I was very nervous to start this book. This is the reworked ARC of an apparently problematic book (that I didn’t read, just read a bunch of reviews about) where the author actually took a lot of feedback, worked with sensitivity readers, changed some personality traits and past experiences of our main characters, and made it better. A lot better, given other reviews I read.

I was nervous, but ended up being pleasantly…. not surprised, but maybe, reassured. That being said, I am a white American woman, so definitely look to own-voices reviewers, and reviewers of color in general. The book deals with heavy topics, through they aren’t the main plot, and I can see the effort the author out into changing the first version. The unexamined colonizer isn’t a savior anymore, the princess is part of the anti-British rebellion in India, and Sarani embraces her dual heritage without as much self-loathing (again, just based on reviews I read from 9 months ago).

Sarani and Rhystan have a lot of chemistry, and combined with their romantic past and antagonistic present sets them up for a lot of sexual tension. This was fun, but I read about their mouths running dry, or else watering at the sight of each other so often I was concerned they might have glandular problems.

Despite their sexual tension, they didn’t seem very in love. I would have loved to see their romantic feelings play out a little more. They spend all their time trying to sleep with each other instead of rekindling their past feelings. The sex scenes were pretty steamy though, so that’s good. Just balanced a little too far that way for my taste, I like the emotional bond and mutual adoration and respect to accompany my steam.

Overall, I was prepared to be disappointed, or even DNF, and I was neither. After so many authors are reacting to negative or critical feedback by lashing out and not listening, Amalie Howard did it right. I am very interested to see what more reviewers have to say when this comes out in a few days.

I received this ARC from NetGalley, thank you, and it did not affect my review in any way.

A truly captivating regency romance where love lost gets a second chance. Rhystan and Sarani have to navigate lost feelings of betrayal, mistrust and hurt to find their way back to each other. The Princess Stakes is a journey of danger, passion and an undeniable love that slowly but surely burns hotter the second time around.

Having enjoyed Amalie Howard's previous books "The Beast of Beswick" and "The Rakehell of Roth, I was interested to read her new novel (and unrelated) "The Princess Stakes".

With the book teaser:

"Born to an Indian maharaja and a British noblewoman, Princess Sarani Rao has it all: beauty, riches, and a crown. But when Sarani's father is murdered, her only hope is the next ship out—captained by the boy she once loved...and spurned."

This is a lovers to enemies/second chance romance, with the twist the spurned boy is now a Duke trope. Sarani is a feisty woman who holds her own in her battle with Rhystan, now the bitter rejected lover. Through the growth of the characters as the book progresses, each come to learn how they wish to live their lives, despite the constraints of the time and we get our HEA.

The story also includes themes of racism and colonialism, which are difficult themes to portray authentically, but is what sets the book apart from your typical historical romance.

I liked the secondary character, Lady Ravenna, Rhystan's sister, and I will look forward to reading her story in the next installment in the series RULES FOR HEIRESSES.

3.5 Stars

Many thanks to the Publisher, the Author and NetGalley for an advance copy in return for my honest review.

Princess Sarina Rao, AKA Lady Sara Lockhart, beloved daughter of the Maharaja of Jore and an English/Scottish Countess is forced to flee her country the night her father is assassinated. Unable to procure a birth on the only outgoing ship to England, she stows away. Things only heat up from there as the captain of the ship is the man she had to unwilling betray five years prior. Though he is still livid he couldn't throw her off the ship. Things heat up from there.

I loved Sarina's character. She's strong, intelligent, and passionately stands up for her beliefs. The Duke, however, makes me want to throttle him a time or two. I think he holds on to his sense of betrayal way too long. He is a bit of a hypocrite wanting to marry his sister off so he could go back to sea.

Overall the book is well written, the characters engaging, and the worldbuilding superb. Oops, almost forgot the dresses. They were amazing!

***I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy generously provided by the publisher via NetGalley.***

Better for the critics, while the romance still works

This is the reworked version of The Duke's Princess Bride, which the author graciously revised to address the concerns from various critics who took issue with the race and culture depictions in the first story. The romance between Sarani and Rhystan is still the focus of the book, though I thought the history and cultural lessons more than set the necessary tone and attitude for the reader.

It's always fun to read an enemies/second-chance story - there's no hate like the love-fueled hate of a heart not willing to face its true feelings, and the tension between these two is beautifully wrought. Their stormy relationship may not have a lot of surprises, but this author's writing style is eminently enjoyable as she brings every emotion into play. Even when we know we're going to get a satisfactory HEA, there's enough conflict in their relationship to make us wonder just how much personal growth each of them is going to have to experience before they're ready for their forever.

I'm definitely the target audience for the romance, even though I'm probably not the target audience for the careful approach to the racial history and cultural sensitivity. Set in England and India in the turbulent 1860's, it works as both a swoon-worthy romance and a sensitive history lesson. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

*Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for an eARC of this novel. All opinions are freely given.*

I loved this book, and honestly I am really loving Amalie Howard's style. I have read The Beast of Beswick and the angsty and hate to love energy is something that I love so much.

This book has so much going on. We have an interracial couple. We have royalty. We have a coup. We have a scorned lover and a second chance romance. We have forced proximity on a ship and a runaway princess. I was so here for all of it.

It started on a run and it kept up the pace and the passion all the way through. We had a vibrant heroine in Sarani. She has had to make very hard choices and we find her in a dangerous situation. She manages to escape her fate and sneak her way onto a ship bound for the UK, only to realize she stumbled into the lap (literally) of someone she used to know.

Our hero Rhystan, loved Sarani with a passion and he was spurned by her and lashed out to her in a horrible letter as a younger man. He was willing to give up everything for her, and she threw it in his face. Now she has the nerve to sneak onto his ship. He doesn't want to hear her reasons for what happened, and although I thought it was a bit aggressive HOW angry he is at her, I can understand how a love that fiery could burn even hotter as hatred.

I really enjoyed the chemistry and the excitement and the drama.

4.5/5 stars

Will he see past his blinders before it is too late …

Those two are star-crossed lovers a misunderstanding torn apart after others decided they were not meant to be.
Sarina while of mixed birth, has enjoyed the life of a princess in her little corner of the world until it became overcrowded by the British nuisance decided to overrule them.
She did not have the usual upbringing of a woman, she had been shaped to be strong and resilient. So when she found herself with her back to the wall, she had to choose, and duty was her only option. It had been ingrained from her birth. Which did not stop her to have streak of rebellion, refusing to cower like many. But it costed her the love of her life.
Rhystan refused to follow the rules so when his sire’s title landed on his lap, he does want nothing to do with it. Ready to turn his back to it and let others deal with his obligations as much as it is possible.
After believing he had been betrayed by the woman he loved, he turned into a bitter filed man, blind to his own faults and flaws.
For too much longer, he blamed Sarina for her decision when he offered nothing in compensation. He was a real dung pit for most of the journey. He also plays the high handed lord with his own sister, ordering her as it had been done to Sarina. And then seing no error into it, when it was his main complaint about Sarina’s decision. Easy for him when he rejects his responsibilities to condemn another for making a different choice. Worse he does not mind walking away from his responsibilities, and faults Sarina for her different origins by closing the doors of a future with her because of them.

Grrrr, how I dislike when the heroine becomes a puddle of drool over a man’s appearance. I so despise reading about how her brain leaked from her skull to change her into a dimwit persona.
Why can’t she give as much as she receives instead of dissolving at the mere sight of a naked chest.
After to excuse the heroine, the hero is no better, nearly limping the whole book because of his additional turgescent lower limb.

3.5 stars rounded up as I liked to follow the heroine’s journey in standing for herself, refusing to bend because of her different legacy.

𝗦𝘁𝗲𝗮𝗺 𝗹𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗹 onscreen lovemaking scenes.

I have been granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased.

Heat Factor: There’s a lot of sexual inneundo, and then they get busy on a ballroom terrace. And also in a closet.
Character Chemistry: They love/hate each other, so they torment each other.
Plot: Sarani’s on the run after her father’s murder, and ends up on the ship of her first love, who now wants revenge
Overall: Eh. I found the romance lacking.

So, last fall, a book by Amelie Howard called The Duke’s Princess Bride caused a big kerfluffle in Romancelandia, after a reviewer critiqued it’s colonialist and colorist mindset https://medium.com/@evesalexandria/thoughts-on-the-dukes-princess-bride-by-amalie-howard-693bf51e0c5c). Howard responded quite graciously to the criticism, so when The Princess Stakes showed up on NetGalley, I assumed it was a new book, perhaps by the same series, and I’d see what Howard was doing with the critique in future works. It turns out, however, that The Princess Stakes is a reworked version of The Duke’s Princess Bride, in order to more directly address the criticism. I figured this out only just now, when I went to pull the cover image from Goodreads and skimmed through some of the reviews.

I did not read the earlier version of this book, so I cannot comment on what has changed (or not). I will say that I (a white woman), thought that Howard handled the internal conflict of her biracial / colonial-subject heroine well. Sarani feels between worlds: not completely accepted in India, but definitely seen as lesser-than by English society. She is explicit about the limited power of her father as a puppet-king who is trying to do the best he can for his people. She is fleeing to England because she fears for her life after her father’s murder, and hopes to pass as white to protect herself. Howard makes it pretty explicit that the East India Company was Bad News Bears, and that their control in the subcontinent was far-reaching and insidious.

So there’s that.

My problem with this book was that I just didn’t buy the romance. Rhystan and Sarani met five years ago (when they were both teenagers), fell in looooooooove, and then were torn apart by outside forces. Except, of course, Rhystan blames Sarani and is furious with her for not running away with him. When she ends up on his ship, they do the whole road trip / you can work as my cabin boy sexual tension thing, which, fine.

But then his grand plan is that they’ll have a fake engagement (?) which will protect her and allow him to get out of marrying a boring English miss, except then he’ll have revenge by leaving her and breaking her heart but also not actually hurting her reputation in any way (????). Uh, what? His motivations make no fucking sense. Except for avoiding Matchmaking Mamas, because that is an archetype that must appear in every Duke novel ever written. I dunno, he was just kind of an arse, and I think he should have done some good groveling.

Furthermore, Sarani gives of major Not Like Other Girls vibes. This may be a result of Howard’s edits, which added in details about Sarani’s resistance against British colonial rule; after all, “most proper girls probably would not have leaped like a freedom fighter into the trenches…” (This scene doesn’t actually happen; this sentence is Sarani reflecting back on the work she did in India, which did not, as far as I could tell, include actually fighting in trenches.) But also: Sarani is the beautiful woman ever, who also is the best at riding horses and also is superdeduper smart. And did I mention she is an expert fighter who cuts pockets in her dresses so she has her special blades accessible at all times?

Look, I applaud Howard for editing and rereleasing this book, not because she was appeasing the masses, but because it takes strength to acknowledge when you didn’t succeed and publicly try again. But I can’t really say I recommend this book because I didn’t like it all that much.


I voluntarily read and reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own. We disclose this in accordance with 16 CFR §255.

This review is also available at The Smut Report.

Another bada$$ heroine from Amalie Howard! That is the statement that comes to mind when I
think of this wonderful book. We have come to expect strong, sassy, and independent leading ladies
from this author and in my opinion, this is her strongest heroine yet. I love how as strong as this leading
lady has been written our hero is her perfect match in all ways. The verbal sparring matches, continual
battle of wills, and the chemistry of this pair made this book so much fun to read, add to that an
element of danger and the risk of scandal and this book was impossible to put down.
I really want to take a moment to commend this author for fully facing the ugly racism that a person
of color, a person with mixed origins, and even those who are not but choose to befriend and/or love
them, would have faced in the time of this story. All without trying to sugar coat or diminish the turmoil
such hate causes those who are often thought to be the most impervious to it. I feel like she did an
incredible job of showing how living with such hate can make someone feel like they have no place in
the world and the deep seated emotional toll such feelings can exact on a person even if they have been
“well loved”, are “high born”, and are considered to have extraordinary physical beauty. I forced myself
reevaluate a lot of my own personal perspectives, and considerations (which I had previously based on
my own personal interactions with people from different backgrounds) on the depth of both the seen
and unseen emotional damage and the constant internal struggles that such hate in any amount, in any
form, in any era, and at any time causes because of this book and these characters, and I thank Amalie
Howard for that.
Princess Sarani Rao, the beautiful daughter of the Maharaja of Joor, is forced to run for her life when
her father is assassinated and those who wished him dead now have their sights set on her. With
limited options and few she can trust she decides to flee her home country of India to England where
hopefully she can gain the protection of her noble family members, whom she has never met, and who
disowned her mother for loving her father, a person of color. After the captain of the only boat
scheduled to set sail refuses to take on passengers, she boards the boat as a stow-away. Little did she
know that the captain of the boat is none other than the boy she once loved and was forced by duty to
betray. Will he have sympathy on her situation in spite of their past and see her safely to England or will
he leave her fate to the assassins?
Rhystan Huntly, Duke of Embry and Captain of the Belonging is begrudgingly returning to England
after being summoned, on the pretense that his mother is ailing, to see to the ducal duties he never
wanted. Refusing to take on passengers the last thing he expected was to wake up from a rum induced
slumber, being straddled by a woman, AFTER they had set sail. More so he never expected for that
woman to be the one woman who haunts his sweetest dreams and stars in his worst nightmares. The
Princess who betrayed him and shattered his heart 5 years ago when she chose duty over fighting for
their love is here aboard his ship, as a stow away. Was this an intentional manipulation on her part or
was this some sick twist of fate? Either way, will his resentment for her past betrayal and the hate born
from his heart break lead him to throw her over-board or will he let her stay on board so he can seek
revenge another way? Or will he find the truth behind the saying, “there is a fine line between love and
hate”?

After the Beast of Beswick, I am team Amalie Howard so I jumped on requesting this book because a)the cover and b) the author and c)the title. The Princess Stakes is a second chance romance between a Princess and a Captain. When her father is murdered Sarani escapes on a boat with a handsome Captain which she also pretends to date. The plot was amazing, the characters well developed and the heroine was a delight. I loved this book and highly recommend it. I would say get it because of the cover, title, and plot. Huge thanks to the publisher for my e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Daughter of an Indian maharaja, Princess Sarani Rao has led a life of privilege. But with a mother of English and Scottish descent, Sarani has also met with prejudice and exclusion. When her father is murdered by political rivals, Sara knows she must flee lest she be next and her best chance to escape is on the ship leaving port the soonest, a ship that just so happens to be captained by the man she loved and rejected five years ago.

Captain Rhystan Huntley, now the Duke of Embry, is loath to leave his ship but with his mother ailing and a sister in need of settling, he must return to England. Naturally, his final voyage would include a stowaway in the form of the only woman he’s ever loved.

Wow, do I have a lot of thoughts about this book. I read the first 16% of this book in its original incarnation as The Duke’s Princess Bride but put it aside when it was delayed for revisions and picked it back up again after I received the updated version. I didn’t read enough of the first version to get to too many of its problematic elements, but it also didn’t draw me in. I also tend to be pretty good at taking things with a grain of salt and don’t get offended too easily, but this book had something so glaringly, fundamentally galling that I cannot overlook it and cannot award more stars because of it. Story-wise, this book is a three-star read for me at best but that was insult added to injury after I encountered the following quote in which Sarani, during one of her many bantering sessions with Rhystan, refers to the Holy Bible as being ‘written by a horde of ancient male historians.’ This is problematic for me as a Christian and possibly to members of other religions who also respect the Bible as the inspired, living word of God as recorded by those imbued with the Holy Spirit. Typically, I never bring religion into my reading or reviews, but I could not let this slide since I’m not sure I can think of anything more ignorant or offensive to Christians and other groups. Perhaps this seemingly innocuous quote was not meant in a derogatory fashion but given the issues this book has already faced with the topics it attempts to address, I just couldn’t let this pass this time and the book loses at least a star for it.

Aside from this issue, I never much cared for either Sarani or Rhystan as characters. She came off as petulant and arrogant, as did he really. The enemies to lovers, constantly at each other’s throats arguments were drawn out way too long and there was never any real communication despite the golden, missed opportunity onboard ship when some of the truth came out about their separation five years previously. Sarani also seemed incredibly spoiled, wanting her own way in all things yet she was somehow meant to be a golden heroine whose every thought is for her people. I also found her to be rather unreasonable in her dealings with Rhystan, accusing him of running from expectation and duty, which is true enough, but failing to acknowledge that he was unwanted by his family until he became duke. Her backstory also changed a bit from her mother having been the daughter of an earl to her being a countess in her own right and while this is possible if it was a Scottish title, it likely wouldn’t have happened in her father’s lifetime and it was just another pesky inconsistency to annoy me at this point.

For his part, Rhystan was also fairly objectionable as a hero. He’s a hypocrite who acknowledges his hypocrisy to himself but does nothing to change his behavior, continuing to enforce the double standard he holds his sister to with his determination to see her married off regardless of her wishes, a tune he doesn’t alter very much even in the end. Rhystan never cared about the family name or reputation during any of his voyages then suddenly that’s all that matters once he’s back in England. He was still saying he could never marry Sarani way too late in the book for my liking. Also, his mother, the duchess’s despicable behavior is justified as her way of showing her love for her children and wanting the best for them and her about face near the end just didn’t jive for me and came as much too little too late.

As a non-Indian American, I’m not in much of a position to comment on the racial issues here, though I do commend the author for tackling some tough issues and being willing to undergo edits to the upcoming book. That said, this still missed a lot of the marks for me including the glaring problem I mentioned above. This had the potential to be a highly emotional second chance story, but there were too many missed opportunities for communication, with Sarani and Rhystan never discussing the truth about what really separated them five years prior. As such, the romance here suffered and didn’t convince me it was much more than rekindled lust. I was never really able to root for any of the characters, sadly, and the plot relied too heavily on neither Rhystan nor Sarani taking responsibility or initiative for their actions or feelings and instead hiding too much behind the fake relationship aspect of the plot. Rhystan’s declaration of love at the end was nice but not enough to make up for all the missteps for me.

Their sniping and harping at each other just grew old and tedious for me rather than building sexual tension as I’m sure it was meant to. When they finally did come together, their relations felt more like lust than a deep connection, even near the end, and left me unsatisfied.

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

"The Princess Stakes" opens up with a ton of drama and action in a unique setting, but it's just not drawing me in. Between that and the poor formatting and editing of the Kindle ARC, I've struggles to get past the first 20%.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the ARC.

Amalie Howard is a one-click author for me. I really liked The Beast of Beswick and The Rakehell of Roth so it’s no surprise The Princess Stakes is another winner in my book. I was immediately drawn into Sarani and Rhystan’s second chance love story, which usually is not my jam, but there were unresolved feelings between these two, I was all in.

Princess Sarani Rao’s father, the Maharaja, is murdered and now she’s on the run to save her life. Unfortunately, the running puts her on the boat of her former sweetheart, Captain Rhystan. Five years before they had a short but intense love that ended when she was promised to another man. Now he’s the Duke of Embry and she is masquerading as English Lady Sara Lockhart. While on his boat, they reconnect and find a way to help each other- become fake fiancées. It will get his mother off his back and allow her some respectability when they dock in London. What they don’t expect is for all their old feelings to resurface, their off the charts chemistry to explode, the meddling ton to divulge all their secrets and a murderer to come after Sarani.

These characters were really well done, from Sarani dealing with the racism she encounters to Rhystan having to grow up and accept he is the Duke now. I was involved in their individual journey’s. I really loved Sarani. She was so progressive for historical romance. She used knives to fight, rode horses, had radical views on everything from women’s rights to freedom. The way that Rhystan supported those views and then worked to institute change was wonderful.

A few things, that I really enjoyed! Them on the boat! I like a forced proximity trope and how can you get closer than on a boat for weeks? Rhystan tried to be such a jerk - having her doing manual labor but then he bandages her hands because he really is a softie. I enjoyed the side characters of Gideon, the quartermaster on the ship, and Ravenna, Rhystan’s sister. She was super fiesty and I want a story with the man that can handle her.

And the sexy times! Yes they took a bit to get into the deed but the tension on the boat was top notch. Then when they did get to the sex, it was HOT. Amalie Howard can write some steamy scenes and I am here for them. Sarani and Rhystan in a bar backroom! Yes please!

“Women should lift each other up, given the barriers they faced on account of their sex alone and not having the same power as men”

I voluntarily read and reviewed an Advance Reader Copy from Sourcebooks Casablanca, NetGalley and the author. All opinions are my own.

Sweet and exciting, Amalie Howard’s The Princess Stakes is a historical romance that spans two continents in the 19th century. The protagonists, Sarani and Rhystan, embark on a second chance romance full of wit, humor, and sincerity. While Sarani is a witty, authentic heroine, Rhystan sometimes teeters on the edge of toxic masculinity. Howard’s writing can be a little saccharine and frothy at times (especially to a cynic like myself), it also creates an enjoyable romance and recreates the lush historical atmosphere of British high society. The plot doesn’t move terribly quickly, but the pace remains consistent throughout, bringing the reader to a neat happily ever after ending.

Thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley for providing me with an advance copy of this novel in exchange for an honest review.

I love reading Amalie Howard books, so I was excited when I received this book. While I was hooked in the beginning, it fell flat towards the middle. Sarani is a princess, whose father was just murdered. She escapes the castle and flees for her life. She manages to get on board a ship, only to find out the captain is her first love, Rhystan. He has just lost most of his family and inherited a title and responsibilities he wants nothing to do with. Together they come to an agreement so they will both get what they need when the ship docks. But nothing is as easy as it seems it will be.
The middle seemed to be very repetitive and drawn out. I think I expected more at sea action but that was not the case.
I received an advanced copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.

Weirdest DNF ever and definitely one for the "it's not you, it's me" books. My personal challenge to review more books by Asian American authors or with Asian American characters led me to eagerly request this historical romance about a half-Indian princess on the run reuniting with her first love. Unfortunately intense deja vu led me to realize I had already heard this story before, when it was known as The Duke's Princess Bride, and there was no recovering from it.

I wanted to love this - just look at that gorgeous cover! The first pages definitely lived up to the book's promise: a bloody palace coup, the princess using her grit and wits to escape, and a daring stowaway on the one ship to England captained by a very bitter ex. I loved the intense pacing and tension, until the moment that Sarani realized she had stowed away on a ship captained by Rhystan. Despite the years, that guy holds the monopoly on bitter:


Sarani Rao had never been his, not when she'd jilted him for an earl. Rhystan appreciated the irony, considering he now held the most venerated title of the English aristocracy, a half decade too late. Joor and that faithless princess were parts of his past that needed to remain dead and forgotten.

That's when I realized I knew Sarani and Rhystan's story - from two fellow romance readers vented to me about the racist colonizing story lines and internal self-racism directed at Sarani in The Duke's Princess Bride. Their words and reactions stayed long with me and I knew I couldn't read or review the revised The Princess Stakes without hearing my friends' voices.

So in all fairness, I DNF'd this. There's no way I could cheer for Sarani and Rhystan to have a HEA knowing that they originally looked and acted like.

I really enjoyed this book! I went into it wanting a historical romance to escape into, and that's exactly what I got. I loved the way this incorporated so many of out favorite tropes but still kept them feeling new.

First off, I really loved our protagonist, Sarani. Her journey towards accepting herself was amazing, especially when it went against everything she'd been told from a young age. I loved how she stood up for herself and took no nonsense. I loved how she would challenge Rhystan, she wouldn't just roll over and allow him to walk all over her. I loved how fierce she was.

I also really enjoyed the romance. As a fan of enemies-to-lovers, I loved the friends to enemies to lovers dynamic in this. The tension between these two was written perfectly, and I was shipping them the entire time. I never felt like there wasn't any unnecessary angst in their relationship, which I appreciated.

Even after spending 300 pages in this world, I'm not tired of it. I'd love to get another book about Ravenna, because she also promises to be a character I'd love. I'd definitely recommend this one!
1 like

A ridiculously strong heroine who takes pride in her accomplishments and her heritage. An arrogant hero who inherits a title he’s never wanted and wants to give a big middle finger to the aristocracy. Seems like a powerhouse plot for a kick butt book, but things aren’t always as they seem. The heroine loses her entire family and, being of mixed heritage, doesn’t feel like she belongs anywhere (also there are men out to kill her, no big deal). The hero loses most of his family and, upon returning home, does his utmost to keep his family’s reputation sterling, better for his mother and sister. So yes, conflict all around. It made for a fascinating read for me, seeing as I’m about as vanilla white as one can get. But I felt that the relationship was almost entirely superficial and lust-based. At least he respected her. But I love Amalie Howard and will happily read all of her books.

I received a copy of this book from the publisher through NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

The Princess Stakes by Amalie Howard
Historical romance stand-alone. Second chance and fake relationship troupes.

When her father, the maharaja, is murdered, Sarani fears for her life, and escapes onto a boat that’s leaving Bombay that night. The boat Captain just happens to be her one time crush that she was force to jilt upon her fathers commands. It’s a long voyage and Sarani is willing to work her share of chores. The Duke of Embry, aka the Captain, comes up with a plan that will suit them both when they reach London. A fake engagement.

The ending was brilliant with the heroine using her skills, her pride and receiving the family support. Absolutely loved it. Captivating with unexpected twists.

This book is heavily weighted with dIversity issues. There are a few steamy hot scenes as the couple becomes emotionally connected and they begin a romance of true love.
I skimmed over a dozen pages between 40% and 60% as the couple distanced themselves from each other while entering London society. Angsty maybe. I was drawn back in by the intrigue and the strength of the characters as their past kept coming up.
This book also includes many time specific words that wouldn’t be used in today’s modern language. They were easily understood in context and I enjoyed looking them up occasionally for the specific definition.

Excerpt - Sarani panics:
“He stuck out his hand. “I propose a truce, then.”
“A what?”
“Truce. A cease-fire. Temporary amnesty.”
She glared at him, ignoring his hand. “I know what truce means, you jackanapes. No one, least of all your mother, is going to be convinced that we are a love match. This is foolish. She’ll see right through this. Through me.” Her feeble confidence dissolved as panic set in. “I have a feisty tongue, made worse by weeks spent with your crew. I despise being told what to do. I couldn’t possibly make you or any Englishman a dutiful, proper wife. This is impossible.”
Excerpt from The Princess Stakes by Amalie Howard

The afterward is a bit of history and the voice of the author who knows the mixed culture and has incorporated it and risen to heights we can all aspire to in acceptance and understanding.

I received a copy of this from NetGalley. I also purchased a copy to keep.

“Thank you, my love.” She stroked her fingers over his jaw. “For what?” “For loving me. For choosing me."

As soon as I saw the word “Princess” in the title I knew I needed more info about this book. I also love her dress on the cover and the description of the synopsis immediately sounded really intriguing. It reminds me of the premise of The Princess Fugitive by Melanie Cellier. I enjoyed that The Princess Stakes had a biracial couple, included diversity from England as well as India in the Victorian era. It was interesting to read how their romance played out, seeing the relationship grow as a second chance romance. The first half of the story takes place primarily on the ship from India to England and the second half takes place in London. While I enjoyed the conclusion of the story, I also really enjoyed seeing how the relationship developed while they were traveling out at sea. It was a fun way to “travel” while reading and getting to see different parts of the world throughout the course of the story. I really liked the initial premise of the story and it kept my attention throughout because I wanted to see this heroine safe and wanted her to find her happily ever after. The themes of racial and social justice are also included throughout the story. The author’s note provided some great insight into the personal connection the author has with this story as well as the real life inspiration for people, places and events mentioned in the story. Some language and open door romance scenes. Thanks to netgalley for a free arc of this story, all thoughts and opinions are my own.