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A Princess In Hiding #2
How to Master Your Marquis
Three intrepid princesses find themselves targets in a deadly plot against the crown—until their uncle devises a brilliant plan to keep them safe...
Of all her sisters, Princess Stefanie is by far the least amenable to law and order, which is why she’s appalled to find herself masquerading as an unbearably drab clerk for the most honorable barrister in England. But her dull disguise turns out to have its privileges: namely, the opportunity to consort unchaperoned with her employer’s exceedingly handsome nephew, James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield.
Hatherfield quickly realizes that his uncle’s spirited new clerk is, in fact, a lovely young woman of daring habits. The outwardly impeccable marquis isn’t about to reveal her deception. After all, he’s hiding a dangerous secret of his own. But when one too many escapades with the madcap princess bring Hatherfield’s troubled past to light, it is only Stefanie’s sharp wits that stand between the marquis and utter disaster, and only Hatherfield’s daring that can save the princess from the shadowy agents bent on finding her.
Of all her sisters, Princess Stefanie is by far the least amenable to law and order, which is why she’s appalled to find herself masquerading as an unbearably drab clerk for the most honorable barrister in England. But her dull disguise turns out to have its privileges: namely, the opportunity to consort unchaperoned with her employer’s exceedingly handsome nephew, James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield.
Hatherfield quickly realizes that his uncle’s spirited new clerk is, in fact, a lovely young woman of daring habits. The outwardly impeccable marquis isn’t about to reveal her deception. After all, he’s hiding a dangerous secret of his own. But when one too many escapades with the madcap princess bring Hatherfield’s troubled past to light, it is only Stefanie’s sharp wits that stand between the marquis and utter disaster, and only Hatherfield’s daring that can save the princess from the shadowy agents bent on finding her.
322 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 7, 2014
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 94 reviews
October 18, 2016
Didn't like this one as well. I think it was the whole Lady Charlotte part of the plot that annoyed me and brought down the rating.
Stefanie was the bit of comedy in this book with her cheeky retorts. I enjoyed that about her and her musings on Hatherfield's beauty. The negative would be her impetuousness and immaturity. It's not too bad, but she definitely came off as the youngest sister.
Hatherfield is a very staid and charming figure, but with a tortured past, of course. Maybe because the previous hero was missing a hand, an eye, and part of his jaw, Hatherfield's problem seemed much less horrible. I think it was the writing, because in no way was it not horrible, but the writing had it a problem that was fixed immediately. At least it seemed that way, making the past issue seem inconsequential.
The whole Lady Charlotte part of the book was annoying as all love triangles are. And I didn't find that it was explained very well how everything came about. Nor was Mr. Wright's involvement fully unveiled.
In all, I enjoyed reading this one, but I'd have to say it was just ok.
Stefanie was the bit of comedy in this book with her cheeky retorts. I enjoyed that about her and her musings on Hatherfield's beauty. The negative would be her impetuousness and immaturity. It's not too bad, but she definitely came off as the youngest sister.
Hatherfield is a very staid and charming figure, but with a tortured past, of course. Maybe because the previous hero was missing a hand, an eye, and part of his jaw, Hatherfield's problem seemed much less horrible. I think it was the writing, because in no way was it not horrible, but the writing had it a problem that was fixed immediately. At least it seemed that way, making the past issue seem inconsequential.
The whole Lady Charlotte part of the book was annoying as all love triangles are. And I didn't find that it was explained very well how everything came about. Nor was Mr. Wright's involvement fully unveiled.
In all, I enjoyed reading this one, but I'd have to say it was just ok.
December 12, 2017
An action-packed 3.5 stars.
This was a fun book with lots of action and adventure for the second of the three princesses in hiding. I liked her- she was gutsy, straightforward, intelligent and very comfortable with her sexuality, (which was great.) He had a few hang-ups, including a rather ghastly story from his adolescence, but was a protective hunk of gorgeousness - with a spectacular sex-drive, apparently :) - and they got their HEA without too much emotional trauma. It was more of the dastardly villain-type angst.
This author writes well and I have enjoyed all her books. The characterisation is interesting and the plots are always quite intricate and detailed.
Whether she can turn the evil bastard from an earlier book into the hero for the last book of this series will be the litmus test for me!
This was a fun book with lots of action and adventure for the second of the three princesses in hiding. I liked her- she was gutsy, straightforward, intelligent and very comfortable with her sexuality, (which was great.) He had a few hang-ups, including a rather ghastly story from his adolescence, but was a protective hunk of gorgeousness - with a spectacular sex-drive, apparently :) - and they got their HEA without too much emotional trauma. It was more of the dastardly villain-type angst.
This author writes well and I have enjoyed all her books. The characterisation is interesting and the plots are always quite intricate and detailed.
Whether she can turn the evil bastard from an earlier book into the hero for the last book of this series will be the litmus test for me!
July 25, 2016
This is the second book in Ms Gray’s
Princess in Hiding
series which features three royal sisters from a small Germanic principality who have been smuggled to England to evade threats to their lives. I have to say that “girls in breeches” is probably my least favourite trope of all, but having enjoyed the audiobook version of the first book (How To Tame Your Duke) and managed to largely get past my dislike of the premise, I thought I’d give the second novel a try.
I’m glad I did, because I think it’s a stronger book than the first one. It’s tightly written and plotted with the story being told in a mixture of current day and flashback scenes, which is a device I rather enjoy. I like getting snippets of the characters’ futures and wondering how they got there while also knowing that I’m not going to have to wait too long to find out!
The heroine of this book is the youngest of the sisters, Princess Stefanie. She’s headstrong and mischievous, clearly one for breaking the rules, playing practical jokes, and generally causing mayhem. So dressing her up as a man (complete with itchy, false moustache) and then making her act the part of a dry-as-dust law clerk is probably not the best fit for her. But someone is out to kill her and her sisters and she has no alternative but to follow the instructions given to her by her uncle, the powerful and enigmatic Duke of Olympia.
When, in her first meeting with her new employer, Stefanie gets a good look at his young friend, the stupendously gorgeous James Lambert, Marquis of Hatherfield… well, she decides that maybe living in disguise won’t be such a hardship after all.
I still find it difficult to get past the idea that a curvaceous woman could pass as a man and go undetected for a long period of time. What makes the concept a little more tolerable in this book is that Hatherfield sees through Stefanie’s disguise straight away and appoints himself in the role of protector until he can find out what on earth such a young woman is doing masquerading as a man. The problem, of course, is that I then started to wonder why Hatherfield could work it out and nobody else could.
But okay, I decided to let that one go and continued reading.
But he wouldn’t be a true romantic hero without a dark secret in his past, and Hatherfield’s is a nasty one. He may now be a model of sexual restraint, but it wasn’t always that way, and he’s not proud of the fact that he shagged practically anything in a skirt in his younger days. Even though those days are over, he still regards himself as tainted because of the events which led to such promiscuity (I was immediately reminded of the hero of Alyssa Everett’s Lord of Secrets, whose past experiences engendered a similar reaction). I do think that Hatherfield was able to overcome both his issues and his scruples rather quickly, and that once he’d done so, he seemed to have made a complete recovery. This is a problem often encountered when a character in a novel is given a past which involves some kind of trauma and that trauma is used to inform their actions and as a method of creating tension and angst in the story. Because the author can’t spend chapters detailing months of therapy (and in historical romance, can’t even do that because it didn’t exist as such), there’s always the danger that the addicted/abused hero or heroine will appear to be magically – and quickly – cured by lurve.
Stefanie is an engaging heroine and a good match for Hatherfield. She has rather a rude awakening as to how the other half lives on her first morning among the gainfully employed, and finds it difficult to curb her natural vivacity and impish tongue. But she’s courageous, insightful and unfailingly honest, and her sense of fun really shines through, especially in the good-natured to-and-fro between her and the marquis –
”You know, there’s this delightful invention called a staircase. Paired with a door, it’s a really remarkable way of gaining entrance to someone’s room.”
Or in the refreshingly pert way she addresses the guests at a dinner party:
”My fault, I’m afraid. I kept him up far too late last night. I won’t say what we were up to – “ a devilish wink as she stepped past several pairs of astonished eyes on her way to the drinks tray – “as the subject is not at all suitable for ladies.”
She poured her sherry to the brim and clinked her glass against Hatherfield’s with a happy, crystalline chink.
“Your health, sir.”
“By God,” said the Duke of Southam, stunned. “Who the devil’s that?”
There’s a fair amount of comedy in the book, which nicely balances the sombre aspect of the murder trial; the love scenes are romantic and sensual and there’s plenty of action along the way, too, as the would-be assassins turn up and are thwarted by Hatherfield, aided later by Ashland (hero of the first book) and Dingleby, the princess’ inscrutable former governess. There are also a couple of beautifully written real lump-in-throat moments towards the end when Hatherfield is forced to contemplate the worst.
The structure of the novel worked very well, serving to ramp up the tension from the get-go. Even though I knew all would end well (this is a romance, after all), there were still plenty of questions to be answered as to how it would be achieved and the direction the story would take.
I still think it’s implausible to believe that Stefanie was able to fool everyone apart from her marquis into believing she was a man – nobody else seemed to have the slightest suspicion. Yet Ms Gray has managed to avoid the deception becoming too obtrusive in the book by not referring to it too often. There’s a little running joke about Stefanie’s fake moustache and occasional mentions of masculine clothing, but much of the time, I was able to forget that I was reading about a woman masquerading as a man. I think that was in part because I was immediately gripped by the story and partly due to the fact that the novel was really about Hatherfield, with Stefanie’s story being more of a secondary plotline which had some impact on the main plot of the trial and events leading up to it.
It’s a tribute to Ms Gray’s skill as a writer that I enjoyed a story that features my least favourite trope in historical romance. How to Master Your Marquis is well-written and strongly characterised, and I especially enjoyed the way the novel was structured. I will certainly be reading the third book in the series to discover how everything turns out.
I’m glad I did, because I think it’s a stronger book than the first one. It’s tightly written and plotted with the story being told in a mixture of current day and flashback scenes, which is a device I rather enjoy. I like getting snippets of the characters’ futures and wondering how they got there while also knowing that I’m not going to have to wait too long to find out!
The heroine of this book is the youngest of the sisters, Princess Stefanie. She’s headstrong and mischievous, clearly one for breaking the rules, playing practical jokes, and generally causing mayhem. So dressing her up as a man (complete with itchy, false moustache) and then making her act the part of a dry-as-dust law clerk is probably not the best fit for her. But someone is out to kill her and her sisters and she has no alternative but to follow the instructions given to her by her uncle, the powerful and enigmatic Duke of Olympia.
When, in her first meeting with her new employer, Stefanie gets a good look at his young friend, the stupendously gorgeous James Lambert, Marquis of Hatherfield… well, she decides that maybe living in disguise won’t be such a hardship after all.
I still find it difficult to get past the idea that a curvaceous woman could pass as a man and go undetected for a long period of time. What makes the concept a little more tolerable in this book is that Hatherfield sees through Stefanie’s disguise straight away and appoints himself in the role of protector until he can find out what on earth such a young woman is doing masquerading as a man. The problem, of course, is that I then started to wonder why Hatherfield could work it out and nobody else could.
But okay, I decided to let that one go and continued reading.
But he wouldn’t be a true romantic hero without a dark secret in his past, and Hatherfield’s is a nasty one. He may now be a model of sexual restraint, but it wasn’t always that way, and he’s not proud of the fact that he shagged practically anything in a skirt in his younger days. Even though those days are over, he still regards himself as tainted because of the events which led to such promiscuity (I was immediately reminded of the hero of Alyssa Everett’s Lord of Secrets, whose past experiences engendered a similar reaction). I do think that Hatherfield was able to overcome both his issues and his scruples rather quickly, and that once he’d done so, he seemed to have made a complete recovery. This is a problem often encountered when a character in a novel is given a past which involves some kind of trauma and that trauma is used to inform their actions and as a method of creating tension and angst in the story. Because the author can’t spend chapters detailing months of therapy (and in historical romance, can’t even do that because it didn’t exist as such), there’s always the danger that the addicted/abused hero or heroine will appear to be magically – and quickly – cured by lurve.
Stefanie is an engaging heroine and a good match for Hatherfield. She has rather a rude awakening as to how the other half lives on her first morning among the gainfully employed, and finds it difficult to curb her natural vivacity and impish tongue. But she’s courageous, insightful and unfailingly honest, and her sense of fun really shines through, especially in the good-natured to-and-fro between her and the marquis –
”You know, there’s this delightful invention called a staircase. Paired with a door, it’s a really remarkable way of gaining entrance to someone’s room.”
Or in the refreshingly pert way she addresses the guests at a dinner party:
”My fault, I’m afraid. I kept him up far too late last night. I won’t say what we were up to – “ a devilish wink as she stepped past several pairs of astonished eyes on her way to the drinks tray – “as the subject is not at all suitable for ladies.”
She poured her sherry to the brim and clinked her glass against Hatherfield’s with a happy, crystalline chink.
“Your health, sir.”
“By God,” said the Duke of Southam, stunned. “Who the devil’s that?”
There’s a fair amount of comedy in the book, which nicely balances the sombre aspect of the murder trial; the love scenes are romantic and sensual and there’s plenty of action along the way, too, as the would-be assassins turn up and are thwarted by Hatherfield, aided later by Ashland (hero of the first book) and Dingleby, the princess’ inscrutable former governess. There are also a couple of beautifully written real lump-in-throat moments towards the end when Hatherfield is forced to contemplate the worst.
The structure of the novel worked very well, serving to ramp up the tension from the get-go. Even though I knew all would end well (this is a romance, after all), there were still plenty of questions to be answered as to how it would be achieved and the direction the story would take.
I still think it’s implausible to believe that Stefanie was able to fool everyone apart from her marquis into believing she was a man – nobody else seemed to have the slightest suspicion. Yet Ms Gray has managed to avoid the deception becoming too obtrusive in the book by not referring to it too often. There’s a little running joke about Stefanie’s fake moustache and occasional mentions of masculine clothing, but much of the time, I was able to forget that I was reading about a woman masquerading as a man. I think that was in part because I was immediately gripped by the story and partly due to the fact that the novel was really about Hatherfield, with Stefanie’s story being more of a secondary plotline which had some impact on the main plot of the trial and events leading up to it.
It’s a tribute to Ms Gray’s skill as a writer that I enjoyed a story that features my least favourite trope in historical romance. How to Master Your Marquis is well-written and strongly characterised, and I especially enjoyed the way the novel was structured. I will certainly be reading the third book in the series to discover how everything turns out.
August 16, 2016
4.75 stars
This book was so lovely, I'm dying a bit. Stefanie and Hatherfield, like Emilie and Ashland from the first book, love so fiercely that I just can't even handle it. So romantic, beautiful and heartwarming. A tinge of wickedness as well. ;) I absolutely loved this book like the first and I can't wait to finish this trilogy.
It is did start slow for me like the first book but it does pick up fairly quickly. I was surprised how fast Hatherfield realized Stefanie was a woman. He took one look at and was like "oh, he is a she" and I was like "wow, someone is perceptive". So much faster than Ashland realized Emilie wasn't a man. I was impressed. It made the pace of the plot different because they became a couple earlier on than the first book and he knew who she was early too.
The story goes back and forth between how they first come into each other's lives in 1889 and the murder trial which takes place in 1890 (I won't say who died or who is involved in the trial because I don't want to spoil.) The plot was very interesting because it went back and forth. Everything was very smooth in transitions and the reader can see how everything connects past to present or present to future depending on how you see it.
Overall, I love the story and characters so much. The love in this book was so amazing and heartfelt. I am off to the last book.
This book was so lovely, I'm dying a bit. Stefanie and Hatherfield, like Emilie and Ashland from the first book, love so fiercely that I just can't even handle it. So romantic, beautiful and heartwarming. A tinge of wickedness as well. ;) I absolutely loved this book like the first and I can't wait to finish this trilogy.
It is did start slow for me like the first book but it does pick up fairly quickly. I was surprised how fast Hatherfield realized Stefanie was a woman. He took one look at and was like "oh, he is a she" and I was like "wow, someone is perceptive". So much faster than Ashland realized Emilie wasn't a man. I was impressed. It made the pace of the plot different because they became a couple earlier on than the first book and he knew who she was early too.
The story goes back and forth between how they first come into each other's lives in 1889 and the murder trial which takes place in 1890 (I won't say who died or who is involved in the trial because I don't want to spoil.) The plot was very interesting because it went back and forth. Everything was very smooth in transitions and the reader can see how everything connects past to present or present to future depending on how you see it.
Overall, I love the story and characters so much. The love in this book was so amazing and heartfelt. I am off to the last book.
February 27, 2014
Juliana Gray's "How to Master Your Marquis" - #2 in the Princesses in Hiding series
This book takes place at about the same time as the first book in the series, "How to Tame Your Duke". The heroine of this one is Sophie, the youngest of the three sisters, and she's disguised as a male law clerk working for an eminent barrister and friend of Sophie's uncle, the Duke of Olympia, to whom the author has given almost supernatural powers.
The hero is the Marquis of Hatherfield, also a friend of Sophie's employer. Like the hero of the first book in the series, Hatherfield has deep emotional wounds, although his face and body, in contrast to the Duke of Ashland's, is a specimen of male physical perfection.
The story is told in two different timelines. The first timeline follows the love story of Sophie and Hatherfield, which was enjoyable enough, although not as enjoyable as Emilie and Ashland's story in the first book. I think this is mainly because I couldn't relate to Sophie as a character very well - she's supposed to be rebellious and constantly "pushing the envelope", which to me are not especially appealing traits. The anarchist shenanigans are even harder to follow in this story than in the previous book and they were almost a complete wash as far as I was concerned.
The second timeline starts about 5 months after the main timeline and is interspersed with the chapters of the main story in a somewhat annoying fashion. It's the trial of Hatherfield for the murder of his stepmother. Of course we all know that Hatherfield, being the hero, must be innocent, but the real murderer is unknown, nor is there a motive for the murder, since everyone in the story is keeping secrets to a ridiculous degree. There are a few unsavoury characters in this part of the story, beginning with the stepmother herself, her husband the Duke, Hatherfield's horrible wannabe fiancee, and the bastard half-brother of the wannabe fiancee. Things keep looking worse and worse for Hatherfield until he is actually convicted of the crime. Unfortunately the trial's chaotic final scene, where the real murderer is revealed, completely destroyed my suspension of disbelief (which was already stretched pretty thin, what with the cross-dressing and the anarchist shenanigans.)
This book takes place at about the same time as the first book in the series, "How to Tame Your Duke". The heroine of this one is Sophie, the youngest of the three sisters, and she's disguised as a male law clerk working for an eminent barrister and friend of Sophie's uncle, the Duke of Olympia, to whom the author has given almost supernatural powers.
The hero is the Marquis of Hatherfield, also a friend of Sophie's employer. Like the hero of the first book in the series, Hatherfield has deep emotional wounds, although his face and body, in contrast to the Duke of Ashland's, is a specimen of male physical perfection.
The story is told in two different timelines. The first timeline follows the love story of Sophie and Hatherfield, which was enjoyable enough, although not as enjoyable as Emilie and Ashland's story in the first book. I think this is mainly because I couldn't relate to Sophie as a character very well - she's supposed to be rebellious and constantly "pushing the envelope", which to me are not especially appealing traits. The anarchist shenanigans are even harder to follow in this story than in the previous book and they were almost a complete wash as far as I was concerned.
The second timeline starts about 5 months after the main timeline and is interspersed with the chapters of the main story in a somewhat annoying fashion. It's the trial of Hatherfield for the murder of his stepmother. Of course we all know that Hatherfield, being the hero, must be innocent, but the real murderer is unknown, nor is there a motive for the murder, since everyone in the story is keeping secrets to a ridiculous degree. There are a few unsavoury characters in this part of the story, beginning with the stepmother herself, her husband the Duke, Hatherfield's horrible wannabe fiancee, and the bastard half-brother of the wannabe fiancee. Things keep looking worse and worse for Hatherfield until he is actually convicted of the crime. Unfortunately the trial's chaotic final scene, where the real murderer is revealed, completely destroyed my suspension of disbelief (which was already stretched pretty thin, what with the cross-dressing and the anarchist shenanigans.)
July 13, 2014
Several issues with this one (possible spoilers):
1. Wright starts out as a smarmy sort who's trying to more or less coerce James into marrying his sister, but James trusts him so much that he wants the guy to marry/protect Stefanie and take care of their child if he hangs? Did I miss something? When the hell did that shift occur?
2. The total nonissue it seems (socially and societally) to be that a number of people have drawn the conclusion that James and "Stephen" are sleeping together.
3. Really, nobody seems to suspect that Stephen isn't actually a dude? The hero figures it out in about 30 seconds. Surely he's not the only perceptive person in London.
3. The courtroom scene where everything falls into ridiculous insanity. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far, and for me, it went way beyond anything I could manage at that point.
Other than that, though, it's well-written, with likeable characters.
1. Wright starts out as a smarmy sort who's trying to more or less coerce James into marrying his sister, but James trusts him so much that he wants the guy to marry/protect Stefanie and take care of their child if he hangs? Did I miss something? When the hell did that shift occur?
2. The total nonissue it seems (socially and societally) to be that a number of people have drawn the conclusion that James and "Stephen" are sleeping together.
3. Really, nobody seems to suspect that Stephen isn't actually a dude? The hero figures it out in about 30 seconds. Surely he's not the only perceptive person in London.
3. The courtroom scene where everything falls into ridiculous insanity. Suspension of disbelief only goes so far, and for me, it went way beyond anything I could manage at that point.
Other than that, though, it's well-written, with likeable characters.
October 10, 2014
some factors were truly ridiculous Other than those, it was enjoyable enough.
Actually, this would have been a DNF for me if that damned case wasn't happening. I kept reading because I wanted to know if he was convicted or not,and the story kept improving. I won't read the first book, but I am going to read the third one.
Actually, this would have been a DNF for me if that damned case wasn't happening. I kept reading because I wanted to know if he was convicted or not,and the story kept improving. I won't read the first book, but I am going to read the third one.
August 14, 2024
Review from 2014
B+ for narration / B for content
I reviewed the first title in Ms Gray’s A Princess in Hiding trilogy – How to Tame Your Duke – narrated by Veida Dehmlow, and enjoyed it in spite of a few reservations about both story and performance. This second book in the set boasts a different narrator, and having enjoyed Ms Wild’s performance in Julie Garwood’s Castles, I was keen to listen to her again.
The premise of the series is that three princesses from a minor (and fictional) German principality have to go into hiding following the assassination of their father. Their uncle – the powerful and machiavellian Duke of Olympia – has arranged for each of the girls to be smuggled to different parts of Britain, disguised as young men and given employment in lowly occupations, incognito, in order to ensure their safety. To say I’m not a fan of the whole cross-dressing thing is an understatement, but it’s a tribute to Ms Gray’s storytelling ability that she was able to make me like this book despite my dislike of that particular trope.
Princess Stefanie, the youngest of the three sisters, is the joker in the pack. She’s unconventional, spirited and full of fun, so placing her in the stuffy chambers of one of London’s foremost legal minds may not be the best fit for her, but Olympia has his reasons. At her first meeting with her new employer, Sir John Worthington, she also meets his friend, James Lambert, the Marquis of Hatherfield, who happens to be the most gorgeous man on the planet. As a result, she finds the prospect of spending time under Sir John’s roof a much more attractive one.
Much of the story is told in flashback, a device I rather enjoy. When done well – as here – it really helps to build tension, and I like getting glimpses of the characters “in the present” and then finding out how they got there.
Following the first meeting between the principals in the prologue, we jump forward a few months to the Old Bailey, where Hatherfield is on trial for the murder of his stepmother. It’s clear that he and Stefanie are already in a relationship, but as Stefanie is still in disguise and working for the counsel for the defence, whatever is between them must remain a secret, so as not to reveal Stefanie’s true identity.
On the whole, the story is tightly plotted and well-structured. The comedy nicely balances the more sombre aspect of the trial, the love scenes are romantic and very sensual and there’s plenty of action, too, as Hatherfield has to thwart kidnap and murder attempts aimed at both Stefanie and her sister Emilie. The book has emotional depth as well, especially when Hatherfield has to face up to the very real possibility of losing everything.
Heather Wilds delivers an accomplished and enjoyable performance. She has a naturally deep voice, and has no trouble pitching it lower for the male characters, although she also differentiates by use of tone and accent. There are quite a large number of secondary characters in the book and Ms Wilds makes good use of regional accents and vocal timbres to portray them all. She distinguishes clearly not only between characters of different genders, but between those of the same gender very well.
Romance audios often stand or fall on the narrator’s interpretation of the hero, and I’m happy to report that Ms Wild’s portrayal of Hatherfield is especially good. She expertly projects his air of natural authority and his dry sense of humour in a very naturalistic manner, by a small drop in pitch and the addition of a slight edge to her tone. As with Castles (in which the heroine is also German), she gives Stefanie just the hint of a Germanic accent, which suited her and which Ms Wilds sustains very well. I was surprised to hear her using a similar accent for the Stefanie’s governess, however, as I’m sure she is supposed to be English. Ms Wilds also performs Stefanie as a female character (i.e in a slightly higher register) throughout, even when she was supposed to be a man. I can understand why she may have chosen to do this; it just struck me as odd in a story when the heroine spends most of the time pretending to be male.
The narration is well-paced for the most part, although I did feel there were a few places where Ms Wilds’ delivery was a bit too pedestrian, and where her phrasing was a little off – when it sounded as though she’d reached the end of a paragraph without realising it continued on the next page. Fortunately, this didn’t happen very often.
There was, however, one thing which really got on my nerves: the continual mis-pronunciation of the word “clerk”. In England, the word is pronounced CLARK. Given a lot of the story is set in a law office, the word is used many times and this frequent error was extremely jarring each time it happened. And about half way through the book, Sir John Worthington’s home is mysteriously transplanted from (the correctly pronounced) Cadogan Square to the non-existent CARDIGAN Square! I really don’t blame the narrator for errors of this sort. I can imagine it’s easy, during a long recording session to make the odd slip up. But surely an editor or producer should have noticed such a mistake in continuity.
In spite of those misgivings, however, I’m still going to give the narration a fairly high grade, because it’s otherwise very good indeed.
B+ for narration / B for content
I reviewed the first title in Ms Gray’s A Princess in Hiding trilogy – How to Tame Your Duke – narrated by Veida Dehmlow, and enjoyed it in spite of a few reservations about both story and performance. This second book in the set boasts a different narrator, and having enjoyed Ms Wild’s performance in Julie Garwood’s Castles, I was keen to listen to her again.
The premise of the series is that three princesses from a minor (and fictional) German principality have to go into hiding following the assassination of their father. Their uncle – the powerful and machiavellian Duke of Olympia – has arranged for each of the girls to be smuggled to different parts of Britain, disguised as young men and given employment in lowly occupations, incognito, in order to ensure their safety. To say I’m not a fan of the whole cross-dressing thing is an understatement, but it’s a tribute to Ms Gray’s storytelling ability that she was able to make me like this book despite my dislike of that particular trope.
Princess Stefanie, the youngest of the three sisters, is the joker in the pack. She’s unconventional, spirited and full of fun, so placing her in the stuffy chambers of one of London’s foremost legal minds may not be the best fit for her, but Olympia has his reasons. At her first meeting with her new employer, Sir John Worthington, she also meets his friend, James Lambert, the Marquis of Hatherfield, who happens to be the most gorgeous man on the planet. As a result, she finds the prospect of spending time under Sir John’s roof a much more attractive one.
Much of the story is told in flashback, a device I rather enjoy. When done well – as here – it really helps to build tension, and I like getting glimpses of the characters “in the present” and then finding out how they got there.
Following the first meeting between the principals in the prologue, we jump forward a few months to the Old Bailey, where Hatherfield is on trial for the murder of his stepmother. It’s clear that he and Stefanie are already in a relationship, but as Stefanie is still in disguise and working for the counsel for the defence, whatever is between them must remain a secret, so as not to reveal Stefanie’s true identity.
On the whole, the story is tightly plotted and well-structured. The comedy nicely balances the more sombre aspect of the trial, the love scenes are romantic and very sensual and there’s plenty of action, too, as Hatherfield has to thwart kidnap and murder attempts aimed at both Stefanie and her sister Emilie. The book has emotional depth as well, especially when Hatherfield has to face up to the very real possibility of losing everything.
Heather Wilds delivers an accomplished and enjoyable performance. She has a naturally deep voice, and has no trouble pitching it lower for the male characters, although she also differentiates by use of tone and accent. There are quite a large number of secondary characters in the book and Ms Wilds makes good use of regional accents and vocal timbres to portray them all. She distinguishes clearly not only between characters of different genders, but between those of the same gender very well.
Romance audios often stand or fall on the narrator’s interpretation of the hero, and I’m happy to report that Ms Wild’s portrayal of Hatherfield is especially good. She expertly projects his air of natural authority and his dry sense of humour in a very naturalistic manner, by a small drop in pitch and the addition of a slight edge to her tone. As with Castles (in which the heroine is also German), she gives Stefanie just the hint of a Germanic accent, which suited her and which Ms Wilds sustains very well. I was surprised to hear her using a similar accent for the Stefanie’s governess, however, as I’m sure she is supposed to be English. Ms Wilds also performs Stefanie as a female character (i.e in a slightly higher register) throughout, even when she was supposed to be a man. I can understand why she may have chosen to do this; it just struck me as odd in a story when the heroine spends most of the time pretending to be male.
The narration is well-paced for the most part, although I did feel there were a few places where Ms Wilds’ delivery was a bit too pedestrian, and where her phrasing was a little off – when it sounded as though she’d reached the end of a paragraph without realising it continued on the next page. Fortunately, this didn’t happen very often.
There was, however, one thing which really got on my nerves: the continual mis-pronunciation of the word “clerk”. In England, the word is pronounced CLARK. Given a lot of the story is set in a law office, the word is used many times and this frequent error was extremely jarring each time it happened. And about half way through the book, Sir John Worthington’s home is mysteriously transplanted from (the correctly pronounced) Cadogan Square to the non-existent CARDIGAN Square! I really don’t blame the narrator for errors of this sort. I can imagine it’s easy, during a long recording session to make the odd slip up. But surely an editor or producer should have noticed such a mistake in continuity.
In spite of those misgivings, however, I’m still going to give the narration a fairly high grade, because it’s otherwise very good indeed.
October 3, 2021
I enjoyed Stefanie and Jamie's story a lot. It was angsty and fast paced with witty dialogue and fleshed out characters. Both MCs felt deeply and loved fiercely. The author wrote about certain sensitive subjects with care. I liked the danger and the legal proceedings as well as a bit of background on Stefanie and her life in Germany. Jamie was such a wonderful man - charming, smart and also kind. I am very happy with how their story turned out! All the family drama was amazing! Steam level was 4 out of 5. Good story!
January 7, 2014
Author Juliana Gray brings readers the second book in her Princess in Hiding series, How to Master Your Marquis. Gray employs humor and madcap antics to get the readers attention and never lets it go from the first page to the last. This Victorian historical is somewhat different from Regency novels and readers will appreciate the advent of technology and how it changed the ton and the times. Gray's attention to detail is impeccable and her character development impressive. A great second book in this engaging series.
What I liked:
Often times when I think of historical romance, I automatically go to the Regency period in my mind. Lately there have been an increasing number of romances being set in the Victorian era, which I find really interesting. Seeing all of the differences between how things changed is remarkable. The role of women, as well as, technology is evolving and I think Gray really took that into consideration in this novel. The Regency period may be the more popular, but certainly not the only good setting for historical romance. Gray does the Victorian era justice.
I also really enjoyed how the story line in this one splits between two timelines. When we meet the heroine, Stefanie she and the Marquis Hatherfield are already in a relationship, but he is on trial for murder which complicates things dramatically. The timeline then switches to how he and Stefanie met and the antics they go through together that lead up to the trial. So readers are following both the progression of the relationship and that of the trial for the bigger part of the book. When the timelines converge near the end, the action really picks up and readers will be on the edge of their seats.
Princess Stefanie isn't your typical heroine or your typical princess. I loved the way that Gray wrote this character. She is headstrong and manages to get herself into all kinds of predicaments that provide a lot of comedic relief in the story. Stefanie has gone from being a spoiled princess who wants nothing more than to flaunt the rules, to a working class girl and the change in her is remarkable. She still has her own rule book, but her character development is interesting and full of surprises.
James is also a very captivating character. He is a true hero and Gray is clever in showing his vulnerability, as well as, his strength. There were some tender moments to be sure and the Marquis even had me in tears a time or two. It's amazing that even though in romance we often know the ending the journey is the most amazing part. Gray writes James like the knight in shining armour most women have in their dreams. He was a joy to read.
What I didn't like:
There was a lot of action in the beginning that I wasn't exactly sure where it was leading. The pace seemed a bit rushed and was grasping to gain the readers attention at times. But eventually it calms a little bit and readers actually get into the meat of the story and that makes all the difference. If you disregard some of the hoopla at the beginning is still a great read.
Bottom Line:
This was a very well written Victorian historical. I love the time period, the comedic moments provided by Princess Stefanie, especially those regarding a fake mustache and trousers, and James a gem of a hero. The split timeline was interesting and kept me engaged. A overall excellent romance.
What I liked:
Often times when I think of historical romance, I automatically go to the Regency period in my mind. Lately there have been an increasing number of romances being set in the Victorian era, which I find really interesting. Seeing all of the differences between how things changed is remarkable. The role of women, as well as, technology is evolving and I think Gray really took that into consideration in this novel. The Regency period may be the more popular, but certainly not the only good setting for historical romance. Gray does the Victorian era justice.
I also really enjoyed how the story line in this one splits between two timelines. When we meet the heroine, Stefanie she and the Marquis Hatherfield are already in a relationship, but he is on trial for murder which complicates things dramatically. The timeline then switches to how he and Stefanie met and the antics they go through together that lead up to the trial. So readers are following both the progression of the relationship and that of the trial for the bigger part of the book. When the timelines converge near the end, the action really picks up and readers will be on the edge of their seats.
Princess Stefanie isn't your typical heroine or your typical princess. I loved the way that Gray wrote this character. She is headstrong and manages to get herself into all kinds of predicaments that provide a lot of comedic relief in the story. Stefanie has gone from being a spoiled princess who wants nothing more than to flaunt the rules, to a working class girl and the change in her is remarkable. She still has her own rule book, but her character development is interesting and full of surprises.
James is also a very captivating character. He is a true hero and Gray is clever in showing his vulnerability, as well as, his strength. There were some tender moments to be sure and the Marquis even had me in tears a time or two. It's amazing that even though in romance we often know the ending the journey is the most amazing part. Gray writes James like the knight in shining armour most women have in their dreams. He was a joy to read.
What I didn't like:
There was a lot of action in the beginning that I wasn't exactly sure where it was leading. The pace seemed a bit rushed and was grasping to gain the readers attention at times. But eventually it calms a little bit and readers actually get into the meat of the story and that makes all the difference. If you disregard some of the hoopla at the beginning is still a great read.
Bottom Line:
This was a very well written Victorian historical. I love the time period, the comedic moments provided by Princess Stefanie, especially those regarding a fake mustache and trousers, and James a gem of a hero. The split timeline was interesting and kept me engaged. A overall excellent romance.
December 28, 2014
4 stars.
This was a well-done, entertaining story about a madcap heroine and her handsome protector. First of all, I love when writers of historical fiction/romance successfully weave their historical research into the backdrop of the story. Ms. Gray does a great job of creating the tapestry of life in England and Europe during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era. There was one curious inconsistency. The title says marquis, but the hero of the story is a marquess, the title used by the British aristocracy. But, never mind, it doesn’t affect the overall quality of the story.
The heroine is the youngest princess from a fictional Germanic state. She and her older sisters are on the run and in hiding from anarchist assassins who killed her father. Princess Stefanie is pretty interesting for a pampered royal. She is a strong female character, who is smart and maybe a little to daring for her own good. Her protector, James, the Marquess of Hatherfield sees through her disguise almost immediately and their early interactions are very humorous as a consequence. James has no intention of revealing the deception and finds himself by turns enchanted and exasperated.
James is pretty heroic throughout…sexy as the devil too. He has a murky past that rises up to put his life at risk. He is flawed, but puts his own problems on the backburner to try and keep the princess safe. You immediately sense there is much more to him than his status of wealthy, noble eye-candy. Physically beautiful, so much so Princess Stefanie has a great deal of trouble not ogling him, which given her disguise is very amusing.
There is fabulous UST built throughout the book, complicated by disguises, and murderous assassins. Did I mention that James is a rower…think lots of muscles in all the right places. The resulting interactions between these two were blazing hot.
The plot was very fun and included; attempted murder, two murder mysteries, international intrigue, very cool disguises and mistaken identities. It moves quickly and never bogs down. A murder trial leads to a last second reprieve, which is at least partially engineered by Stefanie’s quick wit. Oh and last but not least, there are not one but two evil antagonists, a truly evil stepmother and Lady Charlotte, who gives new meaning to shallow. She tries everything including blackmail, perjury and attempted murder to get her claws deep into our hero. But, oh boy, does she get her comeuppance.
One tiny complaint: The ending was rather abrupt and seemed designed to set up the next book.
Still and all, Ms Gray delivered an entertaining plot, engaging characters and a terrific, beautiful flawed hero. Oh and yes, lots of steam was generated. Lots.
For more reviews and bookish talk, visit our blog at Pretty Sassy Cool
This was a well-done, entertaining story about a madcap heroine and her handsome protector. First of all, I love when writers of historical fiction/romance successfully weave their historical research into the backdrop of the story. Ms. Gray does a great job of creating the tapestry of life in England and Europe during the late Victorian/early Edwardian era. There was one curious inconsistency. The title says marquis, but the hero of the story is a marquess, the title used by the British aristocracy. But, never mind, it doesn’t affect the overall quality of the story.
The heroine is the youngest princess from a fictional Germanic state. She and her older sisters are on the run and in hiding from anarchist assassins who killed her father. Princess Stefanie is pretty interesting for a pampered royal. She is a strong female character, who is smart and maybe a little to daring for her own good. Her protector, James, the Marquess of Hatherfield sees through her disguise almost immediately and their early interactions are very humorous as a consequence. James has no intention of revealing the deception and finds himself by turns enchanted and exasperated.
James is pretty heroic throughout…sexy as the devil too. He has a murky past that rises up to put his life at risk. He is flawed, but puts his own problems on the backburner to try and keep the princess safe. You immediately sense there is much more to him than his status of wealthy, noble eye-candy. Physically beautiful, so much so Princess Stefanie has a great deal of trouble not ogling him, which given her disguise is very amusing.
There is fabulous UST built throughout the book, complicated by disguises, and murderous assassins. Did I mention that James is a rower…think lots of muscles in all the right places. The resulting interactions between these two were blazing hot.
The plot was very fun and included; attempted murder, two murder mysteries, international intrigue, very cool disguises and mistaken identities. It moves quickly and never bogs down. A murder trial leads to a last second reprieve, which is at least partially engineered by Stefanie’s quick wit. Oh and last but not least, there are not one but two evil antagonists, a truly evil stepmother and Lady Charlotte, who gives new meaning to shallow. She tries everything including blackmail, perjury and attempted murder to get her claws deep into our hero. But, oh boy, does she get her comeuppance.
One tiny complaint: The ending was rather abrupt and seemed designed to set up the next book.
Still and all, Ms Gray delivered an entertaining plot, engaging characters and a terrific, beautiful flawed hero. Oh and yes, lots of steam was generated. Lots.
For more reviews and bookish talk, visit our blog at Pretty Sassy Cool
September 3, 2016
Review copy courtesy of the publisher via NetGalley
How to Master Your Marquis is Book 2 of the A Princess in Hiding series by Juliana Gray. I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series and had high hopes for this one. I don't know if the premise of princesses in hiding is only good for one book or if this book just wasn't as good as the first one. I'm going to take a closer look at the characters and see if I can figure out why I didn't enjoy this book very much.
Princess Stefanie was a pretty fun character. She's exactly the kind of heroine that I usually like: she's always had a bit of a problem following the rules and staying out of trouble! But now she's in hiding and her disguise is that of a young man, clerking in a lawyer's office. To me, that sounds like a horribly boring job but Stefanie loves it! I guess I really don't blame her since her options were extremely limited back then! LOL! Stefanie was a lot of fun, mostly because she was full of pluck. She was very easy to like. I really enjoyed the scenes where she starts acting like a princess but at the last second, she realizes that she's supposed to be a normal, young, British man. So she starts to get all haughty and tell someone off and at the last second she backs down and plays her role. It was hilarious. But it was really difficult to tell who knew that this young man was really a woman and who was fooled by the disguise. It was very frustrating.
James, the Marquess of Hatherfield, was a lot of fun. He saw through Stefanie's disguise almost right away. It was pretty funny to watch him sort of play-along. I say "sort-of" because he was playing along in a tongue-in-cheek way, playing along... sarcastically? Either way, James seemed to be having a blast playing along and teasing Stefanie at the same time. He would bait her and then watch her squirm. Okay, so maybe he was a little bit of a sick-o! LOL! But James wasn't all silliness and fun. He had a serious, fascinating back story. I don't want to say too much about it because it was kind of a big deal when it was revealed. All I want to say is that it really affected how he handles himself in personal relationships and also how he handles his relationship with Stefanie.
Overall, this wasn't a bad story. I think anyone who has NOT read the first book in the series might really enjoy this book. But having read the first book, this one felt a little too similar for me. I also really, really disliked the flashbacks and flashforwards. I was thoroughly confused for at least half of the book. I couldn't tell what the the flashbacks had to do with the present for the longest time. It also felt like the middle of the book when on and on. It dragged and I had a hard time getting through it. It also wrapped up really quickly in the end, almost like the author had reached her word count and just needed to finish it up. I might recommend this to anyone new to this series but anyone who has read the first book in the series might find it a little repetitious or boring.
How to Master Your Marquis is Book 2 of the A Princess in Hiding series by Juliana Gray. I really wanted to like this book. I enjoyed the first book in the series and had high hopes for this one. I don't know if the premise of princesses in hiding is only good for one book or if this book just wasn't as good as the first one. I'm going to take a closer look at the characters and see if I can figure out why I didn't enjoy this book very much.
Princess Stefanie was a pretty fun character. She's exactly the kind of heroine that I usually like: she's always had a bit of a problem following the rules and staying out of trouble! But now she's in hiding and her disguise is that of a young man, clerking in a lawyer's office. To me, that sounds like a horribly boring job but Stefanie loves it! I guess I really don't blame her since her options were extremely limited back then! LOL! Stefanie was a lot of fun, mostly because she was full of pluck. She was very easy to like. I really enjoyed the scenes where she starts acting like a princess but at the last second, she realizes that she's supposed to be a normal, young, British man. So she starts to get all haughty and tell someone off and at the last second she backs down and plays her role. It was hilarious. But it was really difficult to tell who knew that this young man was really a woman and who was fooled by the disguise. It was very frustrating.
James, the Marquess of Hatherfield, was a lot of fun. He saw through Stefanie's disguise almost right away. It was pretty funny to watch him sort of play-along. I say "sort-of" because he was playing along in a tongue-in-cheek way, playing along... sarcastically? Either way, James seemed to be having a blast playing along and teasing Stefanie at the same time. He would bait her and then watch her squirm. Okay, so maybe he was a little bit of a sick-o! LOL! But James wasn't all silliness and fun. He had a serious, fascinating back story. I don't want to say too much about it because it was kind of a big deal when it was revealed. All I want to say is that it really affected how he handles himself in personal relationships and also how he handles his relationship with Stefanie.
Overall, this wasn't a bad story. I think anyone who has NOT read the first book in the series might really enjoy this book. But having read the first book, this one felt a little too similar for me. I also really, really disliked the flashbacks and flashforwards. I was thoroughly confused for at least half of the book. I couldn't tell what the the flashbacks had to do with the present for the longest time. It also felt like the middle of the book when on and on. It dragged and I had a hard time getting through it. It also wrapped up really quickly in the end, almost like the author had reached her word count and just needed to finish it up. I might recommend this to anyone new to this series but anyone who has read the first book in the series might find it a little repetitious or boring.
October 15, 2014
เราถือว่าเป็นความผิดของเราเองนะคะที่ไม่สนุกกับเล่มนี้เท่าที่ควร ส่วนหนึ่งเพราะเราค่อนข้างรีบอ่าน (เพราะอยากอ่านเล่มสุดท้ายในชุดมาก ๆ) แต่อีกส่วนหนึ่งที่ขอโทษว่าเป็นความผิดของตัวเรื่องเองแล้วกันค่ะ คือ เราไม่อาจยอมรับการกระทำบางอย่างของนางเอกได้ จนทำให้ค้างคาใจ และไม่อาจสนุกไปกับเรื่องราวได้เต็มที่
วิธีการเล่าเรื่องในหนังสือเล่มนี้ค่อนข้างแตกต่างไปจากเล่มอื่น ๆ ในชุด คือเล่าเรื่องที่เกิดขึ้นนับจากจุดเริ่มต้น ก็คือ การหนีของสามเจ้าหญิงเพื่อไปหลบซ่อนจากกลุ่มกบฎที่ตามปองร้าย โดยจะตัดสลับกับเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นในปัจจุบัน ก็คือเจ้าหญิงสเตฟานีซึ่งปลอมเป็นชาย และทำงานเป็นเสมียนผู้ช่วยทนายความที่กำลังว่าความคดีฆาตกรรมให้กับเจมส์ มาร์ควิสแห่งเฮทเทอร์ฟิลด์
เจ้าหญิงสเตฟานีปลอมตัวเป็นชาย และถูกส่งไปทำงานเป็นเสมียนให้กับทนายความผู้มีชื่อเสียงคนนึง แต่ภายในระยะเวลาเพียงแค่วันเดียว ตัวตนของเธอก็ถูกมองออกโดยมาร์ควิสแห่งเฮทเทอร์ฟิลด์ ผู้ซึ่งความช่างสังเกต ซึ่งทำให้เขาเป็นสายลับที่มีความสามารถ รู้เกือบในทันที และเมื่อรู้ความจริงว่า แท้จริงแล้วเสมียนที่ทำงานไม่ได้เรื่องคนนี้คือใคร เจมส์ก็ถือเอาเป็นหน้าที่ในการดูแลและปกป้องเธอจากคนร้าย
สิ่งที่เราชอบก็คือ การที่คนแต่งทำให้การปลอมตัวเป็นชายของสามเจ้าหญิงซึ่งเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นของเรื่องทั้งชุด มีความแตกต่างกันได้ในแต่ละเล่ม เราอ่านเล่มนี้แล้วเราไม่รู้สึกว่า มีอะไรที่เหมือนกับเล่มก่อนหน้า (และเราบอกได้เลยตอนนี้ว่า แตกต่างจากเล่มสามมาก ๆ เช่นกัน) แผนการของดยุคแห่งโอลิมเปีย (ซึ่งเป็นลุงของนางเอก และส่งนางเอกไปซ่อน) ก็คือ คาดการเอาไว้แล้วว่า เจมส์จะต้องดูออกว่าสเตฟานีเป็นผู้หญิง และเขาซึ่งเป็นหัวหน้าขบวนการสายลับของเจมส์รู้นิสัยสายลับของตัวเองดีว่า จะต้องปกป้องสเตฟานีแน่นอน
การตัดเรื่องระหว่างการพิจารณาคดีที่เจมส์ตกเป็นผู้ต้องหาคดีฆาตกรรม กับเหตุการณ์ที่นำพาไปสู่จุดนั้น (และการพัฒนาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างเจมส์และสเตฟานี) ทำให้เรื่องมีความน่าสนใจ น่าอ่านได้ตลอด ปัญหาเดียวของเรา แต่ดันเป็นปัญหาใหญ่มาก ๆ ก็คือ เราไม่อาจยอมรับการกระทำของสเตฟานีได้
นี่คือเหตุผลใหญ่ที่เรื่องนี้ไม่ค่อยเวิร์คสำหรับเราค่ะ
วิธีการเล่าเรื่องในหนังสือเล่มนี้ค่อนข้างแตกต่างไปจากเล่มอื่น ๆ ในชุด คือเล่าเรื่องที่เกิดขึ้นนับจากจุดเริ่มต้น ก็คือ การหนีของสามเจ้าหญิงเพื่อไปหลบซ่อนจากกลุ่มกบฎที่ตามปองร้าย โดยจะตัดสลับกับเหตุการณ์ที่เกิดขึ้นในปัจจุบัน ก็คือเจ้าหญิงสเตฟานีซึ่งปลอมเป็นชาย และทำงานเป็นเสมียนผู้ช่วยทนายความที่กำลังว่าความคดีฆาตกรรมให้กับเจมส์ มาร์ควิสแห่งเฮทเทอร์ฟิลด์
เจ้าหญิงสเตฟานีปลอมตัวเป็นชาย และถูกส่งไปทำงานเป็นเสมียนให้กับทนายความผู้มีชื่อเสียงคนนึง แต่ภายในระยะเวลาเพียงแค่วันเดียว ตัวตนของเธอก็ถูกมองออกโดยมาร์ควิสแห่งเฮทเทอร์ฟิลด์ ผู้ซึ่งความช่างสังเกต ซึ่งทำให้เขาเป็นสายลับที่มีความสามารถ รู้เกือบในทันที และเมื่อรู้ความจริงว่า แท้จริงแล้วเสมียนที่ทำงานไม่ได้เรื่องคนนี้คือใคร เจมส์ก็ถือเอาเป็นหน้าที่ในการดูแลและปกป้องเธอจากคนร้าย
สิ่งที่เราชอบก็คือ การที่คนแต่งทำให้การปลอมตัวเป็นชายของสามเจ้าหญิงซึ่งเป็นจุดเริ่มต้นของเรื่องทั้งชุด มีความแตกต่างกันได้ในแต่ละเล่ม เราอ่านเล่มนี้แล้วเราไม่รู้สึกว่า มีอะไรที่เหมือนกับเล่มก่อนหน้า (และเราบอกได้เลยตอนนี้ว่า แตกต่างจากเล่มสามมาก ๆ เช่นกัน) แผนการของดยุคแห่งโอลิมเปีย (ซึ่งเป็นลุงของนางเอก และส่งนางเอกไปซ่อน) ก็คือ คาดการเอาไว้แล้วว่า เจมส์จะต้องดูออกว่าสเตฟานีเป็นผู้หญิง และเขาซึ่งเป็นหัวหน้าขบวนการสายลับของเจมส์รู้นิสัยสายลับของตัวเองดีว่า จะต้องปกป้องสเตฟานีแน่นอน
การตัดเรื่องระหว่างการพิจารณาคดีที่เจมส์ตกเป็นผู้ต้องหาคดีฆาตกรรม กับเหตุการณ์ที่นำพาไปสู่จุดนั้น (และการพัฒนาความสัมพันธ์ระหว่างเจมส์และสเตฟานี) ทำให้เรื่องมีความน่าสนใจ น่าอ่านได้ตลอด ปัญหาเดียวของเรา แต่ดันเป็นปัญหาใหญ่มาก ๆ ก็คือ เราไม่อาจยอมรับการกระทำของสเตฟานีได้
นี่คือเหตุผลใหญ่ที่เรื่องนี้ไม่ค่อยเวิร์คสำหรับเราค่ะ
January 14, 2014
A captivating tale from start to finish! Ms. Gray has written a story that is sure to keep you on the edge of your seat! With excellent character development, captivating storyline, and steaming hot romance, this book is simply a must buy!
When Princess Stefanie is sent to be a boring clerk, she is less than pleased about her situation, until she sees James, the Marquess of Hatherfield. Seeing him every day may be the only redeeming factor about her situation, not to mention all the unchaperoned time allowed due to her masquerading. But she is not alone in her affections towards Hatherfield. Lady Charlotte also has her sights set on James and isn’t afraid to show it. When Hatherfield lets Stefanie know that he’s aware of her true identity, Stefanie’s desire to be intimate with him roars to full force. Knowing he must remain near her in order to provide her protection from the anarchist out to kill her, he must also keep his distance. But that proves to be very difficult since the attraction between them is undeniable. Hatherfield knows he must remain vigilant against her wiles, for he is not worthy of a princess such as she. Can Stefanie convince him otherwise and get him to accept his fate or is he determined to keep them apart? And will the secrets he keeps be big enough to come between them?
A thrilling read! This one is a must read for anyone who loves a little drama mixed in with their historical romance! At first, I was not the biggest fan of the way the story flipped between two periods of time, but as the story unfolded, I certainly began to see why it was necessary, and it made for a truly magnificent read. I loved the way the two times eventually came together yet still kept you guessing about the outcome, right up to the end! This plot certainly was not one that could be categorized as predictable! Stefanie’s character was quite hilarious and I loved the fake mustache! James’ character was the perfect hero; right down to the secret he believes will destroy him. A secret that haunts him, though it was not his fault. And talk about suspense…knowing that Hatherfield is on trial for the whole book but only getting bits and pieces throughout was a genius way to make me keep turning page after page to find the resolution! Well done, Ms. Gray! I will be patiently waiting for the next book in this series.
Rating: 4.5
Heat Rating: Hot
Reviewed by AprilP
Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
When Princess Stefanie is sent to be a boring clerk, she is less than pleased about her situation, until she sees James, the Marquess of Hatherfield. Seeing him every day may be the only redeeming factor about her situation, not to mention all the unchaperoned time allowed due to her masquerading. But she is not alone in her affections towards Hatherfield. Lady Charlotte also has her sights set on James and isn’t afraid to show it. When Hatherfield lets Stefanie know that he’s aware of her true identity, Stefanie’s desire to be intimate with him roars to full force. Knowing he must remain near her in order to provide her protection from the anarchist out to kill her, he must also keep his distance. But that proves to be very difficult since the attraction between them is undeniable. Hatherfield knows he must remain vigilant against her wiles, for he is not worthy of a princess such as she. Can Stefanie convince him otherwise and get him to accept his fate or is he determined to keep them apart? And will the secrets he keeps be big enough to come between them?
A thrilling read! This one is a must read for anyone who loves a little drama mixed in with their historical romance! At first, I was not the biggest fan of the way the story flipped between two periods of time, but as the story unfolded, I certainly began to see why it was necessary, and it made for a truly magnificent read. I loved the way the two times eventually came together yet still kept you guessing about the outcome, right up to the end! This plot certainly was not one that could be categorized as predictable! Stefanie’s character was quite hilarious and I loved the fake mustache! James’ character was the perfect hero; right down to the secret he believes will destroy him. A secret that haunts him, though it was not his fault. And talk about suspense…knowing that Hatherfield is on trial for the whole book but only getting bits and pieces throughout was a genius way to make me keep turning page after page to find the resolution! Well done, Ms. Gray! I will be patiently waiting for the next book in this series.
Rating: 4.5
Heat Rating: Hot
Reviewed by AprilP
Courtesy of My Book Addiction and More
May 19, 2014
The suspense almost killed me! The whole story enfolds with a courtroom drama with the hero of the story as the accused and our youngest spunkiest princess playing a very credible law clerk working on the hero's case. What a story! I couldn't put the book down. It costed me many sleepless hours when the next day is a working day but that is how the story pulls you in and chews you slowly. You know the hero is innocent, you are confident that he is going to come out of the whole trial unscathed but you still read on because even mid-way it doesn't look like he's going to get a "not-guilty" verdict.
Stefanie, the youngest princess from the country that's a mouthful to pronounce seems to be the flightiest, naughtiest and rebellious of the three. But surprise! She may seem that way but she's actually very very smart and resourceful - she is just a bit playful and a lot overshadowed by her elder sisters. So when you read the story you see how she blooms and grows up and become quite a young lady that becomes the life and love of our marquess. But there's more to the story as you read on.
I really liked the part where the story explores the topic of homosexuality - it was very subtle and smart and i was impressed with the way JG slips it into the story without overpowering the main plot. And also the topic of child abuse - that was a bit of a surprise but it blends well with the story that you will go "oh...that's why...." - these are elements that you don't normally find in a HR so i find it very refreshing and gives a nice flavor to the whole story else it comes across as a normal HR switched identity romp.
I would recommend the series, they are different, they are very well written. JG has a flair of mixing up some modern concepts into an otherwise typical HR storyline....HOWEVER! I think the title of the series are just too generic. The title could have been something that has more mystery, some oomph...but "how to master your marquis"? That's just tired. That is like a hundred other HR title.
So please Ms JG, if and when you are writing more books in the future, please come up with more original titles because the current ones do not do justice to your wonderful stories.
Stefanie, the youngest princess from the country that's a mouthful to pronounce seems to be the flightiest, naughtiest and rebellious of the three. But surprise! She may seem that way but she's actually very very smart and resourceful - she is just a bit playful and a lot overshadowed by her elder sisters. So when you read the story you see how she blooms and grows up and become quite a young lady that becomes the life and love of our marquess. But there's more to the story as you read on.
I really liked the part where the story explores the topic of homosexuality - it was very subtle and smart and i was impressed with the way JG slips it into the story without overpowering the main plot. And also the topic of child abuse - that was a bit of a surprise but it blends well with the story that you will go "oh...that's why...." - these are elements that you don't normally find in a HR so i find it very refreshing and gives a nice flavor to the whole story else it comes across as a normal HR switched identity romp.
I would recommend the series, they are different, they are very well written. JG has a flair of mixing up some modern concepts into an otherwise typical HR storyline....HOWEVER! I think the title of the series are just too generic. The title could have been something that has more mystery, some oomph...but "how to master your marquis"? That's just tired. That is like a hundred other HR title.
So please Ms JG, if and when you are writing more books in the future, please come up with more original titles because the current ones do not do justice to your wonderful stories.
December 24, 2015
Actually 3.5stars
The second hidden princess, Stefanie Victoria Augusta, is given the persona of a dry and naive male law clerk to hide her from the dark and dastardly 'shadow agents' after her and her sisters. Their uncle, the renown and powerful, Duke of Olympia certainly has a variety of situations to shield his nieces. Stefanie's situation is with one of the premier barristers in the region.
Stefanie's unsettled with the dreary wardrobe and chafes at the idea of masquerading as a man. But on day one, Stefanie meets her benefactor's emotionally damaged nephew, James Lambert, Marquess of Hatherfield, who inexplicably immediately sees through Stefanie's disguise and volunteers to take the clerk under his wing.
Stefanie sees nothing but opportunity and freedom in the situation, freedom from chaperones when she's with James and the opportunity to carry out madcap schemes (to reflect the differences of the real Stefanie and the disguised Stefanie). That is until James is accused of murdering his wicked stepmother in an annoying interspersed future timeline and Stefanie has to help her boss save the day and come out of hiding.
Once again, I liked but did not love the outing there were too many dislikable and unsavory characters for my taste. The heroine was charming and mischievous and the story itself had a bit of charm but was a bother on several levels. Questions like how did James know so quickly? Why are the 'shadowy agents' still an issue with Olympia's almost preternatural abilities and connections? What exactly are 'shadowy agents'?
The second hidden princess, Stefanie Victoria Augusta, is given the persona of a dry and naive male law clerk to hide her from the dark and dastardly 'shadow agents' after her and her sisters. Their uncle, the renown and powerful, Duke of Olympia certainly has a variety of situations to shield his nieces. Stefanie's situation is with one of the premier barristers in the region.
Stefanie's unsettled with the dreary wardrobe and chafes at the idea of masquerading as a man. But on day one, Stefanie meets her benefactor's emotionally damaged nephew, James Lambert, Marquess of Hatherfield, who inexplicably immediately sees through Stefanie's disguise and volunteers to take the clerk under his wing.
Stefanie sees nothing but opportunity and freedom in the situation, freedom from chaperones when she's with James and the opportunity to carry out madcap schemes (to reflect the differences of the real Stefanie and the disguised Stefanie). That is until James is accused of murdering his wicked stepmother in an annoying interspersed future timeline and Stefanie has to help her boss save the day and come out of hiding.
Once again, I liked but did not love the outing there were too many dislikable and unsavory characters for my taste. The heroine was charming and mischievous and the story itself had a bit of charm but was a bother on several levels. Questions like how did James know so quickly? Why are the 'shadowy agents' still an issue with Olympia's almost preternatural abilities and connections? What exactly are 'shadowy agents'?
August 13, 2017
Very good book, but not as good as the first one. The mystery was a little difficult to follow since the book consisted of several flashbacks. The hero and heroine were both very likable characters and their relationship felt very genuine.
May 10, 2014
I'll admit, it took a few chapters for me to get into this book. At first I wasn't a fan of the jumping back and forward in time. But once I got into the story I really enjoyed it!
August 15, 2022
I did enjoy this - quite a bit in fact.
I struggled a little with the back and forth time frames, I wasn't paying close enough attention at first so I didn't realize we'd be flashing back and forward all over the place, so stay on guard!!
When we have books about a woman in disguise as a man, I'm always sort of on edge, wondering how they are going to handle the inevitable reveal of gender.
Gray tells us straight up in the beginning that the Marquis isn't fooled by a second by Stephanie's disguise, so we never really manage that aspect of things - much like in her prior book the Duke knew Emilie as 2 separate people. Interestingly in THIS one, OTHER people pick up on the Marquis's attraction to Stephanie when she's in male garb and assume he's homosexual, and he does nothing to dissuade them of this - in fact, leaning in, hoping it will keep him from being ensnared in an unwelcome marriage with another.
I just...can we at some point, have one of these where the man doesn't care because he's bi or pan and just...is attracted to THE PERSON and their gender is irrelevant? Because that's one of the most logical ways to play this and I just don't see that. I'm not faulting Gray!! That particular gripe is separate from my review.
I also didn't love the "other woman" because there was a real dearth of decent women in this book and having the only other women be really truly awful isn't so much fun.
Oh wait CW HUGE GIANT CW
I struggled a little with the back and forth time frames, I wasn't paying close enough attention at first so I didn't realize we'd be flashing back and forward all over the place, so stay on guard!!
When we have books about a woman in disguise as a man, I'm always sort of on edge, wondering how they are going to handle the inevitable reveal of gender.
Gray tells us straight up in the beginning that the Marquis isn't fooled by a second by Stephanie's disguise, so we never really manage that aspect of things - much like in her prior book the Duke knew Emilie as 2 separate people. Interestingly in THIS one, OTHER people pick up on the Marquis's attraction to Stephanie when she's in male garb and assume he's homosexual, and he does nothing to dissuade them of this - in fact, leaning in, hoping it will keep him from being ensnared in an unwelcome marriage with another.
I just...can we at some point, have one of these where the man doesn't care because he's bi or pan and just...is attracted to THE PERSON and their gender is irrelevant? Because that's one of the most logical ways to play this and I just don't see that. I'm not faulting Gray!! That particular gripe is separate from my review.
I also didn't love the "other woman" because there was a real dearth of decent women in this book and having the only other women be really truly awful isn't so much fun.
Oh wait CW HUGE GIANT CW
August 11, 2019
Three intrepid princesses find themselves targets in a deadly plot against the crown—until their uncle devises a brilliant plan to keep them safe...
Of all her sisters, Princess Stefanie is by far the least amenable to law and order, which is why she’s appalled to find herself masquerading as an unbearably drab clerk for the most honorable barrister in England. But her dull disguise turns out to have its privileges: namely, the opportunity to consort unchaperoned with her employer’s exceedingly handsome nephew, James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield.
Hatherfield quickly realizes that his uncle’s spirited new clerk is, in fact, a lovely young woman of daring habits. The outwardly impeccable marquis isn’t about to reveal her deception. After all, he’s hiding a dangerous secret of his own. But when one too many escapades with the madcap princess bring Hatherfield’s troubled past to light, it is only Stefanie’s sharp wits that stand between the marquis and utter disaster, and only Hatherfield’s daring that can save the princess from the shadowy agents bent on finding her.
December 19, 2017
Definitely better than the first one. Especially mixing the future (the trial) with past (what led to it) made for a very compelling read and it kept me interested until the very end, unlike the first book in the series.
I just have one little note: in the scene where Hatherfield makes his father think he's gay (which was honestly really funny, but also...) were some really big historical innacuracies. For starters, no man would bat an eye that another man got himself made a tailored suit. If I'm not mistaken about my centuries, back then, fashion was actually men's thing! I mean sure, women had their gowns but make no mistake, the guys definitely weren't behind on that! And also, and this is a much bigger one - pink actually didn't used to be thought of as a ""girl"" (and ""gay"" on men) color until Hitler, who made homosexuals wear pink triangles in concentration camps. Pink was actually thought of as a very manly color up until then! So while the whole scene was funny, it really made no sense in the historical context.
I just have one little note: in the scene where Hatherfield makes his father think he's gay (which was honestly really funny, but also...) were some really big historical innacuracies. For starters, no man would bat an eye that another man got himself made a tailored suit. If I'm not mistaken about my centuries, back then, fashion was actually men's thing! I mean sure, women had their gowns but make no mistake, the guys definitely weren't behind on that! And also, and this is a much bigger one - pink actually didn't used to be thought of as a ""girl"" (and ""gay"" on men) color until Hitler, who made homosexuals wear pink triangles in concentration camps. Pink was actually thought of as a very manly color up until then! So while the whole scene was funny, it really made no sense in the historical context.
June 16, 2022
I had wondered how this book was going to be written since part of their story was glimpsed in the previous book.
This was a sort of flip floppy book. It went from present day back to a few months before. The story unfolded in present day court and then we would go back and get more details by going to the past. I never got annoyed like I usually do with story lines that flip back and forth, it stayed entertaining.
This dealt a little with sexual abuse, which is not something a lot of these romance novels cover. They usually are much more lighthearted. So I was surprised when it came out that the Hero had been abused as a young teen.
One thing I loved about this was that Hatherfield knew he was a she right away. I like the longer anticipation of the Hero not knowing she’s in disguise sometimes, but I really liked that he knew right away. I also liked that he didn’t say anything and just let her go on believing he thought she was a man.
Also I can’t get over how much this narrator sounds like Emily Blunt.
This was a sort of flip floppy book. It went from present day back to a few months before. The story unfolded in present day court and then we would go back and get more details by going to the past. I never got annoyed like I usually do with story lines that flip back and forth, it stayed entertaining.
This dealt a little with sexual abuse, which is not something a lot of these romance novels cover. They usually are much more lighthearted. So I was surprised when it came out that the Hero had been abused as a young teen.
One thing I loved about this was that Hatherfield knew he was a she right away. I like the longer anticipation of the Hero not knowing she’s in disguise sometimes, but I really liked that he knew right away. I also liked that he didn’t say anything and just let her go on believing he thought she was a man.
Also I can’t get over how much this narrator sounds like Emily Blunt.
November 23, 2019
Another great story by Juliana Gray. Stefanie a princess hiding from assassins is disguised as a male
Barrister to Sir John. When she meets Sir John her new employer along with the gorgeous Marquis of Haterfield. He realizes right away she is a female. When he gets to know her he likes being around her. When she finally confesses who she is he will do anything to keep her safe.
When he is accused of murdering his step mother the defense must pull all stops to get a favorable outcome and Stefanie needs to fight for man. Another great read.
Barrister to Sir John. When she meets Sir John her new employer along with the gorgeous Marquis of Haterfield. He realizes right away she is a female. When he gets to know her he likes being around her. When she finally confesses who she is he will do anything to keep her safe.
When he is accused of murdering his step mother the defense must pull all stops to get a favorable outcome and Stefanie needs to fight for man. Another great read.
September 25, 2022
Princess Stefanie is sent from Germany to England to hide out after a plot is discovered against her and her sisters. She is disquised as a man and is hired as a clerk to an attorney. She meets James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield. Hatherfield's father is trying to get him to marry Lady Charlotte, but James has figured out that clerk Stefan is actually Stefanie and he is taken with her. Then his step-mother is murder and he's accused of the crime. The book goes back and forth from before and after the murder, and it was a bit confusing.
November 7, 2025
I can’t get into the story because of how unlikely the plot is. I didn’t read the first book so maybe it was explained better then. I don’t understand why this princess needs to pretend to be a law clerk, especially when she’s so bad at it. She would have been fired before her first day was over. And if that one random man can tell she’s a woman, I’m sure others can too. It’s not a good hiding spot. Just go to a random house in the middle of nowhere if you need to hide because pretending to be a man surely isn’t working.
October 12, 2020
Another funny read with romance. A switch from last book in that the hero finds out fairly soon abou the herione. The thing to keep the tension rolling was the interspersed chapters for a murder trial. Like the previous book, I found the premise to be outrageous and couldn't quite follow the plot for restoring the principality. But also like the previous book, it was so funny and enjoyable to read that I didn't care that some of the plot was disjointed.
February 18, 2017
I liked the twist of drama within the book. The characters were funny and I enjoyed their witty banter. While the language used was definitely fitting of the time, some of the behaviour of the characters felt out of place... I enjoyed it, but could easily have imagined aspects of the story occurring in a 'modern' setting.
December 30, 2017
Got bored. Life’s too short. DNF
January 30, 2018
I enjoyed this book. I, surprisingly, enjoyed the way it was structured with the book jumping to the future and back again. Normally that would annoy me but it did not.
February 23, 2018
Great nook with lots of twists and turns, could hardly put it down!! Enjoyed it very much!!🌷🌷
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