Duty requires her to marry—but she’s having second thoughts. Princess Julianna dreams of marrying for love, but no one cares what she wants. The future of her kingdom—and countrywomen—depends on her arranged marriage. Too bad, her intended’s brother is the one who captures her interest with his good looks and sailing skills. She’ll just have to push aside her attraction and do what’s right for … attraction and do what’s right for everyone else, if not for herself…
Prince Alejandro wants nothing more than to relinquish his title. He can’t wait for his older brother to marry and have a child. That is, until he meets the beautiful princess destined to be his country’s future queen. Julianna holds the key to his freedom, yet he recognizes a kindred spirit—someone trapped by the demands of being royalty—and finds her utterly irresistible.
Knowing the royal wedding must occur for the sake of their countries doesn’t stop them from wanting to be together. A happy ending could be theirs if they are willing to accept the consequences of following their hearts. Will duty or love reign supreme?
Her Royal Duty series:
Book 1: The Reluctant Princess
Book 2: The Not-So-Perfect Princess
Book 3: The Proper Princess
more
This may be her story, but her journey proves to be his salvation. Julianna is the heart of the story. A woman who yearns for her own happy ending, but her sense of duty holds her back. Alejandro comes into her life at the worst possible time. Promised to another, she must not follow her heart. Will the woman who would be queen risk everything she knows to gain her heart’s desire? McClone gives old time romance, a modern day feel. The Not So Perfect Princess gives the heart something to latch on to with an irresistible precision and a soulful voice.
We get to follow julianna, aka Jules, in this story. We meet her father, King Alaric of Aliestle as well. What do we learn about him? Who are Enrique and Alejandro? What are each of these men like? What happens after Enrique has a conversation with Alaric? What does the ensuing conversation with Julianna do? What does Alejandro help Julianna to do in rebellion? When what she is doing is discovered, what happens? Can Julianna ever find peace and happiness? Read this story to find out!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
This is the second book in the Her Royal Duty Series. I love the cover. Julianna and Alejandro’s story is amazing. This forbidden story is beautifully written. The secondary characters are great. I love to see Izzy and Niko again. Enrique is an intriguing character, and I can’t wait to read his story. I enjoyed this story, and highly recommend it.
I have to go and say that this book was pretty much boring to me.And the main heroes weren’t all that special,in fact they were boring.
Princess Julianna,after three fallen engagements,is set to merry Crown Prince Enrique.This is her father’s last attempt to marry her into the royal family and if it this engagement fails,Julianna will marry a nobleman from her country.For Julianna,marrying a nobleman would be total disaster,because that means she will forever be at mercy of her husband.At her old-fashioned country,women need to obey men.So Julianna is pretty much set on marrying Enrique,until she meets his brother Alejandro.
The attraction is immediate and the things only get better when Julianna learns that she and Alejandro share same hobbies aka sailing.
Julianna was raised to be a proper lady and a princess.She knew that arranged marriage is the only kind of marriage awaiting her in the future,and she know that sailing as hobby is not something that she should indulge.But she did it anyway.My problem is that that Julianna came to me as too whiny person.She constantly risked everything just so she could sail.I mean,she is princess so doesn’t that mean that she knows when is the time to give up on something.She wanted to change her country,but at the same time she wasn’t able to give up on her own dreams.I just couldn’t understand her.
Overall,this book was sweet,a little bit forbidden romance.It’s just that it wasn’t all that special to me.
This was the perfect Harlequin novel! Princess Julianna is engaged to Enrique, who is set to become king, but she’s insanely attracted to his brother Alejandro, who is a bit of a rebel. It was enjoyable, if a moments angsty, to watch her sneak around with Alejandro and try to figure out if she’s strong enough to tell her family what she really wants! I loved watching her be able to be herself with Alejandro!
This is more like a 4.5 star rating. You get a glimpse of how awesome a person Princess Julianna is in book #1. She is the diligent daughter. She went and did what her father wanted her to go or do. She was all about staying loyal to her country but she wasn’t happy. She wants to marry for love and be able to sail whenever she wants to. Just simple things like that. She meets Enrique but is drawn to his younger brother Alejandro. He doesn’t care about being the prince or having an royal duties. He wants to sail his boat, keep buying properties and follow his dreams. He has a reputation but I found it wasn’t at true. Maybe he was different with Jules but he didn’t seem like a playboy. He was down to earth and sweet. He and jules sneak around and find themselves falling for each other. She gave up everything she knew for love. It was a great story with characters you will love!
The Not-So-Perfect Princess by Melissa McClone is book Two in the Her Royal Duty Series. This is the story of Prince Alejandro and Princess Julianna. I have read the previous book and feel that added to my enjoyment of this book, but this can be a standalone book if you wish to do so.
Julianna has a few failed engagements and her father has set her to marry Prince Enrique and if that fails he will marry her off to a regular nobleman. Which if done in her country she is more or less property of her husband so the marriage to the Prince would be the better choice of course. But then she meets Alejandro who is the brother of Enrique. They have similar interest and of course there is a strong attractions but can these two really work through all that would stop them from being together? Enjoyed their story.
Not So Perfect Princess by Melissa McClone
Princess Julianna and Prince Alejandro are the couple in this book there are ups and downs in their relationship. Julianna is sent by her father to marry Enrigue which is Alejandro brother. but she falls in love with Alejandro when he spends time with her and takes her for a sail. after his brother has said that she was to never sail again. She decides she would rather be happy than a queen. I really enjoyed this book. I recommend for anyone looking for a good book to read. I received an arc for review.
Right from the opening of this book my heart goes out to Julianna. I’m not a fan of her father. I wanted to knock some sense into him. She has one more shot to make him happy and do her duty of marrying a prince of his choosing. It’s going to lead her on the path she never expected. I really liked Alejandro too bad he is not the prince she’s arranged to marry, but his brother is. That right there sets up some interesting scenarios. What I loved most about Alejandro is he sees Julianna for herself and appreciates her. Seeing her blossom through out this book was one of my favorite things. I fell in love with Alejandro and his family. They did not disappoint me.
I really felt it!
Princess Julianna is to be married to Prince Enrique; that’s her royal duty. But then there’s Enrique’s younger brother Alejandro… And he’s not the one for her, she needs to marry Enrique. But Jules… she’s not so perfect; the title says it already. How to find a way to follow her heart?
Oh, the feels! Oh, the intrigue! Oh, how I felt for Jules!
This book felt good right from the beginning. I was immediately drawn in. I really enjoyed it! Well-written with a good flow, and good pacing. Definitely a page-turner. Sweet and fun! Likeable characters, which is very important to me. And I loved the ending!
I loved reading The Not-So-Perfect Princess, book two in Melissa McClone’s Her Royal Duty series. Like many girls and young women, Princess Julianna dreamt that she would marry for love, but her father the king did not care what she wanted. Despite doing everything asked of her, each of the matches the King arranged left her cold and disheartened. After being introduced to Prince Enrique, her betrothed, she is discouraged by his antiquated attitude toward women, just like her father’s. Basically, Enrique believes women, especially his wife and queen, should not have interests outside the home. Julianna is devastated. Julianna first encountered the fun and younger brother, Prince Alejandro, who captures Julianna’s interest with his good looks, compassion, and sailing skills. She knows she must forget about Alejandro and fulfill the expectations everyone has for this royal princess.
I loved Alejandro and his carefree attitude. Despite wanting nothing more than to relinquish his title he finds himself attracted Julianna. He recognizes how similar they are, with their love of sailing, need for freedom, and wanting economic success for the island. As we get to know more about Julianna we learn that she is so not perfect; but then, is anyone really perfect? Julianna’s rebellion towards the restrictions put on her life showed how confining the demands and expectations had become. Finding love and understanding outweighed being the perfect daughter or son; or maybe it creates that perfection.
Ms. McClone wrote a wonderfully sweet and moving love story that is not to be missed. This story contains laughable and lovable dialogue, endearing and likeable characters and the magic of love. I highly recommend this sweet book, The Not-So-Perfect Princess, book two in the Her Royal Duty series, and I look forward to reading the next book in this series.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Jules was cold in the previous book with her relationship with her fiance at the time Prince Niko, but it was clear that she was passionate about sailing. Her father was controlling and cruel even from a distance as he worked out her marriage contract with her latest fiance and the restrictions Prince Enrique should impose on her. His brother Prince Alejandro was a sexy bad boy business man and sailor and she was attracted to him from their first meeting. I loved his rescue kitten Boots and it made him even more attractive how tender he was with him. I learned a lot about sailing in this book. There were plenty of ups and downs and tension as she tries to decide whether to settle and give up what she loves or fight for herself.
Expected to marry the proper but dull Enrique isn’t for Princess Julianna. It is what is expected of her by her family though.
She has an instant attraction to rebel prince Alejandro though and it’s his brother.
Family duties aside she comes alive when she’s sailing.,makeup free with the sea breeze in her air.
Published July 5th 2011 by Harlequin .
I was given a complimentary copy of this book. Thank you.
All opinions expressed are my own.
Loved this book of Jules finding her HEA and listening to her heart. Princess Julianna has an arranged marriage to Prince Enrique, to carry out her duty to her father and country. But once she meets Enrique’s brother, Prince Alejandro who shares the love of sailing with her. Alejandro does not want to be part of the throne but enjoys living on the wild side. Julianna feels no chemistry with Enrique, like she feels with Alejandro. Does she follow the duty of her family or does she follow her heart?
A sweet romance that I could not put down that involves a cute kitten and sand castles. This is the second book in the series but can be read as a stand alone. I’m anxiously waiting for the next book in the series.
Excellent Sweet Romance…
I enjoyed reading The Not-So-Perfect Princess. I liked the main characters and was sympathetic with their plight, but I didn’t like parts of the way they dealt with it. Kissing one guy while engaged to another–not cool. It was in an arranged marriage situation, so there weren’t really any broken hearts though. I loved the conflict between Julianna’s spirit and her sense of duty. The plot had some twists and kept a good pace throughout the book. The dialogue felt appropriate for the situation: formal or just hanging out. I hope there’s a book featuring Enrique in the works. There’s definitely a story there. I enjoy Ms. McClone’s writing style and look forward to reading more of her books. I recommend this one to readers of clean/wholesome romance. I received an ARC. I chose to write a review and share my opinion of this royal romance.
The Not-So-Perfect Princess
Though I did have to look up some of the sailing terms, I enjoyed Jules’ story.
A princess born to follow orders and fulfill her duty , even resigning herself to an arranged marriage. Few people knew the real woman beneath her mask of duty. Her father, her family, and even her fiancé could not hold back her love of sailing. And is it so bad that her soon-to-be brother-in-law sees the truth and makes her sailing dreams come true? But what will be the price when the truth comes out, because the truth always comes out. Will it be worth it, will she return to the dutiful princess she was raised to be, or will she make a new path of her own choosing?
Julianna is raised to be a proper princess and to do her duty. Now she’s one opportunity left to get married. She’s hoping for a husband who won’t restrict her in her passions, sailing and helping other women. Alejandro the second son of a king just wants one thing, to be free to help his island to prosper. When they first meet it seems they have nothing in common, but why would they, they are not meant to each other, she would marry his brother. But when they discover a mutual passion what will be more important duty or freedom?
Jules has buried her own dreams to do her duty to her family and her country. But it’s really hard to give up on dreams. Her father makes arrangements for another arranged marriage. She is promised to Enrique. Unfortunately, Enrique is almost as controlling as her father. Her dream of sailing and having more freedom dwindles even more as she learns more about Enrique’s expectations. She meets her future brother-in-law Alejandro and convinces him to help her to have one last chance to live her dreams before she gets married. I really enjoyed the story and characters. Jules is a strong woman determined to help others. Alejandro is misjudged by his family and painted as the black sheep of his family, but is really also trying to make life better for others. The story is a quick and fun read. I received an advance copy and am voluntarily leaving a review.
I really enjoyed this book and its characters. I could not put the book down after Princess Julianna arrived in La Isla de la Aurora. Jules was the perfect princess at times and the perfect not so perfect princess at other times. She had such strong convictions and a warm heart which makes the reader root for her and her happiness.
I also enjoyed Prince Alejandro who just wants to build boats and let his brother, Enrique be the future king. It seems all three characters have one thing in common. They all lost their mothers and that has greatly influenced their lives for different reasons.
This story definitely had a calm before the storm and I can not wait to see what happens in the next book! I received an advance copy of this book and I willingly chose to write an honest review.