She didn’t see her own beauty… for, Alek must choose a bride. It’s Hester’s quiet discretion that catches his attention…until their unstoppable chemistry reveals her startling beauty and inner fire. Alek sees the queen that Hester could truly become—but the real question is, can she?
USA TODAY Bestselling Author
more
This was sweet. I wasn’t going to rate it initially as I was so disgusted that the heroine decided to take the high road over her horrible cousins, and I’m not in the mood for a Be a bigger person vibe today. The cousins were pretty evil as in they
SPOILER: smashed the few things she had from her beloved parents and pulled out her eyelashes. Her eyelashes! (hide spoiler)]
She invites them to the wedding when I would have much rather read that she invited them to the dungeon for a couple of days …or weeks.
Still, the hero was a charming ex-cad turned nice hero, and I always love that so 3 stingy stars.
P.S.
Please HP editors, can you put away the HP title generator and go back to the old school ways of naming books.
Alternative titles:
I Found My Love Under a Rock
Queen at First, Wife at Last
Not quitting my day job.
Shy Queen in the Royal Spotlight by Natalie Anderson was a sweet and charming story. Hester is quiet, smart and competent. So, when Prince Alek needs to find a woman to marry who he can later divorce to take his crown, Hester seemed to fit the bill. But what happens when their chemistry sizzles and cannot be denied? I loved watching Hester coming out of her shell. She was truly beautiful inside and out, she just needed to see it. Alek was sexy and charming.
Happy reading!
Shy Queen in the Royal Spotlight Natalie Anderson is book Three in the Once Upon a Temptation Series. This is the story of Prince Alek and Hester. I did feel this could be a standalone book. Alek has to marry if he wants to be able to be the King, so he thinks a marriage of convenience would be the key to his path to being King. Alek then chooses to have Hester as his wife. Hester is his sister’s assistant and is not his type at all…so it a safe route to go for him. Hester is talked into this marriage with a promise of money to help the women that she is a champion for. Hester normally is a shy women who tries to settle into the background. But for this new position she gets a makeover which leads her to start being more outgoing. Alek of course is taken back by the beauty that is Hester no longer is she beautiful on this inside but she is a temptress on the outside. Enjoyed this book.
This book is an ingenious retelling of The Ugly Duckling. I started reading this book early, early in the morning or late at night since I hadn’t been to bed yet. I thought I’d read a chapter and go to bed, but I stayed up until 5:30 am because I had to finish it. My heart broke for Hester and for Prince Alek, and I rejoiced when she and Prince Alek healed each other emotionally. I laughed and cried throughout the book, and had warm fuzzies at the end.
Repost of my original review at Goodreads.com.