Princes have pomp and glory–not crushes on commoners Nothing gets the tongues of London’s high society wagging like a good scandal. And when the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is found murdered, it’s all anyone can talk about, including Eliza Tricklebank. Her unapologetic gossip gazette has benefited from an anonymous tip about the crime, prompting Sebastian to … Sebastian to take an interest in playing detective–and an even greater interest in Eliza.
With a trade deal on the line and mounting pressure to secure a noble bride, there’s nothing more salacious than a prince dallying with a commoner. Sebastian finds Eliza’s contrary manner as frustrating as it is seductive, but they’ll have to work together if they’re going to catch the culprit. And when things heat up behind closed doors, it’s the prince who’ll have to decide what comes first–his country or his heart.
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Total Enjoyment! This book is filled with quirky characters arranged so that things cannot possibly work out for the good. At each step I warned the young lady, she was in for a fall. Yet I couldn’t put it down and Miss London didn’t let me down. What a wonderful story with rich scenes that transported me back to the time of Queen Victoria.
I love a good royal romance, and this one is just perfection. Bonus points for the masquerade ball! Ahhh! Add in a dash of mystery and I was hooked. I devoured this book in one weekend.
If I ever have a chance to live a fairy tale, let it be like this one!
Eliza is a spinster and a commoner. Sebastian is a Prince. Where one is ignored, the other is fawned over.
Sebastian has come to England on business and to secure what he wants, he will need to choose an influential bride. What he does not expect is the murder of his most trusted friend and to find an undying love with someone who can never truly be his.
Eliza has come to be content with the life she has been given. That is, until she meets Prince Sebastian. As she becomes a confidant and friend to him, they become so much closer. Knowing nothing can come of their acquaintance does not stop her yearning to have so much more.
Is it possible for a prince and commoner to have more than just a dalliance? Or is it all one big fairy tale?
This is a beautifully written romance that put stars in my eyes and a fire in my heart.
The beginning may have been a little slow but once you get past that, the story that unfolds is magical ! I was swept away and held captive by this story until the very end. It left me breathless with anticipation.
The courtship between Prince Sebastian and Eliza is tentative, sweet and romantic. Sigh!
I loved reading every second of their fall into love. Sebastian’s character is honest and genuine. He is caring, thoughtful and honest in everything he does. Eliza may have come to accept her place in the world but that does not mean she is meek or docile. Indeed not. She is outspoken and has no care for other’s opinions of her.
There is no over-the-top drama. Just an amazing story and memorable characters. The story at times was so poignant it made my heart flutter.
I need more! I loved this couple, their journey and the intrigue surrounding the murder! Sadly, there is no epilogue and I am BEREFT. I could use just a few more paragraphs of this couple’s story.
This amazing read had me walking on clouds and now I’m a little hesitant to be dropped back down to earth. In the meantime, I’m anxiously awaiting the next book in this series!
I received an ARC via NetGalley of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
OH MY! WHAT A GLORIOUS BOOK!!
Eliza, the daughter of a judge and loves to repair clocks, attends a masquerade ball at Kensington Palace in honor of a visiting Prince from another country. His goal is to attain trading rights and acquire an English bride to seal the deal. From their first encounter things are memorable for her, but him, not so much, until they meet face to face and she becomes unforgettable. Murder, political negotiations and the pair trying to solve who done it, keep the book moving. But it is the sparks between Prince Sebastian and Eliza that set a faster pace.
Julia London has definitely scored extra points for this one.
A free copy from Netgalley for an honest review.
ARC received via Edelweis for an honest review
Now, I have had book friends telling me forever that I need to read Julia London books. Yeah, I reply, I will get there one day.
Now after reading The Princess Plan, I am kicking myself for taking so long to start!
The blurb of The Princess Plan drew me right in. I am a bit of a sucker for historical romances at the moment
This book had a bit of a Darcy/Elizabeth, Austenesque vibe – with a bit of a murder/mystery thrown in for good measure.
Yes, all believability is thrown out the window, but that is what we read fiction for, right?
I liked that even though Eliza had been hard done by, she wasn’t a whimpering, whiney woman about it. She knew where she stood, and ran with it. I adored her sister and and their friends Caro and Poppy.
I am now headed off to Amazon to see what else to read.
This is my first read by Julia London.
I know, I so very know I have a lot of wonderful authors’ work to catch up, and I very slowly, too slowly try to eliminate the backlog but what I thought an easy task is getting harder and harder every passing day as each rise of the sun brings new writers to my knowledge.
I do also know I’m no major in history nor English language ( far from that as I’m a self taught reader ), but I do felt it is kind of my duty to share the pleasure these writers partake with their long and hard crafted work.
While reading The Princess Plan, I wondered at first what book I was reading, was it an historical romance as the country of the hero was created for the sole purpose of this book, but the more I avances in my reading, the more I decided it was a sleuth romance disguised in a historical.
And whatever, I loved it.
Just the first chapter, introducing the heroine and her friends through the “insight” of her blind father was like a delicacy, a taste of what was to come.
Eliza is such an amazing woman, while she was ruined by a too trustful personality as a young woman, she rose from the ash of what has become her life and swore to never again fall prey of another. She also morphed in a woman who knows what she wants and won’t accept any bullying from anyone.
I loved her boldness and straightforwardness, she speaks her mind and bends in front of nobody, even a crown prince.
Sebastian Chartier, the prince of Alucia is in London as he seeks for a trade agreement to improve his country’s economy and he accepted also to fulfill his duties to the crown and find an English wife.
What he didn’t expect was to be drawn by more unsuitable woman possible, she threw him out of her house, she told him no and she won’t accept his says simply because he is royalty, worst, she challenges him at every turn, she unsettled him and takes him out of his comfort range.
It was so entertaining and joyful to see them interact with the other, together they take action, they do not shy away nor let miscommunication get between them, they agree voluntarily to what they have to expect from their relationship until it will be not enough or too much.
The background plot was intriguing and the way they followed the leads was attractive and quite funny.
Why I can only recommend this book to anyone who loves a bit of mystery with a dashing hero and a strong and clever heroine.
A big 10 stars.
I was provided an advance copy thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher Harlequin, I purchased my own copy and here is my true and unbiased opinion.
A delightfully different story.
Crown Prince Sebastian of Alucia has come to England to secure a trade deal, which would include finding an English bride from an influential family. His foreign minister has found him a list of eligible brides and he has resigned himself to a loveless marriage, the plight of royalty. He never suspected that he would fall in love, and with a commoner, spinster, or that one of his entourage would be murdered. Was it at the hands of his countries enemies, or part of his own court?
Miss Eliza Tricklebank is the eldest daughter of the honorable Justice William Tricklebank. Her innocent was taken away from her by a cad, who promised to offer for her and then offered for another woman instead. Since then, Eliza does not trust love or men, and has chosen to remain single. At 28, she still lives at home with her blind father and their madcap household. She also helps her sister Hollis, aka, the Widow Honeycutt, who turned her husband’s gazette into a publication for women, Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies.
Their friend Lady Caroline Hawk gets them all invitations to a Masquerade Ball at Kensington Palace. Eliza finds herself in a servant’s passageway, where she has a little too much rum spiked punch and meets the prince. That night, Matous, the prince’s private secretary and friend is murdered. A anonymous tip is sent to the Judge, but his daughters publish it in the Gazette, which leads Sebastian to their home to find out what they know. Eliza is not too impressed with the prince and his arrogance, but he is intrigue with her when she shows him little regard. At first he uses her as a sounding board, but slowly they realize that they have fallen into an impossible situation. While all looks hopeless, will Sebastian find a way?
I have enjoyed all the Julie London stories that I have previously, but this is now my favorite. Endearing characters, snappy, witty dialogue, a hilarious description of the Tricklebank household in addition to court intrigue, made this a delightful read.
I read an ARC from NetGalley.com and this is my unbiased and voluntary review.
Prince Sebastian and Eliza story begins when he goes to London for a trade deal and finds himself looking for a wife, but one of the Alucians is murdered and the investigation is not going as it should, so he takes it upon himself to find out the truth and that leads him to question Eliza about what she witnessed that night. Good start for the series hope author kicks it up a notch for the next one.
Such a great book!! When Eliza attends a masquerade ball, she has no idea that she would ever meet the future kind of Alucia, being that she’s merely the spinster daughter of a judge. But she does meet Sebastian Chartier a couple of times, even though he does not remember the next time they are in the presence of each other.
Sebastian’s life has been planned out before birth and one this is certain. Alucian law prohibits him from marrying a commoner. While in London to secure a trade deal, he must find a bride from the gentry. The night after the famed masquerade ball though his trusted secretary and friend was found murdered in his bed. Fearing that the English police would not do a thorough investigation, he decides to try to solve the case himself. Especially after reading a story in Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies that alluded a member of his own his staff might be involved.
Fate continually pushes Eliza and Sebastian together and they form a connection that’s unheard of in Victorian society. They become friends and fellow investigators. While pursuing the killer, feelings come into play, but Eliza’s a practical woman and knows that there’s no chance. She doesn’t entertain the thought, nor does she have a Princess Plan, a way to become a Princess. What Sebastian sees in Eliza is a plain speaking, beautiful woman, who doesn’t want him for what she could gain, who only loves the man he is, not his title.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Even though I figured out some of the mystery, the rest was as shocking to me as it was to Sebastian when all the details were laid out. I couldn’t believe who the killer actually was. With great writing, a wonderful story line, and marvelous characters, you can’t go wrong with this story if you’re a fan of historical romance. Do yourself a favor an read this today!!
I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.
A royal mystery. This is an everyday spinster and a crown prince that find a happily ever after. It was such a fabulous romance fantasy to read. I enjoyed the possibilities and how much the prince was a fish-out-of-water in London. Eliza was ever so practical, smart and cleaver and I just loved her heart.
Alucian Crown Prince Sebastian is in London to present his trade agreement to the Queen and Parliament to help his kingdom modernize. He’s also been charged to find a wife so secure the royal succession. At a masquerade ball he stumbles into Eliza Tricklebank who is a 28 year old unmarried daughter of William Trickleback a justice on the Queen’s Bench. She’s resigned to be a spinster who aids her almost blind father. She went to the ball to try to meet the prince and help her widowed sister Hollis Honeycutt get information for her ladies gazette. When Sebastian’s best friend and personal secretary is murdered and Sebastian is determined to find out why and who did it. The ladies print a clue in the gazette that’s delivered to the judge that leads Sebastian to their house. When Eliza kicks him out for being rude to her he’s shocked since no one has ever treated him as a normal person. As time goes on he realizes Eliza is different than any other woman he’s ever met and he appreciates her cleaver mind. This is a delightful story of an observant and intelligent woman whose mind has been sharpened by helping her father with his law practice. We spend the pages seeking the answers to the murder and watch them fall in love. In the end it’s Sebastian who is cleaver to find a way they can marry.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced readers copy of the book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
I was actually leaning more towards a “so-so” rating until about halfway through this one. Both the heroine and hero redeemed themselves (she started out rather silly, he arrogant), and the slow pace picked up a bit at that point. This also had some sweet hints of P&P mixed in throughout.
Eliza is a 28 yo spinster (due to a scandal 10 years earlier) who takes care of her blind father who is a justice. Sebastian is the crown prince of Alucia, visiting England to secure trade agreements and a politically advantageous wife.
There is a murder to solve as well as an unfolding romance, and both H/h are drawn together by their shared isolation and need for honesty and loyalty.
I did come to like both H/h and enjoyed the humor and growth of both characters. Hence, I ended up enjoying this one.
Thanks to #Harlequin and #NetGalley for providing the ARC. The opinions are strictly my own.
Delightful. A most unusual story about finding true love. Evil in the court, family and friendships that last a lifetime.
Eliza is a wonderful woman who has suffered extreme humiliation and heartbreak. She has recovered and become a quirky, Intelligent and talented woman. Prince Sebastian has big problems in both business and personal life. All of that makes a great story. Touching and romantic. Lovely.
The Princess Plan is the first in A Royal Wedding series and I believe it to be a great start. This is the story of Prince Sebastian who is brought up to trust in no one and when his one true friend is murdered, he is devastated and determined to help find the murderer. Eliza is the spinster daughter of a justice of the Queen’s Bench and her current goal in life is to meet a prince so that she can say she did. She also assists her sister in running her local gazette so when she receives an anonymous note that could lead to the discovery of the murderer, they print the information in the gossip page. The Prince comes to her home to find out where the information came from but when he insults Eliza, she orders him and his brother to leave her home. After his shock wears off, he returns to apologize and possibly gain information to help him and so begins the start of their friendship and love story. The story that follows is filled with adventure, intrigue, mystery, a few laughs, a few tears and a great happily ever. I loved Eliza’s grit and outspokenness and Prince Sebastian’s vulnerable side. The secondary characters added to the joy of reading this story.
Hollis Honeycutt, sister to Eliza Trickklebank from the first book in the series, feels like she’s living in the past and afraid to move on and lose whatever memories she still has of her first husband. She’s remade his newletter into more of a gossip/political sheet and seems to be enjoying herself but then she comes across mysterious Westlorian Marek Brendan. She’s not quite sure just what attracts her to Marek, who is seemingly innocent and shy yet involved in Westlorian politics somehow. His backstory is very intriguing and sad as well, and contributes to the story. There’s a group of Westlorians seeking to subvert the peace plan with Alucia as well as kill the Westlorian king. The two manage to solve the mystery and save the day, and the plan. The two characters seem to blend perfectly, and of course, there’s a HEA. Donovan, the ‘majordomo’ of the Tricklebank household, has his story revealed as well.
Once I finally figured out who was Westlorian and who was Alucian I enjoyed this book a bit more. Although I don’t think I really truly figured it all out!
I received this as an ARC from the author for an honest review.
So different and so intriguing!
Prince Sebastian of Alucia has come to London to negotiate a trade agreement and get himself engaged to a well-connected English lady. As it should be, he also has to attend dinner parties and balls in order to socialize and be introduced to his future bride. What the Prince doesn’t expect is to have his secretary murdered and an anonymous tip to be reported on a ladies’ gossip gazette.
Eliza Tricklebank isn’t like any other woman the Prince has ever met. A spinster, marching at the beat of her own drum, she does not care for appearances or to treat HRH with the deference he’s accustomed to, rubbing him in all the wrong ways in the process.
This was my first read by the author and, due to the particular way the book is written, I had some difficulty getting into it. Lucky that I’m one to always power through once I start a book because TPP is a delightful, witty story about a Prince and a woman least likely to meet him, much less fall in love with him.
Due to their differences, Sebastian and Eliza need more than a jumpstart to their relationship, but they make a great couple and the way their bond develops is definitely worth reading. A slow burn romance splashed with political intrigue, TPP is an enjoyable and fun read about an unapologetic English woman and a quiet man destined to become a King.
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over: https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/category/reviews/
This is a lovely historical romance with all the wonder of Cinderella alongside the firm independence of a Victorian woman who thought herself safely beyond the troubles of marriage. Her independence is not that of a modern woman but rather true to the Victorian Era in which she devotes herself to her father’s care and assistance. She also helps him with his work as a justice on the Queen’s Bench without getting the credit she’s due from the other legal authorities, because she’s female, evidence of her clever mind for all she is not recognized as such by any but her father.
Toss in a wish to have some adventures in her otherwise quiet life, an Alucian prince forced to seek an English bride with ties to Parliament, and the murder of a trusted secretary to get a wild romp with both tender and painful moments. Miss Eliza Tricklebank, along with her sister and their best friend, becomes an intrepid investigator who has no business looking into something as horrible as a murder. But she’s observant and clever. Even drunk on her first taste of rum punch and dazed by an unexpected royal encounter, she sees more than she should have, including the moment of Sebastian’s greatest regret. He turned aside his secretary in favor of quenching carnal urges with a random widow, never to know what the man would have told him.
Sebastian has no idea how to deal with this woman who draws him with her upfront nature and her gift for seeing what others ignore. He should be offended. He’s been raised to the deference of everyone around him, but Eliza will have none of it, even going so far as to toss him out to the street when he attempts to impose his royal demands. Instead, he returns as much for her company as the insights she might hold, and that’s before he kisses her. Together and apart, they struggle with pieces and explore educated guesses to uncover what led to the death of the only one Sebastian’s been able to trust…until meeting Eliza.
In case you can’t tell, I very much enjoyed coming to know Crown Prince Sebastian and Eliza, a self-proclaimed spinster, along with the larger cast of interested parties. There is a touch of culture clash between Sebastian’s expectations and Eliza’s behavior, but also with Eliza’s position as her father’s assistant. Add in both amusing foibles and endearing moments to round off this Victorian tale.
The dry wit and commentary rather than a more active tone throughout is a perfect blend of Georgette Heyer and Jane Austen despite a more modern presentation of open-door sex scenes. Even there, though, the narrative voice maintains a period feel while the content and wording are well within the lines of historical accuracy. The same is true for the squealing eagerness with which Eliza’s sister and best friend receive the hints Eliza shares about her early encounters with the prince, going far beyond the single meeting she’d sought to round out her quiet existence.
There’s a bit more clothing description than I prefer, but I found much of it amusing in how the clothes revealed the character of those wearing such and skimmed when not. Nor is the mystery given short shrift. There’s good seeding for the observant reader, and a few red herrings to lead you astray, while it serves to bring the main characters together until they have other reasons to drive them.
Sebastian might need to shed layers of arrogance, but Eliza has as many preconceptions before the romance comes together in a clever resolution that lives up to the idea of no obstacle too great with true love on the line. This treatment, with its focus on the people and their relationships rather than the horrid aspects of betrayal and murder, is exactly the tonic I was looking for when I selected this book. Julia London delivers it in spades.
P.S. I received this ARC from the publisher through NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Julia London has written several of my all-time favorite romances, so it truly pains me to rate one of her books as anything less than 5 stars. Unfortunately, I did not enjoy “The Princess Plan” as much as some of her previous works.
One of my main issues with this book is that I did not like Sebastian, the hero, very much, especially at first. I suppose his arrogant, demanding behavior could be considered pretty typical for a prince, but what really bothered me was the fact that he didn’t seem to be even remotely interested in the heroine, Eliza, at first. He even slept with another woman after meeting Eliza (and very much enjoyed it!) just because he needed to “scratch an itch.” That said, Sebastian did seem to be a good leader who took a genuine interest in the welfare of his people, and he had some good ideas on how to modernize his country. When he finally did fall for Eliza, he fell hard, even though their relationship seemed hopeless. I had a hard time getting over his earlier behavior, though.
By contrast, Eliza was a very interesting and likeable heroine. She was obviously very smart and independent, but when she, her sister, and their friend Caroline put their heads together, they came up with some pretty silly (albeit entertaining) schemes. I particularly loved that Eliza always spoke her mind and didn’t easily bend to Sebastian’s will. Also, Sebastian and Eliza’s conversations were pretty funny. Sometimes it seemed like they were speaking two different languages, especially when they first met. It took a while for them to begin to understand each other’s way of thinking.
Besides Sebastian himself, my other big issue with this book was the way in which Sebastian attempted to remove the biggest obstacle standing in the way of his marrying Eliza, which was the fact that she wasn’t a “lady.” His solution was to pull some strings with the English government to have Eliza’s father elevated to the rank of baron so that she would then become “Lady Eliza Tricklebank.” I would have said that this was a clever solution IF it actually could have worked the way it was explained in the book. Unfortunately, that wasn’t the case because the daughters of English barons and viscounts are not granted the courtesy title of Lady, so Eliza would have been known as “the Honorable Miss Tricklebank” instead. Eliza’s father would have had to be at least an earl for her to be addressed as Lady Eliza.
Overall, I did enjoy this book in spite of the issues outlined above. It was remarkably funny and upbeat considering how much of the plot revolved around a murder and potential revolution in Sebastian’s homeland of Alucia. Also, the secondary characters were a lot of fun, and I would enjoy learning more about them in future books. I plan to continue with the series.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
You can never go wrong with a book from Julia London. This book was a fresh story from your usual regency romances. Eliza was an outspoken young woman close to being considered on the shelf. Sebastian was a foreign prince who is expected to make a political match with a high-born english lady. The two meet by accident and then work together to solve a murder. Can friendship, mutual respect and a steamy chemistry turn into more? Read to find out.
The Princess Plan was quite the enjoyable read. It is the kind of historical romance that I have come to love, with it having a strong and feisty heroine in the shape and form of Eliza Tricklebank, she is a most memorable character. She is a spinster that is old enough to not care about what anyone thinks of her, and with having a strong and willful mind, she often says exactly what she thinks to anyone. When she first comes face to face with Sebastian the Prince of Alucia, he has no idea that her willful mind and way of plain speaking will be his undoing and becomes the reason for his his attraction to her.
I really liked that the story had a good plot with plenty of romance and intrigue, but also that it has a sub plot of a murder that together they try to solve. The story kept me interested and I really like the author’s style of writing as it was easy to follow.