4.5 “Brinley Cantrella may have been a bad princess, but she was quite good at it,” Stars!

Brinley Cantrella has always been the “bad Princess”. Always failing to meet the expectations set for her, so everyone just stopped expecting anything but bad. That is until Brinley’s sister, perfect Princess, Elle does the last thing anyone expects and leaves. She runs away from the life she’d been so perfect for. This leaves Brinley as the only princess from her kingdom to once again meet the expecatations. Elle was meant to marry a prince from another kingdom, and now that is Brinley’s duty. Can the bad Princess be good enough for the perfect prince?

I actually ended up loving this story. It does start off a bit slowly, but it is world building. Which I felt was necessary, but it did feel a bit slow. Brinley was actually very likable. It was very easy to sympathize with her, and I was annoyed much of the time with the people who were so cruel to her for just being herself. I don’t want to say much, but I ended up loving prince Finian. I was unsure about him for awhile, but his layer of frost started to melt and he was likable as well. Why did I take away .5 if I loved this so much. Mainly because the pacing and the timeline were a bit odd at times, but that is really it. Kind of petty things when it comes to a novella.

Bad Princess is sweet, sexy, light, and fun. It almost feels like a more adult take on a Disney Princess story. There is a duty to be fulfilled, but the princess is sassy and strong and does it her own way. Add in a healthy dash of smut, and this is grown up Disney for the win!

I received a copy of this book from the publishers via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Brinley is a typical fun-loving young woman. She lives her life by her own rules seeking adventure and excitement. While this is acceptable in a modern woman, it is not what society and the world at large accept in a princess. When her older sister abdicates the throne Brinley has to give up her college life and return to a life bound by rules and regulations.

When she is caught in a compromising position with Prince Finn, her sister’s former future husband, Brinley is forced to marry him for the sake of appearances. Not helping an already awkward situation is the fact that Finn is the only man she has ever loved.
Can Brinley adjust to her new situation and risk heartbreak or will she stay true to herself? Will she ever live down her Bad Princess image?

I loved this book. While a novella the plot develops at a nice pace and you can’t help rooting for Brinley. Her character is well-developed and you can’t help but be drawn to her. The sex scenes are hot and steamy. Prince Finn is the man most women wish they could marry.

If your looking for a quick fun read, this is the book for you.

This was a cute short book with a nice change in storyline. Two modern day princesses, one destined to become Queen and the younger, Brinley, a menace to society. Well, not really. But she always found herself in the worst situations and of course it was always caught on camera and published all over the news. I know my jaw dropped at the endings of a few paragraphs and I loved that! Some funny stuff!

But when her sister runs from her duties and leaves the prince who was picked for her husband, it's Brinley's time to step up, including inheriting the husband!

Like I said, loved the storyline and change of pace!

I was pleasantly surprised at the quality of writing, character development and content of this self-published book. After reading a number of dark, literary titles these past months, it was enjoyable to get lost in a fairy tale romance, or I should say an erotic fairy tale romance! This book had more of what I'd call "erotica" language in it than I expected from the description and set up of the book. The quality of writing and character development is on par with other titles we do purchase from publishers for our Romance shelves in the library, so hopefully this author will find a publisher in the near future to distribute her books more widely. Well done!

3.75 Stars!

A prince and very bad princess.
But...is she really?

Princess Brinley Cantrella has always danced to the beat of her own drum.
But her care free lifestyle is turned upside-down when she's summoned back home to fulfill her royal duties.

When she is caught in her latest scandal, she's forced to "fix" her mistake by covering it up with a royal wedding.

Brinley was such a fun character! Her curious nature and lively spirit were incredibly endearing. And Price Finn was a great fit for the "Bad Princess". I loved how he accepted her for who she was, and how she encouraged him to speak his mind and just be himself.

"Love was not a byproduct of duty; it was a side effect of happiness."

I would've appreciated if Brinley and her parents had reached some sort of an understanding.
Besides that, it was a sweet and fast read; which I enjoyed!

Bad Princess is another hit from Ms. Julianna Keyes! It's a fun and breezy story full of barely suppressed chuckles and red-cheeked steaminess. As with all her previous works I've read I enjoyed Bad Princess very much.

Ms. Keye's writing always draws me into her stories. Her words flow so smoothly it was easy to get swiped up into a royal disposition and the castle setting. With the exception of the protagonists I kind of hated all the other characters. Their snobby and selfish behaviour grated on my nerves. Hallelujah we have the bad princess to set them in their places.

I am a fan of Brinley Cantrella of Estau. She's an amazing woman- unafraid to seize her life and live in the now. Even when faced with animosity she stood straight to receive all the ugly words. Brinley is one of the bravest ladies and I hardcore rooted for her successes.

Finn and Brinley may have seemed like total opposites but they were actually a great match. Her unapologetic attitude was the absolute complement to his cool demeanor. I loved seeing their personal feelings slowly come to light. Every interaction was a forward step on the path to their very own happily ever after. The bad princess and her perfect prince deserve to be happy.

Given that this is a novella I can see why a few minor things weren't addressed. Some closure would've been nice but honestly I kind of like the open ending. Maybe it was done on purpose so there may be more story in the future? You'll hear no objections from me ;)

3.5 Stars

After a long workday and crazy night, I prepared for a few hours of brain candy. I went into this wanting and expecting a fluffy romance read. What I got was something more nuanced, with humor, love, heartbreak, and depth. And somehow it turned out to be what I needed.

Brinley is full of spunk, emotions, and energy. I loved her as a character and could easily relate to her. Finn was a bit more of an enigma, but I fell for him all the same. I thought they worked really well as a couple and there were definitely a few swoon moments.

I do wish there would have been an epilogue and there was a part near the end I found a little unnecessary, but on the whole, a lovely read.

A big thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. I voluntarily reviewed this book. First time reading this author. Loved Brinkley but geez what awful parents!! Everything happened very fast. Would have liked to understand the relationships better-family dynamics. It read fast and was fun.

Full review to be posted online in late November.

BAD PRINCESS is not exactly the read I thought it would be. The story was well written, and with a good plotline; everything readers have come to expect from Julianna Keyes. She does NA well, but the book slipped into juvenile a few too many times for my tastes. I liked Brinley and Finn, they were funny and quirky; but their actions often fell into youth territory, making the explicit sex scenes a bit icky. If none of these things are an issue for you, you will find BAD PRINCESS a fun and enjoyable read.

Bad Princess is a cute story written by author Julianna Keyes. Love Princess Brinley! Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for the advance copy.

THE GOOD:

- I thought Brinley was a very strong heroine (and I found it hilarious that her name translated to mean Princess Princess Princess.)
- I thought Finn was a fair and equitable hero and not overly dominant.

THE BAD:

- I thought the conflict Brinley had with her parents wasn't fully fleshed out. There was no resolution or solution to the issues Brinley had with her parents, and no touching moment that could have brought them closer or added an extra element of sweetness to the story.

This was a sweet story with a spicy princess as the lead. There was plenty of passion (sizzle!) and her relationship with Finn was one of the best I've read. I loved them both!

I recived an ARC of this book via NetGalley in exchange of an hoest review.

I feel bad because I was the first one that rated this book on Goodreads and a book that only got 3 stars with my standards (I’m REALLY PICKY) doesn’t mean that others wouldn’t enjoy it and a low rating projects that for me. But I think everybody experienced being let down by a book at least once in their life and unfortunately with this story it happened to me. It’s probably my fault because I had maybe unfairly high expectations towards it and I also kind of misinterpreted the synopsis which lead to quite a few dissapointments on my part. Overall, Bad princess is not a bad book, I just didn’t enjoy it as much as I hoped.

The writing is great and flowing but I kinda expectedthat because this may be my first read form the author but I only heard good things about her previous books. Where the story fails for me is first and foremost is the plot itself. This includes the time managment, the world building and the lack of emotions coming trough regaring the evnets that should generate more feelings in the reader that they do, at least in my opinion.

The main thing that could have ipmroved the stoy in spades with just the slightest change is how the storyline goes time wise. Things happen so fast, within days and its not just unrealistic but a bit off putting as well. There is absolutley no time to develope feelings or get to know the characters within such a short period of time. I mean not even 3 days after the wedding this converstaion happens:

‘That’s right.’
‘They can be divorced?’
‘Yes. The library scandal has been largely forgotten, so the ceremony did its job. If they want to be divorced, I will not dispute it……’

What kind of country forgetts a scandal within a couple of day?? So yes the time managment was a problem of mine.
Also the world building has some pesky detailes I personally couldn’t get over. The whole structure of the royal reign is build on quite arhaic base and even if the personell is running around with tablets, any concept of modern thinging they deem as ‘bad’, hence the bad princess title.

As for the characters. Personally I like Brinley, she is a klutzy but inquisitive and free spirited girl, who by simply beaing a normal child was regarded as bad. There is a really strong prejudice against her and no matter what she does her parents find something to criticize about it. Due to this she is bitter towards her family but not in a hostile way, also she is really lonely. Althoigh her feeling towards Finn are build upon a make-beleive person who she created based on gossip sites. She idolizes him and thats why when the Fin never stands up for her or practically side with her parents she just lets him. I think she would deserve better.

When I finished the book my first tought about it was that its like a tipycal Disney movie with a touch of adult content, but its just too simple for my taste. It’s something that we saw numerous times before, for me it was missing the extra spark or an unexpected twist.

Interruptions are really not welcome with Finn and Brinley, "Finn righted Brinley and she stood and scowled at Charles, fighting the urge to attack him for the interruption. “Spit it out,” she snapped, when he continued to fumble." I really enjoyed this book, I loved Finn and Brinley.