrow for an advanced copy!

Thank you to NetGalley for the early reader ebook copy of “The Romanov Brides”! I have had a fascination with Russia’s ill-fated royal family since reading “Nicholas and Alexandra” many years ago, and “The Romanov Brides” gave me an engrossing closer look at the early life of these granddaughters of Queen Victoria, Ali’s and Ella, who despite the Queen’s opposition Alexandra and her sister married in to the Russian royal family. A great read for historical fiction fans, particularly those with an interest in the Russian history. I would definitely recommend! #TheRomanovBrides #NetGalley

Having a story based on real people helps connect readers to this book. Giving little details helps to strengthen the bond of reader and characters. I would have liked the author to have told the characters fate as part of her story instead of the brief history lesson at the end. Overall, this was an enjoyable read and would recommend it to others

This is the story of the marriages of two of Queen Victoria's granddaughters, Ella and Alix, princesses of Hesse, who married Romanovs. Older sister Ella married Grand Duke Sergei, younger brother of the Tsar, and Alix met Nicholas, heir to the throne, at Ella's wedding when she was only 12 and he was 16.

This book focuses on the courtships and marriages of the two women as well as the early years of Ella's marriage. Queen Victoria's strongly opposed any alliance with the Romanov dynasty and attempted to match both girls with other royal suitors but they resisted and all obstacles to both marriages were ultimately overcome.

This is an interesting look at royal and court life at the end of the 19th century in England and throughout Europe. Both women suffered horrific deaths at the hands of the Russian revolutionaries (not covered in this book) so Victoria's opposition was well founded.

Students of history have read accounts of the tragic fate of the Romanovs and historical fiction novels filled with hope and the possibility that some may have survived. The Romanov Brides focuses on two granddaughters of Queen Victoria and their bridal journey to the foot of the Russian Orthodox altar.
The opening pages are thankfully filled with the family trees of English Queen Victoria and Russian Tsar Alexander 11. I referred to these often while reading and have such respect for experts on British and Russian history. Princess Elisabeth, “Ella”, and her younger sister, Alix, “Sunny,” are the central characters, though there is some detail about the lives of the other 5 siblings. Clara McHugh’s extensive research is based on the sisters’ diaries and letters, and those of people closest to them. Readers know the outcome from the title, but the intrigue, manipulation and interference by Queen Victoria and the oversight of the Russian royals, add to the surprising and often maddening plot lines. I felt a closeness to Ella’s fears of the vastness of Russia, the immense palaces, a foreign tongue, the prospect of leaving her family and denouncing her religion. The descriptions and dialogue evoke all the senses and an array of feelings, from grief and despair to giddy first love sensations. Clara McHugh portrays compassionate insights into the contemplations and intense loyalties Alix deals with as she waivers back and forth in deciding whether to wed Nicky and denounce her Lutheran faith for the Orthodox doctrine.
I found myself caring deeply for both sisters and wishing someone would’ve convinced them to make different choices, though certainly not any of Queen Victoria’s suggestions, which were mostly first cousins. To Ella and Alix’s credit they marry for love and devote their short lives to being supportive wives and mothers. Clara McHugh’s The Romanov Brides gave me that curious feeling one gets upon discovering a diary, giving an over the shoulder look to see if anyone’s watching and then opening it up for just a quick peek!

This is historical fiction based around Alexandra, the last Russian Empress and her family. We follow multiple POVs in this story but we mostly follow two main POVs of Alexandra “Alix” and Elizabeth “Ella” her older sister. Both being granddaughters to Queen Victoria they had a lot of pressure on them to marry within the German or English families. Ella ends up being engaged to Grand Duke Sergei Alexandorvich, brother to the tsar of Russia. That’s when Alix meets Nicky the tsarevich, and from then on he wants no one else but her. I was honestly surprised how much they went through to be together, a lot of people didn’t want them to be together including the Tsar and Tsarina, not to mention Queen Victoria. I really enjoyed seeing how their early life unfolded to them finally being together. I did enjoy this one very much, I almost wish there was another book for the continuation.

Thank you Netgalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

When Fox released the movie Anastasia in 1997, they unlocked an obsession for the Russian Royal family in this reader.

As I am fascinated by this family and tragic story, I thoroughly enjoyed this book. The characters are enjoyable and seem to give a deeper view into multiple members of the royal families. The characters are beautifully written and correct for the time period.

As the story revolves around royalty the main characters don’t really do much action. The story progresses with a lot of talking and the drama involved with committing to marriage.

I like this writer’s style and storytelling. I hope she writes a sequel involving the final years of the Romanov empire. I would love more insight into the very dramatic time period.

This compelling narrative delves into the intricate beginnings of the marriages between Ella and Alix and the Romanovs, offering a fresh perspective on well-known historical figures. Rather than focusing on their tragic ends, the story explores the complexities of their relationships and the challenges they faced.

Through vivid storytelling, the author brings to life the times, places, and people involved, immersing readers in the rich tapestry of history. By alternating between the perspectives of Ella, Alix, and other supporting characters, the novel offers a multifaceted portrayal of their experiences and relationships.

Overall, “The Romanov Brides” is a well-crafted and engaging read that will appeal to fans of historical fiction. With its nuanced characterizations and captivating storytelling, it offers a compelling glimpse into the lives of these fascinating women. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for providing an early read opportunity.

Thank you William Morrow for my free ARC of The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh — available Mar 12!

Read this if you:
✨ love richly detailed historical characters
🩵 are someone that follows your heart
🪆 enjoy Russian history and culture in the Victorian era

Alix of Hesse and her sister Ella are German princesses with the world at their feet. As beautiful granddaughters of the British Queen Victoria, they are predicted to make exceptional marriage matches to powerful men — the only problem is, they defy all expectations of who those men will be. When both sisters gravitate toward Russian royalty, they will struggle to overcome objections, fears, and former promises in order to end up with the men they love. And getting to the altar is just the start...

MY HEART. I mean, we all know what eventually happens to the Romanov imperial family (ugh), but this book doesn't cover that ground. Instead, it focuses on young Ella and Alix, which I really enjoyed because there are fewer fictional accounts of this time. The ending lines absolutely made me tear up. I really felt for both girls and their struggles, but Ella's situation was particularly rough to read through. They started to lose me a bit with all the religion focus in the last third or so, but this was a pivotal piece of the puzzle so there's no way it could have been skipped.

Overall, this was a beautifully written historical novel with a ton of detail and really well-rendered characters. I highly recommend it!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

The Romanov Brides is a fascinating, incredible, and enjoyable work of historical fiction by Clare McHugh.
The characters were engaging and their stories were compelling. They truly feel like real people.
The story is smart, captivating, and fascinating from start to finish.
Rich in detail, beautifully written and hugely absorbing for those who enjoy good historical fiction.

Thank You NetGalley and William Morrow for your generosity and gifting me a copy of this amazing eARC!

Interesting story of the lives of Queen Victoria's granddaughters as they come of age to be married. What goes on in the negotiations of European nations to make the most advantageous marriages.