DNF. I wasn’t connecting with the writing style or the characters - found myself skimming and ultimately decided I’m not the right reader for this story.

I am tired but happy...because I stayed up all night to finish this marvelous book! I just couldn’t put it down and it was 3:16am when I read the last page, much to my surprise! Eliza is my perfect heroine...honest, kind and bold. Her first couple meetings with Sebastian had me laughing out loud. Their story is bittersweet with a mystery thrown in. I loved it! I’m hoping the secondary characters get their own story in the future also.

I think The Princess Plan is going to be one of those books that is either a complete hit or a complete miss for most people with few riding the fence. However, I ended up riding that fence almost from the beginning. The story is well-written, and it certainly had promise. I was expecting a kind of Cinderella story, and I suppose in some ways it is. The characters are interesting enough, particularly Eliza. I really liked this quirky character. She's full of life and her acceptance of spinsterhood has given her a snark most women of the time wouldn't have had. I did have a little trouble with Sebastian. In fact, I didn't care much for him at all in the beginning, but that's not necessarily a deal-breaker. In fact, a flawed character with redeeming qualities can be quite fun. I did enjoy Eliza putting the prince in his place, not that I believe such behavior would've been acceptable in historical England.
As far as setting, the important thing for me with historical fiction is whether or not it feels genuine. Well, sometimes yes, and sometimes no. But the story is fantastical, so that's to be expected. I was a bit disappointed that the prince is from a fictional land rather than a place England would've negotiated with in the time period. That said, Sebastian's home country wasn't really the focus here. The focus was on the romance between the prince and the spinster. Which brings us to what brought them together in the first place. They do have a couple of initial meetings, but the author uses the murder of Sebastian's personal secretary to give this pair some common ground. So, we have murder, political intrigue, and romance being the primary goal. I do think solving a murder was a pretty clever idea for a plot device to bring these two together, which is why the predictability of the murderer didn't bother me. It wasn't really about that, it was all about Sebastian doing some much needed growing up as he came to terms with who and what he wanted, and what he may have to give up to get it.
In the end, there were things I liked about this one and things I didn't. The story does have some lags, and I didn't care for the lengthy descriptions for each new character. I prefer to get to know a character as the story progresses, more organically throughout the book I suppose. Some parts went on a bit more than I felt necessary, and there were others that I wanted more of. Nevertheless, the romance is fun, and I did like this pair together. So, did I love it? Not really. But I did like it, and it was worth the read.

I can’t even express how much I thoroughly loved this book! 😍 it was so refreshing and fun!! Eliza was such a fun and quirky person, saying what she thinks and feels, even if it isn’t what polite society would do. And Prince Sebastian, handsome and regal, kind of uptight as a royal might seem. She drives him a bit mad in the beginning, with her lack of care of his status. But as they spend more time together, and try to solve a mystery, they grow very close and fall in love. Now Sebastian has to figure out how to have his kingdom and the woman he loves ❤️. You must get this to find out what happens. You will love it!! ❤️

3.5 stars, rounded up.

Miss Eliza Tricklebank lives a quiet life as a spinster, she fixes clocks, cares for her father who is blind and a justice for the Queen and she helps her sister with her woman’s gazette. It may not be the life she had dreamed of, but she is happy. When the opportunity arises to join her sister and their dear friend Lady Caroline Hawkes at a masquerade ball for the visiting crown prince of Alucia, she jumps at the chance.

Sebastian Charles Chartier, the Crowned Prince of Alucia is in England for two reasons, one to work out a trade deal that will help his countries economy in the event of a war with the neighboring country of Wesloria and to secure a noble English bride. But tonight, Sebastian is enjoying his anonymity and hopefully a tryst with a willing matron. He shares some rum punch in a passageway with a partygoer and then endures introductions, before finally slipping away for his tryst, on his way out his secretary Matous asks for a moment of his time, he asks it can wait and promises to meet with him in a few hours, a promise he doesn’t keep. When he returns to his rooms in the morning, he calls for Matous and learns the horrifying truth – Matous was murdered the night before. Guilt drives Sebastian to investigate the crime himself – much to his staff and his brother Leopold’s displeasure. When a story about the murder makes to the pages of the Honeycutt Gazette – nothing will stop Sebastian from tracking down the owner of the paper.

Eliza enjoyed her time at the masked ball, she danced, drank too much rum punch and met the prince – twice – once in the passageway and then again when she moved in front of him and he stepped on her foot. She also noticed his secretary Matous and wonders what upset the man so much. She was saddened to learn of his death and shocked when a note is delivered to her father stating the killer is Alucian! But the real shock comes days later when Sebastian and his brother Leopold visit and demand to see her father. Eliza doesn’t care who they are, she will not wake her dad or tolerate his rude behavior and she kicks them out of her house.

Sebastian is fuming about Eliza but knows that he needs to talk to her father, so he returns to her house and apologizes, Eliza tells him what she knows and they begin a friendship of sorts. She learns more information about the note that was sent and helps him meet the last man she say Matous talking to.

Sebastian knows he has to choose a bride and that as a commoner, Eliza is not a possibility, but how he wishes she was! Things have escalated between them and he is in love, but they both know their time together is waning and heartbreak is unavoidable or is it?

I really enjoyed this story, the writing is good, the story never drags, the characters are interesting and for the most part likable, the love scenes are warmish, there are laugh out loud moments, a bit of angst, a very well done mystery and a HEA. Almost perfect, but not quite. The hero engages in a tryst with a married woman after he means the heroine – I can’t like that, just about every single title in this book is wrong – the daughter of a Baron does not have the honorific of “Lady” and incorrect use of titles and formal address are my biggest pet peeve in historical romance and finally the solution for their HEA defies credibility and because of the incorrect assumption that a Baron’s daughter has a title, isn’t even a viable solution. But overall, I really liked the story and would happily recommend the book.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*

Not very interesting characters and read like a historical YA to me. Please pass along my note (check yes or no, do you like me). What originally drew me to the story was the murder. I thought it would be a nice murder mystery/romance but that is not really what I got. I also thought the romance was lacking. I have read several of Ms. London’s books and some I loved and some I did not. This one is in the middle but more toward the did not books. I hate that because the books of her that I loved I really loved and laughed at them.

What a fun story! I loved the quirkiness of Eliza's life from her household to her hobbies and of course her sassiness! What do you do when a foreign prince comes to your country? Dream about being swept off your feet of course but Eliza's practical, she knows that's never going to happen, but dreams are nice. Sebastian has come to London on business for his country, to better his country's relations and to find a suitable wife and future queen, roll eyes, the balls, dinners and match making is in the air, he's trying to come to the justification of a strategic match but the heart is strong. Your heart will melt as Sebastian eyes are opened by true love. I enjoyed this storyline, the humor was wonderful and the characters are what makes the world go round! A definite do not miss read!

I enjoyed this well-written historical romance. Eliza's gossip gazette prints an anonymous tip about the personal secretary of the visiting Prince Sebastian of Alucia being found murdered. The Prince is trying to arrange a trade deal and also secure a noble bride, but finds himself spending time with Eliza while they work to discover the murderer. Eliza and Sebastian are both frustrated by and attracted to each other. This was an entertaining book and I look forward to reading more books by this author.

I really like the premise of this one but it is sadly lacking in the execution. I just couldn't connect with Eliza or Sebastian and for a historical romance that is a serious issue. I wish the author would've used a real country instead of Alucia, which is like a mix of France and Spain but not quite either. I found it annoying for some reason. This book just missed the mark for me.

Such a great book!! When Eliza attends a masquerade ball, she has no idea that she would ever meet the future kind of Alucia, being that she’s merely the spinster daughter of a judge. But she does meet Sebastian Chartier a couple of times, even though he does not remember the next time they are in the presence of each other.
Sebastian’s life has been planned out before birth and one this is certain. Alucian law prohibits him from marrying a commoner. While in London to secure a trade deal, he must find a bride from the gentry. The night after the famed masquerade ball though his trusted secretary and friend was found murdered in his bed. Fearing that the English police would not do a thorough investigation, he decides to try to solve the case himself. Especially after reading a story in Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies that alluded a member of his own his staff might be involved.
Fate continually pushes Eliza and Sebastian together and they form a connection that’s unheard of in Victorian society. They become friends and fellow investigators. While pursuing the killer, feelings come into play, but Eliza’s a practical woman and knows that there’s no chance. She doesn’t entertain the thought, nor does she have a Princess Plan, a way to become a Princess. What Sebastian sees in Eliza is a plain speaking, beautiful woman, who doesn’t want him for what she could gain, who only loves the man he is, not his title.
I thoroughly enjoyed this story. Even though I figured out some of the mystery, the rest was as shocking to me as it was to Sebastian when all the details were laid out. I couldn’t believe who the killer actually was. With great writing, a wonderful story line, and marvelous characters, you can’t go wrong with this story if you’re a fan of historical romance. Do yourself a favor an read this today!!
I received an ARC of this story from Netgalley and this is my honest and voluntary review.

This book was a slightly different read for me than my usual. It had more mystery to it than a typical romantic suspense for me tio pick up. I didn't figure it out until the final chapters snd even then I missed a few details that changed the overall picture. Once everything was revealed I was easily able to see where the pieces fit into the whole. All in all it was an enjoyable read.

3.5 stars

This synopsis + Julia London = no way I was going to miss out on reading it.

I really liked Eliza and Sebastian. She’s used to doing whatever she wants because she’s a spinster. He’s used to doing what’s expected of him because he’s the prince. Together they have open conversations and decent banter. I loved Eliza’s sister and their BFF and I’m sincerely hoping each of them will get a story.

Plot wise, it was okay. The murder thread of the story didn’t really add much and in parts it felt like an afterthought. Even though Eliza and Sebastian were together a lot, it still seemed like they didn’t know much about each other. I didn’t quite get the jump from intrigue to lust to love.

Overall, it was a quick and enjoyable read with characters who were easy to root for. I’ll definitely be reading the next book in the series.

**Huge thanks to HQN Books for providing the arc free of charge**

This was a really fun read. There were so many things that were uncommon: the heroine, Eliza, a commoner, doesn't seem concerned at all with her reputation, her family doesn't want the Crown Prince Sebastian hanging around Eliza but not because of his womanizing reputation, and the prince actually recognizes Eliza's worth early in the novel. Sebastian and Eliza have honest conversations with one another from the beginning of their acquaintance. Eliza gets to put her full wit and intelligence on display, and she is something to behold. Eliza's sister and best friend helped a lot, they had the most fun conversations together and I loved how they helped Eliza. And when Eliza has a bit too much rum punch, all bets were off! Sebastian is an excellent match for her, and his solution to their difference in social standing is very creative. Watching the crew solve the the murder of his secretary added to the story. What was most interesting was watching the Crown Prince realize that women could be as clever as men -- I don't think I would have been able to live in the era with all of the restrictions on women.

This book is very hard to put down.I was smiling widely as I finished it, and am looking forward to further books in the series.

The Princess Plan is the first book in the A Royal Wedding series.
I truly enjoyed this book! This is the story of Prince Sebastian of Alucia who falls in love with Eliza who is a commoner. Their romance follows like a fairy tale where society and royal status stand in the way of them being together.
Eliza is very outspoken and does not care what society says about her. She's defined herself as spinster who will live day by day taking care of her father. Sebastian is visiting England to set a trade agreement and to choose a bride. It is during the first days when a member of his group is murdered. This sets off the story where Eliza assists Sebastian with some inquiries. Little by little they get to know each other and realize that they have things in common and a romance begins to bloom between them. Sadly because of his royal status they both know that they can't be together. These scenes of them talking about it were so sad. I teared up a couple of times.
Fortunately Sebastian finds a way for them to have a HEA.
This book had quite a few characters, which I am sure we will get to know more as the series continues. I really liked Eliza's sister and best friend. They had the most fun conversations together and I loved how they helped Eliza. Some of the most entertaining scenes where when Eliza enjoyed the rum punch a little too much. I actually LOL a couple of times.
I look forward to the next books in the series as I want to know more about Caro and Hollis, which I am hoping the next books will be about.

Thank you to the author for providing this ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.

http://gwendalynbooks.wordpress.com/


The Princess Plan” is the first book in a new series – “A Royal Wedding” by Julia London. It’s an enjoyable Victorian fairytale romance with thoroughly likable characters, an engaging plot and dialogue that’s charming, witty and warm and funny.

My thanks to Harlequin Romance Publishers for providing me with an ARC (Advance Readers Copy) in exchange for an honest review.

The Princess Plan is the first book in A Royal Wedding series by Julia London.
A wonderful historical romance. I swept away in this fairy tale with Eliza, a spinster and also commoner falls head over heels for Sebastian, a Prince.
But can they have their fairy tale ending or will he realities of life get in the way?
A drama filled storyline, with a mystery, and maybe a murder murder. A captivating romance sure to please historical romance readers everywhere.
The Princess Plan is well-written book, with a intriguing plot line . The characters are well developed and relatable and a storyline that flows smoothly at just the right pace to make this a spellbinding read. You will devour this in one sitting and will be held captive until the very end.


Favorite Quote:
"I'm very sorry, Miss Tricklebank, but I can't leave this to you."

"Oh, dear. Did I mistakenly ask your permission. I assure you, that was not my intent." She smiled again, her eyes sparkling with delight.

"You must be the most irreverent, disobedient person I have ever met in all my years," he said with exasperation.

"Really? In all your years? Perhaps you ought to go abroad more often, sir. I am disobedient because I am not your subject."

My Review:

The Princess Plan reminded me of The Princess Diaries because of the mention of the location being a small EU country so there was a parallel with that. The language was very formal at times but there was good attention to detail and I loved the cover.

Thanks to Julia London and Harlequin for my ARC in exchange for an honest and voluntary review.

3.5 stars

Town is abuzz with news that the Prince of Alucia is in town and on the hunt for a wife. Eliza has no illusions of being one of his perspective brides, but she is interested in meeting him and a chance encounter allows her that meeting. But when the prince's personal secretary is murdered, Eliza joins the prince in trying to solve the murder.

Sebastian knows he must marry and if he marries an Englishwoman, it will be that much better for his country. When his secretary is murdered, he decides he needs to do everything in his power to find the murderer. He gets some information that leads him to Eliza. They end up investigating together as Eliza is not about to be left out. As they spend time together, Sebastian become more and more intrigued by Eliza. She doesn't treat him like everyone else does, agreeing with everything he says or that he is better than others.. He is not used to someone treating him like they would anyone else and he doesn't know what to think about it....but he thinks he likes it.

Will they find the killer? Can anything beyond an affair occur between this prince and his commoner?

I loved Eliza and Sebastian's story!! I loved that she didn't treat him as everyone else did. Sebastian was taken aback by how he was treated and it I took him down a peg or two. I was laughing out loud at their bantering, so funny!! This is a great start to what I am sure will be a spectacular series by London.

Miss Eliza Tricklebank may be a spinster but she's content with her life caring for her blind father, a court justice, and helping her sister with the ladies' gazette she publishes. But when a foreign prince visits London and Eliza has the opportunity to attend a royal masquerade ball, she jumps at the chance. When the personal secretary, and close friend, of Prince Sebastian turns up murdered the next morning, Eliza and her father wind up in possession of an anonymous tip, which she and her sister surreptitiously publish in the gazette.

Prince Sebastian is under pressure to secure trade agreements for his country and find a noble English bride, but he finds himself quite taken with the outspoken publisher of the gazette. Sebastian is intrigued by the fact that Eliza is not the least bit cowed by him and comes to value her advice and counsel about the murder he's determined to solve. When his friendship with Eliza begins to heat into something more serious, Sebastian must decide if he will continue to forsake his heart for the sake of his country.

Warning! Spoilers ahead. <spoiler>This book has some issues for me. Firstly, the hero has a love scene, albeit off page, with another lady at the beginning of the book, and seeing the hero or heroine with someone else just doesn't typically work for me.
Secondly, the plot was rather slow, especially the mystery part, and the culprit seemed obvious and like the characters should've realized this sooner if they were as intelligent as we're lead to believe they are. Also, the solution of making Eliza a lady by creating her father as a baron doesn't work because it would've made Eliza a mere miss. I can normally overlook issues with forms of address, though it is a pet peeve of mine, but this was a glaring issue in the plot. This also contributed to making the book feel more modern than historical; if there weren't references to Queen Victoria and carriage transport, it could've almost been a contemporary</spoiler>.

Overall, I did enjoy the story and found the declarations of love to be quite romantic, though I didn't much care for the main characters and despite the rather slow pacing.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

A brand new series begins with a hilarious story of a free spirit rubbing against the constraints of society and a man forced to live within them for the good of his people despite the woman who has stolen his heart. I have always enjoyed London’s historical romances and was looking forward to beginning the new series when I heard about it, hoping for something new and fun, and I can say I was pleasantly more surprised than I even imagined by this story. London has a skill with bringing the unexpected 20th century mentality of women into her characters making them well before their time and then convincing the men that fall for them that this is just fine. I loved this story and getting to know an all knew set of characters and an all new country and its customs and hope to get to see them even more in future stories. I’m not sure exactly where the series will be going, but I hope that Eliza’s friends will get their own stories in the series, as well as perhaps Prince Leopold too. The fun and silliness of the story, even with the underlying themes of murder and suspicion, made the love story between Sebastian and Eliza light, which is crucial to allow readers to ignore the impending doom for Eliza’s heart once she lost it to the Prince.

Eliza has forgone any willingness to adhere to society’s understanding of what a woman should and should not do or say, knowing she has earned her freedom through heartache and embarrassment. When a chance comes to attend a ball in honor of a visiting prince since never thought she’d actually have a chance at meeting the prince, but through a strange turn of events she not only meets him once she finds herself drawn to him again and again. Prince Sebastian isn’t interested in forming an attachment to any woman, though he knows he must marry as part of his promise to his father and his duty to his people, so when he meets Eliza he thinks nothing of it at first. When tragedy strikes and Sebastian needs help tracking a killer, he finds an unlikely helper in Eliza and soon they are wrapped up in intrigue and one another. But the danger surrounding them becomes greater as they get closer to finding the killer and though neither of them imagined it they have fallen in love and now have to deal with the truth that they live in two very different worlds. Is there any way for a Prince to find his queen in a fallen woman that scorns society in every way but gives him the love he needs to make him the man he must be for his people?

Eliza was an amazing character, one that I enjoyed watching in action as she tried her hand at tracking down a killer and stole the heart of a Prince without even trying just by being her fabulous self. It was obvious from the beginning that Eliza has decided to live life on her own terms, being the best daughter, sister, and friend she can, even if society continues to look down on her for past choices. Eliza is a woman living well before her time, one that has embraced her freedom and is willing to enjoy life even if others look down on her for it. She is spunky and sassy to say the least, courageous and generous for sure but I most enjoyed seeing her as she embraced the chance to find love even though she knew that she could lose her heart and the pain it would cause her in the end to lose her Prince. Prince Sebastian on the other hand was kind of an ass in the beginning, not a bad man, but one raised in protection and privilege, the most simple being that he is a man in a world where men of privilege could do just about any damn thing they wanted with little to no consequences. He is determined to do his very best by his people and knows that he will have no chance at finding love, but when he meets Eliza she has a strange pull for him and even though he doesn’t understand anything about her she is simply irresistible. Again and Again he is pulled back into her sphere and the more he is with her, the more he questions his decisions and choices for his future. I loved seeing the changes in him as he embraced his feelings for Eliza and the craziness she inspired, but the most interesting times were seeing his mind working through the drama and dangers that surrounded him as they looked for the killer in his midst. It was obvious that Sebastian needed his world expanded a little bit and Eliza was just the woman to do it, so the love between them was inevitable if you ask me because really who could resist her.

The Princess Plan is a wonderful beginning to a series that is sure to be interesting and filled with laughter, tears and love. I know that I will love this series as I have all previous historical series by Julia London, but I have a feeling this one will be even better than previous ones after getting to meet the characters she plans to feature. Eliza is a wonder to watch as she experiences the chance at true love for the first time, after a disastrous first relationship that left her unweddable for the last decade, and her antics as an amateur investigator were hysterical. It was obvious that Eliza is a soft-hearted woman but she has had to make hard choices in life, the hardest being giving up a chance at love, but now that she has met a man she is willing to risk the pain for, she will give it all for Sebastian knowing she will lose him in the end. Sebastian has no intention of losing his heart of a headstrong and stubborn English commoner when he comes to London on a diplomatic mission, but there is no resisting the magnetism that is Eliza. He knows there is no chance for them to have a future, that their affair can only end badly, with both their hearts broken, but he can’t give her up until he is forced to. He is sexy, smart and a little bit arrogant, but he is also protective and sweet in the most unexpected of ways and I loved learning about him and his small country. The passion between Eliza and Sebastian fueled some interesting interactions with arguments and stubbornness, right up until they decided that passion could lead to different more intimate directions. This story grabbed me from the beginning and I fell in love with the story and characters, even allowing for overlooking a few annoying moments where I wanted to beat the characters upside the head for their stubbornness and unwillingness to think outside the box (until the ending thankfully!). I loved how Julia managed to give us the HEA we always expected in a truly imaginative and unexpected way, but truly I hated all the tears she put me through. I know this one will be a great series and I’m dying to find out what is next in this series for sure and to read what’s going to happen.

Classic regency mystery and romance with a lovable heroine in Eliza Tricklebank. She is a practical sassy like Lady Emily in Tasha Alexander's series. The mystery in this one seemed to stall a bit at times, but the resolution was very satisfying. Truly a fairy tale ending!

Thank you to Harlequin and NetGalley for a digital ARC in exchange for an honest review.