This is an engrossing, well-written novel about the courtships of two Hessian princesses, Ella and Alix, who respectively become enamored with a Russian grand duke and with the heir to the Russian throne. History tells us that the sisters' choices ended in tragedy, but McHugh nonetheless makes us sympathize with the young women as well-meaning relations, particularly the sisters' maternal grandmother, Queen Victoria, attempt to derail the budding romances. The Romanovs are hardly ignored in historical fiction, but McHugh takes a fresh approach by focusing on the largely neglected Ella and on Alix's early life. Highly recommended.

As someone with very little knowledge of the Romanov period, I was intrigued to learn more. The Romanov Brides, A Novel of the Last Tsarina and Her Sisters, by Clare McHugh, was a good place to start. The book seems well-researched (I am that person who when reading historical fiction, stops to look things up to see if they are part of the historical or the fiction). This book flows like the well-written novel that it is while imparting historical facts in a way that is enjoyable to read.
Thanks, NetGalley and the publisher, for providing me with the ARC ebook that I read and reviewed. All opinions are my own.

The Romanov Brides delves into the captivating tale of two sisters from the Grand Duchy of Hesse – a small territory in western Germany - who married into Romanov royal family and altered history.

In 1882, during a visit by their Russian cousins Paul and Serge to Dramstadt, Ella is charmed by Serge, and ten-year-old Alix becomes a fervent advocate for Ella’s marriage to Serge. However, their youth leaves them naïve about live in Russia, and the rest of the family is largely against the union.

With their father’s consent to the marriage, he extracts a promise from Ella to maintain their faith and to support her future husband publicly. Privately, however, he encourages her to be independent and express her own views. Concerned about Ella’s accommodating nature, he fears she may lack the fortitude to assert herself. This worry is echoed by her uncle, who questions the wisdom of raising children in a nation indifferent to its people. Ella’s eldest sister, Victoria, also probes Serge about Russian governance.

In a candid conversation, Serge reveals to Ella his preference for solitude or the company of his regiment, admitting that he had not desired female companionship until meeting her. He vows to respect her innocence and trust, flattering Ella but raising suspicions in her family about his motives.

Approaching seventeen and thus marriageable age, Alix is caught in the plans of her grandmother, the Queen of England. Ella, after a revelation in Jerusalem, argues against letting religious differences impede marriage. This stance irks their father, who views it as disrespectful in light of the wars fought over religion. Alix, smitten with Nicky during her Russian visit, is torn, especially as Nicky faces his own father’s disapproval due to Alix’s minor noble status and reluctance to convert to Orthodoxy.

This enthralling narrative portrays the sisters’ defiance of family and faith to bridge vastly different political realms. The skillfully crafted story weaves intrigue and mystery within a rich historical context, featuring lavish palaces, exquisite gowns, and stunning jewelry. The prose is masterful, evoking awe and immersing the reader in a history that continues to captivate.

Review originally posted at mysteryandsuspense.com

The sad fate of Ella and especially of Alix is well known, but this book was not about endings. It was about beginnings, complicated beginnings. It was appropriately titled as it told the story of how each of these women came to marry a Romanov. For Ella, her storyline also dealt with her finding contentment despite unfulfilled expectations about marriage.

The times, the places, and (most importantly) the people came to life. Most of the chapters were told from the point of view of either Ella or Alix. In this manner, the two main characters were presented sympathetically, since the reader was privy to their thoughts and feelings. Occasionally there were chapters featuring the perspective of minor or supporting characters, though, and these were used brilliantly to show how the women were perceived by others.

This is a well-written book that I recommend to anyone who enjoys historical fiction. Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow for the early read.

A wonderfully written book about two fantastic women. I've always been fascinated with the Romanov story, and felt that not enough has been written about Ella. Her life was just amazing, the things she encountered, the grief she had to overcome. Her faith kept her strong and kept her going.
Much has been written about the last Tsarina, Alexandra, and her life and death story is fascinating.

This book is very well written and quite interesting. As a lover of Romanov history, I thoroughly enjoyed reading this novel.

The short list of “historical fiction topics publishers can’t get enough of” definitely includes the last Russian tsar, Emperor Nicholas II, and his family. In particular, the tragic fate of his only son—whose hemophilia heightened Empress Alexandra’s tendency toward depression and her spiritual leanings, which in turn led to the exaggerated governmental role played by the renegade monk Rasputin and contributed to the destruction of the monarchy—have attracted a lot of literary attention.

What I love about Clare McHugh’s novel is that it hints at the causes of the Romanovs’ eventual fate but focuses on an earlier period. It tells the story of two German sisters, Elisabeth (Ella) and Alix (Sunny or Alicky), both princesses of the not very influential Grand Duchy of Hesse-Darmstadt. Like many other royals in late nineteenth-century Europe, they and their siblings were grandchildren of Britain’s Queen Victoria, who took an active interest in their wedding plans.

Yet despite Victoria’s outspoken opposition to any match that involved the Russian monarchy—which she, rightly as it turns out, considered unstable—Ella defied her grandmother and wed Grand Duke Serge, brother of the then-current tsar Alexander III. That marriage posed some unexpected challenges, but it set the stage for the romance between Serge’s nephew Nicki and Alix. The book ends where such novels usually begin, with Nicholas’s coronation as emperor and the royal wedding, so it feels as if it’s exploring new territory. It’s also well written and engaging, a thoroughly enjoyable read. I look forward to hosting the author on my blog (link below) in March 2024.

I received a free e-arc of this book through Netgalley.
The Romanov family is always of great interest as most people are aware of their tragic ending. This book focuses on the earlier years of the women who became the newest brides in the Romanov family long before they met their tragic end. It shows how marriages were for political gain and how marrying within one's current extended family isn't the best idea. I enjoyed this book and was glad it didn't focus much attention on their end of lives, but rather the excitement of new beginnings.

This gorgeously written histfic novel of two granddaughters of Queen Victoria, who marry into the Russian Romanov royal family during a momentous time, will keep you captivated until the last page. The author's sweeping narrative style and assured character development made me feel I was with them as history swirled around me, threatening to change the world forever. Highly recommended for histfic fans intrigued by the Romanovs, Russian history, and the lives of exceptional women.

From the beginning the book felt like a fable, a fairy tale. Beautifully researched, beautifully written. The descriptions, the details only add to it. It transport you back in time, and allows the reader to feel connected to the characters. The fact that the characters are real is a plus for me. I love to know what they looked like. Maybe it is just me, but sometimes royals feel like actors, real but unreal at the same time. Yet they were human like us. They cried, they laughed, they were mad and happy. This book help to humanize them.
Beautiful work. I highly recommend to any history lover.

The Romanov Brides is the little explored, real-life prequel to the oft explored (a little too much) last Russian Tsar and his family. That story seems to live on and on in various retellings where some member of the family, usually Anastasia, survives, but occasionally an author gets more creative that. McHugh decided to be creative in exploring the women from Hessian royal family that married into the Romanov family. This isn't her first foray into exploring the lives of Queen Victoria's descendants, but it was one that was really compelling to me as I read this book. I found it infinitely more interesting to question what direction history would have gone if Ella hadn't married Serge and created the circumstances for her younger sister Alix and the tsarevich Nicky to meet. What if these two young women hadn't spurned the advice of their grandmother as being overbearing, instead listening to the wisdom of a woman with knowledge not only of her own empire, but those throughout Europe? I couldn't help thinking about Ella and Alix's older sister Victoria, who chose to marry someone that wasn't as 'royal' as she was, and watching her sisters right smack dab in the middle of the Russian upheaval. I wondered how much creative liberty McHugh took with the personalities and persuasions of Ella and Alix. It felt like Ella by force of will, brought Alix and Nicky together - and not always a will that the rest of her family cared for. In the case of The Romanov Brides the fulfillment isn't in a happy ending (you have to be living under a rock to think otherwise) but about the learning more about the journey and the people that were eventually involved in one of the greatest upheavals of Europe. A complimentary copy of this book was provided by the publisher. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The Romanov Brides
by Clare McHugh
March 12, 2024
William Morrow
Thanks to the author, publisher, and NetGalley for the ARC of this book in exchange for my honest opinon.
From the author of A Most English Princess comes a rich novel about young Princess Alix of Hesse—the future Alexandra, last Empress of Imperial Russia—and her sister, Princess Ella. Their decision to marry into the Romanov royal family changed history.
For a lover of historical fiction this is an excellent and intriguing book.
The descriptions made me feel like I was present. I will highly recommend!
5 stars

As a lover of historical fiction I was intrigued to find a new book about individuals that I was not as familiar with. McHugh takes into the lives of two sisters who go on very different journeys. The atmosphere was sensational as I could feel like I was there through the descriptions of the cities and its architecture.

When I delved into "The Romanov Brides," I didn't quite realize that the title would be very literal. The majority of the story is the process of Alix and Ella of Hesse (the future Tsarina Alexandra and Grand Duchess Elizabeth Feodorovna respectively) brokering their marriages into the Russian royal family. Along the way, we encounter a lot of "what-ifs" on alternative suitors suggested by the British and Prussian royal families that could have helped these two women avoid their ultimately tragic fate.

I do appreciate the faithfulness of history that McHugh presented in this novel. There isn't a whole lot of bending dates or events, and the major plotline in this novel follows most closely with what we know about how these marriages came to be, complete with all the Victorian condescension towards the Romanovs. The book is by and large character driven, as it should be.

McHugh's characters are on the whole also solid, albeit with a few exceptions. Her male characters are easy to parse, and their motivations are quite clear, whether it be romance, honor, or familial duty. Alix too is presented as a shy noblewoman from a minor family suddenly thrust into the glamor and heavy responsibility of the Russian court, a fantastic way to reconcile the distant, arrogant mien that contributed to her alienation from the Russian people and her inevitable doom.

Ella is the wild card that even to the end, I could not quite figure out her motivation or her desires. It seemed to waver from approval from Serge, validation by the Russian court, a child of her own, and for Alix to adopt Russia as her new home. At times she was an active character, at times a passive one, and her reasons for selecting Serge as her spouse was as mystifying as the dynamics of her marriage to historians today.

Another critique I have is the lack of an epilogue depicting the tragic end of these two women. While anyone who has seen any iteration of "Anastasia" knows what happened to Alix, unless you are a history buff, you may be less familiar with Ella and her end. I feel that one last chapter in her eyes about one of the major turning points of Russian contention in her later life, whether it be the death of her husband or her own demise, would have allowed the story to come full circle as opposed to the foreshadowing and historical note that McHugh opts for.

I have mixed feelings about this book. While I love the descriptions of the homes, lands and traditions, the bulk of the book is mostly fictional imaginings of the sister’s most private inner dialogues.

Most interesting is that the author mentions that Serge was rumored to be gay and then writes fictional accounts about Elizabeth’s intimate sexual encounters and what she was thinking during and after them. She goes so far as to have Elizabeth understand and accept that he is gay. I understand wanting to include rumors in the book but to fictionalize a true persons intimate thoughts about them is going to far, in my opinion. Someone may read this book and take it for fact. If you have not read much about the Romanov’s you would not know what part of the thoughts came from collected correspondence, journals or was purely imagined.

Another idea I find perplexing is that the blurb for the book attributes Alexandra’s and Elizabeth’s marriages as the factor that “ led to tragic consequences for not only themselves and their families, but for millions in Russia and around the globe.” I think it’s quite a leap to say that their marriages are what caused the revolution.

I also noticed that the Russian people, religion and culture were negatively portrayed.

The book, although having adult themes, is mostly written from their point of view when they were children to young adult so it has more of a YA feel.

I would not recommend this to anyone wanting to learn true facts about the sister’s lives.

Many thanks to William Morrow Publishing and Clare McHugh for the free ARC via NetGalley. My review is voluntary.

The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh delves into the lives of Princess Alix of Hesse and her sister, Princess Ella, granddaughters of Queen Victoria, whose decisions to marry into the Romanov royal family shape history. Set against the late 1880s backdrop, the novel navigates a society where strategic alliances and familial expectations take precedence over personal desires. While the historical context proves intriguing, the narrative occasionally loses emotional depth amid the intricacies of arranged marriages. The alternating points of view provide a multifaceted perspective, though pacing inconsistencies and varying character focus impact the overall flow. Despite this, McHugh's meticulous research shines through, offering readers a comprehensive understanding of the Romanovs and Russian culture. The novel stands as a captivating exploration of the clash between personal desires and societal expectations in imperial Russia, making it a compelling read for historical fiction enthusiasts.

Thank you NetGalley, the publisher and Clare McHugh for this ARC in exchange for my honest review! If you like historical fiction and Romanov period this book is for you. Author did an amazing research on historical events and Russian culture. This book helped me to learn so much more about tsar's family and their relationships with other countries. I liked that Clare McHugh gave each character a separate chapter, it wasn't confusing at all and helped to keep up with a lot of events. My only wish was to read more about Nicky's and Alix's life after they got married, but it would probably have to be another book because a lot of things happened before the revolution. Very solid 4 stars!

I enjoyed this novel thoroughly.
The Romanov period has always fascinated me especially with Anastasia.
I must say I did learn a lot about the Romanovs. I almost felt sorry for them.
This is a can't put down book that had me turning each page to see what happened to the sisters
This new to me author has done a fabulous job with each character without missing a beat.
I usually don't like the characters to have their own chapter because it is confusing but I thought this was done rather well. In my opinion it worked rather well and I did enjoy getting to know each sister and how they felt about what they were getting into.
5 stars for a well written novel. I highly recommend!
My thanks for a copy of this book. I was NOT required to write a positive review. All opinions expressed are my own.

Russian history has always fascinated me. I've always wondered why there aren't a lot of historical fiction novels. I'm glad I could read The Romanov Brides. The beginning was slow for me, but I am glad I kept with the novel. It grew momentum as the story went on. I enjoyed the author's ability to capture the historical setting. Overall, I enjoyed this novel.

I love reading and learning about the Romanov's. This story gives yet another view. Russia at that time sounds so glamourous. Yet how tragic the story is.

I received a complimentary copy of this book, opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

I read The Romanov Brides by Clare McHugh. I enjoyed parts of this book, while other parts I was not able to connect with the writing. Having some knowledge of the characters, I did feel the author was able to give them depth. After reading the book, I was I intrigued by the authors sources, especially the primary sources available as resources. I have the book 3/5 stars. ⭐️⭐️⭐️