Seducing the Princess Book Review

Title: Seducing the Princess

Series: Queen Victoria’s Daughters

Author: Mary Hart Perry

Genre: Literature & Fiction

Publisher: Diversion Books

Release Date: March 2013

Format: Kindle, Paperback

Pages: 331 pages

About the Book:

Mary Hart Perry’s acclaimed series of romantic Victorian thrillers continues with Seducing the Princess, inspired by the life of Queen Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, convinced she is unattractive and unloved, the dutiful Princess Beatrice finally accepts that she will never marry and vows to devote herself to the queen in Victoria’s waning years. In fact, her mother has secretly discouraged suitors for Beatrice’s hand. Just when Beatrice has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who matches wits with the aging Victoria and risks his life and liberty to woo Bea.

But Henry isn’t the only man interested in being welcomed into Beatrice’s bed. The timid princess has become the target of a cruel plot hatched by her nephew, the madman destined to become the last Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm II sends a ruthless agent, a charming Scot, to seduce the naive princess and spy on the queen. How can the sheltered princess hope to fend off a man capable of murder, and perhaps worse, to get what he wants? But Beatrice is not without her own allies–her older sister Louise and Louise’s American soldier-of-fortune and lover, Stephen Byrne. Will Beatrice discover which of the two men pursuing her she can trust, before it’s too late? Drama, romance and peril chase the royal family from Buckingham Palace to a storm besieged castle on the Isle of Wight.

My Review:

I have been a HUGE fan of Kathryn Johnson, aka Mary Hart Perry since I reviewed The Wild Princess last June, so I started this book with high expectations.  Seducing the Princess definitely did not disappoint.  Johnson again expertly weaves historical fact with her own romantic imagination to tell the story of Princess Beatrice and her search for love.

The sexual tension in this story will bring you to your knees and the ups and downs, political intrigue and high intensity dramatic action will have you staying up too late to read it all the way to the end.

Princess Beatrice is such a sweet, shy, caring character you can’t help but fall in love with her.  If you have read The Wild Princess, don’t worry, there are appearances by Princess Louise and her “friend” Stephen Byrne.  In addition, you will fall in love with Prince Henry and learn to loath young Prince Wilhelm (later to become Kaiser Wilhelm II) and his sleazy friend Gregory.

I give Seducing the Princess five red roses (they’re Beatrice’s favorite!!)

I received a complimentary copy of this book for the purpose of review through Innovative Online Book Tours.  All opinions are 100% my own.

About the Author:

Kathryn Johnson lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two feline writing partners, Tempest and Miranda. The author of over 40 novels, she’s written under her own name and a variety of pen names, including Mary Hart Perry, Kathryn Jensen, KM Kimball and Nicole Davidson. She also teaches fiction-writing workshops for the renowned Writer’s Center in Bethesda, Maryland. And, in 2008, she founded Write by You (www.WriteByYou.com), to coach other writers interested in reaching publication. She has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christy Award, and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller’s Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of America) in 2011.

Her works in progress include a series of Victorian thrillers inspired by the lives of Queen Victoria’s five daughters. The first novel,The Wild Princess, focuses on Princess Louise, who desperately wanted an education as a professional artist, at a time when women were not admitted into art schools. Her personal life becomes complicated when she uncovers a secret about her husband and must help protect her mother from an assassination attempt. The second book of the series, Seducing the Princess, launches April 2, 2013, and features Victoria’s youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, the dutiful Princess has promised never to marry and to devote herself to the queen in Victoria’s waning years. Just when she has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who risks his life and liberty to woo Bea and save both his beloved and the queen from a cruel plot. A third novel, to be published later in 2013, will star Crown Princess Vicky.

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