Anwen’s uncanny resemblance to Princess Lavena has been a curse since the moment she entered her service as the spoiled princess has used it to her advantage by frequently forcing Anwen to switch places with her. But Princess Lavena’s latest scheme is her worst—and most dangerous—yet: compelling Anwen to take the princess’s place in her marriage to her loathed fiancé, Prince Liam.Bound by an … by an enchanted contract not to reveal the charade, Anwen is forced to go through with the masquerade and endure marriage to a man who despises the woman he believes her to be. As time goes on, Anwen struggles not only to maintain her identity, but to fight her deepening feelings as she begins to fall in love with her new husband, a man who not only isn’t hers to keep, but who has no idea who she really is.
Inspired by “The Goose Girl”
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I love a good fairy tale retelling! Admittedly, I don’t care much for the wave of modern retellings, so being set in a medieval fantasy world is perfect for my tastes. Though it should probably be noted, that this was rather devoid of fantasy elements. Really, the magic ring was the only bit of magic within the book. Essentially the story is a historical/medieval romance. I loved that Anwen was fleshed out with quite a bit of past history to her character as well as odd hobbies, and likes and dislikes. I adored Liam! I loved his boyish-enthusiasm, and his love of games and rainy-day house-bound adventures. I lost count how many times I was laughing at the stuff he pulled just to get a rise out of her. The romance was really beautiful. And the story was heart-breaking in so many moments as she struggled under the magic of the ring, trying to keep her own personality from completely disappearing. (I also liked Prince Nolan. He had a delightful sense of humor, even if he was rather frustrating with his silence at times. I hope he gets his own book eventually. And I even liked zany, outrageous princess Lavena. It was amazing to see what she would pull/get away with next, and what jaw-dropping thing she might say next.) The ending was perfect and I noticed characters pop up in other books, so I will be looking into more of the author’s books.
I absolutely adored this book, it was so good! Identity is the third book in Camille Peters first series, The Kingdom Chronicles. This book is the first retelling of the fairy tale, The Goose Girl, that I had read. I was not sure how I would feel about this book because of the fairy tale it was based off of. But I ended up loving it, it was really good and kept me interested the whole time! I can’t wait for the next book.
This book follows the story of Prince Liam’s betrothal.You meet Prince Liam in the first book, but all you really know about him is that he is in an engagement that he doesn’t want to be in. He is forced to marry Princess Lavena, but he hates it. He has done everything he can to try to end his engagement, but there were no loopholes that he could find. He was stuck with a woman who hated and belittled him.
But things do not go as planned. One day Princess Levana makes Anwen, a servant who looks just like her, do the unthinkable. Princess Levena forces Anwen to marry Prince Liam in her place. Anwen is now forced to be Prince Liam’s wife and she is made to pick up the pieces of the mess of a marriage she was forced into.
I absolutely adore these characters, Liam was so sweet and sensitive. He was such a jokester but he was also very kind. I loved watching him fall in love with Anwen against his will. He truly cared for her and he doted on her. He was also really fun, having read about him in Pathways, the first book, I was so excited to see that he had his own book.
Anwen was kind and loving, everything that Levena wasn’t. It was fun to watch her fall in love with Liam. But I felt so bad for her as she tried so hard to keep him away because she knew that he really wasn’t hers to love. Anwen tried so hard to pretend to be like Princess Levena, but she was such a bad actor. And you can’t really change yourself. It was so fun, seeing the little things that made Anwen herself, like the fact that she loves bugs and insects.
I loved Liam and Anwen together, they really were perfect for each other. Anwen helped keep Liam grounded, but she didn’t try to suppress his goofiness. Liam was so kind to Anwen and really tried to help her relax. Oh my gosh, they were just so cute together! As you read this book you get so invested in Liam and Anwen’s lives. I so wanted them to end up together and have a happy ending, but I didn’t know how that would happen.
This was such a good book, it totally changed my view on the Goose Girl. I would totally recommend this book. It is a light and sweet fairytale inspired read, girls 13 and up will love it. I can’t wait to see what other stories Camile Peters weaves together!
Such a refreshingly new take on the goose girl book. While some things remain the same, the geese and the goose girl, the rest of the book is an adventure worth the read. Anwen is forced to take princess Lavena’s place and is married to Liam, who hates Lavena. While trying to hold her heart back from having any feelings for Liam, they start to spend time together and fall in love. Lavena shows back up to ruin everything as Anwen knew she would and is heart broken. Should she go back to her geese? Should she fight for Liam? Can she?
You should read the book it is a great one!!
Note: I did receive a complimentary copy of this book. But the thoughts, opinions, etc. are entirely my own.
This has been my favorite book so far in the Kingdom Chronicles series. I’m a fan of ‘Goose Girl’ retellings, but what I loved most about this version, was that it was told through the eyes of the impostor and not the princess. Anwen, the main character, was refreshing and down-to-earth (which I loved), and her love for insects was a plus for me. She felt like someone I could genuinely root for and had good chemistry with her love interest. It was also fun reconnecting with some of the characters from the earlier books in the series. I did appreciate the method used to make Anwen become the impostor princess and thought it worked well, though there were a few aspects about it that I didn’t like. Overall, it was a good fairy-tale retelling and I look forward to seeing what next fairy-tale will be retold and discovering more of the world that the series is set in.
This is one of the best classic story retellings that I’ve come across.
I enjoyed the interaction and dialog. Reading this book was great entertainment.
If I could give half stars, I’d rate Identity 4.5 for minor things like lumping spiders with insects, having a grown woman spending all her time minding geese (there’s a reason it’s called the goose girl — a grown woman might have spent an afternoon getting reacquainted, but she would have had many other household tasks to accomplish), a flock of geese would not be the same in five years, the heroine seemed a little too sweet, and the hero seemed a little too mushy.
I really enjoyed this book and recommend it despite the minor things that I noted above.
I loved this story of Anwen and Liam. Their tumultuous journey to reveal her real identity was such an undertaking! Great characters and a fun story with an HEA.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Identity
The Kingdom Chronicles Book 3
Camille Peters
I loved the story!! Anwen was an amazing character. You could do nothing but root for her. Once Liam came into the picture you just wanted them to work out, and knowing it was all a lie was awful!! What will happen if the Princess wants her life back? Great story with amazing characters. I could not put the book down!
The third book in The Kingdom Chronicles series and I know I want to read the other two. A well written story by an Author I have not read before. A book I enjoyed reading. I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Can a handmaid really be a princess?
This is a very interesting take on the goose girl story. In this one the princess makes the handmaid take her place, of course, she has to put a spell on Anwen. I loved the scene where Anwen and Liam come across fireflies it is so beautifully written. I loved the action at the end of the book. This was truly a fantastic read. I did receive a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to review it.