He’s reckless, dominant, and deliciously dirty. This prince is no fairytale.Prince Ruben of Helgmøre is his family’s greatest scandal, but the defiant royal won’t change for anyone. He always takes what he wants, and his current obsession is Cherry Neita. The feisty beauty has no idea she’s being seduced by royalty—until they’re caught together in a compromising position. Oops.All Cherry wanted … Oops.
All Cherry wanted was a night or two with the hottest man she’d ever seen. Turns out, that man is actually a prince, and now he needs her to play princess. Well, princess-to-be. The deal seems straightforward enough: one year as Ruben’s fake fiancée, and he’ll make all her problems disappear.
But the passion between Cherry and Ruben feels anything but fake, and their connection unearths devastating secrets. Can true love bloom from false beginnings? Or will this fairytale end in a happy-never-after?
The Princess Trap is a steamy, standalone BWWM royal romance. Warning: this book is 70,000+ words of extreme pleasure and intense romance, ending in a HEA. NO cliffhangers and NO cheating. Enjoy responsibly! Please be aware: this story contains scenes of abuse that could potentially trigger certain audiences.
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Talia Hibbert’s books are my new obsession. I’ve gone through 5 this year, and the binge continues. And The Princess Trap is another shining example of why she’s my 2019 book binge. Cherry and Ruben were an amazing couple. Both were strong, powerful, funny, dynamic and engrossing characters. They were absolutely perfect for each other. The chemistry between them is electric from the beginning. After Ruben impulsively ropes Cherry into pretending to be his fake fiancee, and she agrees to take care of her family, this romance wheels into something so magic, emotional and sexy that I couldn’t put it down. It was unexpected for me because I didn’t expect it to be so heart-breaking and still uplifting. Which was dumb of me because this is a Talia Hibbert book. I loved The Princess Trip. It was a royal tale of love, passion, healing, claiming your power and overcoming your past. Loved it!!
Incredibly steamy and also deeply touching.
I first purchased Hibbert a week ago and have binged through her list already. I only have one novel and a novella left of hers, so re-read this first novel of hers I read to see if remained as charming as the first time. It was a delightful re-read and I could further appreciate her craft of character. Hibbert gives us fresh humanity written in smart prose. Geez she ned to get a few more novels out already…
This was my first read by this author but it won’t be my last. I love a good fake relationship story and this one did not disappoint!
This was my first book by this author. I thoroughly enjoyed her writing style and her perspective through her characters. This book is written in third person from a dual POV.
Ruben is magnetic and distractingly handsome. We are given clues early in the book that he is kind and that he has secrets. He has made some mistakes as an adult that put him in a position where he needs to avoid more scandal. His family relationships are strained, especially with his brother the king. As the book progresses the reader is enlightened to the root of the family strain. I love how Ruben falls hard for Cherry. She mesmerizes him. Their attraction to each other is potent and fun.
Cherry is a beautiful, intelligent woman. She uses her beauty and confidence to her advantage. I love her self-acceptance and her confidence in a world that is always telling us we should be different than how we actually are. I love that she gives Ruben the chance to share his secrets with her, and the friendship they develop, before they give into love and the HEA. I adored reading Cherry’s POV as a voluptuous woman of color- completely unique.
I liked the way the author developed the relationship between Ruben and Cherry. I liked that they had fights and misunderstandings along the way. I loved that they supported each other when it mattered. Their chemistry is sizzling and the physical scenes are super hot. The pacing is good, though there were some times when I really wanted more details than the book provides, and other times when the details felt like too much. The HEA is sweet-especially the bonus epilogue. I will be reading more of this author in the future.
Cherry won me over immediately! I love that her character was confident in herself and what her needs include. I appreciate that we saw some “normal” female traits and that her Prince appreciated those things without focusing on those as crutches in her life. This was a wonderful, steamy read and I thoroughly enjoyed it!
Ensnared Hearts
The Princess Trap is a fake relationship romance that gave me everything I love about this trope and much more. Cherry and Ruben were bold, thoughtful, and nuanced. The banter and flirting was witty and fun. The attraction between them sizzled, even when they were at odds.The sexytimes were blazing hot. The tension and teasing and power dynamic, sent my underwear up in flames.
Ms. Hibbert showcased the push and pull of passion against logic. The characters internal struggles were significant and so relevant to their relationship struggle. Trust, vulnerability, and self awareness are prevelant themes throughout the book and heightened my emotional connection with both Cherry and Ruben. Overall, this is a beautiful love story with well developed characters and a memorable plot.
Perfection!
The Princess Trap is the perfect book! Steam, heat, heart, suspense, love, love, love! Ruben and Cherry are the most interesting couple I’ve read in a long time!
I’ve come to the conclusion that I would happily die for any of Talia Hibbert’s characters. Ruben is so arrogant, but no only to cover up his deep soul wounds that just make me want to cuddle him. And Cherry? OMG CHERRY. She’s so freaking amazing and witty and gorgeous and she knows it. This book is also SEXY AF. I devoured it!
Loved. This. Book!
Somehow it was so much more than I expected it to be–I mean, I suspected I’d love it, because it’s a Talia Hibbert book–but I think the super cute cover and kind of rom-com-y blurb lulled me into thinking it would be a quick read without a lot of depth. I know! It’s a Talia Hibbert book! I should have known better!
Ruben’s backstory (and story-story, to be honest) was pretty dark–it is hinted at early on when you’re reading, but I really didn’t expect it to be as bad as it ended up being. Goodness, my heart cried for the poor guy, both his past and present self. And yikes, I was honestly worried for a while there that Cherry wasn’t going to be able to forgive him for the rather poor choices he made here. I know! It’s a Talia Hibbert! Of course they’re going to pull through in the end! But goodness, she made all of us–Ruben, Cherry, and the reader–work for it.
Again, I shouldn’t have been surprised. But goodness, this book. I can’t really express how much I loved it–but trust me, I did. Do yourself a favor and pick it up ASAP!
Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A+
I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.
Hooray – a book with a British heroine of colour! And one of the supporting characters is Muslim. Another is mentioned as being bisexual. But they ‘just are’ – accepted without causing issues in the story.
Cherry is a stunning, voluptuous, confident, powerhouse of a young woman.
OK, so she seems totally inappropriate for her HR job in a school…err…academy, but hey, it’s fiction.
Enter in damaged Prince Ruben. Of course, he’s devastatingly attractive too. And from some little European island.
At the start, I thought his character was going to be into BDSM, but it’s more power play.
Still, the few sex scenes are hot af!
I really liked how Cherry was there to rescue the prince; the reverse ‘damsel in distress’.
There was good character development and plenty of action. I cared about what happened to the characters and sped through this book.
Talking of speed, some aspects did feel a bit rushed. A little more time to expand on some points would’ve set this book at a 5*.
What I really did appreciate was Cherry calling Ruben out on his errors. She was upset and he was made to know about it, but she asked why he’d acted that way to gain understanding. She showed empathy and compassion.
Trigger warning: domestic violence/abuse.
If you’re after a fab, modern, sexy read, pick this book. Because who doesn’t love a misunderstood guy trying to be better?
Brilliant, amazing, heart breaking, and thank god for therapy!!!
I absolutely adored every bit of this book. The first quarter is fun, fast, and flirty. The angsty part is valid and not too drawn out (and still pretty darn fun), and the resolutions are just … well, all spot on. The Princess Trap is the complete package of perfection. It is perhaps my most favorite royal fake-romance, ever! The characters are richly-developed and Hibbertly sarcastically-hilarious and heartwarming. Cherry & Ruben’s romance is utterly charming. I definitely recommend!
Fake relationship, scandal-chased royal with a heart of gold, positively sizzling chemistry and all the feels – this book was all my favorite things in one very sexy package. I think I’m about to be Talia Hibbert’s newest fangirl.
Perfect audiobook escape!
This week was a week for me and the only bright spot was getting in my car and listening to the delicious fake engagement of Cherry and Ruben!
The chemistry, the dirty talk, the emotion, and the humor were spot on and made even better by a great narrator.
Can’t wait for the next book…although I’m totally okay with the weekend lasting longer!
After reading Chloe Brown, I clicked on this without knowing anything. A dominant Danish prince? Va va voom! Can’t wait to read Wanna Bet.
Also, the male narrator was incredible, I adored his performance.
Cherry is a fantastic character–bold, beautiful and brilliant with just enough flaws to be relatable. This scorching hot, yet surprisingly tender take on a modern royal match-up is yet another great read by Talia Hibbert.
I have never really been a huge lover of royalty romance, but when I read one that’s good, I’m out buying a crown and having a freaking party. This was so funny, and so well done, that I read it twice.
I loved The Princess Trap so much. It is such a perfect piece of escapism, frothy and fun at times, emotional at others. I so enjoyed the character of Cherry. What a great heroine. Watching her fall in love with Ruben was pure delight.
Sometimes books totally come into your life at the right time, and this was just perfect and delightful and made my entire week. Cherry and Ruben were certainly sexy together and adorable, but the book was also wonderfully poignant. I adore how that Cherry, who was so fun and interesting and always managed to hold her own, didn’t “fix” Ruben because he wasn’t broken. Instead, she supported him enough that he could see himself clearly and move forward. I just loved how that was part of his arc, shifting his point of view and believing in possibilities for the future. And the writing was just lovely and perfect and I would read this again and again.