Review: Once Upon a Princess by Clare Lydon & Harper Bliss


Note: An advanced reader copy (ARC) was provided by the authors.

Ah, I do adore a finely crafted royal romance! Me being the fan of British royalty that I've been since Lady Diana Spencer married her prince (who turned out to be a frog) in 1981 and having been hooked on romance since the time I cracked open my first young adult romance paperback in high school, royal romances are a guilty pleasure but not all are created the same. I'm admittedly picky when it comes to this particular genre. Sometimes, a book simply doesn't click with me; it often takes that extra something to both grab and hold on to my attention. Once Upon a Princess though? Well, it grabbed hold and refused to let go, and I was hooked on the idea of a lesbian princess falling in love with a commoner WHILE she was engaged to someone her family believed suited her best. But can a happily-ever-after be in store for two women from absurdly different worlds?

Co-written by Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss, Once Upon a Princess is the story of thirty-three-year-old Olivia Charlton, better known to the rest of the world as Princess Olivia, fourth in line to the throne and the youngest of two daughters to Queen Cordelia and Prince Hugo. The constant reminder that it was time for her to put duty above all else--even love--Olivia enters into an engagement with an ex. She begs for some time to wrap her head and heart around the idea of marriage, and heads to the Cornish town of Otter Bay, taking care to not be recognized. She adopts her military nickname of Charlie Smith, and finds herself basking in everything the small town has to offer, including the beautiful owner of a quaint cafe called Mark & Maude's, twenty-eight-year-old Rosie Perkins. But if this princess wants her fairy tale ending, she's going to have to decide if an "and they lived happily ever after" is in the cards for her and her charming cafe owner or if duty wins one more time.

I enjoyed reading this F/F royal romance! Both Olivia and Rosie were main characters that were wholly likable and seemed to really have a connection, one that grew stronger as the story progressed. There's a bit of family drama on Olivia's end plus a pesky engagement that seems impossible to get out of. Over on Rosie's side, she's got an ex who doesn't seem to get that there's no hope of a reconciliation between them plus whether to put the cafe that once belonged to her late parents on sale or not. There isn't a great deal of angst, helping to give the story a lighthearted feel. I liked the romance and the cast of characters, and while I've never read a Clare Lydon-penned story before, I dare say she and Harper Bliss, whose work I have read a few times already, make a good writing team, and hopefully, this will just be the first of many more. Once Upon a Princess gets 4.5 stars. ♥

Date Read: 03 June 2018

Learn more about Clare Lydon and Harper Bliss.

Purchase Once Upon a Princess on Amazon.

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