The Princess

I picked up The Princess spur of the moment earlier this year, when the library was discarding a lot of the older books for mere pennies. I had heard of the author before and I thought 'What the heck, I'll give her a try'. The worst that could happen would be I hated it, and there went a day or reading and 25 cents, right? But on the other hand, I could end up loving it, and then I have not only a new book to add to my favorite's list, but also a whole new author to check out. Not bad outcomes, either way. But I'm very glad that I took the 'chance' and grabbed this book, along with a few others by Deveraux!

I will admit that at the beginning of the book, I was kind of hesitant and feared that I wouldn't end up liking the characters. The show more story line was interesting enough, even from page one, and the plot flowed at a nice, brisk speed. But the characters' actions and personalities seemed annoying, weak, and rude, and in my opinion, no matter how amazing the rest of the book is, it won't float my boat if I can't relate to the main characters.

At first, Jarl and Aria were constantly bickering, and Aria was dead set on keeping her cold 'I'm-the-Princess-and-I'm-too-good-for-anything-but-the-absolute-best' attitude, which annoyed me to no end! Now, I'm okay with the hero and heroine having their arguments, I think it's needed at times, and no one is perfect, especially not a working relationship, even in a fiction novel. Heck, it can even be highly entertaining at times! But their fights were almost boring, and I was tempted to just skip over the pages until they got past their problems. Luckily, I stuck it out, and I found that as the story moved on and the plot thickened, the characters also changed, growing more dynamic and 3-D, becoming someone that I could stand and actually wanted to learn more about. I was happy, and I settled back in for the ride, which I assure you was riddled with twists and turns and ups and downs!

For the most part, the beginning character flaws were the only problems I had with this book at all. The rest of it was enjoyable, humorous, sexy, and sweet, all in all, a great romance, even if it was written 21 years ago! As they say, a good book, a good classic, can be enjoyed by others years later.

Watching how Jarel slowly falls in love with Aria, and how he changes her attitude from snobby and cold to passionate and kind was wonderful. More than once I found myself sighing in pleasure after reading one of their conversations or giggling *Giggling, can you imagine it?!* after watching her stubbornness and innocence for the American way of life flare up yet again. And in between all of that, along with the mystery of who is trying to kill her, the love scenes were pretty warm, not boiling, but not written by a nun either! And what they lacked in steaminess they made up for in romance and tender moments.

4.5/5 STARS! A glorious love story that shows you that sometimes choosing between the two things you love is not the easiest thing to do. Touching romance, decent sex scenes, plenty of wit and charm, and yes, even a bit of mystery. In other words, a perfect read! I can't wait to find more books by this captivating author! show less

Wonderful book! Attempted murder threw them together on an island and they couldn't stand each other. Politics brought them back together and then took them away from each other. Murderers tried to take them away from each other permanently. I loved all the time they spent together in Key West and seeing all the predicaments Aria got herself in. One part I really enjoyed was Aria grilling in pin curls to the radio. It was a whole new side to the straight laced princess and it actually influenced me to learn how to pin curl. I enjoyed being back in Lanconia and learning about Jura and Rowan's descendants(The Maiden). J.T. and Aria grow and fall in love during a fascinating situation they are thrown into.

Jude Deveraux is an author I first read many years ago and while some of her books definitely do not age well I do think the Montgomery/Taggert saga books do continue to be basically enjoyable to read. I have always enjoyed the interactions her characters have had and the places she sets the story. The plot can be a bit thin but overall I think it's a good beach read.

My favorite Jude Deveraux. Love it all except maybe the hokey made up country. But the first 2/3rds of the book are absolutely stellar.

Entertaining story that kept my interest but many of the events were rather unbelievable and a touch of chauvinism made me glad I didn't marry in the 1940's. Princess Aria is saved by Lieutenant J.T. then plagues him with her haughty character.

I really enjoyed this! I’d give it a B. Aria, is kidnapped and almost killed, JT Saves her, and they’re stuck on his island together for a few days. Aria at first is very stuck up and arrogant, and JT can’t stand her. But then to help her and his country they marry.. and fall in love of course. It was a really fun read at times, had quite a few LOL moments, and some frying pan ones too, but over all I really enjoyed it.

There were some pretty good scenes mixed in with some really boring scenes. Overall, a weak effort.