One night. No names. No faces. It should have been simple. I’ve never been reckless with my heart until I meet a handsome stranger at a secret masquerade ball. From the glint of his dark eyes, he knows I don’t have an invitation. I’m not rich or a celebrity. I’m just the personal assistant of someone important. Instead of showing me the door, he escorts me through the gardens and into a world of … through the gardens and into a world of decadence, sin, and forbidden pleasures.
From the moment we meet, I can’t stop thinking about him. The way his hands feel on my hips. The press of his hard chest against mine. Everything about this night is a sham except for the way he owns my body. Tomorrow, I’ll go back to my normal life and forget this ever happened. Tonight, I’m going to live it up.
Except…this isn’t the ending. It’s just the beginning. A few months later, my new boss is the billionaire exiled prince from the masquerade, and I’m in serious trouble.
Cinderella meets Fifty Shades in this dark, royalty romance.
***This book was formerly released as Sex, Lies, & Lipstick as part of the Bad Boy Billionaire Bachelors Boxset.
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This book was very intriguing. The secrecy between Rourke (Cinderella) and Roman (Prince Charming) made this book very interesting and I couldn’t put it down.
Roman and Rourke first met at a Masquerade party. Neither knew who each other was. They had to pick nicknames to keep their identities secret. After dancing with another guy Roman finally takes over. After their little trist in a secret sex club, they are enamored with each other but Rourke keeps herself a secret and leaves the party with Roman wanting more. When her best friend and boss has to leave the country Rourke is offered a new job. Unbeknownst to her, Prince Charming is her boss!!!
This book was well written and I’m ready to dive into book 2!!!
I enjoyed reading book 1 and will start book 2 soon.
FANTASTIC!!! I read the whole series in a day and a half. Couldn’t put it down. Two Thumbs up!!!
This one you can end with or go on to a second book…
But didn’t feel like a cliffhanger
Great read
By 17 percent into this story I was hooked…
Jeana is a new Author to me, but after devouring this book in an afternoon, I quickly down loaded the next books in this series.
I loved the story line…. I loved Roman’s arrogant and Dominant ways, but I loved Rourke’s sass and spunk more, when she put him in his place.
Sooo good I loved it……
Great and fun read !
“Put your claws in, kitten. I haven’t cheated on you. In fact, I haven’t been with anyone but you since we met.”
Rourke is about to live a magical night. Everly, her best friend as well as her boss, is taking her to an exclusive party that brings together the cream of society, the famous and the ultra rich all in one place. An exclusive and secret event, which for over a decade has been synonymous with success. An event whose host is none other than Prince Roman, a rich and mysterious man.
But a small detail can ruin the night. Rourke does not have an invitation. But as with every self-respecting fairy tale, with the help of a fairy godmother and the support of fate, she and her friend manage to get into the party. And in a place where identities are forbidden, and anonymity is protected by masks and confidentiality terms signed at the entrance, she allows herself for just one night to experience another reality. Stop thinking about her problems and her life, and allow herself to embrace the luxury and temptation that surround her between the luxurious walls of her present location.
And like every Cinderella at a ball, she attracts two suitors. Nicky, with his overly friendly attitude and a mysterious black-haired man who oozes danger. And after a provocative tango, a tour of the estate with this man is what she most desires. Allowing herself to be wild once in a lifetime. But the enchanted prince hides peculiar tastes. And their night ends in an unusual place. And with the arrival of the farewell and the identities in secret, the goodbye is final.
Or so they thought. Fate will once again intervene. With her friend’s wedding, she is out of a job. And in getting a new job, the high salary, the included housing, and the other perks will make up for her boss’s bad temper. None other than Roman. The mysterious man of the party.
How to work for someone so obnoxious but that at the same time attracts her immensely? Roman will not be easy. At times, the urge to tell some truths in his face will be huge. And Rourke does just that. She does not cower at nothing, and faces him on an equal footing. But over time, the real man behind the spoiled prince’s facade comes to light, and it will be impossible not to pity. Or fall in love. And when the two finally find out they’ve been together all this time, the situation employed and boss will be the obstacle. But Roman won’t be willing to let her go.
First part of a trilogy, the book catches the eye, is well written, the characters are interesting, even wanting to hit Roman in various situations, the chemistry is explosive and the intrigue is unfolding, weaving directions that will clearly bring problems in the other sequences. I just expected more “hot” scenes, after all Roman owns a sex club and shows that he likes domination. Looking forward to the next books.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
All I can say is yummy! As I was reading Everly’s story, The Royal Arrangement, I was intrigued by Everly’s bestie Rourke and her mysterious husband. Now I got to read their story and see how the whole story started. I also got to meet Nicky and read about his shenanigans up early on the story line. This story was riveting!
Rourke and Everly are best friends. Everly is the daughter of the former US Vice-President and Rourke is her personal assistant. All this is about to end because Everly is leaving on her honeymoon to Australia, so life as Rourke knew it was about to end. She had to make new living arrangements and get a new job and fast, because her aunt lives in a home and Rourke pays the bills. As a last hurrah, they decide to crash Roman Menshikov’s famous Masquerade Ball. There they meet the infamous Nicky I had read about in The Royal Arrangement. There’s something about Nicky, he’s like a prankster. There are hidden depths in him and I can’t wait for his book.
In this ball, Rourke dances for a while with Nicky, and then a very handsome, enigmatic and charismatic stranger arrives and whisks her away from Nicky. This guy makes Rourke’s nerves tingle. They end up having a tryst in a castle tower, located on the back of the mansion, where Roman has The Devil’s Playground, a naughty sex club. Right after their tryst, she leaves, taking this fantastic memory with her, back to her reality. Little does she realize her Prince Charming will come back into her life.
When Rourke gets a fantastic new job, and she finds out Roman Menshikov is her new boss, it’s serendipity. She couldn’t get him out of her mind, and it was likewise for him. The plot goes off into a delicious office type romance where Rourke is the typical snarky and super-efficient personal assistant and Roman is the grumpy, demanding boss. Eventually Rourke will tame the beast and we enjoy a very yummy love story. Nicky and Everly are prominent in the story and there will be some suspense regarding Roman’s native country.
I loved Rourke because she’s strong but sweet; I loved that Roman had lived a life craving something he couldn’t achieve, and when Rourke came into his life, his hunger and his craving ended; she became his home and his life. I loved how hard he fell for her and the lengths he was willing to go to keep her in his life. And now the grumpy boss is a sappy husband!
After the hearing all the buzz and praises about this book I was so excited for the ride I was told to expect. Unfortunately, another book/series that ended in the ‘not-for-me’ pile this year.
The whole Cinderella vibe pulled me in very quickly but after a certain point, I had lost my interest in the book. It’s funny because books like The Exiled Prince are usually right up my alley. This one had hints of BDSM + voyeurism at the very beginning. Then it took a turn and entered into the sweet-angsty romance, which I love, but then came in insta-everything and the mystery of the exiled prince.
I don’t mind authors having multiple tropes in a single book/series since it allows for quite a few elements to be played with but here it just didn’t feel seamless to me.
I loved and enjoyed the book up until the 40% mark but after that, I just wasn’t as drawn in into the story or the characters to want to continue to the next book in this series.
This book is good, it just wasn’t good enough for me.
2 Stars!
WOW!! The Exiled Prince is one of the best books I have ever read! Roman and Rouke are AMAZING! This book sucked me in and did not let me go! I cannot wait for the rest of this series! FIVE HUGE STARS!!
What happen when the secret masquerade ball hookup will lead to complications with your new boss? If you want to find out you’ll definitely need to read “The Exiled Prince”.
Jeana E. Mann has that ability to throwany curveballs at reader who is reading story written by her. And same thing happened this time which made me even more involved with this amazing story.
Roman and Rourke met at the masquerade balk where anonymity was a must. The chemistry between these two was over the roof but their meeting ended as fast as it began. They meet again few minths after said meeting in most unexpected way. And sadly Roman wasn’t a gentleman towards Rourke but she still put up with his bad behavior. But as always there was a reason but I won’t tell you what it is in order not to spoil anything to you cause I want all of you to appreciate this wonderful story by yourselves.
This story has many qualities I really love. We have here secrets, many secondary character with their own secrets which only adds more suspense and angst to this addicting story. This is first of free books story and I cannot wait to see how this story will unravel itself. Roman redeemed himself in my eyes, Rourke stood her ground but Nicky still was like a stubborn mosquito in hot summer day… I really hope he will change one day and since at the moment I am writing this review we had a news that Nick’s story will be next and I cannot wait.
So in the short of you’re looking for a not obvious story full of secrets, steamy love and angst you need to read this one. You definitely won’t regret it.
The Exiled Prince is the 1st book in the Royal Secrets series. It was previously released as Sex, Lies & Lipstick and it looks like there were 3 book and now there are 4.
I really enjoyed reading The Exiled Prince. So far I have read a few books by this author and she has a way of drawing you in and once you start reading her books you will not want to put the book down.
Rourke and the Prince, Roman first met at a clandestine club. Rourke crashes Roman’s party. They meet and have the best sex. He doesn’t know who she is but she turns up later working for him.
I love reading about powerful ALPHA men! Now I can’t wait to read The Dirty Princess. 4.5 stars.
I’m still sorta new to Jeana E. Mann, having read the The Rebel Queen duet first, but that’s where I first met Roman and as I read through that duet, I wanted to know more about him and was excited when I realized that’s who this particular book is about. I love the mystery and intrigue that went hand in hand with what happened between Rourke and Roman at the masquerade party, as well as all the hot sexiness! And when true identities were revealed, somehow the chemistry between them ramped up even more.
I liked how the characters were developed: Rourke is the type of woman you want in your corner and your life: she’s got the smarts, loyalty and plenty of inner strength. As for Roman, he’s the type that’s trying to fit a buffet-style loaded plate onto a teacup-size saucer. To say he’s got several things going on at the same time is an understatement. The one flaw of Roman that really stands out is his inability to trust.
The chemistry between these two is fantastic, and I’m looking forward to seeing how their potential romance could play out.
What an awesome book! I absolutely loved it! The characters, the banter, the tension! This was the first Mann book I have read, and it definitely won’t be the last! The story is so beautifully written. It is sexy and romantic. Rourke and Roman have secrets, how will they ever learn to work together? This is a HEA for now….I can’t wait to dive into the rest of the series!
This is a new author for me and I really enjoyed this story, although I found it a bit slow to start.
Rourke works for her rich best friend and ends up going to a masquerade ball with her unexpectedly, where anonymity is a prerequisite. Roman is the billionaire exiled Russian Prince who arranges these balls, but as a rule never attends. Rourke is caught up with another mysterious male lavishing his affection on her when Roman spots Rourke and knows she’s not the woman she is pretending to be but in enamoured with her and escorts her around showing her the darker side of the ball and its activities before having a dirty one night stand and her leaving very Cinderella style, all without knowing who he really was.
Fast forward a few months and she ends up working as a PA for Roman, who she definitely thinks it was him at the ball and is hoping he doesn’t know who she is. Roman is well known for his cold, challenging and ruthless ways and goes through employees like wildfire, until he learns that the Cinderella from the ball turns out to be his new PA.
A good read with lots going on, plenty of drama, suspense and angst in the story. I loved watching the relationship between Rourke and Roman grow and change as they got to know each other better. Their banter and the push and pull between them was brilliant as Rourke gives back as good as she takes from Roman, they have fantastic chemistry. I look forward to reading more in this series.
One crazy and supposedly incognito night turns into so much more for a personal assistant and an exiled prince.
Rourke snuck into the event of the season, knowing the mask would help to protect her identity. When she’s swept up into a night of debauchery and intrigue, she knows she should say no, but chooses to live in the moment for one night only before getting her life in order.
Typically bored by the event he hosts, Roman never attends, but there is something about the masked beauty who he knows is not on the guest list that has all of his attention. When she refuses to tell who she is, he searches for her without luck . . .until fate tosses them together once again, months later, this time as a billionaire businessman and his new personal assistant.
Ohhhh, I loved Rourke. She is so unexpected as a character. She’s bold, sassy and independent, yet vulnerable, and the perfect match to keep Roman on his toes. And, Roman is everything that an exiled prince should be. He’s dominant, charismatic, shrewd and completely ruthless when he needs to be. And, I have to say, I thoroughly enjoyed the cat and mouse like game that ensued between Rourke and Roman.
I enjoyed the addition of the storyline revolving around Roman’s daughter, as it gave him a much needed feeling of being human and vulnerable. I also loved his relationship with his head of security, Ivan. The author also gives readers a unique twist of fate by allowing them the choice of opting into the happy ever after Rourke and Roman have reached (because book one is a complete story) or continuing on in the trilogy. And, that sneak peek of what happens on book two . . . holy crap!
Hot and spicy, full of intrigue with teases of the suspense to come, The Exiled Prince had me hooked from page one. 5 stars!
Having read The Arrangement and The Rebel Queen first, it took me a minute to adjust to the fact that the events of The Exiled Prince come prior to the other books. The Exiled Prince is the coming together of Rouke and Roman. Rouke is the former assistant to Everly (Rebel Queen) who goes to Roman’s infamous masquerade party in London in place of another woman. When her Prince Charming shows her things that ignite her, she flees but can’t stop thinking about him. Roman becomes obsessed with the woman behind the mask, trying to find her but failing. When Rouke starts working for Roman, she figures out quickly who he is but he doesn’t match with who he showed her that night.
Showing a great ability to play with her characters, Jeana E. Mann takes the Cinderella story and gives it a modern spin. Her Rourke is a woman with a good head on her shoulders, loyal, and strong. Rourke is the type of character you can easily identify with as she pits herself against her surly boss to keep a job that will allow her to help her aunt while worrying about what would happen if Roman figures out who she is. Roman is a bit more complicated. A man who has way too many dishes spinning to really look around himself to see the truth in front of him, Roman is a caring person but unable to truly trust. The two are alternately oil and water and sparks with tinder. They are perfectly matched with a ton of chemistry.
The Exiled Prince is fast-paced with great banter and push and pull between the leads. When they finally figure out who each is, the sexual tension is pulled taut and makes for some steamy reading. There are political threats that swirl around them with plots hatching yet to come to fruition. As this is the start of a trio of books revolving around the couple, there are some issues left unresolved but the book doesn’t end on a cliffhanger. Roman and Rourke get their HEA with more action and danger to come for the two.
This was really intense and sexy! I devoured this book! I can’t wait to read more from this author!
Drumroll please!!
Jeana E. Mann does it again with her spin off series. I loved the Royal Engagement series so much; it was witty and dark and oh so sexy. I had very high hopes for this new series, and she sure didn’t disappoint.
This is the first in that new series, and I could not WAIT to sink my teeth into it.
Rourke is a personal assistant for the Stars and lives the kind of life most people don’t find very enjoyable, but it allows her to have her laid-back life she craves. Rourke finds herself at a masked ball, and under the spell of TWO different hotties. After a wonderous night at a masked ball, in the arms of mysterious strangers she finds herself falling.
Little does she know this stranger is not just any stranger.
After some time, Rourke starts a new job for Roman, the mysterious man from the ball.
Does he remember her?
Recognize her?
Read it, read it, read it!
I need the next in the series please!