This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.
Genres: Historical Romance
Published by Indie/Self Published
Released on April 18, 2020
Pages: 163
Format: eARC
Source: Author
The Delight
An assassination attempt on the King and Queen, a big brother getting overprotective and ready to ship her off to her relations… what’s a bored princess to do? This looked light and fun and perfect to for a free Saturday afternoon.
Review
Protecting the Princess is the second in the Royals of Aldonia series. Each book gives the Wesselbach siblings their chance at romance. There is a connection to the previous book, but its loose enough that this could be read standalone.
Harriet knows there is danger to her family after an assassin got close to her parents and she knows her oldest brother has a lot of responsibilities and care, but between boredom- and a little envy of her second brother who found love without it being arranged for him- she suddenly is done being moved around like a piece of the furniture. She gathers a few things and some provisions and decides to sneak out of the palace and go off to the Winter Palace woodcutter’s hut for the duration of the threat. Naturally, she’s barely outside the palace gates when trouble finds her an an irritating, charming man has to come to her rescue- and keep coming to her rescue. Wasn’t this her bid for independence?
A glorified nanny- the best spy in the country- and he pulled nanny duty on a spoilt, runaway princess. Jacob sees the next two weeks as the longest of his life when Princess Harriet tumbles into scrape and poor situation after next while fumbling over the lies she tells not realizing he followed her right out the palace gates and sounding exactly like a princess with her orders and attitude. But, he soon sees the sweet and winsome side of a woman who just wants to be taken seriously and not be treated as the useless and helpless afterthought with not an independent idea in her head. Meanwhile, real danger sneaks up on them and he can’t let attraction or impossible feelings distract him.
It turned out to be a light, quick read, and mostly fun. Yes, Harriet was a brat and she really was lousy at getting by on her own, but I felt for her because I’m pretty sure I’d kick up a stink too if my brother tried to shove me about and stick me with a person I loathed before packing me off out of the country. So, I forgave her mostly and laughed at the back and forth between her and Jacob who enjoyed her sass.
There was a nice suspense line because of the attack on the royals and later when more action happens. But the real conflict was what was coming when Harriet learned how Jacob came to help her and who he really was. She’d opened up to him and I just knew that level of vulnerability would make the truth feel like a dagger to her.
All in all, it was a pleasure and left me smiling. I liked the characters and their sweet romance, the fun made-up royal family and country, and the darling charmer, Jacob. I would definitely go back for Alex’s story and continue on with Christopher’s. This is for those who need a quicker, lighter historical romance, enjoy light-hearted royal romances, or just want an easy afternoon escape read.
My thanks to the author who provided a copy of the book for me to read in exchange for an honest review.
Challenges Met
New Release #77
Historical Fiction #62
Preview
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I think I would feel bad for her being treated like that. This sounds fun.
She really did get treated like she was an annoyance that had to be handled instead of part of the family team. I thought she went about things wrong, but her sentiments I could completely understand. 🙂 She ends up rescuing herself which I enjoyed the most.
I’d be sassy too if I were Harriet! Sounds like a quick, fun read. 🙂
Yeah, she could be short-sighted, but her main point about being treated like a thinking human being was totally valid. Definitely a quick and entertaining one.
I loved your review Sophia Rose and can understand why a Princess would be a brat, glad you could enjoy this even though she ticked you off ha
Yeah, she had good reasons to be upset, but her quest to prove herself had me shaking my head. Still, cute story. 😉
It sounds perfect to have a light and nice moment
Yes, exactly, Melliane!
This sounds super cute.
It was. A quick, adorable one!
This sounds like it was indeed a great way to spend your Saturday. I love reading about made up Royals, and can definitely understand why Harriet was a bit of a brat! Great Review Sophia 🙂
I liked that I could get a whole story in in one afternoon. And, the fun made up country and royal family was a definite plus. That poor thing just wanted to be treated like a person and taken seriously. 🙂
Worth it if it can bring about a smile. Nice.
Exactly right, Velvet!
I like that it has a suspense angle. Cute cover!
Yes, it was easy to figure out, but it definitely added some tension to the story. I love how each cover looks especially when all together.