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My Dark Prince
He swooped down on her on horseback: Nicholas, Sovereign Prince of Glarien, a man never to be denied. Though born to be an English earl, Fate gave him absolute power and the daring to try to fool all the crowned heads of Europe. His plan? To force Penny Lindsey to impersonate his missing bride at his state wedding in Regency London, leaving him one month to teach this not-so-simple country girl how to be a princess.
Cunning, charismatic, impossible to resist, Nicholas is never to be trusted, but as the clever masquerade unfolds, secret vulnerabilities are revealed. A wedding means a wedding night and passion cries out for fulfillment. Suddenly the stakes of the game are much higher than he ever intended...
Cunning, charismatic, impossible to resist, Nicholas is never to be trusted, but as the clever masquerade unfolds, secret vulnerabilities are revealed. A wedding means a wedding night and passion cries out for fulfillment. Suddenly the stakes of the game are much higher than he ever intended...
342 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published August 1, 2000
205 people want to read
About the author
Julia Ross
55 books29 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
November 10, 2023
Read: 11/8/23
Prince Nicolas's bride (Sophia) has been kidnapped by his very evil cousin (Carl). He has to marry her to protect his thorne. Nicholas returns to childhood home in England to plan his next move when he spots his bride's lookalike. Turns out Penny is Sophia's illegitimate cousin. He wants to use her to pose as his bride till he can find and rescue Sophia. The problem is that he has to convince her to help him and he will use every trick he has to get her to agree.
This would have been a great book if not for the h. God, she was so self-righteous and naive! Lecturing him on his responsibilities when she doesn't know him and ignoring that a few neighbors aren't as important as a whole (fictional) country. Penny only agrees to help after speaking to her mother and because she believes she can make him a better man 🤢 Penny's character does improve near the end.TG!
The H, on the other hand, was fantastic! He plays the game of thrones well. I enjoyed watching him foil his cousin's plans over and over. He reasonably hides the fact that he has a caring heart, so it will not be used against him. Nicholas's dark secrets make it difficult for him to trust others.
The villain was just plain evil. He wants Nicholas's thorne and will destroy anyone to get it. He plots as well as the H.
Other problems:
1. The way the book was written, I kept forgetting the story takes place in the Regency era. The middle-ages would have been a better time period.
2. The book was slow moving in the beginning. The pacing doesn't pick up until the middle of the book after they marry.
3. Penny was taught the language of the country by her mother, but she would still would have an accent, especially when speaking english. I think leaders and his countrymen would notice. 🤔
I might be a little harsh on my critique bc of how long it took me to warm up to the h. I would still recommend others to try this book. The story has a good interest plot
Prince Nicolas's bride (Sophia) has been kidnapped by his very evil cousin (Carl). He has to marry her to protect his thorne. Nicholas returns to childhood home in England to plan his next move when he spots his bride's lookalike. Turns out Penny is Sophia's illegitimate cousin. He wants to use her to pose as his bride till he can find and rescue Sophia. The problem is that he has to convince her to help him and he will use every trick he has to get her to agree.
This would have been a great book if not for the h. God, she was so self-righteous and naive! Lecturing him on his responsibilities when she doesn't know him and ignoring that a few neighbors aren't as important as a whole (fictional) country. Penny only agrees to help after speaking to her mother and because she believes she can make him a better man 🤢 Penny's character does improve near the end.TG!
The H, on the other hand, was fantastic! He plays the game of thrones well. I enjoyed watching him foil his cousin's plans over and over. He reasonably hides the fact that he has a caring heart, so it will not be used against him. Nicholas's dark secrets make it difficult for him to trust others.
The villain was just plain evil. He wants Nicholas's thorne and will destroy anyone to get it. He plots as well as the H.
Other problems:
1. The way the book was written, I kept forgetting the story takes place in the Regency era. The middle-ages would have been a better time period.
2. The book was slow moving in the beginning. The pacing doesn't pick up until the middle of the book after they marry.
3. Penny was taught the language of the country by her mother, but she would still would have an accent, especially when speaking english. I think leaders and his countrymen would notice. 🤔
I might be a little harsh on my critique bc of how long it took me to warm up to the h. I would still recommend others to try this book. The story has a good interest plot
September 10, 2010
Wow...wow...WOW! I could kick myself for not trusting in Julia to bring me to my happy place, because she does it every-time. The prose seemed difficult and complicated at first and for some reason I was struggling with it. However, about 1/4 of the way through the book, something clicked in my head and it started reading like regular prose and then I couldn't put it down.
This is the story of a very dark prince and his bid to save his country and maybe ultimately himself. There is evil afoot and it has imprisoned his princess. Meanwhile he still must go to London to be married in order to save the alliances formed via the marriage. But with a kidnapped fiance, what is a prince to do??
Find a look-a-like cousin of course, give the little farm girl a crash course in princess etiquette and deportment and voila all will be taken care of...right...huhhhh...not exactly. Penny may look like Sophia, but she is her own woman and soon realizes that this prince needs her brand of lovin and sets out to rock his royal, spoiled world.
But alas the path to a HEA is never as easy as it seems on paper, after all there is still the matter of the missing princess, a fake wedding, an evil count and a country that needs to be run. This story was so beautiful and at times so painful that it brought tears to my eyes. Nick deserved Penny, but would he fight his demons in order to keep her? Wonderful, gorgeously written fairy tale and I feel small for ever having doubted Ms. Ross's extraordinary talent at writing this romance.
ETA: I may have given the impression with my review that this is a light story and it's not really, there are some light moments, but overall the book is serious and very dark in places and might rip your heart out a couple of places, but the ending is more than satisfying to make up for all the darkness you went through to get to the light.
This is the story of a very dark prince and his bid to save his country and maybe ultimately himself. There is evil afoot and it has imprisoned his princess. Meanwhile he still must go to London to be married in order to save the alliances formed via the marriage. But with a kidnapped fiance, what is a prince to do??
Find a look-a-like cousin of course, give the little farm girl a crash course in princess etiquette and deportment and voila all will be taken care of...right...huhhhh...not exactly. Penny may look like Sophia, but she is her own woman and soon realizes that this prince needs her brand of lovin and sets out to rock his royal, spoiled world.
But alas the path to a HEA is never as easy as it seems on paper, after all there is still the matter of the missing princess, a fake wedding, an evil count and a country that needs to be run. This story was so beautiful and at times so painful that it brought tears to my eyes. Nick deserved Penny, but would he fight his demons in order to keep her? Wonderful, gorgeously written fairy tale and I feel small for ever having doubted Ms. Ross's extraordinary talent at writing this romance.
ETA: I may have given the impression with my review that this is a light story and it's not really, there are some light moments, but overall the book is serious and very dark in places and might rip your heart out a couple of places, but the ending is more than satisfying to make up for all the darkness you went through to get to the light.
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January 4, 2025What. The. Balls.
September 20, 2021
Fabulous read.
I just had a very hard time getting used to the writing language..it was so difficult reminding me of reading a book for school. But everybody said you get used to it by 25% of the book. True.
Nicholas is the Prince of a small European state. He needs to marry Princess Sophi for political reasons.
But his cousin Carl, who is next in line for throne, doesn't want this marriage to take place so he can be ruler.
He makes Nicholas's life hell and hides/kidnaps Sophia.
In England, where the wedding will take place, and where Nicholas is also titled from his father's side; he is surprised to find some girl who looks just like Sophia, so he asks her to replace Sophia in the wedding till they can find her.
This is not a spoiler since all this is known from the first chapters already.
The beauty in this book is the journey we take from page 1 till the epilogue. Every page brings a surprise that carries us to an unsuspected direction.
And in the very end when you think nothing more can happen, we are surprised AGAIN with a HEA🙈
Nicholas is an amazing hero. He is strong and wise and everything you would love in a hero. But he is also very tortured that in the end you can't imagine how he ever became what he is now.
Penny is a strong and beautiful heroine that you love so much.
Carl..is so hateful..jeez..good job the author made him pure evil.
You also love Sophia...
You need to read every line because otherwise you will miss a lot.
I just had a very hard time getting used to the writing language..it was so difficult reminding me of reading a book for school. But everybody said you get used to it by 25% of the book. True.
Nicholas is the Prince of a small European state. He needs to marry Princess Sophi for political reasons.
But his cousin Carl, who is next in line for throne, doesn't want this marriage to take place so he can be ruler.
He makes Nicholas's life hell and hides/kidnaps Sophia.
In England, where the wedding will take place, and where Nicholas is also titled from his father's side; he is surprised to find some girl who looks just like Sophia, so he asks her to replace Sophia in the wedding till they can find her.
This is not a spoiler since all this is known from the first chapters already.
The beauty in this book is the journey we take from page 1 till the epilogue. Every page brings a surprise that carries us to an unsuspected direction.
And in the very end when you think nothing more can happen, we are surprised AGAIN with a HEA🙈
Nicholas is an amazing hero. He is strong and wise and everything you would love in a hero. But he is also very tortured that in the end you can't imagine how he ever became what he is now.
Penny is a strong and beautiful heroine that you love so much.
Carl..is so hateful..jeez..good job the author made him pure evil.
You also love Sophia...
You need to read every line because otherwise you will miss a lot.
December 23, 2018
Ross' writing style was a little hard to get used to at first, but I enjoyed it - somewhat like getting back into the groove of reading a classic after reading contemporary for a while. I enjoyed her complex characters - dark enigmatic Nicholas and bright practical Penny. Her story line was very exciting and original, even though a look-alike princess, a far away castle, a prince with a tortured past don't sound so original. Nicholas and Penny's relationship was complicated and intense. I did very much enjoy the way she included so much of the animals in the story - the faithful wolfhound, the magnificent horses, even the hedgehogs. I'm sure I will be reading Julia Ross again.
May 14, 2018
Would have been better if the herione was not so dense and all set to hinder the hero at every step, sensible or otherwise. I mean, there is one thing not to cower when a man, no less than a prince commands you to do something risky, but this woman's sole purpose was to defy him beyond logic and reason. I couldn't see how the hero did not tear his hair off when dealing with her.
December 31, 2024
I wanted to like this primarily because the writing is often very lush. The author is very descriptive but sometimes to a fault and left me asking, "What does that even mean?". But really, what damned this book for me was how insufferable both characters are. They're supremely irritating and I must have missed the connection and chemistry between them. What made me completely stop reading this book was an entire sequence about a horse getting an erection. Necessary? No. Moving on...
January 17, 2022
I love this writer a twinkling star in a vast sky of stories.
June 20, 2023
It was good, but sometimes the writing just got too bogged down and the plot didn't advance quick enough.
October 30, 2014
I think that I have to add Julia Ross to my list of favorite romance authors. My Dark Prince has been on my to-read list for a very long time, but being out of print, I hadn't gotten around to locating it. After recently reading The Seduction, I decided to order a used copy. Oh, sighsighsigh. Everything I needed was here. Gorgeous writing, brilliant, shining characters, unexpected plot and locations, intrigue, passion, drama, glorious angst and depth. Masterful tension and pacing. Super hot, super interesting, magnificent ending.
Loved it. So very worth the wait! So now, I need to find everything else she has written.
Loved it. So very worth the wait! So now, I need to find everything else she has written.
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July 31, 2016skimmed.
February 15, 2011
Wonderful story with complex characters and a delightfully happy ending!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews