Another wonderful book from Danielle Steel! I really enjoyed reading this book about the Royal family secret and was intrigued by the storyline. I kept wondering if the Royal family would ever learn about Princess Charlotte's secret and if they would accept Anne into the family when they found out about her. The characters were all so likable, especially Anne. She seemed to fit into both her domestic life and her royal life. It probably helped that she had a passion for something that the Royal family was also passionate about. I would definitely recommend this book, especially if you are a Danielle Steel fan!
Thank you to NetGalley, Random House Publishing, and Delacorte Press for an ARC copy of this book in exchange for my honest review!

A wonderful story about a young girl who is sent to the country during WWII. Her life takes some twists that she doesn't expect, and neither did I! I loved the story, there really isn't a bad Danielle Steel book. Quick read, great for a rainy day or afternoon at the beach.

This review is based on an ARC from NetGalley, courtesy of the publisher. All opinions are my own.

Danielle Steel's storytelling voice rings strong in this beautiful and poignant story that tugs at your heart strings. This richly drawn story and vivid characters will linger long after the last page. An absolute must read. Happy reading!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me to review this title.

During WWII Princess Charlotte is sent to the country by the royal family in order to keep her safe from bombings. Her identity is known only to the elderly couple that own the property she is sent to. Within a year, she falls in love with their son, gets pregnant, marries him, and he is sent off to war. He dies almost immediately, leaving Charlotte to live with her mother in law and Lucy, the other border, who just happened to be obsessed with Henry, the couple's son. Charlotte dies after childbirth, and soon after, the countess dies as well, leaving no one that knows Charlotte's true identity. Lucy decides to raise baby Ann Louise as her own, even after she discovers she is a royal princess by birth.

This book was a lot. Most of it hinges on the kidnapping of a baby. Most of the characters are killed off just for this plot to happen, and it's rather ridiculous. Even if you manage to suspend common sense for long enough to imagine that this could actually happen, the story is trite and predictable. Added to that, this book is so incredibly repetitive that you simply have to roll your eyes. I mean, Steel would repeat sentences nearly verbatim within the same paragraph. If one were to remove all the repetition, this book would MAYBE be 100 pages.

Steel befuddles and frustrates me. One book will be good and then the next is as if she didn't even try. It's almost as though she has a halfway decent idea and a deadline, so she just randomly copy and pastes the same paragraphs over and over around key plot elements to make a whole book. Take this one, for instance. Long lost princess that no one knew about is reintroduced into the royal family. Should be interesting, but it's so overdone and unbelievable that it's hard to stay in the plot.

June 1943

England and its people have endured several years of bombings by the German army during World War II. The King and Queen have 3 daughters, two of whom have helped with the war effort. They are the oldest, Princess Alexandra, and Princess Victoria, the middle daughter. Their third and youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, has asthma and the Queen wants her nearby and protected from the dust resulting from the bombings which makes her asthma worse. Many families have sent their children away to keep them safe from the bombings and some have not seen their children for several years.

A quiet, older couple, the Earl and Countess of Ainsleigh, of Yorkshire have been selected for Charlotte to stay with for the better part of a year. She does not want to leave her family but agrees to their wishes. Their home and holdings are quite large and Charlotte can have her beloved horse with her to ride. She will be known as Charlotte White, not Charlotte Windsor, except the Earl and Countess know her true identity. They have a son, Henry, who is Charlotte’s age and who will be leaving to join the army soon. Another young refugee who lost her parents in the war, Lucy Walsh, will also live with them.

Charlotte is a lovely, petite young woman. When she arrives in Yorkshire, she is surprised that she will be living in a tiny maid’s room and will be expected to help with serving and cleaning up the meals. Soon, Charlotte and Henry enjoy riding horses together and they fall in love. When she becomes pregnant, they marry. Alas, after a difficult childbirth, Charlotte dies but her daughter, Annie lives. Lucy steps up and takes care of her. Will she contact the royal family to tell them of Charlotte’s death and give Annie to them?

I really loved this sweet story. It is historically correct and the characters are perfectly created. The love between Charlotte and Henry is beautifully written and Annie’s life as she grows and matures is very compelling. Danielle Steel has written yet another wonderful book. Enjoy!

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

A beautiful story of true love ( in all it's many layers), loss, honesty, integrity and being true to yourself.
This is her best book in the last 5 years. I have reading Danielle Steel since the early 80’s, many ups and downs but this book touched me in a lot of ways. From the ill fated marriage of Princess Charlotte to her daughter’s coming of age within herself without over the top drama. I loved the characters, history and workings within the Royal family.
I hope they make this into a TV movie. Bravo Danielle Steel! #NetGalley #Royal

This was a fantastic book. I love Danielle Steel. The beginning started off a little boring but it quickly picked up into a story I didn't put down at all. I started it and finished at in like 3 hours.

A princess sent away and life happens. Another girl makes a tough choice but in the end it works out. Sad in spots but wonderful in others.

Royal is the new release by Danielle Steel. I have been a fan of Danielle Steel for more than thirty-five years, and even after all of these years, her books do not disappoint.

The war is still ongoing in 1943, and London is still a target of bombing. The King and Queen have three daughters...and their youngest daughter Charlotte suffers from asthma. They are worried about her health, and make the difficult decision to send her to the countryside to live in Yorkshire...under a fake identity...in order to keep her safe. Her guardians are the only two people that know her true identity, and they have promised to care for her for the following year until she turns eighteen and returns home. What could possibly go wrong?

Typically, I would write a very detailed review, but in this case, I decided not to because I do not want to reveal too much of the story. Danielle Steel perfectly weaves together the threads of this story that spans nearly three decades, and she ends it by giving us a beautiful tapestry. This is a story that is both heartbreaking and heartwarming, and it will definitely tug at your heartstrings throughout. The three main characters...Charlotte, Lucy and Annie...are extremely well-written, but yet complex characters. Annie was my absolute favorite, especially since she never wavered from remaining true to herself. Of the three women, Lucy was the one that I actually felt sorry for. Her actions may have seemed selfish, but I understand why she did the things she did, and it was almost always out of love more than anything else.

Overall, I would definitely recommend reading Royal. This is a story that will break your heart multiple times throughout, but it has an ending that comes full circle.

I would like to thank NetGalley, Danielle Steel, and Random House Publishing Group-Ballantine for allowing me to read and review an ARC of Royal. My views are my own, and are in no way influenced by anyone else.

Royal by Danielle Steel, is an enjoyable read. Even though the book is fictional, I could see resemblances to the present English monarchy. The monarchies love for their horses, and being excellent riders was based on the main character, Annie. At the end of the novel, the reader is so happy for Annie that all her dreams came true. I really enjoys Steel's books when she adds historical events to her novels. I find them much more fanscinating than just a romance novel.. I hope Steel continues writing historical fiction.

I really liked this book. I thought it was a wonderful story about love and loss. The beginning is a tragic love story, one that you hope would go one. I really like Anne's "parents". Her step father loved her just like his own. She had so much love and loss in her life.

I've never read a Danielle Steel novel before, so I can't compare this novel to any of her others. What struck me the most about the writing style is that it reads like a first draft. Steel has never met a comma she didn’t want to put into a sentence, making sentences long and difficult to follow. There are often sentences that reveal information, and the same information is repeated a few paragraphs later. This may be because I read a galley and final edits had not yet been completed. The repetitive passages seem to wane further into the novel, so hopefully the beginning will be fixed before release.

Steel explains facts without going into the characters' motives, which makes the story feel more like a book report than a novel. The plot is intriguing and would have benefitted from a more refined writing style. There are many twists and turns in this story,

The reader is told (several times) in the opening chapter about Charlotte's petite size, like her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Her asthma contributes to her poor health, which is the reason the fresh air and lack of bombings in the country are appealing to Charlotte's parents. Her size and frailty make her seem younger than her seventeen years, although her mental abilities and hobbies make her soar beyond the average teenager.

Upon arrival in Yorkshire, Charlotte is immediately appealing to the son of the aristocratic couple housing her. This creates tension with the other girl living in the home, who also fancies the boy. The residents of the country home experience several tragedies and keep several secrets that change their lives forever.

The characters' lives are very similar to their real-world counterparts. King Frederick reluctantly takes the throne after his brother abdicates, like King George VI. Queen Anne is much like Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Alexandra is Princess Elizabeth, married to a blonde foreigner (although in this book he is German, not Greek), and with a love for horses and corgis. Victoria is the wild, fashionable Princess Margaret.

Readers who love stories of WWII and the British monarchy will appreciate this novel despite its writing flaws. Danielle Steel's legion of fans and fans of happily ever after romances will also enjoy this novel.

Royal is a sweet story of a young woman’s humble upbringing as the daughter of a stable manager and a housemaid. After Lucy, the woman she believes is her mother, dies, Annie learns that she is really the daughter of a royal princess. Although she and her new royal family could have resented Lucy, they simply accept what happened and move on with life. I appreciated that the characters didn’t dwell on Lucy’s poor decisions. The whole book seems to have love and forgiveness as its central themes, which is refreshing. I also appreciated that Annie did not give up on her dream of racing horses. Despite all the twists and turns in Annie’s life, she remains a sweet, humble young woman. The reader can’t help falling in love with her and wanting the best for her.

I received an advanced readers copy of this book through NetGalley. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Historical fictional is not my favorite but I enjoyed this emotional story of a British monarchy and a baby that the world didn’t know about. While this was a fictional telling about royalty, parts of the story seem familiar. This was a quick read with not a lot of depth to it, even though there was some death early in the story. But nonetheless I enjoyed this story.

This was a beautiful and romantic story by a master storyteller. The main character is sympathetic and believable and the storyline flows seamlessly. Highly recommended.

Royal by Danielle Steel is exactly what I love about this author. A story with so much feeling, emotional and full of angst. I was captivated from the start. Setting during World War 2, the royal family must make a difficult decision. They decide to send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte away to keep her safe. No one could have predicted what happened next! The story is full of love, loss, secrets, hope and so much more.

Happy reading!

Great book!!!! Loved it a British monarch fiction readers love. Anna had an adjustment to make after she found out at was a princess after 20+ years but she didn't lose her true self and fell in love with Anthony who her queen aunt knew since birth and knew his father since young children.

My Bubbie (Yiddish for grandma) always loved @officialdaniellesteel and passed that love to me. I remember being in seventh grade and checking out all her books from the library and feeling like a true adult. Her old stuff is classic! But her newer stuff has fallen flat for me, except this one. This has an interesting premise: a secret princess, and if you know me, I love a good royal twist. However, Steel falls into her typical ~not like other girls~ trope with her protagonists, which always bothers me. Plus, her definition of beauty is pale skin and hair and being incredibly small. I think it’s time for her to move on from traditional Eurocentric beauty standards and embrace a more diverse cast of characters and stories.
•••
Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy!
•••
Book 72 of 2020
•••
#bookstagram #book #reading #bookstagrammer #bookaddict #booklover #bookaccount #igreads #bookworm #reading #readingbooks #booksofinstagram #booksofig #reader #randomhouse #daniellesteel #royal

#Royal#Danielle Steel#Net Galley

Although I'm no history buff, Danielle Steel once again managed to pull me in with this page-turner. Set during WWII, the King and Queen of England send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, to the country to live because of health issues that put her risk. Using an alias, no one suspected who she really was while residing with a noble family and a war orphan, Lucy. Charlotte falls in love, gets married and dies giving birth to her baby girl. While Lucy was jealous of Charlotte, she was deeply in love with Charlotte’s orphaned daughter, Annie, and raises her as her own. The story continues with more secrets and tragedy.

5/5

Fans of Danielle Steel will not be disappointed. I always enjoy her reads and this was another good one.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars...I haven't read a Danelle Steel book in YEEEEARS because they all started to sound the same, but I actually enjoyed this book!

There's very little dialogue here (there's more towards the end). The story is told almost in a fairy tale kind of way. It's very detached and moves along quickly. It's as if someone was recounting a tale that someone had told them and they're passing it down.

One thing to keep in mind about this story...it's very happy-go-lucky. Everything is 'perfect' and 'amazing' and all-around sunshine and lollipops. Yes, there's death and deception, but you never really FEEL it. It's just something that propels the story forward.

Princess Charlotte is young and beautiful and an amazing horse rider. Henry is young and handsome and SO in love with her. Even when they find themselves in trouble being pregnant and unmarried, that problem is quickly solved by a hasty marriage and they're just so gosh-darn happy!

There are a lot of deaths in a fairly short time, but we never really feel attached to any of the characters, so you don't feel a whole lot of grief.

Annie lives a perfect life with her family on the Markhams estate and even once she finds out who she really is, the Royal family welcomes her with open arms and is so accepting and caring. Every single one of them! And she's the best rider, just like her mother and everything just comes so easy for her!

This book is 100% a filler book...there's no real substance to it, but it's a pleasant way to pass an afternoon. It's a great book to take your mind off all the crazy that's going on out in the world right now, and the perfect light reading in between some heavier books.

Overall, while this certainly isn't anything special, it's not a bad way to pass an afternoon.

I’m definitely a Danielle Steel fan and she doesn’t disappoint. I have always enjoyed historical fiction and the retelling of the British monarchy with a slight twist was quite fascinating. The story spans from World War II into the 1970s and the storytelling is magnificent. Of course, there’s tragedy and romance and also great horse racing to boot. The characters are familiar yet also unique and the ending made my corny romantic heart very happy. A must read for the end of summer.