Tag: Charis Michaels

Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Regency Era (1811-1820), Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

Claiming the Princess (Hidden Royals #3)Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s Rating: 3.5 of 5 stars

Series: Hidden Royals, #3

Release Date: October 28, 2025

After saving Viscount Fernsby, the Prince Regent’s cousin and being named a war hero, Captain Lucas Bannock is offered a reward by the crown. He only wants one thing, the release of Linus Welty, his surrogate father from Vincent Surcouf, Comte d’ Moulac, the French military officer that took him prisoner before killing the rest of Lucas’ crew, to achieve that, he needs to marry Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans, the exiled French princess that the Comte wants to marry. He is granted her hand in marriage and an estate in Kent, it seems like everything is going according to his plan – that is until he meets her and realizes she has no idea she is a princess, or French or why the Prince Regent would be interested in her or that he would be so attracted to her.

Adopted as a baby by retiring retainers for the King and Queen of England, Danielle “Dani” Allard has been raised with no knowledge of her title or heritage. She lives a modest life in Kent and has strong ties to the community, so she is stunned when her parents tell her that she has been betrothed to Captain Bannock by the Prince Regent. She askes why the prince would be concerned with her but gets no answers and before she can press them for more information, Lucas arrives. Can love grow in a bed of lies and secret agendas or is she doomed to a life of heartache?

This was a well written, interesting story with wonderful characters and lots of emotion. Dani and Lucas share a strange bond, they were both raised by surrogates for vastly different reasons, yet they both have a strong love for their foster parents. My heart broke for Lucas, he is consumed with guilt about the loss of his crew and his foster father and believes he would do anything to save Linus, only to feel more guilt upon meeting Dani. This book was filled with secrets, lies, deception, shocking revelations, a heart of gold hero bent on revenge, found family, surprise reunions, a heroine who can hold her own, lots of cats and finally a hard-won HEA. Overall, I liked this story, Dani and Lucas are easy to root for, but I felt disappointed that there was no epilogue, especially since the siblings were finally reunited. This is the final book in the series and while it could be read as a standalone title, I would recommend reading the series in order for the best reader experience.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher/author. All opinions in this review are my own. *

The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels

On By TracyIn Georgian Era (1714-1837), Part of a Series, Top Pick - Highly Recommended, Tracy's ReviewsLeave a comment

The Prince's Bride (Hidden Royals, #2)The Prince’s Bride by Charis Michaels

Tracy’s Rating: 4.5 of 5 stars

Series: Hidden Royals, #2

Release Date: May 21, 2024

Years ago, when they were just infants, Lady Marianne “Ryan” Daventry & Prince Gabriel d’Orleans were betrothed by their parents and they grew up understanding their obligation. But then the revolution swept through France and Gabriel and his sisters were smuggled out of France, hidden away and the betrothal forgotten. Ryan never really thought of her betrothed and while she had fond memories of Gabriel, she has been much too busy taking care of Winscombe, her family’s estate on the Channel Island of Guernsey to wonder about him. But that was before his cousin Maurice shows up claiming Gabriel is dead and that he is the new Prince and demands that Ryan honor the betrothal by marrying him and turning over control of the estate to him. The only way to thwart him is to find her true betrothed and bring him back to confront Maurice. But she has not seen or heard from Gabriel in 9 years and her only clue to his location is a letter he sent her before he disappeared for good. That is how Ryan ended up being held up by a highwayman in the Savernake Forest and saved by a strange man, who may or may not be her long-lost fiancé and who flat out refuses to help her.

Prince Gabriel d’Orleans has been living in seclusion as Gabriel Rien in the Savernake Forest for the last 9 years and has gained a reputation as an exceptional horse trainer. He avoids contact with others, including his sister Elise, who has tried without success to reunite with him, so when he hears a woman screaming, his first instinct is to ignore her, but he can’t and to his complete shock the woman he rescues is his betrothed. He refuses to help her, but he can’t seem to let her go and slowly he ventures out of his sanctuary. Going as far as to reunite with his sister and her family and asking them to help Ryan. And even as he falls in love with her, he is still adamant that he cannot be the man she needs him to be. So why is it so hard to let her walk away?

I loved this story, Ryan and Gabriel are such wonderful characters and truly have a beautiful connection. I loved watching them battle their demons and heal as they began to fall in love. The story is filled with emotion, personal doubts, a greedy relative, warm love scenes, adorable nieces, a hypochondriacal nanny, a match-making former rake, an almost grown-up Bartholomew, a stunning confrontation and a very sweet ending. This was such a great story, and I would happily recommend this story to my fellow HR readers. This is the second book in the series and while it could be standalone, I would highly recommend reading the books in order.

*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that I requested and was provided to me by the publisher. All opinions in this review are my own. *