Review

This third book of the Princess Trilogy is amazing!  Princess Luisa and her two sisters have been forced to leave their homeland, and flee to England, to the protection of their uncle, the Duke of Olympia.  Their father, the Royal Prince, and Luisa’s new husband have been assassinated, and the country is in turmoil as rebels are attempting to take over.  The Duke formulates a plan to have each of the princesses masquerade as men until such time as they are safe again.

Luisa is in line to rule her kingdom, and is in extreme danger from the rebels.  Thus, she becomes Mr. Markham, a secretary.  She (“he”) applies for a job with the Earl of Somerton, who is a hard man, and whose servants are deathly afraid of him.  Her arrogant attitude in the interview actually appeals to Somerton, and he hires her.  Luisa never backs down from him, and they develop a terrific working relationship and a mutual respect.

Luisa is a strong person, as well as being very duty conscious.  Her royal upbringing allows her to stand up to Somerton, who she begins to see in a different light from his public persona.  He is actually very vulnerable, as he is in an unhappy marriage, convinced his wife is cheating on him.  Despite herself, she begins to fall for him.  Somerton is not the kind of man I usually like in a hero, as his past is full of sins that I find hard to accept.  Eventually, he finds out who Markham/Luisa really is.  He begins to see her in a different light, and is determined to protect her.

So, how can this possibly all work out?  This author did an amazing job.  There is so much happening in this story, and she manages to pull it all together.  She also used tropes I actually detest, and made me love this story.  I really, really hate stories of ladies masquerading as men.  I detest reading about political intrigue.  I also can’t stand men who have done some of the things Somerton has.  And yet – I adored this book.  I even fell in love with Somerton as I learned about his past and watched him become a hero.

This trilogy was my first exposure to author Juliana Gray, and it has convinced me that she is now an auto-buy for me.  I think this book was the best of the three – it was exciting, heartbreaking, and sexy.  The conclusion was satisfying, and there was an epilogue that was stellar. Absolutely, positively recommended!

Reviewed by Rose