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3.54 AVERAGE
3.54 AVERAGE
ARC received via Edelweis for an honest review
Now, I have had book friends telling me forever that I need to read Julia London books. Yeah, I reply, I will get there one day.
Now after reading The Princess Plan, I am kicking myself for taking so long to start!
The blurb of The Princess Plan drew me right in. I am a bit of a sucker for historical romances at the moment
This book had a bit of a Darcy/Elizabeth, Austenesque vibe - with a bit of a murder/mystery thrown in for good measure.
Yes, all believability is thrown out the window, but that is what we read fiction for, right?
I liked that even though Eliza had been hard done by, she wasn't a whimpering, whiney woman about it. She knew where she stood, and ran with it. I adored her sister and and their friends Caro and Poppy.
I am now headed off to Amazon to see what else to read.
Now, I have had book friends telling me forever that I need to read Julia London books. Yeah, I reply, I will get there one day.
Now after reading The Princess Plan, I am kicking myself for taking so long to start!
The blurb of The Princess Plan drew me right in. I am a bit of a sucker for historical romances at the moment
This book had a bit of a Darcy/Elizabeth, Austenesque vibe - with a bit of a murder/mystery thrown in for good measure.
Yes, all believability is thrown out the window, but that is what we read fiction for, right?
I liked that even though Eliza had been hard done by, she wasn't a whimpering, whiney woman about it. She knew where she stood, and ran with it. I adored her sister and and their friends Caro and Poppy.
I am now headed off to Amazon to see what else to read.
adventurous
funny
hopeful
lighthearted
3.5/4 Really enjoying reading this! I loved the friends group and their relationship with each other and with their dad. the romance was slightly rushed but still a worthwhile and enjoyable read.
****Copy from NetGalley in return for an honest review*****
This is a historical romance which sees a prince and a commoner team up to solve a murder mystery. Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in Britain for trade talks when his private secretary (and friend) is murdered after a ball. Eliza Tricklebank helps write a popular gossip sheet and receives a tip off about who committed the crime. She is probably the only person in the country who doesn't really care about Sebastian's rank (for Reasons). Soon the two of them are investigating what happened - with Eliza digging in the places Sebastian can't go, while he investigates at court. And as they work together, they develop feelings for each other - but how can a prince marry a nobody - a spinster firmly on the shelf and with a scandal in her past? You know they'll find a way! I read a lot of historicals - but not many that involve royalty - and this is really quite fun. The mystery is twisty and although I had the culprit worked out very early on, I didn't work out how they were going to fix the Happily Ever After. Lots of fun and it's the first in a series.
This is a historical romance which sees a prince and a commoner team up to solve a murder mystery. Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in Britain for trade talks when his private secretary (and friend) is murdered after a ball. Eliza Tricklebank helps write a popular gossip sheet and receives a tip off about who committed the crime. She is probably the only person in the country who doesn't really care about Sebastian's rank (for Reasons). Soon the two of them are investigating what happened - with Eliza digging in the places Sebastian can't go, while he investigates at court. And as they work together, they develop feelings for each other - but how can a prince marry a nobody - a spinster firmly on the shelf and with a scandal in her past? You know they'll find a way! I read a lot of historicals - but not many that involve royalty - and this is really quite fun. The mystery is twisty and although I had the culprit worked out very early on, I didn't work out how they were going to fix the Happily Ever After. Lots of fun and it's the first in a series.
Reviewed in the United States on March 3, 2021
This reads like fanfiction. Very formulaic, and yet very enjoyable. Female protagonist, 25-30ish beautiful spinster, not looking for love. Meets handsome, brooding prince from a small fictious European country, 28-32, and is mandated to find a wife when he sails to England for a poorly plotted trade agreement. They meet due to the horrific death of his secretary, who was all but forgotten until near the end of the book, where the murder was summed up in about one paragraph. Not very imaginative storyline, but still enjoyable. I will likely read the sequel.
This reads like fanfiction. Very formulaic, and yet very enjoyable. Female protagonist, 25-30ish beautiful spinster, not looking for love. Meets handsome, brooding prince from a small fictious European country, 28-32, and is mandated to find a wife when he sails to England for a poorly plotted trade agreement. They meet due to the horrific death of his secretary, who was all but forgotten until near the end of the book, where the murder was summed up in about one paragraph. Not very imaginative storyline, but still enjoyable. I will likely read the sequel.
Mystery meets Historical romance with the classic Prince hero and wallflower heroine tropes thrown in for good measure.
Prince Sebastian of the mythical country which we shall not remember is in London to settle the final details of a trade treaty and also in true princely form, to find a wife. What is not expected is one Eliza who meets our Prince unexpectedly at a masquerade ball, and subsequently attracts his ire when the gazette she publishes alludes to the murder of his closest aide.
There's the always fun female friendships, zany fathers but the unlikely and sweet romance is unexpectedly alluring. It's enough to keep me going!
Prince Sebastian of the mythical country which we shall not remember is in London to settle the final details of a trade treaty and also in true princely form, to find a wife. What is not expected is one Eliza who meets our Prince unexpectedly at a masquerade ball, and subsequently attracts his ire when the gazette she publishes alludes to the murder of his closest aide.
There's the always fun female friendships, zany fathers but the unlikely and sweet romance is unexpectedly alluring. It's enough to keep me going!
I gotta be honest. And you know I strive to be when it comes to reviews, even when I want to promote the author. This is because while a book may not be my cup of tea, it might be someone else’s. This book was not the easiest for me to read, not because it wasn’t interesting, but because I just didn’t connect with the characters. However, once I got through the book, I found it quite rewarding in the end. This is the first in an upcoming series, it looks like so there will be more coming!
**Review will be posted to my blog http://pastmidnight.home.blog on November 12, 2019 nearer to publication date.""
**3.5 stars**
Thank you to HQN Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
The Princess Plan is not quite the Cinderella story. A spinster named Eliza Tricklebank meets Prince Sebastian of Alucia and things happen. And when I say things, I mean…murder and well, falling in love while investigating the murder.
Eliza is a fun character who says what’s on her mind. She’s smart, capable and wishes society didn’t put her on the shelf just because of a scandal (barely a scandal) a long time ago. There is no future of a husband for her now, but she’s come to accept her fate as her father’s caretaker.
Prince Sebastian of Alucia is a typical royal who is used to people doing his bidding, women falling into bed with him and is under the constant pressures of being a future king. He is in England to arrange a trade agreement and find a wife but someone murders one of the people he trust the most, his personal secretary. Sebastian intends to find out who has done it, and enlists the help of Eliza, which is very unconventional.
What I love most about this story is the female friendships between Eliza, her sister Hollis, their best friend Caro and even the maid, Poppy. The girls have a grand time finding content (gossip) for Holli’s women’s gazette. Eliza, Hollis and Caro are the best of friends, and the warmth between them comes through in this story. I also adored the eccentric life of Judge Trickleback’s home. He is blind and Eliza is his main caretaker but I loved the descriptions of the home they live it with the book piles, rope tied from room to room, the scratched table – everything is lived in and cozy, much like their family.
The murder mystery in the story did sometimes make me lose interest because it was a bit predictable. Also I felt like the trade agreement didn’t seem very important to Prince Sebastian because of the murder mystery and him falling for Eliza. Sebastian seems like a man who is strictly bound to duty and the way he chooses Eliza to be his wife seemed a bit easy and a little far-fetched, but by then I was just ready to ready the happily ever after.
The banter between Eliza and Sebastian was fun mostly because Eliza is so quirky and doesn’t fawn over the Prince like everyone else. Sebastian is practiced at controlling his emotions and giving practiced answers. I don’t know that I felt the urgency of their love like I hoped I would and at one point I thought, okay, he’s definitely going to marry a high ranking debutant instead of Eliza because he’d never break the rules. Maybe I wanted him to say to hell with everything and break the rules for her. At least the two of them do share a few steamy scenes together!
Overall, I mostly enjoyed Eliza and her friendship bonds, and seeing her and the Prince fall for one another.
**3.5 stars**
Thank you to HQN Books and NetGalley for giving me a chance to read this eARC.
The Princess Plan is not quite the Cinderella story. A spinster named Eliza Tricklebank meets Prince Sebastian of Alucia and things happen. And when I say things, I mean…murder and well, falling in love while investigating the murder.
Eliza is a fun character who says what’s on her mind. She’s smart, capable and wishes society didn’t put her on the shelf just because of a scandal (barely a scandal) a long time ago. There is no future of a husband for her now, but she’s come to accept her fate as her father’s caretaker.
Prince Sebastian of Alucia is a typical royal who is used to people doing his bidding, women falling into bed with him and is under the constant pressures of being a future king. He is in England to arrange a trade agreement and find a wife but someone murders one of the people he trust the most, his personal secretary. Sebastian intends to find out who has done it, and enlists the help of Eliza, which is very unconventional.
What I love most about this story is the female friendships between Eliza, her sister Hollis, their best friend Caro and even the maid, Poppy. The girls have a grand time finding content (gossip) for Holli’s women’s gazette. Eliza, Hollis and Caro are the best of friends, and the warmth between them comes through in this story. I also adored the eccentric life of Judge Trickleback’s home. He is blind and Eliza is his main caretaker but I loved the descriptions of the home they live it with the book piles, rope tied from room to room, the scratched table – everything is lived in and cozy, much like their family.
The murder mystery in the story did sometimes make me lose interest because it was a bit predictable. Also I felt like the trade agreement didn’t seem very important to Prince Sebastian because of the murder mystery and him falling for Eliza. Sebastian seems like a man who is strictly bound to duty and the way he chooses Eliza to be his wife seemed a bit easy and a little far-fetched, but by then I was just ready to ready the happily ever after.
The banter between Eliza and Sebastian was fun mostly because Eliza is so quirky and doesn’t fawn over the Prince like everyone else. Sebastian is practiced at controlling his emotions and giving practiced answers. I don’t know that I felt the urgency of their love like I hoped I would and at one point I thought, okay, he’s definitely going to marry a high ranking debutant instead of Eliza because he’d never break the rules. Maybe I wanted him to say to hell with everything and break the rules for her. At least the two of them do share a few steamy scenes together!
Overall, I mostly enjoyed Eliza and her friendship bonds, and seeing her and the Prince fall for one another.
Julia London has written several of my all-time favorite romances, so it truly pains me to rate one of her books as anything less than 5 stars. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy "The Princess Plan" as much as some of her previous works.
One of my main issues with this book is that I did not like Sebastian, the hero, very much, especially at first. I suppose his arrogant, demanding behavior could be considered pretty typical for a prince, but what really bothered me was the fact that he didn't seem to be even remotely interested in the heroine, Eliza, at first. He even slept with another woman after meeting Eliza (and very much enjoyed it!) just because he needed to "scratch an itch." That said, Sebastian did seem to be a good leader who took a genuine interest in the welfare of his people, and he had some good ideas on how to modernize his country. When he finally did fall for Eliza, he fell hard, even though their relationship seemed hopeless. I had a hard time getting over his earlier behavior, though.
By contrast, Eliza was a very interesting and likeable heroine. She was obviously very smart and independent, but when she, her sister, and their friend Caroline put their heads together, they came up with some pretty silly (albeit entertaining) schemes. I particularly loved that Eliza always spoke her mind and didn't easily bend to Sebastian's will. Also, Sebastian and Eliza's conversations were pretty funny. Sometimes it seemed like they were speaking two different languages, especially when they first met. It took a while for them to begin to understand each other's way of thinking.
Besides Sebastian himself, my other big issue with this book was the way in which Sebastian attempted to remove the biggest obstacle standing in the way of his marrying Eliza, which was the fact that she wasn't a "lady." His solution was to pull some strings with the English government to have Eliza's father elevated to the rank of baron so that she would then become "Lady Eliza Tricklebank." I would have said that this was a clever solution IF it actually could have worked the way it was explained in the book. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case because the daughters of English barons and viscounts are not granted the courtesy title of Lady, so Eliza would have been known as "the Honorable Miss Tricklebank" instead. Eliza's father would have had to be at least an earl for her to be addressed as Lady Eliza.
Overall, I did enjoy this book in spite of the issues outlined above. It was remarkably funny and upbeat considering how much of the plot revolved around a murder and potential revolution in Sebastian's homeland of Alucia. Also, the secondary characters were a lot of fun, and I would enjoy learning more about them in future books. I plan to continue with the series.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
One of my main issues with this book is that I did not like Sebastian, the hero, very much, especially at first. I suppose his arrogant, demanding behavior could be considered pretty typical for a prince, but what really bothered me was the fact that he didn't seem to be even remotely interested in the heroine, Eliza, at first. He even slept with another woman after meeting Eliza (and very much enjoyed it!) just because he needed to "scratch an itch." That said, Sebastian did seem to be a good leader who took a genuine interest in the welfare of his people, and he had some good ideas on how to modernize his country. When he finally did fall for Eliza, he fell hard, even though their relationship seemed hopeless. I had a hard time getting over his earlier behavior, though.
By contrast, Eliza was a very interesting and likeable heroine. She was obviously very smart and independent, but when she, her sister, and their friend Caroline put their heads together, they came up with some pretty silly (albeit entertaining) schemes. I particularly loved that Eliza always spoke her mind and didn't easily bend to Sebastian's will. Also, Sebastian and Eliza's conversations were pretty funny. Sometimes it seemed like they were speaking two different languages, especially when they first met. It took a while for them to begin to understand each other's way of thinking.
Besides Sebastian himself, my other big issue with this book was the way in which Sebastian attempted to remove the biggest obstacle standing in the way of his marrying Eliza, which was the fact that she wasn't a "lady." His solution was to pull some strings with the English government to have Eliza's father elevated to the rank of baron so that she would then become "Lady Eliza Tricklebank." I would have said that this was a clever solution IF it actually could have worked the way it was explained in the book. Unfortunately, that wasn't the case because the daughters of English barons and viscounts are not granted the courtesy title of Lady, so Eliza would have been known as "the Honorable Miss Tricklebank" instead. Eliza's father would have had to be at least an earl for her to be addressed as Lady Eliza.
Overall, I did enjoy this book in spite of the issues outlined above. It was remarkably funny and upbeat considering how much of the plot revolved around a murder and potential revolution in Sebastian's homeland of Alucia. Also, the secondary characters were a lot of fun, and I would enjoy learning more about them in future books. I plan to continue with the series.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.