The Barefoot Princess

Amy doesn't want to be a princess. She wants to explore the world, be unrefined, and have adventures. Fortunately for her, she's a princess in exile with assassins after her. She finds a temporary haven on the isle of Summerwind. The residents have been neglected by their lord, so they decide to kidnap him to teach him a lesson. Obviously, he and Amy end up falling in love.
Amy is delightful: witty, defiant, spirited, and clever. Lord Northcliffe is rather highhanded, demanding, and alpha, but I've got a little more patience for that kind of thing in historical novels than contemporary ones. The plot is suspenseful and amusing; really kept me turning pages! The only complaint I have is the use of more modern euphemisms for parts of the show more male anatomy, specifically one that is a synonym for rooster. This really detracted from my enjoyment of the steamy parts. Other than that, it was fantastic. show less

In the second book in the Lost Princesses trilogy, Princess Amy of Beaumontagne is in trouble, but she’s too stubborn to realize it. After she left her sister Clarise two years earlier, she’s lived a life of danger and finally finds a home on the small English island of Summerwind. Now friends with the villagers, Amy is appalled to learn that a dastardly marquess owns the island. The people are starving and in danger of losing their decrepit homes because they cannot pay the rent. So she decides to put a stop to it and kidnaps the marquess to hold him for ransom.
Jermyn Edmondon, the marquess of Northcliff, wakes up chained to a cot in a cellar. He doesn’t know why he’s there or why his kidnapper, Amy, hates him with a passion. show more He’s arrogant, rude, a male chauvinist, and he believes himself so superior to everyone around him, especially the women. As he and Amy butt heads, he begins to realize his lazy, carefree lifestyle has threatened to ruin the lives of the people he once respected. Not only that, the crooked manager of his estate may be the real threat to his life, not the mysterious, sensual Amy.
Amy is a wonderful heroine, but her temper often gets the better of her. Of the three princesses, she was always the wild one who broke the rules in the name of justice. She’s strong, passionate, and willing to do anything for those she cares about.
Jermyn is a very unlikable character at first. His disdain, coldness, and haughtiness irritated me—as the author surely intended for her readers—but his attitude hides deep pain. Once his back story is revealed, I sympathized with him. I definitely loved the way he matured in captivity and the way Amy grew to trust her own feelings in the sexy marquess’s arms.
Other than stray POV shifts that I’ve come to expect, there were a few typos like repeated back-to-back words and missing words. I noticed a few inconsistencies between books 1 and 2. For example: in book 1, Prince Rainger was imprisoned for eight years. In book 2, it’s seven years. Despite little things like that, I enjoyed the book and look forward to reading Rainger and Sorcha’s story, the conclusion to the trilogy.
4 Stars show less

Amy is a princess in exile, a princess with a well developed sense of outrage about injustice. She is vry offended about the way in which Jermyn Edmondson, Marquess of Northcliff has tried to squeeze every last penny out of the hands of the islanders and therefore he has to be punished. She decides to kidnap him and hold him to random. However her plans aren't straightforward and prone to problems.

Entertaining, light but nothing terribly stand out.

Amy Rosabel, a displaced princess of Beaumontagne, kidnaps the Marquess of Northcliff to make him realize the plight of his villagers, victims of his neglect. Jermyn Edmonson, manacled in her cellar, isn’t alarmed. He believes his Uncle Harrison, in charge of his fortune, will readily pay the ransom. But when his wily relative refuses, Jermyn is left to wonder at his uncle’s true motives and he begins to plot his own escape. The trouble is, does he really want to be released from the lovely temptress’s bonds?

What a great story! I laughed and cried many times! Such wonderful writing and really engaging characters!! I love this authors work!!

Loved the princesses adventures. This was a great tale for the youngest sister!

I am currently on a Regency kick and this one was terrific!!

read in Polish (by BIS, Warszawa 2008)

Criada entre algodones en su idílico reino en los Pirineos, la princesa Amy, al igual que sus dos hermanas, vive ahora años amargos en el exilio en Inglaterra. El destino ha querido llevarla, como a un náufrago, hasta las playas de la pequeña isla de Summerwind. Y allí Amy ha decidido poner fin a la injusticia que sufren las buenas gentes que la han acogido y ayudado sin pedir nada a cambio. Aunque para ello tenga que raptar al mismísimo marques de Northcliff y pedir rescate por él a su tío. Claro que el plan no contaba con que el secuestrado fuera un hombre tan atractivo y persuasivo, ni con que su tío estuviera más que contento de librarse de él para poder heredar. Mantener cautivo al enérgico y sensual marqués va a ser show more un desafío para la princesa... y un reto para su virtud. La segunda novela sobre las tres princesas exiliadas con la que Christina Dodd ha obtenido un gran éxito. show less