A biracial Indian Princess, Sarani, must flee her country when her father is murdered. She chooses to go to England where her mother was from. The boat she travels on is captained by Rhystan, her first love. Embittered by being forced years ago out of India and away from Sarani, Rhystan wants nothing to do with her. He now must help her find out who murdered her father and who is out to kill her as well. I received an ARC from NetGalley and Sourcebooks Casablanca for my honest review.

A twisty fun historical romance perfect for people that love stories with a lot of obstacles. The plot was great! I enjoyed the storyline as a whole and the premise. It was an enjoyable read from that perspective. The enemies to lovers aspect was a little heavy-handed in the execution for my taste, but I think that is a personal preference. These two certainly were hot for each other..

Thank you netgalley for the advance copy

This story is so well written. Ms. Howard opens our hearts and minds to the feelings of our heroine Sarani. Sarani is a princess from India, half Indian, half English. The story leads us to a romance with a young man Rhystan, and their manipulation by some hateful Englishmen. So much goes on in this story! Prejudice is tangible as Sarani escapes a takeover in her country and runs to England. Will she ever be accepted? Will Rhystan face the scandal and follow his heart?

Loved that this author really let us know what our H&H were feeling...it meant everything!

The Princess Stakes
Amalie Howard
Rhystan and Sarani
This is a young lovers to enemies to lovers story. Indian Princess Sarani’s father has just been murdered and she must flee for her life. She gains passage through nefarious means onto the ship owned by Rhystan and a third son whom tragedy has just made a duke. He is headed home to take care of business and see that his sister is safely married. But Sarani and Tristan have a history: they were young lovers and he asked her to run away with him. At the last minute she bows to her father’s pressure to accept the suit of a British official. Tristan is heartbroken and angry with her.
I did find this a bit of a problem, however, after they get back together aboard Tristan’s ship. For instance, Tristan bows to the family pressure to come back to be a duke and he expects his sister to marry whom he chooses but he cannot see that this is the same as the pressure Sarani bowed to in turning him down. He maintains his anger and punishes her for most of the voyage. Eventually they decide to pretend an engagement to keep the marriage mart mamas from him and to protect her entry into society. The rest is romance.
The plot is an old one and I did not feel there was much new life breathed into it. However, the characters were well drawn and sympathetic. Still, I do not think I would purchase this book for my library.

4+ stars

In looking at previous reviews, I've come to realize that The Princess Stakes, by Amalie Howard is a revision of an earlier, not too well received go at Sarani and Rhystan's story (formerly The Duke's Princess Bride). I did not read the initial release, so I can only guess at the revisions that Howard made, but I do give her tremendous props for (a) her dedication toward writing a historical romance with a woman-of-color heroine, and (b) her willingness to listen to her readers' concerns and make improvements that address those concerns.

Full disclosure: I am not a woman of color, so there's a very good chance that my review is tainted by naivete. However, as a member of a cultural religious minority almost never mentioned in romance novels (infrequently as side characters and never as the heroine or hero), I always always always adore a heroine or hero from an underrepresented background.

With that in mind, I was predestined to love Sarani, and I wasn't disappointed. She's rather magnificent in all ways, perhaps because of her royal lineage or perhaps in spite of it. Physically beautiful, gracious, and kind, she's also a skilled horsewoman and an expert weilder of knives. It's almost as if she's not allowed to have flaws because her otherness is flaw enough. If I could any fault with her, it's that she initially gave up on Rhystan too easily. Of course, she was all of 16 at the time, and even the most confident teenager is still, well, a teenager. For his part, young Rhystan gave up too easily as well.

I suspect that Rhystan's character underwent the greatest revision from the original manuscript. A third son of a duke who never felt valued, he joined the royal navy as a teen, which is how he ended up in India. Spying young Sarani from afar, he's instantly smitten and contrives to meet her. Young and naive, they are easily torn apart at the whim of more powerful people, and it is only by chance that they meet again five years later.

From India to England, they fight each other and their attraction, and by the time they arrive in England, they've agreed to feign an engagement. The faux engagement is designed to protect Rhystan--now the Duke--from his mother's machinations and Sarani from the threats of an assassin and from being shunned by Society. It works for a while, but eventually the truth comes out.

There are villains. Sarani is stalked by assassins and a former fiance, and Rhystan is accosted by very tenacious debutants. But the biggest villain of all is, of course, the ingrained prejudice of the lily white ton. While we know there's eventually an HEA, we are unsure how Sarani and Rhystan will get there. After all, it's no spoiler that now--160 years later--racial bias and prejudice still run rampant. I feel that Howard does a good job ensuring that we get our HEA without pretending that Sarani and Rhystan's happiness means that prejudice has been erased.

Overall, I really liked this book, and I shed more than a tear, especially toward the end.

I received an ARC of this book from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for my honest opinion. Thanks!

Amalie Howard has a way of digging down deep and finding the heart of the matter. The Princess Stakes takes you on a roller-coaster ride of emotions. There is love, lust, anger, fear, spite, protectiveness and a little bit of pranking. The sexual and emotional tension between the hero and the heroine, Rhystan, the Duke of Embry and Princess Sarani Rao, is so thick you could cut it with a knife which the princess happens to carry. You have to laugh at the pranks she plays upon "Captain" Rhystan. The Princess Stakes is a wonderful book. It has romance, drama, passion, action, and wit. What more could you want from a book? This is definitely a must read book!

Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca for allowing me to read and review The Princess Stakes.

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I believe that I received revised ARC of The Princess Stakes after the author had a lot of negative reviews about colonialism, racism, and a white savior complex. Amalie Howard realized these issues and promised to revamp the story - and it appears to me that she did this, and did it well.

The Princess Stakes is a second-chance romance that is full of tension and witty banter. Both Sarani and Rhystan were fooled 5 years ago into thinking that they didn't care for one another - which lead to an explosive reunion.

The author gives some minor details about the British occupation of India and sets up a backdrop of betrayal and colonialism. Overall, I think the author does a good job of weaving the story and facts together to create a worthy historical romance.

A great book for anyone who loves romance with dashing dukes, argumentative couples, and adventure. The characters are incredibly well done and the drama perfectly crafted.

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—owned by Captain Rhystan Huntley, the reluctant Duke of Embry, the man she once loved…and spurned.

This book is of course a love story. The heroine is very likable. There are lots of steamy passion, love scenes, danger, adventure.. An engaging read... .. The book also touches on issues of racism and colonialism in England because the heroine is mixed race and from India.... That unfortunately is a very ugly past (and some would say the ugly present as well). It's a difficult topic for many.... But overall, it's a very interesting read.