In Lieu of a Princess (The Royals & Rebels #1)

Lucinda North applied for a job as a teacher at a girl’s school and upon arrival finds the staff in an uproar and herself thrust promptly into the role of an impersonator. The Princess Louisa of Aachen-Düren has gone missing after the death of her brother, and her father the king is so eager to see her crowned as heir, he has arranged with the princess’ cousin, the Queen of England, to perform the ceremony in London. Without the missing princess, chaos will ensue, but for Lucinda North, the danger from both assassination attempts and lying about her identity to Queen Charlotte and all of Regency society is almost nothing in the face of lying to Anthony, Earl of Melfield, and the man who is supposed to be training the princess to conduct herself properly. Finding the missing princess is critical, but it will take everything Anthony has to also save the woman who is quickly entering his heart as well.

 

A surprising foray into royal identities and intrigue, this book has both the attention grabber of a start and an intense, readers know it’s coming, but can’t stop reading cliff hanger of an ending! Not only is this book the first of the trilogy, but also an evident act one to a tale that demands a short intermission until the next book releases, as this book sets so many plot threads into motion while still engaging the readers in Lucinda and Anthony’s romance as well. The combination of noble and interesting lead characters, spy craft, assassination attempts, political intrigue and romance builds to something potentially amazing for the reader, but only a closer look will tell.

 

Sarah E Bradley