The Prince Who Loved Me (The Oxenburg Princes)

Okay I think we just need to stop an evaluate this for a second. A Cinderella fairytale retelling! I kinda freaked out when I saw that in the title. No lie, I think I actually preferred this over the real Cinderella! It was so heartfelt and swoon worthy that I just couldn’t help but love it. Bronwyn (who’s name I still can’t pronounce correctly in my head) is the eldest daughter of a suitable, albeit no very wealthy family, nobleman who does everything she can to avoid social gatherings and instead wishes to immerse herself in her books. After her disastrous introduction into the world of fine balls and gowns, Bronwyn is convinced she will never fit in with the socialites because of her love for knowledge and her lack of knowledge of fashion and dancing. She has deigned herself to simply living at home helping her father and her family while forever reading her books or so she thought… Prince Alexsey has always enjoyed his carefree, flirting lifestyle but when his grandmother, the Grand Duchess, decides it is time for her grandson to wed, she has Alexsey accompany her to Scotland in the hopes she can find him a suitable match. Determined to thwart her plans, Alexsey does everything to avoid his grandmother and runs into a beautiful, stubborn lass that not only challenges his every words but is a women who finally interests him. He seeks to court her, if only to sastify his own desires and to get his grandmother off his back, but to their society Bronwan is not a suitable wife (because she’s 24 years “OLD”). Bronwyn has no time for the flirtatious nature of the Prince as she must help her younger sisters prepare for their own introductions in order to secure them wealthy husbands. However, what Bronwyn wasn’t prepared for was the desire the Alexsey stirs within her. Though both agree neither wishes to marry and this is to be strictly a flirtatious bout of happiness, neither can deny the ultimate attraction and pull towards each other. It is the battle of whims between these two as they both devised plans to want the other to want them and it is a constant battle to see who will cave first. It is without a doubt a light hearted but beautiful romance watching those two come together. Especially when both Bronwan and Alexsey finally realized how they felt about one another when everyone else already knew! For Bronwan’s part, I loved how book smart she was but she was an absolute disaster when it came to anything socially related. She was blunt, improper and sarcastic yet she was fooling around with non other than the prince. It was endearing to watch her grow more and more bolder when it came to sneaking out late and even trysting with the prince! Naughty little minx… I have to say I think the reason I enjoyed this book more than the fairy tale was because of the stepmother and the stepsisters. Unlike the original Disney version, they were not the evil mean step sibling or mother that we have all come to depose. Surprisingly enough they were just as kind as our heroine and it made the book that much better! My final thought was how much I enjoyed the Prince and Bronwan’s constant humorous discussions and banter that lasted til the very,

The storyline is reminiscent of Cinderella but was executed in an original and entertaining way. I enjoyed reading this because it was light and sort of whimsical. There’s humor, romance and a tiny bit if drama. The hero is a prince. As expected, he is a tall, dark and handsome prince. No emotional baggage, no angst, no brooding. Just your plain handsome, smart, rakish and sensual, sexy prince. That is our hero. The heroine is intelligent, witty, funny. Her looks are mostly described through the eyes of the hero in terms of attractiveness. Then there’s mention of the heroine being rounded or alluding to being plump. Not sure really how to envision her in my mind. Anyway, I like the heroine. She is unconventional in a good way. I like that the prince pursued her with just seduction in mind and she tried to turn the tables on him and they ended up having genuine feelings for each other. I enjoyed their banter. The story is full of their interactions and exchanges and dialogue (internal and external). As for lovemaking scenes there were a few tastefully described scenes. Nothing too graphic. I like that there was an epilogue but would appreciate if it was more focused on the hero and heroine.

Karen Hawkins has once again written a great book with characters that are enthralling and keep your interest. For fans of her previous series, "The Duchess Diaries Series", this book introduces the story of Wulf's brother, Alexsey and brings back their interfering but caring grandmother, Natasha. The romance in between the two protagonists is heartwarming but sensuous that burns through the pages. My only regret was that I would like to read more about the secondary romance in between Strath and Sorcha. Maybe there lies a novella in the making? ;)

I did enjoy this story to a point, it kept my attention most of the way through however it annoyed me how it was set in Scotland yet the lead female didn't have a Scottish brogue and her father at times kept going in and out of a Scottish brogue?? One conversation he ended with a you the next he ended with Ye???? The only consistent one was the cook! As a person with Scottish heritage I thought the author a little remiss in this. Other than this it was a good story, I wasn't fond of the hero though but he did come good in the end. Most of the characters were delightful and it was a clever twist on the Cinderella story. I didn't think this story was one of her best though.

I've never read Karen Hawkins before, so I didn't know what to expect. It was a sweet and romantic story with two strong characters in a classic romantic plot (a very loose Cinderella story). I enjoyed watching Bronwyn and Alexey fall in love, and the meddlesome stepmother and grandmother were fun additions to the cast. How they worked to bring the two together while "breaking them up" was priceless. The surprise with Sorcha and Stroth was pleasant if not really a surprise. Throughout the whole story they couldn't stand each other and was always very tense. The love scenes were sweet and tame; which I won't lie, was a bit disappointing. I wanted more passion and that was the only thing lacking with this story.

I thought this was a great read! It was fun, light and entertaining. I loved Bronwyn. She totally made the book for me. My first impression of Alexsey was not good, I thought he was a cad. But as the story progressed, my opinion changed. And by the end of the book, I loved him too. These two lit up the pages. They had such great chemistry. And the love scenes... I couldn't read this book fast enough! I was consumed. I laughed out loud at some of Bronwyn's antics and was charmed by Alexsey's reactions. I highly recommend this book and I can't wait to read the other two brothers books!

Great read

this is the first Karen Hawkins book that I have read and I really like her style of writing. The story is set in scotland between Alexsey and Bronwyn and has a few laugh out loud moments with a few small surprises at the end.

Good

I could not put this book down! It was wonderful! The story is basically a "Cinderella" plot with a few changes.. No evil step sisters, she isn't treated poorly etc. What I loved: • Alexsey's laid back attitude as a prince, which I much preferred than a rigid arrogance. Execpt of course in his pursuit of Bronwyn. • Bronwyn's love for books, and her sassy wit. • The chemistry and banter between the Hero and Heroine. • Mairi (one of Bronwyn's sisters) I loved her spunkyness. Truly hope she gets a story! • Pretty much everything else! The writing was fantastic, I laughed and could often be found trying to sneak moments to read because I was enjoying it so much! I did have a few moments where I wondered if there was a previous book in this series... which there is! It is called How to Pursue a Princess - The second book in the Duchess Diaries series. If you haven't read that yet, don't worry, this book can be read as a stand alone but the first book is also fantastic! So personally, I would read that one before. Original review posted at: http://paragraphsandpetticoats.blogspot.ca/

loved this series can't wait for more