Antonietta is a young woman working at a hotel in her local town as a way to keep busy as she tries to earn her family’s forgiveness after leaving her groom at the alter. Neither her mother nor father have spoken to her since that day, and the town, particularly relatives, have nothing but insults for her. But Antonietta is hopeful that if she sticks around, she’ll convince her family to mend fences and have a happy Christmas.

Rafe is the Crown Prince of Tulane and is recovering after an accident at Antonietta’s hotel under a false name. Rafe wants more responsibility from his father the King to help run the country, but the King insists that Rafe must be married first.

This novel is slightly different from other secret identity stories because Antonietta is well aware that Rafe is using a fake name; so there is no shocking reveal or feelings of betrayal, which is refreshing. The author also does a really good job of building the relationship between Rafe and Antonietta. They become friends first before becoming lovers so that when the HEA comes it’s a natural progression of the story. Highly recommend.

*I received a copy of this book for my honest review*

Antonietta Ricci comes back to Sicily to try to resolve old wounds with her family, there she gets a job as a chambermaid at a luxury hotel. She is assigned to service the August Suite which is occupied by an important man. The two becomes interested in each other and start getting close, and end up falling in love, so now Rafe has to find a way to convince the royal family to accept her as his future wife and the woman he loved.
This was a sweet, romantic read. Harlequin Presents lovers will be entranced by it.

I found this book to be somewhat of a slow read. The relationship between Antonietta and Rafe is predictable. The writing didn't seem smooth and the ebook I received definitely had formatting issues that made it annoying to read. I found myself just wanting to get to the end. This is defnitely not a recommendation from me.

I was given a free ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a long-time fan of Carol Marinelli, having purchased many of her paperbacks and eBooks published by Harlequin over the years. My favorite romances of all time are her Irresistible Russian Tycoons series for Harlequin Presents. So imagine my joy when I saw that her upcoming book, "Secret Prince's Christmas Seduction," was available for review on NetGalley. Of course, I downloaded the ebook and began immediately reading it.

The story is about Antonietta Ricci, a young woman who is returning to her hometown of Silibri, Sicily. She fled years before on her wedding day, not wanting to marry her second cousin Sylvester, who treated her cruelly and often ridiculed her during their engagement. Her actions disgraced her family's honor, and as a result, her parents and extended family disowned her.

She comes back to Sicily, hoping to mend fences and spend Christmas with her family. But they are not interested. She wants to stay in Silibri, so she obtains a job as a chambermaid at a newly opened luxury hotel and spa, which is owned by her best friend's husband.

She is assigned to service the hotel's largest suite--the August Suite--which is currently occupied by a man who is recuperating from a skiing accident. While cleaning his room, she gets to know the man a little bit, and an attraction develops between the two of them. He's a worldly, sophisticated playboy who has seen and done it all, and Antonietta's innocence and sad eyes spark something deep inside him. He can't believe he wants to know more about this simple chambermaid, but she's like a breath of fresh air in his life.

Rumors fly around the hotel about the true identity of the guest in the August Suite, but Antonietta refuses to listen to any gossip, since she's been the recipient of its ill effects after her abandoned wedding. She figures he's probably a famous actor by his dress and mannerisms, but doesn't let herself dwell on his true identity. Instead, she chooses to enjoy the time they spend together when he takes her out for nice dinners.

When she eventually discovers who he is, and that he has unbreakable commitments (including an arranged marriage), she realizes that their relationship can be nothing more than a holiday fling. (In her heart she's known this all along, because he was honest and upfront about his commitments.)

He leaves to go back to his country and Antonietta tries to nurse her broken heart and get back to her life. But perhaps the deep attraction they feel for each other be strong enough to bring them back together? You'll have to read the book to find out, and also to find out the surprise identity of the mystery guest whom Antonietta falls in love with!

My review of this book: the Cinderella plot is interesting, if a bit predictable. But overall, I was a bit disappointed in this book. The story lacks the "must keep turning the page" tension I've discovered in Marinelli's other books. The writing is awkward and wording even a bit antiquated, which surprises me since it isn't typical of Marinelli's style. (I realize that Marinelli is British/Australian, and some of her writing style reflects this, but I wondered if it was an older book, perhaps from the 90s, that was being republished?) The ebook version I read had some formatting problems, too, which at time was distracting and made it challenging to read. However, despite these criticisms, it is an interesting "escape from reality" read, good for a rainy Saturday afternoon. I would say that if you like international billionaire romances, definitely check out Carol Marinelli's other Harlequin Presents books. Don't stop with this one, as it really doesn't do justice to her writing talent.

A big thank you to NetGalley and Harlequin Presents for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. I really liked this book. Took me away from problems, and into another world, and isn't that why we read? Antoinette has more problems and very different ones, but she hasn't given up. Rafe was interesting as well. Good read fun, quick and of course HEA! 4 stars. I think most romance readers will enjoy