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.

Overall, this was a disappointing read. Historically, I’ve enjoyed Julia London. She’s written one of my all-time favorite romances. But I would’ve DNF’d this if it wasn’t a review copy. Around 70% in, it got better-like 3 star territory, but I can’t change my rating just for that.

My main issue was that it felt very disjointed. Especially when Eliza, Hollis, and Caro talked I would get confused. And I didn’t particularly care about any of the characters. The romance was also lacking. It was like nothing…nothing…and then BAM! It also was a little unrealistic in the resolution.

I actually liked Eliza’s dad. He was interesting and adorable with his kitting projects. But I’m not particularly invested in the other characters. There was some clunky sequel bait and i don’t know if I want to read their stories. I’ll wait and see what others say about them when they release.

The Princess Plan is the first book in the "A Royal Wedding series by Julia London. If the first book is any indication of how the rest of the series will be, I will not continue with the series. The beginning of the book was bad in my opinion.

The story started with a different point of view from the main characters which threw me off the loop and then there was something about the way the story was told that simply weirded me out. I had a hard time getting into the story and when I did, I was faced with the biggest problem of all.

One of my biggest pet peeves is reading that the hero (usually) or the heroine are sleeping with another woman/man. I was not expecting to find that in this book, but I did and was a little shocked. I couldn't get a solid impression on Eliza, but I did on Sebastian. He is a pig of a man, truly unlikable and intitled. He sent someone to fetch him the woman he was going to sleep with, had zero thoughts of the heroine after meeting her and it was like they had never met. He was a truly awful character.

As you can see the book was not for me and I would not recommend it.

The Princess Plan (A Royal Wedding, #1) by Julia London...Julia London never ceases to amaze me..I was drawn into this story and did not want to leave...Thanks to Julia, the publisher and #NetGalley for letting me preview this book. Prince Sebastian of Alucia (needs to make a trade deal with England and find a suitable wife) Eliza Trickleback ( on the shelf...helps her blind father a judge and her sister Hollis write the Gossip Gazette) There are other characters Caroline and her brother, Poppy, the dogs and cats and many more....there is a murder, a evil plan, deceit, laughs, tears, some scheming (good and bad) love and steam all leading to a very Fairytale HEA. I am hoping some of the others in this book will get their own story... Fingers crossed.

Reasons I enjoyed this book:
Easy-to-read Tear-jerker Page-turner Entertaining Steamy Happily Ever After Action-packed Great world building Witty Unpredictable Wonderful characters Romantic

I’m a huge fan of Historical Romance and this one is a very good one and I would advise any HR fans to read it. This is also my first Julia London book but certainly won’t be the last.
Firstly let me tell you what worked for me.
1- The main characters Eliza and Sebastian (Prince of Alucia) alternate point of view which give a great view into their mind. They are both lovable and relatable and together, their chemistry is scorching. Neither are perfect but they are adorable, and I love them so much both together and individually.
2- The storyline, their love blossom in the midst of a murder investigation, the plot is very sound, and you don’t get bored. Their feelings develop through the investigation and I’m so glad this book avoided the reheated and reused plotline of the misunderstanding between the characters. No in this book they really express themselves, there is nothing left to misunderstanding and it’s very refreshing.
3- The secondary characters – I know it is a series and the characters are really well developed and I grew attached to a lot of them and hope they will have their book in the remaining of the series.

Then you are probably why only 4 stars then if you loved it so much. Well not come the reasons why it lost 1 star:
1- It took me a little while to get in the story – Over 15% as I believe the first few chapters were over descriptive. Once I got into the heart of the Story and Sebastian visited Eliza for the first time, I couldn’t put the book down but before that? It was a little tedious.
2- The ending. I find it very abrupt. So abrupt that I even emailed the promotion company to inquire if there was an issue with the ARC and if then end was missing but no. Based on the discussions Eliza and Sebastian had on their expectations on married life, children etc… I think the book missed greatly of an epilogue of some sort. I hope this is something that will be revealed in the next opus of the series even if Sebastian and Eliza won’t be main characters.

All in all, it is a great HR which I think will definitely meet the expectations of HR fans like myself.
Rating 4/5

This first book in the brand new A Royal Wedding series has me looking forward to the upcoming books! The royal theme, especially when it involves a fictional country, is my catnip! I have no problem suspending disbelief, and I am especially thrilled when a prince falls in love with a commoner. So, this book and series are right up my alley.

I liked the historical setting. I also enjoyed the camaraderie between the feminine trio of Eliza, her sister, and their best friend. I liked the inclusion of the murder mystery, if it did feel at times as if it dragged a bit and overshadowed the romance.

A disappointment for me was that I never truly liked or cared about the prince. He bedded another random woman right after meeting the heroine, which I found loathsome, and he never redeemed himself. I am a reader who must like the leading man. I can appreciate flaws, but this character never became dimensional for me. I never became truly invested in the relationship between Eliza and Prince Sebastian. However, I recognize that other readers will have a different experience.

Despite the murder storyline, this book has a light feeling and a great feel-good ending. I think this is an example of the cover being a good indicator of whether you will enjoy this book. If it appeals, I say give it a read!

When I first started this book I was very unsure of it. I didnt like the Hero, Prince Sebastian. He was arrogant, haughty, self indulgent.
The heroine, Eliza, was a plain, simple girl who lived an ordinary life on the outskirts of the Ton.
I didn't see or feel the connection between them. But as the book went along and the relationship grew, I found myself rooting for Eliza and Sebastian to find their HEA.
I was so glad I stuck with the book because it was so worth it. This is the first book in a new series by Julia London. It was funny, moving and utterly romantic. I look forward to the next in the series.
I want to thank Netgalley for the chance to review this book.

The Princess Plan by Julia London is a historical romance of a commoner and a prince. Eliza Tricklebank is a spinster. She lives with her dad and helps him with his law work, being his eyes. She is not expecting anything else. Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in England to set up a trade agreement between their countries. Two very different people in very different circumstances.

The storyline has Eliza and Sebastian meeting over rum punch not knowing each other. Later Sebastian storms into her house thinking that she is responsible for knowing information he needs to explain the murder of his secretary and find the killer. Eliza is not easily pushed and throws him out. Somehow they end up searching for new information, even though no one wants Eliza to help. Sebastian can’t let go of Eliza, but he is supposed to marry a top tier debutante.

Julia London is one of my go to authors. This story felt more modern than the time suggested and a fictional land is not a favorite. Having said that, I read the book quickly in a couple of sittings. I liked how quirky Eliza was and quite frankly wish she could stay her quirky self. The Princess Plan by Julia London starts a new series called A Royal Wedding and was a good read.

I’m not one to normally read historical fiction but I had received this from the publisher in exchange for an honest review so I thought that I would give this one a go an see if it liked it.
This was an interesting read for me, reading about Eliza and Sebastian I felt like something was missing. How she interacted with Sebastian. It was nice to see their relationship grow, it just didn’t feel right for me.
Eliza attends a masquerade ball and in honor of visiting the prince. The Prince’s goal is to get trading rights and acquire an English bride. Ever since she met Sebastian it was an unforgettable moment for her. I felt like there relationship was lacking emotion. It seemed one dimensional to me. It didn’t have any depth or feeling. I couldn’t connect to either one of them.
While Sebastian is visiting England, his personal secretary is murdered, and no one is sure as to why. I think the only reason that I kept reading this book was because of the murder an I wanted to know who had done it. If it wasn’t for that I think that I would have DNFed it at about 50%/60%.
*I received this book from Netgalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review*

I so wanted to love this book, but wasn't "feeling" it. I enjoyed the love story but there wasn't enough of it in the book. There was too much spy/murder/espionage/government for me. I read a historical romance for the love story not the rest of that stuff. Thank you netgalley for the book to read and review.

This romance has it all: royalty, forbidden love, mystery, and murder, and I enjoyed every page. This was a wonderful departure with so many different genre elements artfully combined.
Eliza Tricklebank is a confirmed spinster who has long ago stopped caring what society says she should or shouldn’t do. She lives each days as she pleases and jumps at the opportunity to meet a Prince.
Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in England to complete a trades seal and find an English bride to cement the deal. Yet when his personal secretary is murdered and all the clues are coming from a Gazette published by Eliza’s sister things do not go as planned.
The interaction between Eliza, Sebastian, and the entire cast of characters was so engaging I found myself still laughing at something they said long after I was done reading. Overall a wonderful read and cannot wait for next installments.

A good historical romance with a little bit of mystery!

Prince Sebastian of Alucia had a target on his back because of his position was in England to negotiate a trade agreement and possibly find a bride when he met spinster Eliza Tricklebank by accident during a masquerade ball held in his honor. Eliza didn’t know who he was because everyone was wearing mask’s concealing their identity but figured it out before leaving the ball. Eliza and her sister printed a gazette for women with gossip and household tips but when a clue to the murder was sent to her father, Sebastian contacted her for more information.

Sebastian didn’t know what to do with Eliza because she was nothing like the women that he usually met and not following his orders but Sebastian was interested in Eliza and thought she would be happy with him seeing her quietly but he had to marry a noble and her family was anything but nobility.

I loved The Princess Plan because Eliza was more than Sebastian expected with a little bit of mystery figuring who the murderer was.

P.S I’m looking forward to Lady Caroline’s book!

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

Typically, I expect the historical romance that I read to be primarily grounded with accurate, or mostly accurate, historical facts. As a result, I seriously struggled with the fictional nation angle in this story. I enjoyed Eliza’s carefree enjoyment of the masquerade. I could imagine how dazzling the venue could be! And then came the rum punch. There was some serious second-hand embarrassment during the initial meeting between Eliza and Sebastian. I had a strong urge to slap the rum punch out of her hands. I had no problem suspending belief for the meet cute, though there was a small part of me thinking “There is no way his security would allow some random to roam about random passages.”

I thoroughly enjoyed the descriptions of the story. From the dresses, the gossip and little pro-tips in the gazette had me equal parts fascinated and laughing hysterically followed by a little bit of googling to find other funny Victorian-isms. I was totally in love with the hobbies referenced in this story. Eliza’s penchant for clock repair was clever and I wish it had a bigger role in the story as it added some much needed dimension to her character. My highlight for the story though was the Judge and his knitting. It is no surprise to those of you that follow DCR to hear me say I have a weakness for loving, if gruff, parental figures and my adoration of the Judge was well earned. I loved his gruff love, his devotion to his daughters and of course his knitting hobby! As a fellow knitter, I’m always happy to see my hobby represented.

As much as I enjoyed some aspects of the story, I found myself frustrated with Eliza for much of the story. Her side of the chemistry seemed flat and her extreme waffling between miss-ish and worldly spinster was whiplash-inducing. It didn’t seem as though she was truly interested in Seb aside from his being a Prince and her reason for spinster life felt a little flimsy. Now, Sebastian’s side of the romance seemed to be fleshed out more, probably because he was a more complicated character, but overall the romance fell mostly flat. Everything just seemed to conveniently fall in their laps and the murder mystery was lackluster. It was a good vehicle to ensure the hero and heroine continued to meet with each other at the beginning but beyond that, the mystery was a miss for me.

Overall, I enjoyed London’s introduction to her new historical romance series. It did take me about half the book to settle in, but overall I enjoyed Sebastian’s story and Eliza had some positive things to add. What individual hasn’t occasionally daydreamed about meeting a royal and being swept off their feet, even if it is just for decadent food instead of romance! Definitely recommended for fans of London and rags-to-riches romance.

**Review will be posted on B&N and Amazon after release
**Reviews posted to Goodreads (link provided) and Bookbub
**Full Review to be posted on DCR during the Blog Tour

I was provided with an ARC of this title from Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

It all started with one too many sips of rum punch. But the serving passage was away from bossy matrons and the exhausting bustle of the ball. And she had a mask, so no one could accuse her of errant behavior. So she could blame her flirtations and fluttering heart on the effects of three glasses of punch instead of the intoxicating man who cornered her.

Their first meeting is memorable, but Eliza is exactly the opposite of a perfect princess candidate. She is unflinchingly honest, unabashedly forthright, and utterly unintimidated by Sebastian's glowering demands. They are thrown together to reveal a murderer, and their sleuthing leads to the unexpected entanglement.

This was a lovely story about wanting what we have been told we cannot have because of our perceived shortcomings or unrealistic expectations. It is about one couple's ingenuity to overcome those obstacles and grasp the happiness within their reach.

Prince Sebastian from Alucia is in England to settle on a trade agreement and to find a wife who will help him politically.
Things take a turn when his closest friend and secretly is murdered in his bed after a ball. Trying to find the murderer himself, he once again finds himself in Eliza’s company (although he doesn’t recognize her from the ball). He is shocked to find that she treats him like the demanding man he is and not kiss his feet, like he is used to. As she helps him with his case, the enemies turn to lovers even though they know she is not someone he will be allowed to marry.
It was at times very cliche. I also didn’t care for the Prince and his lustful attitude.p and the way he treated women. Towards the end thought his thoughts made him sound like he wasn’t a jerk who used women. That bugged me even more.
It was not as clean as I would prefer, I didn’t remove stars for that though because that’s just a personal preference.
All in all.... meh.

Society in Victorian London has very exacting rules, one of which is that no Crown Prince will marry a commoner. His royal personage may have a discrete romance, but nothing else. In this case, Crown Prince Sebastian of Alucia is in England for two things: trade agreements and a wife of high born pedigree. When a masked ball is given in Kensington Palace, Miss Eliza Trickelbank and her friend from the peerage are excited to meet a handsome prince. From the beginning, Eliza and Sebastian clash metaphorical swords as she treats him as an ordinary man which is something no one has ever done before in his over privileged life.

Eliza writes a gossip sheet with her widowed sister and a close high society friend. They know all about the goings on of those Quality people including their assignations, flirtations, and aspirations especially in becoming the future queen of Sebastian’s country. When his steward’s life is taken, Sebastian is determined to figure out who committed the crime, with Eliza’s helps as it turns out.

As they work together, Sebastian becomes enamored of the feisty Miss Trickelbank; their conversations and verbal dueling stimulate more than the mind. Sebastian is accustomed to telling people what to do while Eliza delights in ignoring orders and commands from overbearing men and society. Her feelings for the handsome prince are definitely intense; however, Eliza knows a marriage between them could never be because of their societies’ dictates.

Fans of this genre will enjoy Eliza’s adventures and saucy attitude. I was less charmed by Sebastian especially since he displays so many of the traits of men who expect to have women for pleasure, marrying only for political reasons which in this case, cost Sebastian a great deal and someone’s life. The pace is sometimes a bit slow burn as well as the relationship development. This story is the first in the Royal Wedding Series so more is to come for Eliza’s compatriots.

~ ARC provided by NetGalley ~

I actually really enjoyed this book. I read some of the other reviews and people didn't seem to please. However, I don't read romances as often as I used to. This was fun and cute. I liked the story and the people in it, it cracked me up. Julia London is still one of the go to reads for me. Looking forward to the next one. ♡