I received this book as an ARC from NetGalley.

The first book in the Royals & Rebels series. Lucinda North has been through an emotional wringer. She and her younger sister, Sophia, have lost their parents to an illness while stationed in Russia. Now they have made their way back to England and are living with a cousin and his wife. They are not made to feel welcome, so Lucinda is trying to find a teaching job. At one school, she is mistaken for a princess from Aachen-Duren. The princess is needed immediately at Buckingham Palace and Lucinda agrees to impersonate the princess for a day or two while they locate the missing princess.

Earl of Melfield, Anthony, has been summoned to Buckingham Palace to help a spoiled, bratty princess, get ready for her coronation. He would rather be anywhere but there, but cannot not go when the queen or his mom calls for help.

As time passes, and the princess cannot be found, what will become of Lucinda?

I’d describe this book as realistic fiction. The author has done an amazing job at creating imaginary characters and situations that depict the world and society.

This was a fun book to read. I always enjoy the "pretend" stories and I recommend this one. The only small annoyance was the end that had a cliffhanger for the next book. I am glad that we addressed the elephant in the room but don't leave me hanging! I guess now I will have to look for the next book. When does it come out??!

Thanks Netgalley for a free copy in exchange of an honest review.

I was relieved to know ahead of reading this that the HEA was established for the MCs even though the overarching plot for the series had a cliffhanger. Also, as I had judged by the cover, it was a chaste romance. This felt like such a comfort read! I really enjoyed the mistaken/hidden identity trope and how the reveal was handled with minimal angst. I loved whenever MCs were together, but I wanted a bit more intimacy as they felt too formal. I adored the sister relationship and the side characters, I couldn’t keep track of how often I laughed!

Thank you Wolf Publishing for the advance reader copy via NetGalley! All thoughts are my own.

Princess Lousia is missing and her amazing doppelganger, Lucinda, is here to help! When Lucinda arrives at a school that she wishes to teach, she comes across the fact that Princess Lousia is missing and she looks a lot like her. The Princesses people convince Lucinda to impersonate the Princess until they find her. Through the story, we meet an Earl named Anthony. He helps her learn the Royal rituals and falls in love with her. Then the truth is discovered. The two stumble away from one another but make it back for a HEA.

Thank you to NetGalley, Meredith Bond and the publisher for allowing me to read a free, advanced copy of this book.

TheMeredith Bond returned my love for historical fiction in a previous novel so when I saw she had authored this first novel in a new series, I had to find out what it was all about. Meredith Bond is, in my opinion, a reincarnation of Alcott. She draws me into the plot immediately. Lucinda a young lady who arrives at the girls school, to apply for a teaching position, and soon finds herself identified as the missing princess, Louisia. Annapliese from a tiny country Aachen-Duren who has left the school to find her brother who she was told was lost at sea. She doesn’t believe it and goes to find him.Makes you wonder if the same people are looking for Lucinda later. Lou’s handlers and security guard were beside themselves in the need to find the princess Lucinda’s eyes were brown and not blue like the princess all other features an exact match. The real princess is always riding her horse whenever she can get away with it and her father lets her get by with whatever she pleases. She also loves to hunt...never to read a book or sit down to study. On the other hand Lucinda is at home curled up with a good book. She is a girl driven to be the best she can be. The pauper and the princess change positions in order to save the necks of the handler and body guard but if Lou is found out it could also be her neck. Lucinda will meet her cousin the queen of England and will take classes for the coronation that is to take place in a month, Anthony Earl of Melick and is mother are to teach her all the requirements of this coronation and the Earl is to introduce her to possible suitors and the women of the ton. So that she might make friends and acquaintances. He also needs to find a wife at the same time. This is a mystery with intrigue and a bit of suspense. I actually thought Louisa had found Louisa in her room pretending to be princess and got mad and set her up for the bad thing that are to happen. I was totally wrong. What a perfect slow moving romance. Do they end up together. You have to read and draw your own conclusions.turns out an Earl can marry a commoner. Book ends with a cliffhanger.. perfect for the next book. I can’t wait to read. Thanks to #NetGalley, #Wolf publishers, #MeredithBond #InLieuofaPrincessnforngrantingnmenpermission to review early in exchange for an honest opinion. I loved the book written in the style of a true page turninghistorical fiction. Yes I highly recommend!i

Have you seen Barbie as the Princess and the Pauper, well this book has the same plot, a commoner has to act as the royal, the difference is that here the commoner is well educated and polished where the princess loves running wild and be free.
It's a really fun read.

I read the prequel to this in the Naughty or Nice Holiday anthology and was a little disappointed to find that Markgraf Kottenfurst was being treated so poorly by his brother. In that story it seemed like his brother was supportive and thought highly of him so to now find he doesn't want him to be his successor didn't seem to fit. As for this story, the big aspect keeping me from giving a 4 star rating was that I knew Anthony was going to find out Lou's big secret so I felt like I was just waiting for that to actually happen. I also knew he would not react well to the news as it was pretty solidly established that he did not trust women. I would have liked to have had some conversation between Anthony and his mother about her affair - mostly just to fully clear the air between them. One big positive about this book is that I absolutely loved Lou right from the beginning. She is only trying to do what is right by her sister and to help out people she doesn't even really know. I'm curious about the real princess's story and how the author makes her likeable because based on what we learn about her here she seems like a spoiled brat. Another part I had some difficulty with was it was never clear when Lou was speaking in German and when she was speaking in English. Considering the princess wasn't thought to know much English Lou did seem to be using it a lot. I was really willing to overlook some of the flaws in the book because I did really enjoy seeing how Lou and Anthony's relationship developed. I like this author's writing style and she has established a pretty interesting setup for the other books in the series so I am not giving up on it. I also really want to see more of Lou and Sophia and hope they make appearances in the other books!

In Lieu of a Princess is book one of The Royals & Rebels series. It is a wonderful story of a woman who applies for a job as a teacher ends up being asked to stand in temporarily for a missing princess. Looking so similar to the princess except for her brown eyes, they believe they can pull this off, Lucinda is not so sure, but she agrees.

Lucinda is everything the princess is not, she is well read, educated, and speaks English very well. The princess has been allowed to run wild, loves to ride horses, doesn't read, and is athletic. As Lucinda prepares herself to meet Queen Charlotte in England, she does her best to represent the small country and pose as a princess, maybe better than the missing princess herself. Before long, subtle attacks start to occur to Lucinda become more apparent that she is in danger after she is poisoned.

This is a nice story and I love the writing style, but what I dislike is that it is a cliff hanger of which I am not a fan. I like to read books in a series, but not cliffhangers. I feel sucked in to having to read the next book only to discover what should have happened in the previous book. This is not to say I wouldn't have read the next book, but I prefer books to have a clean ending that ties itself to the next.

This is a lovely romance, I thoroughly enjoyed the story and the characters. It was easy to be captivated by Lucinda and Anthony who are determined and passionate characters. I have a feeling this new Royals and Rebels series is going to be an entertaining and adventure filled set of romances.

Schoolteacher Lucinda poses as a missing princess. Anthony and his mother train her to make her presentation to the English court. What happens when Anthony learns Lucinda's true identity?

This is a thoroughly enjoyable secret-identity Regency romance. It engaged me from the beginning, with likeable characters, a well-paced plot, and a little mystery to go along with the romance. While the romance plot is resolved in the end, the rest of the plot ends on a cliffhanger. I look forward to reading the next book in the series.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

This is the first of a delightful new series, The Royals and Rebels. The story was very enjoyable and I was pulled in from the very start. After her parents passing, Lucinda is just looking for a teaching job to support herself and her sister, but when she arrives for her interview, she is asked to instead impersonate a missing princess until the real one can be found. While in this situation she meets and grows close to Anthony, Earl of Melfield. He helps her prepare for a an important ceremony, and as he spends more time with her, he doesn't see the "princess" as the spoiled brat everyone says she is. He has had his heart broken before, so he chooses to remain guarded, but when Lucinda is in danger and he goes to her rescue, he cannot deny the strong feelings he has for her.
The story is filled with suspense, intrigue, and a little mystery and also some fun moments along the way. The characters were delightful and I enjoyed getting to know them. There is a cliffhanger at the end, so you can be sure I will be anxiously waiting for the next installment to see what happens next.
A very lovely start to a charming new series!
I received a complimentary copy from Wolf Publishing via Netgalley and am voluntarily leaving my review.

Lovely hidden-identity romance

Lucinda shows up for a job interview only to find that the girls' school is frantically looking for a runaway princess, one who bears a striking similarity to Lucinda. Soon, she's "hired" to fill-in for the missing girl and caught up in a world of political intrigue and danger. It took me a while to warm up to Anthony, especially when he discovers the truth and reveals his own snobbish opinions, but that (thankfully) doesn't last long.

I love this author's writing style, and was easily captivated by the story. While Lou and Anthony get their own HEA by the book's end, we are left on a bit of a cliffy with the ongoing storyline of the missing princess and the threats against the throne of Aachen-Düren. It's a fun story, and one I can easily recommend. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

There's intrigue, suspense and some mystery as there is a missing princess that cannot be found after she hears of the death of her brother in this book. I love all of the above in my romance as it's keeps things interesting and helps with the pace so no complaint's from me. The only problem is it does end in a cliff hanger which I hate as I feel it's unfair to force you to get the next book to find out what happens. In this instance though I can't wait to find out what's next. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

It's an excellent start to the series, the characters and their background hook you into the plot and when you get to the end you can't believe that's all
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Lucinda North does not expect that when she goes to a job interview for a teacher of high society young ladies, she will be offered another position, to replace a princess who has been missing for days
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Cornered to take that step, she finds herself involved in a political scheme that leaves her exposed, putting her life at risk. In the midst of all this is Lord Melfield who has the difficult mission of helping his mother educate the princess in ceremonial and protocol for the Queen, while resisting her charms and attraction
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It was a very entertaining book and I enjoyed reading it, but I did not expect that the cliffhanger would not resolve any of the questions, that as the chapters passed, added new characters that had no visible purpose. I was left with all these ideas and hypotheses unanswered and hoping for more about the happy ending than just a promise
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I think maybe I'll pick up the series again when the three books are out and I can read them often
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Thanks to Meredith Bond and Wolf Publishing for give me a copy of this beautiful book in exchange for my honest and voluntary opinion

A tale of court intrigue, impersonation, saving a country, mystery, maybe assasination and falling in love. The characters are very likeable with low key villains. There are funny, witty moments that made me laugh. It was so hard to put the book down. Can’t wait to read the next books in the series.

I received an ARC from Netgalley and leaving my review voluntarily.

These words turn the life of Lucinda North upside down. Within hours, she agrees—against her better judgement—to impersonate the missing Princess Louisa of Aachen-Düren. Within a week, she meets the queen and the handsome, charming Lord Melfield. Within the month, she is living at Buckingham Palace, lying about her true identity not only to Queen Charlotte but to all of Regency society, while someone is trying to kill her. Within her lifetime, she will never regret a moment of it.
Anthony, Earl of Melfield would rather not waste his time helping a spoiled princess learn how to conduct herself. He would certainly rather not return to society after a heartbreak. And he most definitely would rather not have feelings for the princess, no matter how sweet, funny, and beautiful she is. Most of all, he would much rather not use all of his skills to save her life and figure out who wants her dead.
In this first book of this sweet, and adventurous Royals & Rebels series by Meredith Bond you'll find hidden identities, a princess on the run, and three lives at stake… despite this, these royals and rebels must learn to trust and open themselves to a lifetime of love.
A princess on the run, A faux princess to take her place. This is the best story I've read by Meredith Bond. The only thing that I didn't like about it was that it ended in a cliffhanger.
I received a complimentary copy of this book from the publisher and NetGalley. This in no way affects my opinion of this book which I read and reviewed voluntarily.

I loved this book (well apart from the cliff hanger ending). Such a funny way of telling the tale, some excellent subterfuge and memorable characters. A kind sister, a gentle son in Anthony and a feisty heroine when she wants to me. I just wish the plot was totally unknotted before the next book in the series.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book via NetGalley and WOLF Publishing. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Rating: 4/5 Stars
Publishing: November 10, 2022
Series: The Royals & Rebels #1
Pages: 309

This was just a wonderful and excellent read. "In Lieu of a Princess" is a first time read by Meredith Bond, new author to this reader. A fun a sweet story of Lucinda who resembles a missing Princess while trying to secure a teaching job. The Princess has been requested to go to Court and while there be crowned, it is unfortunate her comportment doesn’t match that of Lucinda’s. Lucinda has to put on her fake Princess act but in the process falls for Anthony, Early of Melfield in the process.

An easy read that had its laughable moments. The characters were likeable. Not keen on cliffhangers but this one left you wanting to see what happens in the next in the series.

The book has the feel of a typical fairytale with a twist. I enjoyed the bond of the sisters and how they chose to overcome their situation and dive into a messy opportunity as a princess. It was a book he knew where it was going but did not know it was going all at the same time. I enjoyed the whimsical feel of the fairytale but with a different ending in mind.

Definitely recommend this book and cannot wait to read the rest of series. The cliffhanger at the end left you wanting for more and knowing what is next for Princess Louisa.