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The Proud Princess
Having survived the 1871 siege of Paris with her mother the Queen of Dabrozka, Princess Ilona is summoned back to the war-ravaged kingdom of her father, a tyrannical monarch whose unjust rule has divided the nation into two factions: her own Radak people and the Saros. Worse still, Russia threatens to march on Dabrozka to impose their iron-clad style of order. Only Ilona can save her country from this fate - by making a terrible sacrifice. At the Prime Minister's request, she must marry the Prince of Saros, their union bringing together the people. This she will do; this she must do - but what her pride will not allow her is to love the aloof, indifferent Prince. Humiliated by the Prince's evident disregard, and beaten by her own father on the eve of her wedding, it seems that love will never fill her heart - but as warclouds gather over Dabrozka, both the Prince and the Proud Princes are about to share a dramatic change of heart!
206 pages, Paperback
Published July 2, 2012
6 people are currently reading
187 people want to read
About the author
Barbara Cartland
1,592 books834 followersBorn in 1901, Barbara Cartland started her writing career in journalism and completed her first book, Jigsaw, when she was just 24. An immediate success, it was the start of her journey to becoming the world’s most famous and most read romantic novelist of all time. Inspiring a whole generation of readers around the globe with her exciting tales of adventure, love and intrigue, she became synonymous with the Romance genre. And she still is to this day, having written over 644 romantic fiction books.
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
As well as romantic novels, she wrote historical biographies, 6 autobiographies, plays, music, poetry and several advice books on life, love, health and cookery – totalling an incredible 723 books in all, with over 1 billion in sales.
Awarded the DBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 1991 in honour of her literary, political and social contributions, she was President of the Hertfordshire branch of the Royal College of Midwives as well as a Dame of Grace of the Order of St John of Jerusalem and Deputy President of the St John Ambulance Brigade.
Always a passionate advocate of woman’s health and beauty, she was dubbed ‘the true Queen of Romance’ by Vogue magazine in her lifetime. Her legend continues today through her wonderfully vivid romantic tales, stories that help you escape from the day to day into the dramatic adventures of strong, beautiful women who battle, often against the odds, eventually to find that love conquers all.
Find out more about the incredible life and works of Dame Barbara Cartland at www.barbaracartland.com
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 4, 2012
Very good historical romance. The descriptions of her clothing and scenery made me feel like I was there. This is my first Bantam book, and although there was no elaboration on intimacy, it is a very memorable story. My only complaint: At only 152 pages, it was over way too quickly!
December 3, 2015
A standard romp with Princes and Princesses, evil Kings and the odd kidnapping. Delightful nonsense.
April 2, 2021
This one is okay. Strangely the other book of Dame Cartland I just read was written a year after this one and also features a fictional kingdom in the same region this one is set in.
Amazingly, the author even manages to recycle the same tribe of bandits who are supposedly notorious in the area! Wow, if nothing else she is consistent. And considering how prolific a writer she was, she would have written at least 12, if not more books in between these two, but she still managed not to muddle up her details! Amazing!
Story is cute enough, not as entertaining as i found the “Hell cat and the King. But its the same trope. The princess marries a prince from a fictitious land, He thinks she loathes him so he acts cold. She thinks he is uninterested in her because he was forced into the marriage.
Anyway all gets cleared up in the end and he fell in love w her at first sight. HEA.
Available on Open Library.
Amazingly, the author even manages to recycle the same tribe of bandits who are supposedly notorious in the area! Wow, if nothing else she is consistent. And considering how prolific a writer she was, she would have written at least 12, if not more books in between these two, but she still managed not to muddle up her details! Amazing!
Story is cute enough, not as entertaining as i found the “Hell cat and the King. But its the same trope. The princess marries a prince from a fictitious land, He thinks she loathes him so he acts cold. She thinks he is uninterested in her because he was forced into the marriage.
Anyway all gets cleared up in the end and he fell in love w her at first sight. HEA.
Available on Open Library.
February 24, 2016
Ok. Perdi as contas de quantas vezes já li este livro. Nem preciso dizer que é meu preferido...
Ilona Nandina estava há 10 anos longe de Dabrozka.
Seu pai, o Rei, era um homem irascível. Quando as coisas não aconteciam do jeito dele, ele não pensava duas vezes em tomar medidas extremas. Por causa desse seu temperamento, sua esposa acabou partindo, fugindo dele. Ela havia sido espancada pelo marido vezes sem fim, chegando até a perder a consciência, mas quando o rei fez isso com Ilona, a rainha sabia que era hora de fugir.
Dando a desculpa que iria visitar os pais, que já eram velhos, ela partiu. De lá, seguiu para Paris, onde viveram escondidas.
Não tinham luxo. A rainha e sua fiel empregada, Magda, trabalhavam como costureiras. Alguns amigos da família, em sua maioria muito velhos, faziam companhia. A maior parte do que ganhavam ia para pagar a escola de Ilona, que estudava como qualquer garota normal, sem que soubessem de seu título Real.
Viveram o inferno durante o cerco de Paris. Passaram fome. O frio matou a rainha.
Logo após a morte da rainha, Ilona recebe uma comitiva de seu país. Seu irmão, Julius, o herdeiro ao trono, havia sido morto e o rei precisava de alguém de seu próprio sangue para ser seu herdeiro, mesmo que fosse uma mulher.
A situação em Dabrozka era desesperadora. O povo não estava feliz com os desmandos do rei e suas leis. Estavam divididos entre as famílias Radak (do rei) e Saros.
A solução encontrada para apaziguar e debelar a invasão russa seria o casamento de Ilona com o Príncipe Aladar, dos Saros.
Ilona ficara sabendo pelo rei que Aladar era o responsável pela morte de Julius.
No dia do casamento, o rei faz um showzinho particular para mostrar que era contra aquele enlace.
Nos dias seguintes ao casamento, enquanto o casal de nubentes tentava transmitir ao povo uma segurança que não existia, ela e o marido viviam a guerra particular de milhões de mal-entendidos entre eles; e ambos eram orgulhosos demais para dar o primeiro passo.
Mas há a invasão dos russos de qualquer forma e Ilona tinha o plano perfeito para fazer com que seu marido fosse o herói da história...
Muita informação interessante sobre húngaros, prussianos, russos é passada ao longo da narrativa, em especial sobre os ciganos.
E Aladar Sebastyen Ladislas é um dos meus mocinhos, de Ms Cartland, preferidos.
5 estrelas
Ilona Nandina estava há 10 anos longe de Dabrozka.
Seu pai, o Rei, era um homem irascível. Quando as coisas não aconteciam do jeito dele, ele não pensava duas vezes em tomar medidas extremas. Por causa desse seu temperamento, sua esposa acabou partindo, fugindo dele. Ela havia sido espancada pelo marido vezes sem fim, chegando até a perder a consciência, mas quando o rei fez isso com Ilona, a rainha sabia que era hora de fugir.
Dando a desculpa que iria visitar os pais, que já eram velhos, ela partiu. De lá, seguiu para Paris, onde viveram escondidas.
Não tinham luxo. A rainha e sua fiel empregada, Magda, trabalhavam como costureiras. Alguns amigos da família, em sua maioria muito velhos, faziam companhia. A maior parte do que ganhavam ia para pagar a escola de Ilona, que estudava como qualquer garota normal, sem que soubessem de seu título Real.
Viveram o inferno durante o cerco de Paris. Passaram fome. O frio matou a rainha.
Logo após a morte da rainha, Ilona recebe uma comitiva de seu país. Seu irmão, Julius, o herdeiro ao trono, havia sido morto e o rei precisava de alguém de seu próprio sangue para ser seu herdeiro, mesmo que fosse uma mulher.
A situação em Dabrozka era desesperadora. O povo não estava feliz com os desmandos do rei e suas leis. Estavam divididos entre as famílias Radak (do rei) e Saros.
A solução encontrada para apaziguar e debelar a invasão russa seria o casamento de Ilona com o Príncipe Aladar, dos Saros.
Ilona ficara sabendo pelo rei que Aladar era o responsável pela morte de Julius.
No dia do casamento, o rei faz um showzinho particular para mostrar que era contra aquele enlace.
Nos dias seguintes ao casamento, enquanto o casal de nubentes tentava transmitir ao povo uma segurança que não existia, ela e o marido viviam a guerra particular de milhões de mal-entendidos entre eles; e ambos eram orgulhosos demais para dar o primeiro passo.
Mas há a invasão dos russos de qualquer forma e Ilona tinha o plano perfeito para fazer com que seu marido fosse o herói da história...
Muita informação interessante sobre húngaros, prussianos, russos é passada ao longo da narrativa, em especial sobre os ciganos.
E Aladar Sebastyen Ladislas é um dos meus mocinhos, de Ms Cartland, preferidos.
5 estrelas
December 29, 2011
My first Barbara Cartland book. The characters yearn for one another alot through out this--its the usual cute cooky cutter ending by Cartland- Great for one hour reads or to waste time
February 18, 2015
This book is very special because it was my first ever romance novel...
August 23, 2017
Historical romance, beautiful
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
March 21, 2019
loved the book, but the fact that Ilona realizes her love for him after thinking he slept with some one else is a bit absurd.
March 27, 2021
Sometimes ya gotta go back and read one of those silly romance novels from your teen years. This one wasn't too bad. Very old school.
September 26, 2022
Another Beautiful romance, love and marriage between the two rival kingdoms of the Radaks and the Saros.
April 29, 2023
Not a whole lot happened in this one, but it was good. Was Dabrozka a real place?
April 6, 2023
Ilona knew what it meant to be alone. Knew how it felt to be hungry, mistreated, defenseless.
But now Ilona was going home. All the hardships of exile were behind her. She was going back to Dabrozka, the tiny kingdom whose throne would someday be hers. She was returning triumphant--the beloved Princess of a proud and independent people who needed her desperately.
Ilona was Dabrozka's last hope for salvation. She alone could save her subjects from donimation if she married a man who despised her. A man with whom Ilona was already falling wildly in love.
But now Ilona was going home. All the hardships of exile were behind her. She was going back to Dabrozka, the tiny kingdom whose throne would someday be hers. She was returning triumphant--the beloved Princess of a proud and independent people who needed her desperately.
Ilona was Dabrozka's last hope for salvation. She alone could save her subjects from donimation if she married a man who despised her. A man with whom Ilona was already falling wildly in love.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews