this was the first book I've read by Charis Michaels. I did not even realize it was the third book in the series. Despite that, this was a fun read with history woven throughout. Dani and Luke are complex characters both figuring out where their place in the world actually is. There are lies, hidden identities and a need for revenge in-between pining and delightful moments.

I thought this was an enjoyable read, the description was accurate and I thought it was a interesting take on a 'getting the princess' story. I was able to read this in two sittings and it was an easy read. I loved the aspect of the smuggler getting the princess and thought it was a fun fairytale vibe and kicking your feet giggling moments.

I haven't read the others in the series and didn't think it was necessary to enjoy it. However, I will be looking into adding the others to my TBR and reading because I did overall enjoy this one! I'm curious how the others are and the author's upcoming future work(s).

It was everything I was looking for historical, royal romance, and steamy moments.

I also thought the cover was good, nothing to crazy so I wouldn't be nervous carrying it around outside too.

Thank you, Net Galley, for this ARC. This was a sweet historical romance that tells the love story of Danielle and Luke. Danielle has been raised thinking that she is just an everyday ordinary girl. This all changes when Luke shows up telling her that she has been promised to marry him. Luke is a captain and smuggler who is trying to rescue his adoptive father, Linus, who has been taken captive. Luke feels marrying Danielle will be the solution to getting his father back. Over the course of the book, we see Danielle and Luke get to know each other and slowly fall in love. Luke also tells Danielle how she is princess but doesn't give her all the information of why this is important to him. The story has some fun side characters. I also enjoyed seeing Danielle meet her family and have interactions with them. Overall, I think that the story was a solid romance and very sweet. My one critique would be the pacing. There wasn't a lot of action as the story had a lot of day-to-day interactions and conversation between Danielle and Luke which made the story feel slow paced and drawn out at times. I think if some of this had been edited out, the story would have read faster.

I enjoyed this book, it was nice solid read but it didn’t really stand out to me or feel like something I’ll remember or think about so for that 4 stars.

This third book in the Hidden Royals series is a captivating historical romance. it was full of drama, hidden identities, secrets, many intense plot twists, and emotional issues. I enjoyed this delightful, adventurous love story that had flawed yet charming characters, with a very engaging story. I also really liked its exploration of identity, family, and loyalty. I'm sad this series has now concluded, but I'm happy it had a satisfying ending. I highly recommend reading!

Charis Michaels can do no wrong when it comes to historical romance. Her style of writing always welcomes me into the world she has created, and it always brings me such joy.

This is book 3 of a series, but can absolutely be read as a standalone. Dani and Luke make a dashing couple. I loved our MMC Luke, the pirate/smuggler. With a unique backstory, this was an immensely enjoyable read.

Thank you to Avon and Harper Voyager, and Netgalley for the ARC of this novel. All opinions are my own.

Danielle Allard was raised by surrogate parents in the village of Kent. They raised her as a simple village girl and never told her of her true heritage. She has no idea that she is actually Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans who was been in exiled since she was a baby.

Captain Luke Bannock is a smuggler and also works for the Crown delivering messages. He becomes a national hero after a fierce battle leaves his crew died, his ship destroyed, and he saves the life of a cousin to the Crown.

Luke is offered an award for his heroism from the Crown and he wants to marry the exiled Princess. His main goal is to extract revenge on the man who killed his crew and took his surrogate father hostage. When he meets Danielle and gets to know her he realizes the errors in his plan. Will Luke be able to rescue his father figured and still be able to keep the princess as a true wife?

I absolutely loved this book and thought it was a great ending to the series!! The book was very entertaining, delightful and adventurous. I instantly liked both Luke and Danielle. While they were opposites in many ways I still felt they were actually perfect for each other. I highly recommend this book!

Claiming the Princess is a fantastic book. Sad to see this series conclude, but it ends on a high note.

Danielle and Luke are soulmates. I truly loved them together. They had so much in common and seemed to understand one another. Their chemistry is natural. These two will make you giggle with glee because they are so cute. I also liked that they make out a lot haha. I feel like we don't get a lot of make out action in romances, especially historical romance so that was nice. I thought the progression of their romance was well written too.

The plot was very character focused which suited me just fine. I found the characters compelling, especially Luke. They both have their own character arcs that end in a satisfying way.

Overall, a delightful historical romance that will make readers swoon!

I’ve mostly enjoyed this series but books one and two didn’t quite hit the way this one did! I really think taking the “FMC has no clue who she really is” angle is what worked for me the most in this final installment. It was lovely to see her reconnect with siblings she never really knew and to have the final missing sibling found. I think the family dynamics in this third book were the highlight. The awkwardness of trying to fit in with people you don’t really know but have such strong ties to and just how hard it is to slot into each other’s lives.

I did wish I felt more chemistry but that’s kind of what’s lacked for me on the whole in this series. The romances have just fell a bit flat for me, unfortunately. Overall, not a bad read and one I enjoyed but not a personal favorite!

This was such a cute book. I loved it so much. I read it so quickly, literally all in one sitting. I felt every single emotion possible while reading, and I did not want it to end.

Charis Michaels is one of my very favorite historical romance authors right now. Her books are filled with straight up swoony romance and are just fun to read. I love that we tackle heavier topics in romances these days but sometimes reading for simple fairy tale joy is just the right thing.

This is the final installment in a series of royals in hiding. The discovery of the D'Orleans youngest sibling and her love story is fast paced, swash buckling and super romantic. Neither of these characters were looking for each other and didn't really want to find each other. But they are pretty close to perfect Read this if you are into:

found family
she saves him
kissing. just for kissing
community
lots of fun

I received an ARC of Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels through NetGalley. Although I usually read clean romance books, I was intrigued by the concept behind the Hidden Royals series, which involves exiled members of a royal family who live in hiding until they fall in love. This is the third and final book in the series, and it made me want to read the other two. The story reminded me a lot of Anastasia, which is one of my favorite movies. Even though there were three brief passages that I needed to skip over, it was surprisingly sweet, adventurous, and relaxing, with charmingly flawed characters and an enticing plot.

When Captain Luke Bannock saves a prized member of the royal court from a vicious nobleman, he is offered a reward of his choosing. He selects the hand of the princess that his enemy wishes to marry as a form of revenge. Little did he know that Princess Danielle was raised by surrogate parents who never told her of her royal roots. When he realizes that her life is already full of secrets, he finds himself unable to reveal his true intentions for marrying her. Meanwhile, Dani is blindsided by her betrothal, her history, and her secret family that she never knew she had. All she wants from Luke is answers that he is reluctant to provide.

Although the book had high stakes revolving around Luke's intent to rescue his surrogate father being held prisoner by his enemy, it was a surprisingly cozy read. Dani's quest for answers was fulfilled in gradual chunks, during which her feelings toward Luke grew to a crescendo. Before learning about her identity as a lost princess, Dani had a simple goal of helping the people in her small village by running a local estate. As luck would have it, that very estate was provided for Luke as part of his reward. Her goals change very little upon learning about her royal lineage other than helping Luke with his own quest.

The main theme of Capturing the Princess is what it means to be a family. Both Dani and Luke were raised by parental figures that they loved like real parents and would do anything for. When Dani learned that she had a brother and sister who were also in exile, she was eager to get to know them as well. Luke was a brooding, adventuresome type who had very little interest in romance until he met Dani. Suddenly, starting a family with her didn't seem so bad. Although I wish the book had included more details about the rescue mission at the end, it was interesting to read about Luke's adventures from Dani's perspective through the letters she received from him. The story led up to a thrilling and satisfying climax.

Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels is a delightful, adventurous romance that will captivate fans of royalty-themed tales. With its charmingly flawed characters, gradual-burn romance, and an enticing plot, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a sweet, relaxing read. The story's exploration of family, identity, and loyalty adds depth to the narrative, making it a satisfying conclusion to the Hidden Royals series. While it can be read as a standalone, it's clear that Michaels has crafted a rich, immersive world that will leave readers eager to explore the rest of the series.

I love me a romance. Plus, I love the cover. The writing is good, and the romance is believable. I really appreciated how the dialogue flowed.

At long last, the last princess is revealed! The third book in the Hidden Royals series, CLAIMING THE PRINCESS features Dani, a princess who doesn’t know her past, and Luke, a smuggler and war hero and revenge-seeker who needs a princess to help rescue a friend. However, they both find so much more. Extremely swoony with tons of yearning and great kissing scenes, CLAIMING THE PRINCESS is a really fast read to finish out a great series.

4.5 stars, 4🌶️.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.

This book was a lot of fun! The romance was very well written and the on page chemistry was top tier! I would highly recommend.

I think this was my favorite of the series. I devoured it, and now I am sad I finished it because I want to read it again. I loved Luke's steadfastness, and I loved Dani's optimism and overt kindness. They worked well together, and their chemistry was so steamy. I liked the idea that Danielle had no idea about her birth family, it gave her and Luke some common ground, which I feel deepened their relationship. The story itself was well-paced, and I stayed on the edge of my seat, it's probably why I read it so quickly, I had to know how it would all work out. This series has been fun, but this book was the most fun. I highly recommend this book and series. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

The characters kissed with their whole bodies and honestly that should be the entire review because kissing scenes, true up-against-the-wall kissing scenes are so rare nowadays. It felt so refreshing to just see them mackin on each other for pages on end. Healed the soul honestly.

Overall, this was a lovely conclusion to a lovely series. The characterization was so fun and the hidden agenda worked well in a way that added drama but not annoyance. Their separation maybe dragged on a bit long by the end, but I did love the epistolary element; I think it worked SO well.

I loved seeing her siblings but did Gabriel even speak a word lol? He met Dani off page which I felt was a bit of a disservice to their relationship. I wonder if that scene got cut in revisions. I can see why but also give me the emotions!!! Also I just love him.

**Spoiler**
I’m happy with how the villain was dealt with—love a Cobra Kai “no mercy” moment—and hell yeah Fernsby!!! I would’ve liked some closure with his relationship though???

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend this series. All of the relationships are very different and just the right amount of wacky. It’s definitely a unique series with wonderful characters and excellent writing. I really hope I see another histrom release from Charis in the coming year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.75*/5

*Lots of aforementioned kissing and two full scenes. I loved the wedding night scene!!!


I received an eARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved this book! Romance, political intrigue, adventure! It has it all!

The story follows Danielle, a small-town girl in England whose main priority is getting her beloved town hall back up and running.

Meanwhile, newly dubbed Cornish hero Captain Luke Bannock is granted a boon from the Prince after rescuing his royal cousin. With his mind set on revenge and the rescue of his father, Luke requests the hand of an exiled princess—one his enemy desperately wants. His plan? Marry her, claim the dowry, use it as leverage to free his father, then annul the marriage and return to sea.

Simple, right?

Except when he arrives in the quiet town where she was raised, he makes a shocking discovery—Danielle has no idea she’s a princess. She doesn’t even know she’s French! Confused and blindsided by the sudden marriage, she’s just as wary of Luke as he is of her. But as they spend time together, Luke quickly finds himself captivated by her tenacity and wit, while Danielle starts to imagine a future with him—one where she becomes the mistress of their new home and helps breathe life back into the town.

But secrets loom. Luke is torn between duty and desire, struggling with the truth of why he’s really there. Danielle, still unaware of the real reason she was chosen as his bride, is left frustrated by the lack of answers from him or her surrogate parents.

This book was SO much fun—romantic, exciting, and full of heartwarming twists! The banter was fantastic, the romance felt natural, and the steam? Absolutely worth the wait!

This is book #3 in the Hidden Heirs series, but I think it can be read as a standalone. If you love historical romance, hidden identity tropes, or just some top-tier banter, you need to pick this up!

I received this ARC from NetGalley, Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels will be released October 28, 2025!

This one was a bit convoluted, but I enjoyed this conclusion to this series! I did find certain parts hard to suspend disbelief over, but I enjoyed the characters and the town. A lot of it (Dani's nemesis, in particular) felt a bit contrived, and Dani's parents not talking to her honestly didn't ring true to me. Why are they so insecure about the love of a daughter who is nothing but loyal to them? Also, Dani's a smart girl. I understand why being a princess would not be the first thing you'd jump to if you were trying to figure out what your whole deal was, but she has to have some idea. Like, she lives in a village but she had fancy tutors, that's a red flag that you're not just a normal girl. I don't see this very driven, self-assured young lady just taking her parents' silence without a fight.

I also didn't really care for the correspondence between them, it felt like a lot of the courtship there happened without us seeing it, and I didn't really buy that Luke suddenly changed his mind. I wanted more from his perspective about what changed for him.

ARC REVIEW:

This is honestly not my typical vibe but I figured I would give it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised! A solid 3.5 for me and could have been higher if I did not read it as a standalone. I came into the series in the last book (3/3) and I followed along perfectly fine but I think I would have been more attached to the characters had I followed the families story from the start. Definitely a bit wordy/drawn out in certain parts where I felt that it was either 2-3 pages of just repetition in the guise of clarification (specifically on topics that I found really did not need any kind of clarification at all). Overall I enjoyed the read and I would definitely check out her other series in the future.