Julia London - an author to be remembered by good historical romance, great plot and plenty of cute characters. You will feel the story that is being read. You will enjoy the twist from time to time. Each book written by this author is a good read, so try it if you never had a chance to experience her writing! 4.5 solid shiny stars.

I want to thank the publisher and Netgalley for the chance to be able to read this, unfortunately due to unforeseen circumstances I was not able to download this title. I do appreciate the opportunity given to me and I look forward in the future to be able to review another book.
Thank you once again.

I enjoyed this, as it was filled with characters that made me laugh and want to care about them. Eliza was a doll and made me cackle with delight in her ventures. It was no wonder Prince Sebastian fell for her. The characters and the romance made me stay, however, I felt the murder plot was built up only to be resolved in a rather dull and anti-climactic way. I would say the romantic scenes were not as steamy as I would have hoped. But again, I give it a four out of five stars.

I really enjoyed The Princess Plan. I had originally started this in 2019, but stopped because I wasn't in the right frame of mind. But later, in 2020 and amidst this quarantine, it was just what I needed.

I enjoyed Eliza Tricklebank, daughter of a blind Judge, fixer of old clocks, and blunt spinster of the ton. She's fun and doesn't take anything, especially not from a Prince of Alucia.

The Prince of Alucia, Sebastian was a bit harder to get around to, but he was the typical prince type. Arrogant and entitled, with all the expectations that he was born to expect.

The plot itself was different, and I enjoyed it for what it was. A murder plot, in the middle of trade negotiations for two countries, and a wedding deal? A lot rolled into one.

Overall, I enjoyed this and I'm looking forward to the next!

*Thank you to the publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for an honest review.*

Special thanks to Harlequin for providing our copy of The Princess Plan by Julia London in exchange for an honest & fair review.

The Princess Plan

Eliza was the spinster daughter of a blind court judge. Her days were filled with helping her widowed sister continue to publish the gazette her brother-in-law had started, assisting her father with his legal work, or partaking in her hobby of fixing timepieces.

Bas was born the crown Prince of Alucia.  His days were full of royal matters; war with their neighbor and finding a British wife with ties to Queen Victoria 's court.

Love Eliza

Eliza is my kind of girl.  She's smart, opinionated, brave, and she cares not for society's rules regarding single women. Not the typical young woman.

An untimely murder, an anonymous note to the judge, and a blurb in the Gazette lead to many, many meetings between Sebastian and Eliza.

During their time together, Bas starts to depend on Eliza for her attributes detailed above.  He recognizes that she has so much more to offer than the propped up and promoted twits paraded before him as potential mates.

How can these two shatter the Victorian shackles and expectations to find true love and happiness?

THE VERDICT

I really enjoyed this book! Even if you think historical romance is not your thing, try it! The Princess Plan is fun. Another romance I loved recently is The Write Escape by Charish Reid.

The Princess Plan was an enjoyable read featuring a royalty romance and an intriguing mystery plotline.

Prince Sebastian of Alucia is hoping to spend as little time in London as possible. He simply wants to finish negotiating a trade deal for Alucia and secure a bride so he can return home. But when Sebastian’s personal secretary is murdered, he finds his priorities changed. Having little faith in England’s authorities to find the killer, Sebastian begins looking into the murder on his own leading him to Miss Eliza Tricklebank, a woman who runs a gossip gazette that received an anonymous tip about the murder. As Sebastian and Eliza work together to solve the crime, the attraction between the pair heats up until Sebastian will be forced to make a choice—his country or his heart.

Eliza and Sebastian’s relationship is very antagonistic at first as Eliza has information that Sebastian wants and he goes about getting it in a rude fashion. Actually Sebastian was a jerk overall when the story began and he definitely takes some time to warm up to. Eventually after they pair up to solve the murder there were some wonderful scenes between them. I enjoyed their romance the most when the two had time to just be with each other and not be constrained by society’s expectations. My biggest issue with their relationship was due to Sebastian sleeping with a woman who was not Eliza early on in the story. While I understand Sebastian and Eliza hadn’t interacted much at that point, I am just not a fan when part of the main couple sleeps with someone else in the story. As the scene happened within the first few chapters, it soured me on the romance for a while which led to my not enjoying the romance as much as I may have without that scene.

The murder of Sebastian’s secretary was an intriguing premise and I was curious how in a group with so much security (they are royals after all), someone would have the opportunity to kill the man. I picked out the culprit fairly on in the story, but I still thought the author did a good job building things up and getting the main characters to the right conclusion. I am a heavy reader of mysteries and thrillers so if those are not genres you typically read, then the identity of the killer may come as more of a surprise to you.

Overall while I had some issues with the romance, The Princess Plan was still an enjoyable read and I will be continuing on with the series.

This was a very sweet book and a quick read. Quite enjoyable and I think people will really enjoy this book quite a bit if you're looking for a fluffy romance.

This one ended well, but I had a hard time getting into it. I would say my interest caught about half way though. After that I couldn't put it down! I think I had a hard time getting to know our heroine, Eliza, but once I did, with her family and her pets, I was hooked! Sebastian was an average hero, but again, about half way through I could see him and Eliza connecting, and that is where the story improved for me.

What made the story for me was the supporting characters, they were funny and really added to the story. The story line was predictable but in the end there was a happily ever after!

Thanks to Net Galley for the Advanced Copy!

RATING: 4 STARS
2019; Harlequin

"Princes have pomp and glory—not crushes on commoners."

The Princess Plan is definitely a fun read! Not only is there witty humour and a steamy romance, but there is a murder mystery!

After her first heartbreak, Eliza has decided she doesn't mind her "spinster" life. This includes living with her father (who is a judge and blind), and hanging out with her widowed sister, Hollis and their best friend, Caroline. The trio is also behind a gossip gazette where Caroline is the main contributor. They are invited to a party where the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia is hunting for a wife. When the two meet there are sparks but both try to avoid one another to squelch any feelings. Then Sebastian's personal secretary is murdered, with an anonymous tip on the suspect, being published in the gossip gazette. Sebastian comes to find the person behind the gazette and soon finds himself falling for the odd commoner.

I needed a light fluffy read, and this novel definitely hit the spot. I wasn't expecting the murder mystery, which added more to the plot than just the hero and heroine falling in love. In saying that, this is undoubtedly a historical romance with some sexy scenes. I liked Eliza and Sebastian, but I did find their chemistry was just okay. The story, secondary characters and humour made up for any lack of romantic chemistry. I am looking forward to Caroline and Hollis's story, but also hope Becks and Sebastian's brother (ugh brain freeze on the name) get some romance. I am not sure who is the next book but I cannot wait!

***I received a complimentary copy of this ebook from the publisher through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are entirely my own.***

The chemistry jumps off the page!
The Princess Plan is a definite must read for anyone who loves Victorian fairy-tales!

I loved the mix of romance and mystery combined with a Prince that falls in love with a woman that has embraced being a spinster. I enjoyed the fairytale ending and a Prince who defied convection.

I voluntarily reviewed an ARC provided by NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review. Thank you!

Cute, romantic, light! Nice and fun if you like royal themed books. I didn't love it but it was nice to read and have a light escape!

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.

I thoroughly enjoyed this book, much more than I expected to. The set-up was a bit unique, the characters were really fun, and the romance was totally swoon-worthy. I enjoyed the inter-cultural component of it which made it feel a bit different from other historical romances. Will definitely continue with the series and am dying to read the next already.

This blurb was interesting and the cover pretty. While I found this slow to start and the shifting PoVs confusing at first I got into it eventually.The writing wasn't as easy for me, it didn't have that flowing feel to it. To be honest I wasn't at all impressed by Prince Sebastian. He's pretty typical womanizing and self absorbed it seems.Glad he got it together though at the end and proved himself. He needs an English wife as per his father's conditions for a trade agreement. I had to fast forward cause all the talks of the fashion and what not was boring me somewhat. I'm sure for some it's fine but I was more intrigued by the mystery part. The ladies did seem a bit frivolous but that's important in that time.

I'm glad it finally moved along. I didn't really care for Eliza at first she's a bit eccentric. I'm still curious where this will go because it didn't seem like there was any connection yet. Eliza was gutsy and didn't shy away from him though, not a pushover which was nice. She's exuberant and Sebastian was charmed. However her sister and friend was boring to me. The whole gazetter idea was a bit bland. I felt the chemistry was late and needed more in some degree. What a dilemma for Sebastian he fell in love with Eliza knowing he needs to marry for country.

It's quite nice how they found a friendship before anything else. The romance I didn't feel though. You could despite all Eliza's assurances she can handle the prince marrying someone else she's heartbroken. I had to feel for her she's a dreamer and hoped after being betrayed in the past. The whole mystery I have an idea the clues are slow to come out at first. The conclusion was a but rushed as everything came out. That ending needed a bit more when Eliza has her happy ending. But interesting concept and possible follow ups with the other characters.

Crown Prince Sebastian of Alucia has arrived in London to much fanfare. He's come to negotiate a trade agreement and to find an English bride to marry for her political connections. I was fascinated. It gave me a different view of royal responsibility. He may be a dashing Prince but he has no opportunity to find a love match. Eliza Tricklebank is the spinster daughter of a Judge. She is invisible to some and notorious to others. I found people aren't treated fairly. She was seduced by a man who promised marriage but left her for another with a larger dowry. He received no censor for his behavior. However, Eliza did. So unfair! When the Prince and Eliza meet at a ball, sparks fly. Their relationship was interesting. Watch them grow from adversaries to lovers was romantic. Eliza is a strong, intelligent woman who speaks her mind. The Prince isn't use to such forthright talk. I laughed at his shock. Their romance was complicated. Sebastian approaches Eliza when a close friend is murdered. Who killed Matous?Sebastian is determined to find answers. I liked that he trusted Eliza. They make such a powerful couple. Even though they love each other marriage isn't a possibility. I so wanted them together. I cheered at the ending. Julia London had me reading late into the night. I couldn't stop until I know the final outcome. The Princess Plan is romantic, witty and very emotional. This is such a great story!
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

This is the story of a Prince and a commoner with a side of mystery. I will admit at first I was sort of ho hum. But once it got past the masquerade ball scene it got much more interesting. Eliza is a lively character, very outspoken for a female in those times.

Thank you to the author and publisher for an advanced copy in exchange for my honest review.

Thanks so much to Harlequin and NetGalley for providing this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
This one is my first review on NetGalley, and it’s a tough one to rate! I absolutely love and devour historical romance, and consider it as one of my favorite and most-read genres. Princess Plan was historical romance for sure, but was less smutty (sorry mom!) than I usually expect from this genre.

Let’s talk about the pros first:
- I loved the female companionship represented in this book. Eliza and her motley crew really kept my interest throughout the book.
- Sebastian fulfills my love of a crown prince in disguise – a trope I deeply love, and this book did not disappoint in that regard.
- It had a robust and complicated plot, some romance and a lot of mystery combined, – a mix of mystery/romance was overall a good thing, but see cons for more thoughts on this

Some cons –
- The start is so glacially slow; it took almost a week for me to get through the first chapter – if I wasn’t reading this to review, I might have DNF’d it. Thankfully after the first 20% or so, the plot and story picked up, and as we were introduced to Sebastian and when he and Eliza first met at an interesting masquerade ball. This slow beginning is definitely because of the snippets of the ladies’ magazine, which are interesting as the story goes on, but very confusing at the start/without context.
- The ending wasn’t satisfying to me, and felt rushed. We finally get romance after the mystery is “solved” but the mystery wasn’t super intriguing to me – I was expected 90% romance, 10% mystery and I got way more mystery and less romance.

My overall rating is 3 stars – I enjoyed it in the end, but a rough start and a lack of chemistry from the two MCs lowers my rating. The historical romance was somewhat believable, but not totally, and I missed much of the “romance” part of this historical romance. Overall, if less time was spent on the mystery and the gazette articles (which became overbearing after a while) the romance and character chemistry could have been better developed and memorable.

My dear Ms. London, it has been too long. How could I have neglected reading you for the past few years? I confess I was enticed away with kinky shenanigans and the drudgery of a day job. This time away only makes the heart grow fonder. Starting this new series is a breath of fresh air. A definite page turner for me, I kept trying to guess the ending. Fair warning, this ending is a bit of a strength. Not quite a deus ex machina but a bit close.

Set in the London high society, Eliza Tricklebank is a bit of a bluestocking. Her father is gainfully employed as a respectable judge. However, his health is failing as he ages. Still he does the best he can as a single father of two rather rascally daughters. Eliza and her sister work on a gossip rag, a precursor to "The Enquirer". Eliza is completely socially awkward. Not one to understand nor appreciate the societal niceties, she blunders through parties like a proverbial bull in a China shop. In one of her adventures, she is able to meet Prince Sebastian of Alucia, not once but twice. This allows her and her sister to provide some tasty morsels for their newsletter.

Sebastian is a man with many responsibilities. He's trying to save his kingdom and bring it into the current times with advantageous trade agreements. Coming to London to find a wife as his father presses is the last thing he is interested in. I like Sebastian even if he sometimes expected to be treated with more reverence. This is expected, because he is heir apparent. When he encounters the completely irreverent Eliza, he is shocked and doesn't know how to respond. In fact, his responses and interactions with Eliza are humourous and balance the seriousness of his murdered friend and confidante.

Eliza is best described as quirky. She is logical and does not care about too much of the niceties for proper social interaction. At times it is cringing to witness because as an adult, she should know better. And yet at the same time, it feels liberating because she's only saying and doing what the rest of the sheeple want to say and do. This does cause for a lack of suitability to be part of royalty. Basically, she comes across uncouth even if she is educated and sharp of wit. Luckily, she hits it off with Sebastian.

This story is more than just a princess romance. There is a bit of a whodunnit feel as Eliza feels she can be an amateur sleuth. Her delusions make me feel sympathy for her father as it is amazing she isn't dead yet. The fact that she accidentally uncovers information and is able to assist Sebastian requires a suspense of disbelief. She's cute. The mystery/suspense of this tale helps makes this story more interesting.

This historical romance is recommended to readers who love happily ever afters.

What a lovely surprise this book was for me, I was reading this book leading up to New Year's Eve. I was too tired from my retail job but this book had my interest to the very last word. I loved the free spirit of Eliza, Caro and her sister Hollis and even Penny are all entertaining for a woman of this era. The story was a fun mystery in a Cinderella styled romance that at times was a bit full of information I didn't quite think I need to know. It slowed down the read for me as I was more interested in learning more about our main characters.

Eliza Tricklebank has made her mistakes and has found happiness as a spinster helping her blind father with his work and the work her sister does with the Honeycutt's Gazette of FAshion and Comisticity for Ladies. Eliza lives in the Victorian era that has a young lady of 28 years a spinster with no real connections or a great dowry to her name. But Eliza has made her peace with the situation and has found the freedom to do as she pleases and not care what others feel about her or her family.

Eliza gets a chance to attend the masquerade ball at Kensington Palace in honour of the Aluician court where she meets the one person the whole of London is talking about. She has no beliefs in meeting her prince charming but just to meet a real-life prince once in her life would be a high light.

The Crown Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in England for two things one to finalize a trade treaty with England and two to find a wife/ queen for himself. He is very happy to be here for the first event but he is in no hurry to find himself a wife of any kind.

I would have prefered the ending to be written a little bit differently as I felt it was skimmed over to quickly to cover everything to my opinion.

Thank you to NetGalley and the Publisher for the chance to read this ARC and this is my honest and voluntary opinion in this review.