The mystery/spy part of this story is probably its strong point. Hope and Nik make for a good team as well and I did enjoy seeing their relationship develop as the story progressed. I also think the author does a great job of connecting all three books in the series since they are all occurring at the same time. My biggest problem with the book was the villain. Had I not read Christmas Intrigue (or if it did not exist at all) I would have been fine with who the bad guy turned out to be, but I read that novella prior to the series and just could not reconcile the Markgraf Kottenfurst I met there with the one in this series. It was certainly an interesting choice by the author to change a character so much (or at least how we perceive that character), but I just couldn't get on board with it here. I also couldn't help but be disappointed that Prudence could have raised such a crappy kid. Honestly, without that I probably would have liked this book a lot more. The first book in the series was my favorite and ended on such a big cliffhanger, so it was nice to see how that was all resolved (and to see Lou again).

When someone tries to kill Crown Prince Nikolas, he fakes his death and goes into hiding. Spy Hope helps him investigate his uncle, the next male heir to the throne. Will Nikolas stay alive long enough to identify the would-be assassin?

This is the final book in the Royals & Rebels series, which is best read in order. The story is unique with fun and likable characters. The mystery has lots of twists and turns, while the romance is sweet and endearing.

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

This book brings the trilogy to a satisfying close. The heroine is inordinately smart and a skilled spy while the hero is a prince in hiding trying to solve the mystery of who wants him dead. Action packed adventures and dangerous sleuthing in the middle of attraction and falling in love makes for a hard to put down reading.

I received an ARC of this book from NetGalley and leaving my review voluntarily.