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adenise47's review against another edition
4.0
This book was good, but not my favorite of hers. Seems like it was very fast written and most everything happened at the 50% mark. I was disappointed in this book.
chantalsbookstuff's review against another edition
4.0
A really easy read with some very heartbreaking bits. This is probably one of my favorites out of DS's newest books.
em_sage's review
emotional
hopeful
inspiring
sad
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
4.5
bookedonbooks2020's review against another edition
4.0
Royal by Danielle Steel takes place during World War II. The King and Queen of England have 3 daughters, Princesses Alexandra, Victoria and Charlotte. Princess Charlotte is the youngest and takes after her ancestor Queen Victoria with her very slight stature. An avid horsewoman, she also suffers from breathing problems that are made even worse by the constant bombings England receives from the Germans.
Hoping to improve her health, the King and Queen decide to send Charlotte to the countryside, living under the name Charlotte White and allowing no one besides her hosts to know her true identity. She falls in love with her hosts' son Henry and they secretly wed when she after she gets pregnant. Tragedy strikes and Henry dies in the war and Charlotte dies after giving birth.
Her daughter grows up never knowing she is a royal until the death of Lucy, the young woman who was also staying in the country with Charlotte who took Annie Louise as her own. Annie Louise loves horses as much as her mother did and is fearless, with dreams of becoming a female jockey, which is still unheard of, while getting used to the idea of being royal and embracing her new family and title of Princess and finding love.
Hoping to improve her health, the King and Queen decide to send Charlotte to the countryside, living under the name Charlotte White and allowing no one besides her hosts to know her true identity. She falls in love with her hosts' son Henry and they secretly wed when she after she gets pregnant. Tragedy strikes and Henry dies in the war and Charlotte dies after giving birth.
Her daughter grows up never knowing she is a royal until the death of Lucy, the young woman who was also staying in the country with Charlotte who took Annie Louise as her own. Annie Louise loves horses as much as her mother did and is fearless, with dreams of becoming a female jockey, which is still unheard of, while getting used to the idea of being royal and embracing her new family and title of Princess and finding love.
ustinerr16's review
emotional
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.25
dianashadel's review against another edition
1.0
Not sure why this is getting such good ratings. The story introduces characters just to kill them off and moves on so quickly I didn’t have time to get to know those characters before I’m being carried on by the next. Felt like a reasonably good plot with bad writing.
tami_pr's review
emotional
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.5
bonniereads777's review against another edition
4.0
It is 1943, and war is ravaging England. The King and Queen send their youngest daughter, Charlotte, to stay with friends in the country in order to keep her safe. The trusted friends tell no one of Charlotte's identity, not even their son or servants. A series of events unfolds that will eventually surprise the world.
This is a classic Danielle Steel novel, which is a combination of tragedy, fairy tale, and love story. The royal family in question is fictional, and some may not like that, but I love it. It gives the author more license with the royal characters and their personalities. The world of horses and horse racing is also involved in an interesting way.
Reality has to be suspended a little, as in most Steel novels, and history is rewritten a bit, but this is a satisfying escape of a novel, and the kind we all want to indulge in from time to time.
Danielle Steel's million of fans will love this one, as will anyone who enjoys stories about horses and horse racing.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers and Netgalley. My review is voluntary.
This is a classic Danielle Steel novel, which is a combination of tragedy, fairy tale, and love story. The royal family in question is fictional, and some may not like that, but I love it. It gives the author more license with the royal characters and their personalities. The world of horses and horse racing is also involved in an interesting way.
Reality has to be suspended a little, as in most Steel novels, and history is rewritten a bit, but this is a satisfying escape of a novel, and the kind we all want to indulge in from time to time.
Danielle Steel's million of fans will love this one, as will anyone who enjoys stories about horses and horse racing.
I received a free digital copy of this book from the publishers and Netgalley. My review is voluntary.
thathappyreader's review against another edition
4.0
The book begins in the summer of 1943 when the Royal family sends their youngest daughter, Charlotte, to live in the country with a noble family for the remainder of her seventeenth year. Her true identity was concealed from all but the Earl and Countess she was staying with, including their son Henry and another young female boarder Lucy. She begins a love affair with Henry who is waiting for his eighteenth birthday to enlist and fight in the war. Sadly, this love is short-lived as numerous tragedies occur and baby Annie is left orphaned. Lucy, who lost both her parents, has fallen in love with the baby and decides she will raise her as her own. Lucy marries, has twin sons, and life goes on. She does not disclose to anyone for twenty years who Annie actually is. Finally, on her deathbed, Lucy tells her husband the secret of Annie’s identity. He is told of a series of letters which confirms this and where they have been hidden. How will Annie and the Royal family react to this news? Will Annie be accepted as one of their own?
I enjoyed this fast-paced book which encompasses the story of three unique women. The character development was good and the women were all likeable. I appreciated the similarities between Charlotte and Annie, including a love of horses. I disagreed with Lucy raising Annie as her own, and wonder if she would have ever told Annie had she not gotten sick. I also feel that there were parts of the story that were unbelievable, including a physician not noticing that a woman who claims she’s already had one baby was indeed having her first (there are physical changes which are tell tale signs). Having said that, it was an entertaining read and I would recommend it to fans of this genre.
My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.
I enjoyed this fast-paced book which encompasses the story of three unique women. The character development was good and the women were all likeable. I appreciated the similarities between Charlotte and Annie, including a love of horses. I disagreed with Lucy raising Annie as her own, and wonder if she would have ever told Annie had she not gotten sick. I also feel that there were parts of the story that were unbelievable, including a physician not noticing that a woman who claims she’s already had one baby was indeed having her first (there are physical changes which are tell tale signs). Having said that, it was an entertaining read and I would recommend it to fans of this genre.
My rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️/5.
kookie9200's review
2.0
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this title.
During WWII Princess Charlotte is sent to the country by the royal family in order to keep her safe from bombings. Her identity is known only to the elderly couple that own the property she is sent to. Within a year, she falls in love with their son, gets pregnant, marries him, and he is sent off to war. He dies almost immediately, leaving Charlotte to live with her mother in law and Lucy, the other border, who just happened to be obsessed with Henry, the couple's son. Charlotte dies after childbirth, and soon after, the countess dies as well, leaving no one that knows Charlotte's true identity. Lucy decides to raise baby Ann Louise as her own, even after she discovers she is a royal princess by birth.
This book was a lot. Most of it hinges on the kidnapping of a baby. Most of the characters are killed off just for this plot to happen, and it's rather ridiculous. Even if you manage to suspend common sense for long enough to imagine that this could actually happen, the story is trite and predictable. Added to that, this book is so incredibly repetitive that you simply have to roll your eyes. I mean, Steel would repeat sentences nearly verbatim within the same paragraph. If one were to remove all the repetition, this book would MAYBE be 100 pages.
Steel befuddles and frustrates me. One book will be good and then the next is as if she didn't even try. It's almost as though she has a halfway decent idea and a deadline, so she just randomly copy and pastes the same paragraphs over and over around key plot elements to make a whole book. Take this one, for instance. Long lost princess that no one knew about is reintroduced into the royal family. Should be interesting, but it's so overdone and unbelievable that it's hard to stay in the plot.
During WWII Princess Charlotte is sent to the country by the royal family in order to keep her safe from bombings. Her identity is known only to the elderly couple that own the property she is sent to. Within a year, she falls in love with their son, gets pregnant, marries him, and he is sent off to war. He dies almost immediately, leaving Charlotte to live with her mother in law and Lucy, the other border, who just happened to be obsessed with Henry, the couple's son. Charlotte dies after childbirth, and soon after, the countess dies as well, leaving no one that knows Charlotte's true identity. Lucy decides to raise baby Ann Louise as her own, even after she discovers she is a royal princess by birth.
This book was a lot. Most of it hinges on the kidnapping of a baby. Most of the characters are killed off just for this plot to happen, and it's rather ridiculous. Even if you manage to suspend common sense for long enough to imagine that this could actually happen, the story is trite and predictable. Added to that, this book is so incredibly repetitive that you simply have to roll your eyes. I mean, Steel would repeat sentences nearly verbatim within the same paragraph. If one were to remove all the repetition, this book would MAYBE be 100 pages.
Steel befuddles and frustrates me. One book will be good and then the next is as if she didn't even try. It's almost as though she has a halfway decent idea and a deadline, so she just randomly copy and pastes the same paragraphs over and over around key plot elements to make a whole book. Take this one, for instance. Long lost princess that no one knew about is reintroduced into the royal family. Should be interesting, but it's so overdone and unbelievable that it's hard to stay in the plot.