The Romanov Brides

 The Romanov Brides

by

Clare McHugh

BLOG TOUR

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. They were granddaughters of Queen Victoria and two of the most beautiful princesses in Europe. Princesses Alix and Ella were destined to wed well and wisely. But while their grandmother wants to join them to the English and German royal families, the sisters fall in love with Russia—and the Romanovs. Defying the Queen’s dire warnings, Ella weds the tsar’s brother, Grand Duke Serge. Cultivated, aloof, and proud, Serge places his young wife on a pedestal for all to admire. Behind palace gates, Ella struggles to secure private happiness. Alix, whisked away to Russia for Ella’s wedding, meets and captivates Nicky—heir apparent to the Russian throne. While loving him deeply, Alix hears a call of conscience, urging her to walk away. Their fateful decisions to marry will lead to tragic consequences for not only themselves and their families, but for millions in Russia and around the globe. The Romanov Brides is a moving and fascinating portrait of two bold and spirited royal sisters, and brings to vivid life imperial Russia—a dazzling, decadent world on the brink of disappearing forever.

REVIEW

In this book we follow the four granddaughters of Queen Victoria. The Queen is desperate for the girls to marry into the English or German royal family, but Ella and Alix have fallen for members of the Russian royal family (Romanovs).

Ella has fallen in love with the Tsar’s brother Serge who woos her and gives her jewels to entice her to St Petersburg. She agrees to marry him, but she soon realises after the wedding that Serge does not want to be intimate with Ella and this crushes her as she loves Serge and will do anything to make her husband happy and she desperately wants children, but this is unlikely to happen if they cannot consummate their marriage.

Alix falls in love with Nicky who is the Tsar’s eldest son, but she has second thoughts and initially turns down his proposal, but eventually agrees to marry him and arrives in St Petersburg for the wedding. They have a much happier marriage until the end of their lives, which was tragic and brutal.

I have read a few books based on the Romanovs and have always been fascinated by them. They all found a tragic end which changed the course of history and this book has been thoroughly researched and is a great read for those who enjoy historical fiction, but based on real people. 

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Clare McHugh is the author of A Most English Princess, a historical novel about the family of Queen Victoria, and The Romanov Brides. A former newspaper reporter and magazine editor, McHugh graduated from Harvard College with a degree in European history. She currently lives in London and in Amagansett, NY