Cover Image: The Princess

The Princess

Pub Date:   |   Archive Date:

Member Reviews

Post won't be up until 6pm 5 Jun 2018 at: https://wickedcoolflight.net/
I really enjoyed this one.  As you all know I'm the only one that reads Regency or Medieval romances in our group, and I haven't been able to read one in quite a while now, so this was a real treat.  This took me about 5 or so hours to read all together, but the story moves along quickly and is enjoyable to read.  It looks like it's been several ears since Elizabeth Elliott last published, so if you've read any of her other works, I'm sure you are excited as well.  I have to tell you, I loved her voice as an author.  It was very emotional.  I could feel my self in the clothing with the high collars trying to be as stoic as possible and how breeding and parentage decreed your place in the social stratosphere.

Isabel and Faulkes' story is passion and court intrigue filled.  She stays away from the full court I'm guessing so she has less details to get right, but the ones she does share with are full of detail and thought that put you in the time and place and convey the mood and privileges of the players. She also shows us all the maneuvering her Father, the King, did to ensure his line survived and survived well.  The alliances and dalliances make it for a very colorful read.  Be prepared to want to keep turning the page.

Another aspect she handled very well was women's rights, or lack there of.  Although women had no rights in the time frame Elizabeth writes about, she actually gives Isabel a back bone and a gives us a glimpse into how a woman may have been able to weasel some power of her own.  I loved that she wasn't a submissive woman.  I also like the idea that her new husband allowed her to help him where she could.  She still maintained the distinct men and women's roles in the story, but she gently makes us feel like it could have been different than we have previously been led to believe.

I'm giving this a 5 of 5 Stars because as per my usual requirements, it has a HEA, there is not cliffhanger, and this one will stay me long after I've written this.  It looks like this may be the first in a series she is calling the Plantagenets, so we'll see more of Elizabeth Elliott I hope.

Was this review helpful?

I found The Princess to be a very interesting Medieval love story. Elizabeth Elliott does a great job of developing her characters. Our heroin is “Her Royal Highness, Isabel of Ascalon, Dowager Crown Princess of Rheinbaden, Princess of England, Countess of Maldon, Baroness Helmsford, Baroness Sildon, Daughter of King Edward of England and widow of Crown Prince Hartman of Rheinbaden.” Yes, this truly is her title, which she uses to intimate. Better known as Princess. The hero is Faulke Segrave a rouge who's prior three wives died under suspicious circumstances. The first meeting between these two was one of the funniest parts of the book. Princess is dressed to impress in her court clothing. She is wearing “her finest jewels, a pink gown and surcoat fashioned from the richest fabrics then liberally embellished with designs made of seed pearls. After all, she had greeted kings in those garments.” Faulke arrives with his cousin Richard Segrave, looking as if they had just been dragged from a ditch. Their garments were covered in mud, smelling like a bog. Elizabeth Elliott takes us back to a charmed romance. I would not classify this novel as a sweet love story. But a deep emotional and scorching hot romance. If you like your stories steamy and sexy, this is the book for you. I received a copy of this book from Bantam Publishers through NetGalleys. The Opinion expressed in this review is completely my own.

Was this review helpful?

*I received a copy of this book through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review*

This was absolutely fabulous. It flew by! I expected it to drag a bit or actually feel it's length (500+ pages), but I was very much enthralled.

Romance is the primary focus of the book, but there is also so much else going on that I wanted to know what would happen. Although, I did forget about the mystery revolving the murders about halfway through the book, but thankfully just as I recalled it as a potential loose thread, the author brought it back up and solved it nicely.

Isabel is an interesting main character. She is a princess who has been damaged in the past and had to learn how to be strong in order to protect herself. She leads her people well and is loyal to them, and truly isn't a bad person. Faulke... seems like the usual romantic hero, but he had a few differences which I enjoyed. He really is a sweet person and a bit more open about his feelings. He is just the right amount of sweetness, kindness, and protective for Isabel. While there is some insta-attraction, I did like to see that their love does and there are reasons behind why they like each other.
The side characters are also enjoyable, but not as memorable.

Learning about the characters and reading them open up to each other while dealing with unpleasantness in their lives, is really what this book is about. She's an abandoned princess and he is cursed. Murders surround them as well as enemies both hidden and in plain sight. I honestly didn't think I'd enjoy this as much as I did and I do plan on going back and reading more of this series.

Was this review helpful?

The Princess by Elizabeth Elliot was an interesting read. I enjoy reading about historical figures and find the whole medieval time fascinating. I have never though read much about Edward I or Longshanks (due to his height).Elizabeth Elliot introduces us to Edward I through her main character of Isabel, his daughter. Isabel was born and raised to be married to a king. She was betrothed and moved to live with her husband’s family and married by the time she was 13. Her husband died (you will be pleased by that later) and she was sent back to England to live. However, Isobel knew that her greatest asset was to marry again and help her father’s political future. She is married to Faulke Segrave, a man who came from the wilds of Wales and was just as unhappy as she was about the marriage. However, as in all good historical romance, things change and secrets are revealed and just when you are ready to sigh with pleasure, one more secret comes out.

I enjoyed reading the historical romance - not just for the romance and the medieval period - but also for the characters and their slow unpeeling of their layers. There were twists that were quite interesting and shocking in a couple of cases. I always am surprised by all the court intrigue and the constant gossip and innuendos. Isobel and Faulke were strong characters, that made the story interesting. The Princess by Elizabeth Elliot was a fascinating read.

Was this review helpful?

The Princess is a historical romance with a little mystery thrown in. I love a good historical romance, and this one was. But I was expecting it to be more historical than it was, as in along the line of Alison Weir fiction. Though my misconception wasn't the fault of the author or the book, it did put a damper on things for me. I was very worried as I got further into the book that there were two almost secondary plot points that were going to be overlooked and we'd get no closure on, but they were resolved, nice and tidy, right at the end. I loved the characters, thought they were all well thought out. The romance story was great too, I really enjoy the arranged marriage trope. Over all, a good read, I'd give it 3.5 stars and will round that up to 4 because it deserves more than 3.

I was given an advanced reader copy of this book by the publisher, via NetGalley, in exchange for my honest review.

Was this review helpful?

This was an excellent, well-written medieval romance. Princess Isabel Plantagenet knows it is her duty to wed the man chosen by her father,. Faulke Segrave has a suspicious past, but he sparks something in Isabel that makes her feel safe and deeply curious, though she has secrets too. Faulke is forced into this marriage, but he is attracted to her wants to get to know her better. This book was intriguing, passionate, and held my interest throughout. I very much enjoyed this book and will look for others by this author.

Was this review helpful?

I was so glad to see Elizabeth Elliot had a new historical romance book published. The warlord is one of my all time favorite books and I buy every copy I can find so that I can recommend it to my customers. I really enjoyed this new book. I loved the characters and the emotions between them. This was a book that I hated to see end

Was this review helpful?

Thank you for the opportunity to read this title.

This was my first Elizabeth Elliott book--I have no previous reading experience to compare it to--and based on the summary I fully expected to enjoy it.

The pacing throughout the book was off. And there was soooo much telling instead of showing, making it impossible to connect with or care about any of the characters. A shame, considering Isabel and Faulke had great romantic tension in the beginning.

The ending felt unfinished, and at first, I thought it was done on purpose, as a way to set up the next book, but the epilogue tells the reader exactly what happens to all of the characters.

I'm sure long-time fans of Elliott will enjoy this one, but it fell flat for me.

Was this review helpful?

Historical fiction was one of my first loves and the novel Desiree by Annemarie Selinko turned me on to reading when I was 9 years old. So, I’m a sucker for historical romance and am very fond of medieval romances and they aren’t written as much. For these reasons, I was excited to read The Princess by Elizabeth Elliott. Sadly, the novel didn’t match my expectations.
Isabel is a king’s widow and the daughter of King Edward of England. Her personal circumstances necessitate a quick remarriage and her father has chosen Faulke Segrave, a seasoned warrior with ties to Wales. The marriage will be secure for Isabel and further her father’s political machinations. Neither party is enthusiastic and the first meeting does not go well.
However, very rapidly the couple discovers a burning physical attraction and chemistry that cannot be denied so they decide to make the best of their situation and get to know one another in order to best foster a civil alliance. What follows is chapters and chapters of silly dialogue and meaningful staring contests. Both Isabel and Faulke were fairly superficial characters and I wasn’t drawn to either of them or their story. When they finally arrived at their wedding night I giggled at the very modern take on intimacy. The master schooling the wife to accept his touch was just too much.
The characters and dialogue are very modern, and quite distracting here. The period details are virtually nonexistent and limited to clothing descriptions. I’m not expecting to read Chaucer’s English but current slang (i.e. Okaaay) took me out of the story again and again. The mystery, what there was of it, was fairly predictable and easily solved. While reading I found myself thinking about really great medieval romances I had read in the past.
While I think that for the right reader, this novel would be a fun, escapist read, it didn’t meet any of my needs for a historical. I probably wouldn’t seek out any of Ms. Elliott’s novels in the future. 2 stars.
I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this romance and its many twists and turns. The characters were interesting in their political machinations and their motivations felt authentic. I expected that the story would take place over a longer timeline, but there was plenty that happened over the course of about a month. The historical elements felt authentic but never too heavy on the detail. I would recommend this to anyone who enjoys historical romance.

Was this review helpful?

It was Isabel and Faulke’s story. She was the kings daughter. He was a marcher lord. There are many twists and turns in the story. There is very graphic torture in the book. It was a very exciting story. It kept me on the edge of my seat.

Was this review helpful?

I enjoyed this book, but I found it slow in the middle. It got too caught up in the description instead of the characters. I found that I did like the book when I finished it, but I had to work to get in to the story.

Was this review helpful?