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Greek Wedding
Brett Renshaw's relationship with Phyllida Vannick was a stormy one. Yet, bankrupt as he was, how could he refuse to let her charter his yacht? Romance and adventure abound as a young girl is embroiled in the turbulent Greek War of Independence.
Paperback
First published January 1, 1970
About the author
Jane Aiken Hodge
55 books84 followersJane Aiken Hodge was born in the USA, brought up in the UK and read English at Oxford. She received a master's degree from Radcliffe College, Harvard University.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
Before her books became her living she worked as a civil servant, journalist, publishers' reader and a reviewer.
She has written lives of Jane Austen and Georgette Heyer as well as a book about women in the Regency period, PASSION AND PRINCIPLE. But her main output has been over twenty historical novels set in the eighteenth century, including POLONAISE, THE LOST GARDEN, and SAVANNAH PURCHASE, the beloved third volume of a trilogy set during and after the American War of Independence. More recently she has written novels for Severn House Publishers.
She enjoys the borderland between mystery and novel, is pleased to be classed as a feminist writer, and is glad that there is neither a glass ceiling nor a retiring age in the writers' world. She was the daughter of Conrad Aiken and sister of Joan Aiken.
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Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews
July 3, 2017
I have no intention of writing a real review, but I will say it has held up very well fifty years later. This was another one where I could clearly recall scenes. Not bad for a book that wasn't a classic or a famous bestseller.
However the fascinating aspect of this book is the account of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. This small sliver of book covers 1826. I mean, really, other than the involvement and then death of Lord Byron who in the west even knows of this war? Yet this is another one of those historical gifts that keeps on giving when you look at the current state of Greek-Turkish affairs. Cyprus anyone? NATO?
I loved the book when I was a kid, loved it now.
However the fascinating aspect of this book is the account of the Greek War of Independence from the Ottoman Empire. This small sliver of book covers 1826. I mean, really, other than the involvement and then death of Lord Byron who in the west even knows of this war? Yet this is another one of those historical gifts that keeps on giving when you look at the current state of Greek-Turkish affairs. Cyprus anyone? NATO?
I loved the book when I was a kid, loved it now.
December 8, 2014
This was an incredibly hard book to rate. I am in awe of the amount of research the author had to do to work up this book, and suspect it was more than difficult to wrap the war into a romance.
That said, I found it hard to read. It was one of the books I had to put in the bathroom to get done, where I'm a captive audience. I normally don't like reading the conclusion early but I did this time because I really didn't know, couldn't guess, which man Phyllida would ultimately get. And I'm not going to tell.
I've been trying to put my finger on what the problem was, and I think it was that no one, other than the aunt and the little sister, was that likeable a character until near the end. Not even the heroine.
But the conclusion - ah, now that was good! Starting at page 217, I loved the rest. Really loved it. But can I give a lot of stars if I ground my way through the first two-thirds (three quarters?) before I found a part I liked?
That said, I found it hard to read. It was one of the books I had to put in the bathroom to get done, where I'm a captive audience. I normally don't like reading the conclusion early but I did this time because I really didn't know, couldn't guess, which man Phyllida would ultimately get. And I'm not going to tell.
I've been trying to put my finger on what the problem was, and I think it was that no one, other than the aunt and the little sister, was that likeable a character until near the end. Not even the heroine.
But the conclusion - ah, now that was good! Starting at page 217, I loved the rest. Really loved it. But can I give a lot of stars if I ground my way through the first two-thirds (three quarters?) before I found a part I liked?
March 28, 2020
A bold American heiress for heroine, a sarcastic unappreciative Englishman for the hero - what's not to love about this novel?
May 22, 2012
Too much fun, especially when Helena shows up.
September 9, 2015
I'm not sure how someone can make a romance about an adventure in Greece during a time of turmoil and kidnapping so boring, but she sure did.
May 25, 2023
Bonkers really, Hodge makes Heyer and Stewart seem like sober scribes by comparison with her dim-witted characters sailing and squabbling all over the Mediterranean during the Greek War on Independence (1826 for those of us who need dates to hold onto during a ride like this.) I didn't believe a word anyone said but I do appreciate the wealth of research that went into this book that might help anyone today understand why the Turks and Greeks still bristle at each other today, and how casually the Western powers took advantage of the strife to profit. You can feel Hodge trying to stretch her wings here; I wish she could have but the publisher probably insisted on more rubbishy romance instead of historical explication. Clavell and his like owe a debt to her.
February 16, 2021
Jane Aiken Hodge always did her research and I loved evey one of her novels set during the Napoleonic Wars, both in England and on the Continent. ut somehow, I missed this one until now. Take an American woman who has escaped from the Sultan's haram before being called into the ruler's bed, mix in her missing brother who is fighting for the freedom of Greece, a disinherited English nobleman and his steam yacht, a Greek pirate and a dozen close calls and you have a fun adventure full of details from the Greek was for independence. I found myself looking up Lord Byron, Missolonghi, various Aegean islands and the various French and British military officers who involved themselves in the Greek independence movement in the late 1820s. The history was interesting and both the heroine and the hero's sister were feisty and resourceful.
May 25, 2026
A set of unlikely events in Turkey and Greece during the 1824 Greek war of independence result in Phyllida Vannick, an American heiress, and Brett Renshaw meeting up on his steamship Helena. After almost not finishing the book, I managed to get through it, although I was not taken with the characters or the events described. The history is definitely better than the romance in this one, however.
April 19, 2024
Greeks, Turks, Egyptians and Englishmen an American heiress searching for her brother with her maiden, sensible aunt in tow. It was a wonderful adventure and a bit of romance. Not steamy, not dull. Well written .
October 2, 2017
An absolutely riveting and entertaining tale.
February 27, 2018
Every single character's dialogue is completely interchangeable with every other character's dialogue. And everyone calls everyone "love." Gah.
December 18, 2020
3.5 stars. Liked it a lot but wish there was more with one character and less with another!
September 20, 2024
The tension between the 2 main characters at the beginning was a bit cliché. Fortunately, it got better. There were a few parts that got slow and boring but overall I enjoyed it.
July 19, 2018
29 chapters
303 pages
My Review (semi-spoiler alert!)—Excellent! There were some shaky moments there when I began to wonder if Mrs. Hodge was going to disappointment yet again. But (thank God) she didn’t! Greek Wedding is a truly superb story, filled with action and adventure and loves lost and found—set amid, this time, wartime Greece. No Napoleon in sight!
This story, a love story first and foremost, has to recommend itself a backdrop of Greek independence, which was a hard-won battle earned by the Brits, French, and Russians—the Great Alliance of Powers that rushed in to save the day for the Greeks and, ultimately, in the story, for hero and heroine, Brett Renshaw and Phyllida Vannick. He, a wronged British aristocrat who loses both his fortune and his upcoming title of duke, when his uncle sires a son, and the “love of his life”—all at the beginning of the book. How does he propose to solve all these setbacks? Suicide.
Enter Phyllida, American heiress who’s been subjected to watching her father chopped in half to, herself, being kidnapped by pirates and sold to a Turkish sultan to be part of his harem—one member the sultan planned to make frequent use of because of her American-independent bravado (i.e., she amused him during the day, how much more so during the night?). But Phyllida and her aunt, Cassandra, manage to flee and find themselves being accepted on Brett’s steamboat, Helena (built for and named after that “love of his life”—for their honeymoon).
(About Helena: The minute she learns he won’t inherent the dukedom, she dumps Brett but in such a way as to make herself look the jilted party, and he ends up the cad blamed for her rejection/downfall! That tells you all you need to know about Helena.)
There’s so much to the story that a summary would be endless (or as long as the book), so the highlights are as follows: Greece is the go-to island for Phyllida to search for her brother, Peter, and for Brett to end his life. On the high seas, the Helena is taken by Greek pirates but “rescued” by the Errol Flynn of the Greeks, one Alexandros “Alex” Mavromikhalis. Phyllida, of course, “falls” for Mr. Mavromikhalis—much to Brett’s chagrin (and the rest of the characters’), who’s realized he’s fallen for Phyllida. Brett’s sister, 17-year-old Jenny (one of the very bright lights of this story—I really liked her; she was probably the very best secondary character I’ve ever read about and wanted her to be (and could’ve been) the heroine—she had tons of sense!), who sees through Alex and Peter, who’s eventually found and “falls” for Jenny. Alex proposes to Phyllida, who accepts and lives to regret it deeply. Brett’s furious when the secret engagement has finally been brought to light (as well he should be). Brett and Phyllida are kidnapped by Alex, while Jenny and Aunt Cassandra on the Helena are kidnapped by Peter (or are they?). Brett and Phyllida stage a daring escape and confess their love for each other. And the book ends with their imprisonment in an Egyptian dungeon. War between the Allied Forces and the Turkish and Egyptian forces ensues. And then, shortly thereafter, the book ends. The finale is a great finish to a great story.
And, oh, yes, as to the book’s title, I’ll let the bride and groom’s identity remain a secret. It’s too much of a fun ride to the wedding to disclose which of the many characters manage to work in a wedding amidst war-torn Greece. But I will say this: Mrs. Hodge didn’t fail me in terms of my rigid
Love Story expectations (though she did give me pause in the middle of the story)!
This is a wonderful read, and I’m looking forward to reading it again (in another year, when I’ll have forgotten all the ins and outs of the unfolding drama and only remember that it has a very
worthy climax)!
Grade: A+
303 pages
My Review (semi-spoiler alert!)—Excellent! There were some shaky moments there when I began to wonder if Mrs. Hodge was going to disappointment yet again. But (thank God) she didn’t! Greek Wedding is a truly superb story, filled with action and adventure and loves lost and found—set amid, this time, wartime Greece. No Napoleon in sight!
This story, a love story first and foremost, has to recommend itself a backdrop of Greek independence, which was a hard-won battle earned by the Brits, French, and Russians—the Great Alliance of Powers that rushed in to save the day for the Greeks and, ultimately, in the story, for hero and heroine, Brett Renshaw and Phyllida Vannick. He, a wronged British aristocrat who loses both his fortune and his upcoming title of duke, when his uncle sires a son, and the “love of his life”—all at the beginning of the book. How does he propose to solve all these setbacks? Suicide.
Enter Phyllida, American heiress who’s been subjected to watching her father chopped in half to, herself, being kidnapped by pirates and sold to a Turkish sultan to be part of his harem—one member the sultan planned to make frequent use of because of her American-independent bravado (i.e., she amused him during the day, how much more so during the night?). But Phyllida and her aunt, Cassandra, manage to flee and find themselves being accepted on Brett’s steamboat, Helena (built for and named after that “love of his life”—for their honeymoon).
(About Helena: The minute she learns he won’t inherent the dukedom, she dumps Brett but in such a way as to make herself look the jilted party, and he ends up the cad blamed for her rejection/downfall! That tells you all you need to know about Helena.)
There’s so much to the story that a summary would be endless (or as long as the book), so the highlights are as follows: Greece is the go-to island for Phyllida to search for her brother, Peter, and for Brett to end his life. On the high seas, the Helena is taken by Greek pirates but “rescued” by the Errol Flynn of the Greeks, one Alexandros “Alex” Mavromikhalis. Phyllida, of course, “falls” for Mr. Mavromikhalis—much to Brett’s chagrin (and the rest of the characters’), who’s realized he’s fallen for Phyllida. Brett’s sister, 17-year-old Jenny (one of the very bright lights of this story—I really liked her; she was probably the very best secondary character I’ve ever read about and wanted her to be (and could’ve been) the heroine—she had tons of sense!), who sees through Alex and Peter, who’s eventually found and “falls” for Jenny. Alex proposes to Phyllida, who accepts and lives to regret it deeply. Brett’s furious when the secret engagement has finally been brought to light (as well he should be). Brett and Phyllida are kidnapped by Alex, while Jenny and Aunt Cassandra on the Helena are kidnapped by Peter (or are they?). Brett and Phyllida stage a daring escape and confess their love for each other. And the book ends with their imprisonment in an Egyptian dungeon. War between the Allied Forces and the Turkish and Egyptian forces ensues. And then, shortly thereafter, the book ends. The finale is a great finish to a great story.
And, oh, yes, as to the book’s title, I’ll let the bride and groom’s identity remain a secret. It’s too much of a fun ride to the wedding to disclose which of the many characters manage to work in a wedding amidst war-torn Greece. But I will say this: Mrs. Hodge didn’t fail me in terms of my rigid
Love Story expectations (though she did give me pause in the middle of the story)!
This is a wonderful read, and I’m looking forward to reading it again (in another year, when I’ll have forgotten all the ins and outs of the unfolding drama and only remember that it has a very
worthy climax)!
Grade: A+
September 24, 2016
A tale that travels a different path
Jane Aiken Hodge heads to a setting that doesn't figure often in romantic historicals -- the 1820s war that ultimately won Greece its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Greek Wedding opens with a volatile mix: Brett Renshaw, a brooding Englishman sailing an expensive yacht around the Mediterranean, and Phyllida Vannick, a spirited, resourceful American heiress who has landed in a tough spot while trying to locate her younger brother, who ran away to join the Greek partisans. The novel follows them as they reluctantly join forces, and things become even more complicated with the arrival of a dashing Greek sea captain who takes a shine to Phyllida. This book has all the things I like most about Hodge's work: solid and interesting history, smart, witty dialogue, and well-drawn secondary characters. I especially like the warmth and support among the women in the book -- Phyllida, her tart-tongued but affectionate aunt, and Brett's younger sister, a society beauty with humor and a strong sense of loyalty. Hodge's books date from a time when sex generally took place offstage, but that doesn't mean her novels are devoid of classic unresolved sexual tension and all the plot sparks that go with it. Greek Wedding is a great example of Hodge's particular charm, and it's so good to see her novels reissued in ebook format.
Jane Aiken Hodge heads to a setting that doesn't figure often in romantic historicals -- the 1820s war that ultimately won Greece its independence from the Ottoman Empire. Greek Wedding opens with a volatile mix: Brett Renshaw, a brooding Englishman sailing an expensive yacht around the Mediterranean, and Phyllida Vannick, a spirited, resourceful American heiress who has landed in a tough spot while trying to locate her younger brother, who ran away to join the Greek partisans. The novel follows them as they reluctantly join forces, and things become even more complicated with the arrival of a dashing Greek sea captain who takes a shine to Phyllida. This book has all the things I like most about Hodge's work: solid and interesting history, smart, witty dialogue, and well-drawn secondary characters. I especially like the warmth and support among the women in the book -- Phyllida, her tart-tongued but affectionate aunt, and Brett's younger sister, a society beauty with humor and a strong sense of loyalty. Hodge's books date from a time when sex generally took place offstage, but that doesn't mean her novels are devoid of classic unresolved sexual tension and all the plot sparks that go with it. Greek Wedding is a great example of Hodge's particular charm, and it's so good to see her novels reissued in ebook format.
May 22, 2009
This book deserves more like 3 1/2 stars. I really enjoyed the information about the war between Greece and Turkey, and learned a lot. I loved the main characters--the strong and spunky heroine, the gruff but good hearted hero. I was annoyed by the romantic "competition" since it was totally obvious to me he was up to no good, and same with a few of the other characters...maybe it was the clumsy foreshadowing to blame. and the end kinda dragged on--I kept thinking, nothing else bad can happen to them, really, can it? but still, the important characters all seemed realistic and likable, and the place and time setting was interesting. I'm glad I picked this book up.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 6, 2026
This is quite an exciting historical romance, set amongst the Greek and Turkish wars in the 1820s.
There's intrigue, drama and suspense, with a lot of political asides that I mostly skimmed. There are strong and believable characters, particularly the three women who feature.
Not my favourite of this author's books, but it's well-written and authentic, and would appeal to those who like more history and less fiction in this kind of novel.
Three and a half stars, really.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
There's intrigue, drama and suspense, with a lot of political asides that I mostly skimmed. There are strong and believable characters, particularly the three women who feature.
Not my favourite of this author's books, but it's well-written and authentic, and would appeal to those who like more history and less fiction in this kind of novel.
Three and a half stars, really.
Latest longer review: https://suesbookreviews.blogspot.com/...
August 7, 2016
3.5 stars
This is the first of her books I've read, so I'm not sure how typical it is. I come from the Mary Stewart romantic suspense angle, and that part certainly worked for me. I was very surprised by the incredible detail of the Greek-Turkish war, an era of which I was previously unaware (though now I understand a few references from completely different books).
Not sure I'd read this one again - except maybe to reread the historical war part! - but I'll be looking out for other books by this author.
This is the first of her books I've read, so I'm not sure how typical it is. I come from the Mary Stewart romantic suspense angle, and that part certainly worked for me. I was very surprised by the incredible detail of the Greek-Turkish war, an era of which I was previously unaware (though now I understand a few references from completely different books).
Not sure I'd read this one again - except maybe to reread the historical war part! - but I'll be looking out for other books by this author.
October 7, 2010
Historical fiction set in 1820s Greece. The spunky heroines are contrasts to the primness of Aunt Cassandra Knight, cousin of Jane Austen, and to the swashbuckling, rough-and-tumble Greek, Turk, Egyptian, and English men. Surprise, adventure, and romance prevail but some conversations between Phyllida Vannick and Brett Renshaw can stand improvement. The overall meld of place, plot, and characters is a feast for enjoyment.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Wa...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greek_Wa...
January 29, 2016
Just re-read this for the first time in 40+ years. It wasn't one of my favorites at the time I first read it, and it isn't one now.
Best thing about the book was the setting/time period--the Greek War for Independence from the Turks in the mid 1820s. There is a goodly amount of history woven into the story; the author does a good job of portraying the chaos.
Best thing about the book was the setting/time period--the Greek War for Independence from the Turks in the mid 1820s. There is a goodly amount of history woven into the story; the author does a good job of portraying the chaos.
February 2, 2016
A historical novel with some romance..it reads more like a history of the Greek Turkish war..lots of events narrated in the background of an heiress trying to find her brother and falling in love with the wrong person and then the right person. It was interesting to red about this period in history but the story was okay..neither a romance nor a well written historical fiction
Displaying 1 - 21 of 21 reviews