This was very much Eloise Bridgerton meets Cinderella and a slight hint of Enola Holmes. I feel like the romance was good but the murder should be one of the main points of the book but was more of a sub plot. It was a connection for the characters but was easily forgotten about and I don't think it necessarily added to the story either. I would have been quite happy if they were able to find another connection to the characters and removed this part of the story out as it became quite pointless at times. It is an easy read and I did enjoy it but I would give it 3.75 stars as it wasn't my favourite and I didn't feel very connected

I thoroughly enjoyed the historical romance.

The characters were engaging and the story flowed at good pace.

It gave a wonderful feel for Victorian London.

Well worth a read in my opinion.

This is a really good historical romance. I love the characters and the chemistry between Sebastian and Eliza. I also, really enjoyed the strong female characters in this book. Their intelligence and with makes the book really interesting and enjoyable.
The plot is good and although the pace of the plot is pretty slow, it doesn't get boring. The mystery of the murder keeps you on the edge, I, at least, could not stop guessing the murderer and the reason behind it.
All in all, a brilliant historical romance. I can't wait to continue on with this series.

Set against the backdrop of Victorian England, we follow a judge's daughter as she teams up with a visiting Prince to solve a murder whilst also trying to fight her blossoming affections for her.

I really enjoy this specific kind of historical fiction murder mystery where we have people who wouldn't normally be the ones solving the crime and this book definitely delivered on that aspect.

The romance aspect of the book was also very solid and, whilst I did appreciate the sexual liberation of our female, some if the charm was lost as in the fact that the romance was not quite as chaste as I expect of romances set in this period. I am not prudish when it comes to my books, I just have a soft spot for the mutual pining, slow burn. I guess what I am saying is that if you are looking for a book where the characters don't fall into bed with one another, this might not be the right book.

I really enjoyed the snippets of the ladies magazine throughout this book as it did a good job of building up the world and the way that the stories were almost written in a code was really fun.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin for a copy to review.

I wanted to love this. Princes and princesses, royal balls and a murder mystery . SIGN ME UP.

However, this fell very flat for me. Instead of loving Eliza and her sassy stubborn fiery personality I just found her contrived. And I didn’t find Sebastian very appealing either.

I didn’t mind so much that it didn’t live up to its historical fiction marketing. But I do think the time period was deeply unsuited to the plot.

Fun, lighthearted, fast paced. Eliza as a character really drew me into the story with her refusal to conform to societal rules! A murder mystery perfectly combined with some romance. However, I appreciated that this wasn’t just a romance and that throughout Eliza remains headstrong and determined.
The style of writing was easy to read and overall very enjoyable.

Thank you to NetGalley for providing a electronic copy.

Light-hearted, fun and fast-paced historical romance.
Eliza was straight-talking, smart and not beholden to others views, which I enjoyed and drew me into the story. I loved Eliza’s witty interactions with Caroline and Hollis, and their support for each other. However, the historical aspect didn’t entirely grip me like other historical fiction books have. Also, I was more interested in the murder mystery than in the romance between Eliza and Sebastian; however, that isn't to say that I didn't like the romance, I think it was fine enough, but the romance isn't what kept turning the page. I’ll be picking up the rest of the series because I liked the characters.
Thank you to Netgalley and Mills & Boon for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I really enjoyed the book despite it not being something I would normally read. It is the first I have read by this author. If you love a good romance, then this is for you.

With the advent of Bridgerton on Netflix hopefully, there will be an increased interest in Regency Romance books. It definitely rekindled my interest and I read this in a few hours.
Whilst not as laugh out loud funny as Julia Quinn, Julia London has funny and feisty female characters and tall, dark, handsome rich men who are swept off their feet by them.
Here we have Eliza, a spinster who is cheerfully resigned to her fate, and Sebastian the Prince of Alucia who has no idea what to do with the straight-talking, irreverent woman.
Snappy dialogue, hilariously scatty characters who genuinely enjoy each other and are happy with their unwed status.
I really enjoyed it and would recommend it to anyone who is looking to dive into Regency romance.

(I would have given it 5 stars but, at one point, a man slaps a woman and doesn't get called out for it.)

This is not my usual genre but I have to say that I loved it! It is like pride and prejudice meets ms marple!!

I adored the character of Eliza - so headstrong and free from care of others views of her. Eliza feels she has been assigned the title of spinster and so has no hope of gaining a husband. She embarks on a plan to meet the crown Prince of Alucia, in order to give some colour to her life. Little does she know what adventures await her!

Eliza finds herself embroiled in a murder mystery which brings a lot more of the prince’s attention than she ever planned!

I loved Eliza and I loved the ladies gazette. Wonderful!

This was such a nice read to fulfil my need for another historical romance. I loved how this was not your stereotypical love story and that it was filled with rebellion, secrets and scandal while still following the story of a prince finding his princess.

Writing:
This was such an easy read for me and I loved how the story was a well balanced mix of romance and mystery. Eliza's character was written to be someone who doesn't adhere to the rules of her society and is her own person. This is what pulls the Prince to her. Their relationship isn't a slow burn - which I loved - and started straight away. Their growing feelings were clear throughout the novel. I liked how the Prince was portrayed as not caring what other people thought and he put his heart before the crown.

Summary:
This book was a different read to what I'm used to and I'm really beginning to enjoy historical fiction a lot more. This one was a really great read to introduce me to the genre and I loved the characters. It wasn't your stereotypical romance as it had themes of mystery and scandal. I think because I'm so new to historical fiction, it took me a while to get into the politics and the specifics of trade deals and business deals in that era which is why it is only a three star rating. I really did enjoy the story, it is just my inexperience with this genre that caused the lower rating as I didn't get into it as much as other reads that I have reviewed this year.

Thank you to NetGalley and Mills & Boon for the ARC copy of The Princess Plan!

☆☆☆/5

Loved this. A good classic regency romance. Not the most original, maybe, but it was fun and I felt there was chemistry between the characters.

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher via NetGalley. This in no way impacted on my view.

Scandal and gossip have always been supreme in Victorian London, and being a member of a group publishing the only women's gazette in London has been perfect for Miss Eliza Tricklebank. When the Crown Prince of Alucia, Sebastian, arrives in England to find a bride and secure a lucrative trade deal, Eliza and sister Hollis, want to get invited to the royal ball, to find out the gossip for their gazette. Eliza and Sebastian meet, but as it's a masquerade, he doesn't recognise her when he later barges into her home, demanding to know where she got her 'evidence' relating to the death of his close friend, and secretary. Eliza is immediately on edge, and can't stand Sebastian's high handedness and arrogance, and quickly puts him in his place. Somewhat chastised, they form an unlikely partnership, to find the culprit, and uncover a plot to kidnap Sebastian. However, their chemistry becomes too much, and the fact that one is the heir to his throne, and the other a spinster commoner, daughter of a blind judge, is one that is hard to overcome.

When I was first approved for this book in November, I started it, but wasn't in the right mood. However, during lock down, historical romances have been what's kept me going, and I remembered about this one. The Princess Plan, quite honestly, was fantastic! I started it about 3 pm, and other than eating, I didn't put it down until I was done at 9. I just adored Eliza, and she was feisty, strong character I could've asked for. After believing she would be engaged years ago, and publicly embarrassed when it fell through, she's embraced her spinsterhood and relishes in helping her father with his work, and her sister with her gazette. Going to the palace for the masquerade ball was a nice bit of fun for Eliza, but she never had any thoughts that anything would come from it, and meeting the prince was a buzz. However, their second meeting at home, when he was rude and arrogant, fully removed any hint of rose tinted glasses, and she could truly be a friend to Sebastian as he struggled with his grief and his sense of duty. Sebastian, on his part, grew so much as a character throughout this book. Understandable, he was an arrogant so and so at first, but it was refreshing to be treated as a normal person by Eliza, and be seen for himself, and not for his title. His love for Eliza came on so gently, but it was heartbreaking to see Sebastian at war with himself over his sense of duty and his desire to be with Eliza.

The romance between the two main characters was phenomenal, and I was rooting for them from the moment Eliza kicked him out of her house. The chemistry was always there, but their mutual love and respect for each other, which came gradually and naturally, made it all so much more believable. I was actually feeling a bit teary as we got towards the end and I couldn't see how they could be together, and thought they would be heartbroken and separate, but I adored the ending, and seriously hope that we see more from the pair in book 2, A Royal Kiss and Tell.

First in the Royal Wedding Series.
After a scandal, Eliza Tricklebank has accepted her role as spinster for the last 10 years, however after her sister prints a rumour in her gazette, she is asked by a foreign royal prince to help undercover who murdered his secretary.
Interesting premise however I found it took a long time to get into the main story. Apart from two very quick interactions at a ball, that do not seem to have any chemistry, it isn’t until chapter 8 that the two protagonists have a proper conversation. The first eight chapters mainly show the differences in the two character’s lifestyles, introduce other characters that will feature in follow-up books and the lead up to the murder.
I liked the descriptions of Prince Sebastian’s life which really portrayed how difficult it would be to have privacy and the comparison to Eliza’s in which she could do whatever she wanted. Also the relationship between the sisters and their friend is unusual and very open, more like modern female relationships.
The actual “Princess Plan” of the title doesn’t appear until two chapters from the end so isn’t relevant at all

Hmm I’m in two minds about this book. For what it was, a smutty romance, it was alright. But it wasn’t gripping and as enjoyable as others I’ve read in the genre. I liked it (I think) but I’m not sure I will remember much of what happened in this book in the future...!

I loved this book, I loved the characters. I can't wait to read the forthcoming books in the series.

This book was a page turner for me. In every page I looked forward to see how Eliza and Sebastian's relationship will unfold and what will happen to them. When she opened her hear to him and told him about her past and why she had the reputation she had, I couldn't help feeling a mixture of emotions in my heart. A lovely mystery, romance. Will definitely be reading more of Julia London, whom I have never read before. Thanks to #Netgalley for offering me this book.

I didn’t read the blurb properly before requesting this book. I saw it was ‘inspired by the events of Harry and Meghan’ and ‘for fans of the crown’ - so was surprised to discover it was set in Victorian London! This aside, I loved it. It had characters you rooted for. It had some amusing snippets from the local ladies gazette. It had a swoon worthy prince. I loved it and intend to read the next one in this series. An easy, enjoyable read to make a change from all the thrillers I read.

A review copy was offered via netgalley and the publishers in exchange for an honest review.

The Princess Plan fell very flat for me, unfortunately! It was a good 50% of the way into the book before either of the main characters became tolerable; Eliza was aggressively modern and "quirky", to the point of being completely unbelievable as a Victorian heroine, and Sebastian was stand-offish and downright rude, going so far as to order a servant to find him a woman to have sex with at a party. There's a lacklustre mystery subplot that seems to get solved without either of the main characters doing an awful lot on page, and the lack of chemistry between the two of them means that the romance didn't enthrall me either. A lot of the language used is weirdly modern for the context, but the names are Dickensianly twee. The historical context is pretty much irrelevant, with no sense of the rules or etiquette that would have been in place, leaving our female characters free to wander around and do as they wished.

There are also two egregious errors that I noticed (as well as other more minor ones). These may have been fixed in the final edition, but from the general lack of appropriate language and historical setting, I doubt it.

Firstly, there is a supposedly Latin phrase that has some significance, "amor loyal", which is translated in the text as "love is loyal". Not only is this phrase missing a verb, it is also just plain wrong: there is no letter 'y' used in Latin, and the word for "loyal" is "fidelis". "Loyal" is an English borrowing of a French word "loial", deriving from Latin "legalis", meaning "legal". It's just wholly incorrect to say "loyal" is Latin. I note that Google Translate incorrectly offers "amor loyal" as a Latin translation of "love is loyal", so this is probably where the error was introduced, but this is something that should have been checked and corrected by a proofreader or editor.

Secondly, the issue of Eliza's not having a title is solved by making her father a baron. In the book, this grants her the title of 'Lady Eliza Tricklebank'. This is incorrect. She would become 'The Honourable Eliza Tricklebank', which is not, in itself, a title, but a courtesy style.

Really, really disappointing, and the lack of research really shows it up.

Having been previously disappointed in love, Eliza is now perfectly happy looking after her father, fixing clocks and helping her sister produce the Gazette. When she meets Prince Sebastian at a ball, she refuses to be blown away by his titles which intrigues and infuriates him. The pair are drawn together in trying to solve the mystery of a masked murderer but both know there is no chance they could ever make a relationship work, even if Eliza were interested.