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.
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.
My thoughts: I am endlessly fascinated by the history of Russia, ruled for almost a thousand years by the same family, the Romanovs, until their terrible end in 1918 at the hands of a firing squad, although other members of the family met even more horrific endings – like Ella, one of the main characters in this book.
But before the Revolution of 1917 and the downfall of the autocratic, and tyrannical Romanovs (Britain ended feudalism in the 1600s for comparison), and I am fully aware of how much damage the family did over the centuries, there is a beautiful love story between the daughters of the royal house of Hesse, grand-daughters of Queen Victoria, and two of the princes of Russia – Grand Duke Serge and Nicky, the future Tsar.
Hesse in Germany is where the story begins, Ludwig the Grand Duke is married to Princess Alice of Britain, daughter of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, their nine children married into the Royal families of Europe, forming ties across the continent.
The daughters of Hesse are beautiful, intelligent and well connected. They have suffered tragedy with the early deaths of some of their siblings and their mother.
When some of their Russian relatives visit, Ella finds herself falling for Grand Duke Serge, brother of the Tsar Alexander (known as Sasha). The family are against this match, especially her grandmother who had anti-Russian beliefs. In part due to religious differences – between the German Protestant Lutheran church and the Russian Orthodox, the two churches have very different beliefs and practices.
However Ella refuses to give up on love and eventually overcomes her family’s concerns to marry Serge. Sadly it isn’t the most wonderful marriage that she imagined, but they find a way to live together.
On a family visit to Russia, to see her sister, Alix (Alexandra, known as Alicky or Sunny to her family) meets the tsarevich (prince) Nicky, the future Nicholas II. He’s exciting and charming, handsome and devoted to her. But once again the royal family is against the match, for political and religious reasons. Queen Victoria tries to pair Alix with her grandson Eddy, even though first cousins marrying is a bad idea, something that is only just being recognised.
Alix doesn’t care for Eddy, she cannot get Nicky out of her head or heart. But refuses him as she feels her father needs her.
These star crossed lovers do eventually marry and despite the timing of their wedding, it is a grand spectacle that is attended by Bertie, future King of England as well as members of the royal families of Europe.
The book is beautifully written and captivating, knowing how it all ends in tragedy doesn’t detract from reading about the joy of being young and falling in love. My favourite character was the tiny and cranky Queen Victoria, trying to get her large family to fall in line and struggling with her strong willed grandchildren (can’t work out where they got that from!) I also loved Ernie, the sole boy in the Hesse family, who always has his sisters’ backs and loves them.
*I was kindly gifted a copy of this book in exchange for taking part in this blog tour, but all opinions remain my own.
ramblingmads 