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The Exiled Santa Dominis #1
Escándalo en la corte
¡Un matrimonio para robar titulares! Cairo Santa Domini era el heredero real más desenfadado de Europa y evitaba con pasión cualquier posibilidad de hacerse con la corona. Para reafirmar su desastrosa imagen y evitar las ataduras del deber, decidió elegir a la esposa más inadecuada posible.
Brittany Hollis, protagonista habitual de las portadas de la prensa sensacionalista, poseía una reputación digna de rivalizar con la de Cairo. Sin embargo, con cada beso que se dieron empezó a sentirse más y más propensa a revelarle secretos que jamás había revelado a nadie. Pero un giro en los acontecimientos supuso una auténtica conmoción para su publicitada vida.
Era posible que Brittany no fuera la mujer más adecuada para convertirse en reina… ¡pero llevaba un su vientre un heredero de sangre azul!
148 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 2016
28 people are currently reading
106 people want to read
About the author
Caitlin Crews
1,095 books595 followersCaitlin Crews discovered her first romance novel at the age of twelve, in a bargain bin at the local five and dime. It involved swashbuckling pirates, grand adventures, a heroine with rustling skirts and a mind of her own, and a seriously mouthwatering and masterful hero. The book (the title of which remains lost in the mists of time) made a serious impression. Caitlin was immediately smitten with romances and romance heroes, to the detriment of her middle school social life. And so began her life-long love affair with romance novels, many of which she insists on keeping near her at all times, thus creating a fire hazard of love wherever she lives.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
Caitlin has made her home in places as far-flung as York, England and Atlanta, Georgia. She was raised near New York City, and fell in love with London on her first visit when she was a teenager. She has backpacked in Zimbabwe, been on safari in Botswana, and visited tiny villages in Namibia. She has, while visiting the place in question, declared her intention to live in Prague, Dublin, Paris, Athens, Nice, the Greek Islands, Rome, Venice, and/or any of the Hawaiian islands. Writing about exotic places seems like the next best thing to actually moving there.
She currently lives in Oregon with her animator/comic book artist husband and their menagerie of ridiculous animals.
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Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews
May 9, 2025
Okay, but far fetched.
April 10, 2021
This story made no sense whatsoever. Hero is a king-in-exile. He’s been acting like a dissolute playboy for his entire adult life so that the loyalists to the crown, still residing in the kingdom, won’t be killed by the General who orchestrated the coup.
He seems to think that as long as the General is convinced there is no threat to his power, he’ll just chill on the throne and all will be well.
This strategy has worked, but now the aging General is in the hospital and the loyalists are agitating for the hero to return to his country. Hero’s bright idea is to marry the worst possible woman, tainting his bloodline and tempering the loyalist enthusiasms.
He chooses a reality TV star, stripper and thrice-married heroine. She is a from a trailer park in Mississippi and hooked up, at 16, with a drug dealer to get out of town. Then she married a gay guy to play the villain in a reality TV show and, finally, she married an elderly French billionaire who wanted to put the fear of God into his heirs. Heroine is a virgin, of course.
Hero finds this out right before their wedding when they have sex in her wedding gown. Yes – it’s that tacky.
Don’t worry, the hero finally mans up and returns to his country after the heroine gives him a little lecture. (This is after pages and pages of the H/h reveling in just what awful people they are.)
I gave this one three stars for just how weird and implausible this was.
He seems to think that as long as the General is convinced there is no threat to his power, he’ll just chill on the throne and all will be well.
This strategy has worked, but now the aging General is in the hospital and the loyalists are agitating for the hero to return to his country. Hero’s bright idea is to marry the worst possible woman, tainting his bloodline and tempering the loyalist enthusiasms.
He chooses a reality TV star, stripper and thrice-married heroine. She is a from a trailer park in Mississippi and hooked up, at 16, with a drug dealer to get out of town. Then she married a gay guy to play the villain in a reality TV show and, finally, she married an elderly French billionaire who wanted to put the fear of God into his heirs. Heroine is a virgin, of course.
Hero finds this out right before their wedding when they have sex in her wedding gown. Yes – it’s that tacky.
Don’t worry, the hero finally mans up and returns to his country after the heroine gives him a little lecture. (This is after pages and pages of the H/h reveling in just what awful people they are.)
I gave this one three stars for just how weird and implausible this was.
July 2, 2016
Storytelling felt forced. The banter early on left me cold.
I felt nothing for the heroine or hero. No reason for me to even continue reading so I quit quite early.
I felt nothing for the heroine or hero. No reason for me to even continue reading so I quit quite early.
September 13, 2016
Ms. Crews is a fab author. Really, she is. But she has 2 prominent styles of writing. One is smooth with brilliant dialogue and enough angst to keep you perpetually on the edge of your seat. The second is tons of internal monologuing by the MCs that, if care is not taken, makes you drift off and have to double back in order to understand the what, the why and the who said what...
Expecting a royal scandal falls into the latter. There isn't enough actual dialogue, the Hs are so so trying too hard to be bad-a** and it all just gets tedious. DNF.
Expecting a royal scandal falls into the latter. There isn't enough actual dialogue, the Hs are so so trying too hard to be bad-a** and it all just gets tedious. DNF.
June 16, 2024
Chock-full of preposterous Presents nonsense (an exiled Prince wanting to create a scandal for "reasons" and a thrice married heroine who is somehow still a virgin?!) that elevates itself early on with some pretty fun back-biting banter between the main couple. Loses some steam for me with a little too much repetition and a lack of scenes exploring the couple truly getting to know each other behind the masks they wear for the public. A little too surface, not quite enough depth, but did I mention the fun banter?
January 3, 2020
Before I start, who decides on these titles? The pregnancy is actually only announced half way through chapter 9!!(and there are ten chapters in the book) - the blurb and title give away a key, but late, plot element.
Anyway, this is a very interesting story with 2 fascinating characters. My problem is - I could not actually decide whether I liked it or not, so I had to take a wee break and think about it.
I have decided I loved it - absolutely loved it!
A trash tv reality star and a dissolute man-whore do not appear to be romantic characters at first glance. Of course it’s Caitlin Crews who dares to try anything and everything, so you know it’s going to be a fabulous ride - and it truly is.
Would have liked an epilogue - because having read the second book, I know we don’t get enough about what happens to Cairo and Brittany in the next book.
Another tour de force from Caitlin who is one of the most talented and original writers in the Mills and Boon canon.
Anyway, this is a very interesting story with 2 fascinating characters. My problem is - I could not actually decide whether I liked it or not, so I had to take a wee break and think about it.
I have decided I loved it - absolutely loved it!
A trash tv reality star and a dissolute man-whore do not appear to be romantic characters at first glance. Of course it’s Caitlin Crews who dares to try anything and everything, so you know it’s going to be a fabulous ride - and it truly is.
Would have liked an epilogue - because having read the second book, I know we don’t get enough about what happens to Cairo and Brittany in the next book.
Another tour de force from Caitlin who is one of the most talented and original writers in the Mills and Boon canon.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
June 29, 2016
I had a lot of trouble following the reason behind Cairo's need for his bad reputation. Brittany is equally troubled and seeking fame in exchange for money. A great concept for had me circles trying to follow it. After chapter 6 it final got better.
July 1, 2016
The first couple chapters are hard to get through as both hero and heroine aren't likable. If you stick with it, the book really improves to the point that it has a nice ending.
September 5, 2017
Cairo Santa Domini is the heir to the throne of Santa Domini. Thinking that it was the best thing for his people, living under a dictatorship, he's always creating scandals around him. He feels guilty about the "death" of his sister (book 2), and considers he's not the king that Santa Domini needs. In order to finish disenchanting those who saw him as the hope of the country, he decides to marry in a marriage of convenience with the woman most unsuitable for the role of queen consort: paparazzi beggar, Brittany Hollis.
Brittany was a girl who lived for the covers of the magazines and scandals were her way of life. She had married three times for convenience, the purpose of which was to earn enough money to be able to retire young to an island in the Pacific, away from everything and everyone. At first, she rejects Cairo, but then accepts her proposal because the money she gets from will make her wish come true. What she did not imagine was that union turns into an attraction impossible to forget... And the secrets begin to come to light.
I found this first delivery very difficult to digest. First, Brittany's reasons for making money didn't convince me at all. I mean, what woman wants to be famous and be a millionaire appearing in the magazines as a prostitute? On the other hand, although it is a noble gesture to earn money to help his family (parents, siblings, uncles, cousins, etc.), at some time she desires that her younger sister turns 18 to stop keeping maintain the lazy family she has. On the other hand, the attitude of the family, especially Brittany's mother, is somewhat hypocritical. They publicly criticized Brittany, but accept the money sent by her. How nice...
I consider that the motives of Cairo are more altruistic in comparison with Brittany, but at the same time that demonstrates he's a weak man. The fact that Brittany imposes him to take the throne on behalf of their unborn child it makes it clear.
As a couple they are perfect to each other, of that there is no doubt. The chemistry between the main characters and the fact that Brittany was actually a virgin (she'd been married 3 times and still a virgin?? Wtf???) were the best thing in this story. In fact, that virgin thing was the only reason I didn't gave it 1 star... Or less.
Brittany was a girl who lived for the covers of the magazines and scandals were her way of life. She had married three times for convenience, the purpose of which was to earn enough money to be able to retire young to an island in the Pacific, away from everything and everyone. At first, she rejects Cairo, but then accepts her proposal because the money she gets from will make her wish come true. What she did not imagine was that union turns into an attraction impossible to forget... And the secrets begin to come to light.
I found this first delivery very difficult to digest. First, Brittany's reasons for making money didn't convince me at all. I mean, what woman wants to be famous and be a millionaire appearing in the magazines as a prostitute? On the other hand, although it is a noble gesture to earn money to help his family (parents, siblings, uncles, cousins, etc.), at some time she desires that her younger sister turns 18 to stop keeping maintain the lazy family she has. On the other hand, the attitude of the family, especially Brittany's mother, is somewhat hypocritical. They publicly criticized Brittany, but accept the money sent by her. How nice...
I consider that the motives of Cairo are more altruistic in comparison with Brittany, but at the same time that demonstrates he's a weak man. The fact that Brittany imposes him to take the throne on behalf of their unborn child it makes it clear.
As a couple they are perfect to each other, of that there is no doubt. The chemistry between the main characters and the fact that Brittany was actually a virgin (she'd been married 3 times and still a virgin?? Wtf???) were the best thing in this story. In fact, that virgin thing was the only reason I didn't gave it 1 star... Or less.
November 14, 2021
the narrative is a bit confusing, or maybe it's just me, idk. the heroine was a media "whore", she danced for living and married 2 men before the hero which made her look like a scandalous woman. but she wasn't tho, she was a virgin. the hero was the same, he was also scandalous, but it was just for a cover up. he needed to look unfit for a king so the general won't kill him. that's why he married her, to look more unfit.
May 26, 2016
The book had a somewhat acceptable storyline for romantic novel that one reads to just feel good in the end and it meets the criteria. The dialogues delivered are witty and skilled but all pieced together did not make for a good reading. It wasn't the trash and brash language but the fact that it kept getting thrown in every conversation and losing overall impact as if there was too much effort being put to drill something that was long drilled in the mind of the reader....
The H is an exiled royal who makes too much effort to make himself unlikable for years on go. He finds an equally disliked woman for a wife in hope that his loyalist in kingdom are protected. The general who overthrew the royals dies of ill health and lo the H just takes over and no real conflict with the just dead generals loyals. The end was hastily wrapped up.
A happy ending in the end. I cannot pinpoint something awful in the story except the skimming over the end part.....but even though I would not make much effort to read this book a second time when I al looking for lazy reading.
The H is an exiled royal who makes too much effort to make himself unlikable for years on go. He finds an equally disliked woman for a wife in hope that his loyalist in kingdom are protected. The general who overthrew the royals dies of ill health and lo the H just takes over and no real conflict with the just dead generals loyals. The end was hastily wrapped up.
A happy ending in the end. I cannot pinpoint something awful in the story except the skimming over the end part.....but even though I would not make much effort to read this book a second time when I al looking for lazy reading.
Read
June 26, 2016"Snappy dialogue and a novel story idea make Crews’ book a winner. Brittany is especially well drawn in her responses and reactions to Cairo" (4 1/2 stars TOP PICK! @ RT Book Reviews).
Miniseries: Wedlocked!
Miniseries: Wedlocked!
Read
June 1, 2016received 4 1/2 stars TOP PICK! @ RT Book Reviews
Miniseries: Wedlocked!
Miniseries: Wedlocked!
June 21, 2016
I was confused; it seemed like the story skipped important sections. I wanted to stop reading but held on until the end
June 21, 2021
I can't decide between 3 and 3.5 stars. The characters were a bit different - the royal playboy who behaves badly in order to divert the military junta in control of his country from assassinating him. And the reality star/stripper/on her 3rd marriage for money who is really sweet and wholesome and virginal and naturally regal underneath the killer body. The chemistry between them gets the stars, their immediate sexual attraction as well as the instinctive understanding that each is hiding behind a public persona. It also gets points for some snappy comebacks from the heroine and not too heavy on the CC inner monologuing.
I'm not entirely convinced that the world we live in would ever let a queen forget she's climbed up a pole wearing nothing but a g-string, with the paparazzi pics to prove it, but this is romance and we can hope.
I'm not entirely convinced that the world we live in would ever let a queen forget she's climbed up a pole wearing nothing but a g-string, with the paparazzi pics to prove it, but this is romance and we can hope.
October 28, 2017
I loved this book! So basically our heroine in the eyes of the world is a 3 timed divorced gold digger whore but in reality she is a virgin.. I LOVED the chemistry with our hero and heroine ... he wants to give her a fake marriage so to add scandal to his name he expected a bimbo but what is got was a intelligent beauty
January 25, 2018
Actually I need a sequel for Brittany and Cairo. Please miss Crews I didn't read a lot of romantica but these two just steal my heart! :D
Review in Spanish / Reseña en español: http://jane-iswriting.blogspot.com/20...
Review in Spanish / Reseña en español: http://jane-iswriting.blogspot.com/20...
November 14, 2021
Por lo regular disfruto mucho de estas novelas cortas, sin embargo, esta en particular me dejó a deber mucho. En verdad nunca entendí las motivaciones de los personajes principales, pensé que durante el desarrollo de la historia me iban a explicar un poco más lo que estaba sucediendo, pero sentí que seguían dando vuelta tras vuelta y no se llegaba a nada.
Creo que el romance está muy forzado, el final se precipita y no hay nada emocionante.
No sé, me sentí decepcionada de esta historia.
Creo que el romance está muy forzado, el final se precipita y no hay nada emocionante.
No sé, me sentí decepcionada de esta historia.
August 17, 2017
La verdad es que no me gusto la historia ...
August 28, 2018
Interesting book, not quite the formula that I am used to. The ending was a bit strange, all that build up, and then a rush to the end.
July 16, 2019
No , I enjoy Caitlin Crews Harlequin Presents novels , but this one was really bad . The characters and the plot felt rushed . Chapter 9 was the only decent part in the book .
May 25, 2020
Sorry but I find difficult to finish it.
May 16, 2023
I found it intriging, wanting to see how it ends and it was beautiful
July 19, 2016
4.5 stars. A very interesting romance from an excellent author. Brittany is a reality TV star and has been married 3 times. Cairo is a deposed King without a country. Both of them are playing roles for the public and never show their true selves until they meet each other. 5 stars for Caitlin simply for writing about such different characters. Both jaded in their own way and both world weary.
The writing was excellent. As you read further into the book the story get better and better and way more intense. I ending up really loving this story. I would have liked an epilogue, but I think there may be a story about Cairo's missing sister coming up, so I'll wait and see...You never know.
This author also writes under the name Megan Crane.
The writing was excellent. As you read further into the book the story get better and better and way more intense. I ending up really loving this story. I would have liked an epilogue, but I think there may be a story about Cairo's missing sister coming up, so I'll wait and see...You never know.
This author also writes under the name Megan Crane.
hq-to-read
September 20, 2018A marriage to steal the headlines!
Royal scoundrel Felipe Cairo is the least likely king in Europe and avoids the crown with a passion! To uphold his reckless image and avoid the shackles of duty, Cairo must choose a most inappropriate wife…
Media sensation Brittany Hollis has a reputation outrageous enough to rival Cairo's. Yet with each scorching kiss, she reveals more of her secrets than she's ever shown the world.
But there's a twist in their tabloid fairy tale that shocks them both: Brittany might not be queen material, but she's carrying a royal heir!
Conveniently wedded, passionately bedded!
Royal scoundrel Felipe Cairo is the least likely king in Europe and avoids the crown with a passion! To uphold his reckless image and avoid the shackles of duty, Cairo must choose a most inappropriate wife…
Media sensation Brittany Hollis has a reputation outrageous enough to rival Cairo's. Yet with each scorching kiss, she reveals more of her secrets than she's ever shown the world.
But there's a twist in their tabloid fairy tale that shocks them both: Brittany might not be queen material, but she's carrying a royal heir!
Conveniently wedded, passionately bedded!
July 15, 2016
Expecting a Royal Scandal is long on character development and a bit short on secret-baby-trope, which is a good thing. What an 'unexpected' treat! This is a beautifully told story of a long-suffering-and-innocent-heroine and a difficult-yet-ultimately-valiant hero. With themes and plotlines which bring to mind one of my all time favorite reads, Sally Beauman's Destiny, along with a tiny dash of Dangerous Liaisons, Expecting a Royal Scandal is a solid series romance.
August 26, 2016
Its a little insulting to call this 'expecting a royal scandal' when that doesn't happen. Like did I blink and miss it? 80% is of her and him being naughty people and then wham bam thank you madam shes up the duff for the last 80 pages. Its 192 pages so you could have at least got her pregnant half way through to make me believe it.
July 12, 2016
The dialogue between the main characters was the best part of the book. It took a while to get into the story but it picks up at chapter 6. A true fairy tale ending.
February 13, 2020
Good banter, enjoyable characters, mostly liked the ending though I really don't get the cult of royalty thing
Displaying 1 - 29 of 29 reviews