Once a Princess

Cardinia's Royalty #1

by Johanna Lindsey

Once upon a time, in a rustic Missiissippi tavern, a beautiful exiled princess was forced to dance for the pleasure of others—unaware of her regal birthright...and infuriated by a magnificent golden-eyed devil who crossed an ocean to possess her. From A far off land a bold and brazen prince came to America to claim his promised bride. But the spirited vixen spurned his affections while inflaming his royal blood with passion's fire...impelling virile Stefan Barany to take in sensuous and searing conquest the love Tatiana vowed never to yield.

Genres: Historical Romance, Romance, Historical, Historical Fiction, Fiction, Royalty, Adult

428 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1991

About the author

Johanna Helen Howard was born on March 10, 1952 in Germany, where her father, Edwin Dennis Howard, a soldier in the U.S. Army was stationed. The family moved about a great deal when she was young. Her father always dreamed of retiring to Hawaii, and after he passed away in 1964 Johanna and her mother settled there to honor him.

In 1970, when she was still in school, she married Ralph Lindsey, becoming a young housewife. The marriage had three children; Alfred, Joseph and Garret, who already have made her a grandmother. After her husband's death, Johanna moved to Maine, New England, to stay near her family.

Johanna Lindsey wrote her first book, Captive Bride in 1977 "on a whim", and the book was a success. By 2006, with over 58 Million copies of her books have been sold worldwide, with translations appearing in 12 languages, Johanna Lindsey is one of the world's most popular authors of historical romance.

Johanna's books span the various eras of history, including books set in the Middle Ages, the American "Old West" and the popular Regency England-Scotland. She has even written a few sci-fi romances. By far the most popular among her books are the stories about the Malory-Anderson Family, a Regency England saga.

Johanna Lindsey died on Oct. 27, 2019 in Nashua, N.H. She was 67.

Reviews

[Mermarie · Rating 2 out of 5]

I was sixteen when I read this. My aunt gave me some hardback romances, and this one was one of them. Memory is sketchy, but I filled it in with LOLzy bits and comic relief.

I remember something about a tavern wench with a birthmark being a long lost princess(lol, I wonder if that would hold up in court. I need to collect my long, lost inheritance!), and her being rather lovely, if it weren't for those pesky men harassing her, so she ashes up her face to look like a leper and men are teh scarez of her deathmask, so that keeps them at bay. The hero sails from an unknown kingdom to collect the princess for marrying. Heheheheh. It likely pre-dates Shrek's Far, Far Away. He readily starts the ridiculing and kickin' her down for her lack of jawdropping attributes, but later, after a surprise dip in a stream/lake(?) he sees what an utter jackass rat bastard he's been, but doesn't hesitate to continue with the beatdown.

Now, in my head. ...I was all, oh god girl, don't do it. Make him feel your hairy legs for months, and skip deodorant a few days to test his lovin's....(I was sixteen, get off my ballz), but in all actuality -- the freakin' HERO was the one really scarred and shit. He reminded me of the Mummy, with the sinewy bits of muscles & cartilage stretched over skull. Or a really gaunt Willem Dafoe...who I have everlasting love for, but still. Why you callin' people fugly when you're obviously pushing the average number, you bastage. Threatened by beauty, make woman feel inferior for it, check.

Eventually he's overcome with the ruts and does the heroine in the veil of the night, but insists she's some trollop, from her showcasing at the tavern she served at, so he doesn't believe her when she says she was a bleedin' virgin. It seems as though his valet had to confirm it. Yes, as I recall the hero didn't even have the courtesy of REMOVING his breeches during the deed, and the evidence was there.

First of all... what guy does that? Iono, maybe his balls are scarred, too. Maybe he has a flat tire sack goin' on or some telltale parasitic twin growth, I'm not sure, but that was ultimately pathetic, by any human standards. Unless this Prince has Foehammer tucked away for the sexors, my best bet is that a good part of it is gonna STILL be hidden inside his breeches. And don't get me started on zippers---thank goodness there weren't any during that time period, I'm assuming, or else she would have had a few ripped stitches. And needless to say--- a virgin + pants soaking up your trope heroine's natural, endless spring, during the whole gawd-awful dressed for EVERY affair nightmare, I'm terrified to think of a repeat.

Secondly...why is your valet acting as a woman's reputation courier, and lastly...was he not disrobed because his valet generally does that for him? Lol When your valet is more familiar with your clothing than you are, it's time to put down the crown of prissy pussness.

Lololol @ Johanna Lindsey. ;D You make me sniggle giggle.

[Theresa Contreras · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book had me ready to claw my eyes out at 430am, but at the same time had me ready to call my husband home early so he could, er, help me out! Damn it was good, hot, well written, sexy... I could go on forever! A must read, a must own and re-read also! The hero, even with all of his power is gentle, sweet, and super sexy, he's protective, loyal, honest, and courageous for any man let alone he is a KING! The heroine is young and lead a really rough life, she's so strong, and I really admired her for it. She's nothing short of the most beautiful woman anyone has ever seen and she never uses it to advantage, even going as far as to cover it up with makeup! He comes to collect her and she run's more time's then I would have allowed but he is forever forgiving and gentle with her no matter what he thinks she is. A true romance, sure to melt your heart. <3... Why couldn't I be her? Damn reality, that's why..

[Marilena ⚓ · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3,5*

[Lauren · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read: 8/15/25
Setting: Mississippi, fake European country
Trope: fairytale/rags to riches, class differences
3.5 stars!

Johanna Lindsey brings back some of the charm and humor I love from her other books. I put off reading this book for years because I'm not big on fairytale themes, and this one had a ridiculous premise. Still, I'm glad I tried it!

The beginning started out great! I love a good enemy to lovers story, and these two did not disappoint. Unfortunately, the story started to drag in the middle. She doesn't believe him and tries to escape several times. He wrongly assumes she's a whore and because she's beautiful she will never want his scarred face. Rinse and repeat. The same misunderstandings got old. Luckily, the book does pick up again at the end.

dislike: the H sleeps with his mistress after she tells him that Tanye was disgusted by his scars. It didn't bother me, but it might bother some readers.

Conclusion: This was a pretty enjoyable read!

[Gloria · Rating 2 out of 5]

The last 40% of this book was so bad I’m ashamed to admit I enjoyed the first 60%. Even the first 60% was riddled with too many eye-rolling moments, though the amount of eye rolls climbed exponentially as the book progressed. My eyes were eventually spinning like pinwheels.

One example: the lost princess Tatiana not only went along with her captors/rescuers’ assumption that she was a bar whore, she told them repeatedly that she was a bar whore. Then she got really, really upset and angry that they thought she was a bar whore. How dare they!!!

I’m not really sure why Johanna Lindsey is considered such an icon of this genre. Her books, while imaginative, are populated with characters so divorced from normal human behavior that I end up categorizing them as lame adult fairy tales that teeter between silliness and sensationalism.

[Γιώτα Παπαδημακοπούλου · Rating 4 out of 5]

Η πρώτη μου σκέψη, παίρνοντας το συγκεκριμένο βιβλίο στο χέρια μου, ήταν: "Πωωω... Άλλη μία σειρά της Johanna Lindsey. Για όνομα του Θεού, πόσες έχει γράψει;" Αμέσως μετά, έτυχε να προσέξω πως το βιβλίο πρωτοκυκλοφόρησε το μακρινό 1991, και ως παιδί των 90's δεν μπόρεσα να μην ενθουσιαστώ, αλλά και ν' απορήσω συνάμα. Κακά τα ψέματα, ειδικά την τελευταία δεκαετία, οι εκδοτικοί οίκοι σπάνια, έως ποτέ, εκδίδουν βιβλία σχετικά σύγχρονης λογοτεχνικής σχολής, πόσο μάλλον σ' ένα είδος όπως αυτό που υπηρετεί η Lindsey, όχι μόνο επειδή υπάρχει πληθώρα έργων για να επιλέξουν, αλλά επειδή ένα μυθιστόρημα που ανήκει σε μια άλλη δεκαετία μπορεί να μην ταιριάζει με το αναγνωστικό ύφος, αλλά και με την διάθεση, του κοινού του σήμερα. Αυτό ήταν ένα μεγάλο τόλμημα για τις εκδόσεις Elxis καθώς, όσο κοινό κι αν έχει αποκτήσει η συγγραφέας στη χώρα μας, η επιλογή τους παραμένει ρίσκο. Άραγε, βγήκε σε καλό;

Πρωταγωνίστρια της ιστορίας αυτής, η Τατιάνα, μια νέα, όμορφη και δυναμική κοπέλα, που ζει στο Μισισίπι και εργάζεται ως χορεύτρια σε κάποιο καταγώγιο, με διάφορους να ορέγονται τα κάλλη της. Αυτό που η ίδια αγνοεί, όμως, είναι το ότι στις φλέβες της ρέει αίμα βασιλικό, αλλά και τις κρυφές αλήθειες της ζωής της που την οδήγησαν σε μια εξορία που δεν μπορούσε να κάνει τίποτα για να την αποφύγει. Αλήθειες που θ' αρχίσουν να έρχονται στο φως όταν ο Στέφαν Μπαράνι θα εμφανιστεί από το πουθενά, παθιασμένος και οργισμένος, διεκδικώντας τη νύφη που κάποτε του έταξαν. Όμως η Τατιάνα δεν είναι πρόθυμη να τον ακολουθήσει, ούτε και να υποκύψει στις προσταγές του, κάτι που θα φέρει τον Στέφαν στα όριά του, μα και στην απόφαση να την αποπλανήσει προκειμένου να κατακτήσει, τόσο την ίδια όσο και τον έρωτά της.

Αν και καθόλου του στυλ μου, με μια κάποια ενοχή, ομολογώ πως απόλαυσα ιδιαίτερα το βιβλίο αυτό, όχι για την πρωτότυπη ιστορία του, γιατί δεν είναι, αλλά για τους κεντρικούς χαρακτήρες του. Πραγματικά, η Lindsey έχει καταφέρει να δημιουργήσει δύο πολύ ισχυρές προσωπικότητες, φέρνοντάς τες αντιμέτωπες σε μια κόντρα που είναι κάτι παραπάνω από απολαυστική. Ανάμεσά τους υπάρχει ένταση, χημεία, πάθος, και όλα αυτά εκρήγνυνται όσο οι μηχανισμοί επίθεσης και άμυνας που χρησιμοποιεί ο καθένας από αυτούς, δουλεύει στο φουλ προκειμένου να κερδίσει σε μια μάχη που, κατά βάθος, είναι χαμένη και για τους δύο, από την αρχή κιόλας της προσπάθειάς τους. Απ' όσο γνωρίζω, εκκρεμεί ακόμα ένα βιβλίο για να ολοκληρωθεί η ιστορία αυτή, και το βέβαιο είναι πως το περιμένω με μεγάλο ενδιαφέρον και αγωνία.

[Nisha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Normally, I would never have liked this book. I mean, abducted heroines and obtuse heroes are so not my thing. Yet, I liked this.

I read the 2nd book before I picked up this and only convinced myself that I want to read this today, this morning. It was like a Cinderella story with a transcontinental setting and a Prince (or King) UnCharming.

The hero, Stephen is one angry man. So, generally you don't find a HR hero who has anger management issues (to the point of being dangerous and borderline abusive) and is often dumb as a doornail (seriously, he couldn't figure out that he took her virginity) and ridiculously stubborn (to both the 'fact' that she was a whore and that he was unattractive to women), but here it was acceptable. And this only worked because tavern wench Tanya, aka. lost betrothed Princess Tatiana, was a badass. She's really awesome and strong, while possessing her own set of flaws. Considering her situation, I really liked her character and the fact that she didn't give in to Stephen's and his friends' vile opinions. She acted smart in a bad abduction situation. Gawd, I hate that theme, but kudos to her.

I also liked the secondary characters and Vasili is infuriatingly obnoxious. I really want to read the 2nd book again to see his abuse. It's so sweet.

The one part that was painfully slow was their process of falling in love. Stephen is so weird, that he says the dumbest things at the worst times, and it only cause Tanya to protect herself and say bad things back. Stephen's personality kinda got better at the end, when they didn't have as much sexual tension and emotional turmoil, so I guess it does redeem itself.

Worth a read, but you must want to read an abduction themed HR or you won't enjoy it.

[Judy · Rating 5 out of 5]

1/14/2011
Book 1: Once A Princess
Stefan Barany is to become King and must go and retrieve his future queen from America, where she was hidden as a baby to keep her alive. Her father, the King at that time, had put to death the son of a Baron for murder, in turn the Baron promised to kill off all of the Janacek's, and the feud and deaths continued. All but Tatiana survived because she was sent away.

Tanya had a terrible life. The people who took her in as a baby owned a tavern and treated her like a slave. When Iris Dobb lived, she would take the beatings meant for Tanya. Since then, Tanya learned to survive and never cry.
Dobb was on his deathbed and promised the tavern to Tanya. She finally felt some control over her life. One night she had to replace one of her dancers with the seductive stage dance.
Stephen watched the beautiful dancer with eyes aglow. He knew her to be the serving wench and they were told for a few coins she would give him more than a dance. Somehow Tanya was able to survive another night with her virtue, even against the handsome man.
Stephan had to find the girl at the tavern who was suppose to be his future wife. He knew she had a special mark on her left cheek, the one she sat on. That was the telling mark to know if the tavern wench was really a princess. She was not easy to convince so they finally took her back with them, even if against her will. Which turned into a wild adventure between Tanya's escapes, attempted murders, kidnapping, jealous mistresses and more.
Tanya did not want to go with these men. She did not want to be married and have another man controlling her life. But is seems future Princesses don't always get what they want, or do they?

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my favorites

This is one of my favorite books. I have read it several times and it just keeps getting better. The heroine is really a princess but doesn't know it. She works in a tavern and had been mistreated her whole life. She is really beautiful but camouflages it by using makeup and ashes. The H is a prince who has to find his betrothed in America. She was sent there for her protection as a baby but unfortunately her caretaker died and she was brought up by a mean man and his wife. She was never told she was a princess. So she doesn't believe them when they come for her. The H has scars and thinks he's too ugly for beautiful women. He likes the h at first because he thinks she's ugly too but if course she's not. He also thinks she's a slattern and could be bought with coins. All kinds of misunderstandings ensue and she tries to run away several times. I loved their interactions and I especially loved the heroine 's personality. There is an ex-mistress involved and she shows up in the book several times. I hated that but it plays out well. The H was smoking hot to me. Loved him for the most part. Like I said I have read this over five or six times. It's a good historical romance and a definite favorite of mine.

[KC · Rating 2 out of 5]

Did Johanna Lindsey even write this? It lacked her usual passion, fun and excitement. Hmmm, maybe aliens took over her body with the intention of destroying Earth's culture one mediocre book at a time.

This is clearly a tribute to the Sleeping Beauty fairytale, but Once a Princess just isn't romantic or fun. For starters, it took Tanya a loooooooooong time to believe in her true identity as the lost princess of Cardinia. This became repetitive fast. It would have been more fun if she'd embraced the role early on. How many tavern wenches find out they're freaking royalty?!

Too much time was also spent on Tanya's retrieval from America. This part of the plot wouldn't have been so bad if Tanya and Stefan had actually spent quality time together building a believable relationship, but that's hard to accomplish when they're constantly chaperoned by and interacting with Stefan's entourage.

But the biggest problem was that when they were alone Stefan and Tanya barely shared any romantic and sexual chemistry: they talked a lot, but it never felt very exciting. (For them or for myself.) Even the sex they engaged in lacked sizzle. To top it all off, Stefan's insecurity over his scarred face made him restrain his passion which translated into a dull time for all.

[Χρύσα Βασιλείου · Rating 5 out of 5]

Η «Εξόριστη πριγκίπισσα» είναι το πρώτο από τα δύο βιβλία της διλογίας της Johanna Lindsey, με γενικό τίτλο «Ο θρόνος της Καρντίνια».

Όταν ο Στέφαν Μπαράνι ανακηρύσσεται ο νέος βασιλιάς της Καρντίνια δεν αναλαμβάνει μονάχα τις τυπικές υποχρεώσεις του ως μονάρχης της χώρας, αλλά και να φέρει εις πέρας μια ιδιαίτερη αποστολή: να ταξιδέψει μέχρι την Αμερική, να βρει τη γυναίκα που είναι κανονισμένο να παντρευτεί και να τη φέρει μαζί του πίσω στην Καρντίνια. Ο Στέφαν ξεκινάει απρόθυμος για το ταξίδι, μιας και δεν τρελαίνεται με την ιδέα του γάμου· όμως, δεν θα μπορούσε ποτέ να αψηφήσει το καθήκον του.
Η Τατιάνα δουλεύει ως σερβιτόρα σε μια παρακμιακή ταβέρνα κάπου στο Τέξας, αγνοώντας πως η ζωή της πρόκειται να αλλάξει πολύ σύντομα. Όταν τέσσερις παράξενοι ξένοι φτάσουν στη μικρή πόλη όπου ζει και επισκεφθούν την ταβέρνα, θα τη βρουν να αντικαθιστά τη μόνιμη χορεύτρια του μπαρ. Ο Στέφαν θα εντυπωσιαστεί από τη μυστηριώδη κοπέλα και τον σαγηνευτικό χορό της. Η έκπληξή του όμως θα είναι απείρως μεγαλύτερη όταν ανακαλύψει πως κάτω από τα πέπλα και το μακιγιάζ που χρησιμεύει ως προκάλυμμα της απίστευτης ομορφιάς της, κρύβεται η μέλλουσα σύζυγός του. Δεν θα αργήσει επίσης να συνειδητοποιήσει πως η κοπέλα δεν γνωρίζει ούτε ποια είναι, ούτε το χρέος της απέναντι στον θρόνο.
Η Τάνια δεν πιστεύει πως είναι πριγκίπισσα και αρνείται να ακολουθήσει τον Στέφαν και τους ανθρώπους του, όμως τελικά θα αναγκαστεί να το κάνει. Το ταξίδι της επιστροφής θα πραγματοποιηθεί κάτω από αντίξοες συνθήκες, αφού προσπαθεί συνεχώς να αποδράσει. Και δεν ευθύνεται γι’ αυτό μονάχα ο φόβος κι η αβεβαιότητα για το μέλλον της, αλλά και τα παράξενα συναισθήματα που νιώθει να ξυπνούν μέσα της για τον Στέφαν, τον οποίο είναι αποφασισμένη να απεχθάνεται. Κάτι παρόμοιο συμβαίνει και σε εκείνον· αισθάνεται περιφρόνηση για τη ζωή που υποθέτει πως έκανε η Τάνια μέχρι τώρα και οργή για το πείσμα της, που τους βάζει συνεχώς σε περιπέτειες, αλλά και έναν ανεξήγητο πόθο, που μετατρέπεται σιγά σιγά σε ένα άλλο, άγνωστο γι’ αυτόν συναίσθημα…

Η συγγραφέας έχει δημιουργήσει μια ακόμα ιδιαίτερη, συναρπαστική πλοκή, από αυτές στις οποίες μας έχει συνηθίσει. Το βιβλίο μάς ταξιδεύει χρονικά πίσω στο 1835, στην Καρντίνια, μια φανταστική χώρα κάπου στην ανατολική Ευρώπη. Βέβαια, η πλοκή εκτυλίσσεται –στο μεγαλύτερο μέρος της, τουλάχιστον– στην Αμερική και στην ηπειρωτική Ευρώπη, καθώς οι ήρωες επιστρέφουν στον τόπο τους. Καταφέρνει λοιπόν να μας ταξιδέψει, κυριολεκτικά και μεταφορικά, με πολλούς τρόπους. Επίσης πετυχαίνει να αποδώσει ρεαλιστικά και γλαφυρά το γενικό κλίμα του βιβλίου, σε κάθε επίπεδο: την ατμόσφαιρα που επικρατεί σε μια μικρή και ταπεινή πόλη της Αμερικής, αλλά και στο μεγαλοπρεπές παλάτι της Καρντίνια, τις ποικίλες εναλλαγές του καιρού, τα προβλήματα που συναντούν στο ταξίδι, τις παραδόσεις, τις συνήθειες, τα ήθη της εποχής και τα όσα αυτά επιτάσσουν… Και, φυσικά, τα συναισθήματα τα οποία καλούνται να αντιμετωπίσουν οι ήρωες. Πολύπλοκα, αντικρουόμενα, περίεργα και εκρηκτικά – ένας συνδυασμός που κρατάει το αναγνωστικό ένστικτο συνεχώς σε εγρήγορση.
Το ζευγάρι Στέφαν-Τατιάνα είναι απλά απολαυστικό. Από την πρώτη στιγμή που τα μάτια τους συναντιούνται γεννιέται ανάμεσά τους μια σπίθα, που με τον καιρό μετατρέπεται σε φλόγα. Δυναμικοί χαρακτήρες και οι δύο, έχοντας γνωρίσει και το σκληρό πρόσωπο της ζωής, δυσκολεύονται να εμπιστευτούν τόσο τους γύρω τους και ο ένας τον άλλον, όσο και τα ίδια τα συναισθήματά τους. Το πείσμα και ο εγωισμός τους δεν τους επιτρέπουν να κάνουν βήμα πίσω, ώσπου να αποδεχτούν πως η αγάπη τους κατάφερε τελικά να νικήσει όλα εκείνα που τους εμπόδιζαν να αναγνωρίσουν το τι αισθάνονται βαθιά στην καρδιά τους. Ιδιαίτερη –θετική– έκπληξη παρουσιάζει ο χαρακτήρας της Τάνιας, που αποδεικνύεται μια γυναίκα ‘με παντελόνια’, μια αληθινά απολαυστική ηρωίδα που επιθυμεί να είναι ανεξάρτητη κι ελεύθερη, σε μια εποχή και μια κοινωνία που κάτι τέτοιο θεωρούνταν, απλά, αδιανόητο. Δεν σταματά ούτε λεπτό να μάχεται για να ελευθερωθεί και να διεκδικεί όσα έχει ονειρευτεί για το μέλλον της. Από την πρώτη στιγμή το ελεύθερο πνεύμα και ο δυναμικός χαρακτήρας της την κάνουν συμπαθή στον αναγνώστη, ο οποίος ελπίζει στο happy end –αλίμονο!– και αδημονεί για τη στιγμή που θα παραδεχτεί εκείνη πως ο Στέφαν είναι ο άντρας της ζωής της· όχι εκείνος που την καταδυναστεύει, αλλά που την συμπληρώνει ιδανικά και είναι το άλλο της μισό.
Η «Εξόριστη πριγκίπισσα» είναι ένα διαφορετικό παραμύθι, όπου ο βασιλιάς αναζητά τη βασίλισσά του από υποχρέωση, κι εκείνη προσπαθεί συνεχώς να του το σκάσει. Όμως, όπως σε όλα τα παραμύθια, στο τέλος ο έρωτας θριαμβεύει και οι δυο τους «ζουν καλά κι εμείς καλύτερα». Και τη διαδρομή μέχρι αυτό το τέλος σίγουρα αξίζει να την ακολουθήσετε!

[*CJ* · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good pre sleep Johanna Lindsey read!
Heavily recommended due to me being in book funk, I picked up this series by JL.. and I wasn't disappointed.
Tatiana works as a bar keeper to escape the beatings and sour mood of her keeper.
Four men, Stefan, Vasili, Serge and Lazar intrude her almost there freedom, when her dancer falls sick and she falls in their clutches. All have different personalities and all are in the lookout for a royalty.
They believe she is a long lost princess and take her away from the life she's known, due to a birth mark. She believes she is being kidnapped and her cynicism is the most entertaining part of the book.
Firstly I loved Tanya/ Tatiana. She never gives up and continues to escape.. again and again and again. She is a great reality check for our men and despite the BS they throw her- she takes it all in stride, with a smile and gives it to them back with a double dose.
Stefan, our scarred arrogant prince who takes out anger via hot sex, took me some time to get used to; but his tender moments do prove he is a good hero. He relentlessly pursues the heroine for his reasons- which do change. However I'd have liked to see some more hunka hunk moments between the main couple.
That being said my issues
- the verbal abuse the heroine faces and being called a whore 50 ways
- Alicia
- my moment of doubt when he stays with the mistress
- the virginity paradigm
I read it right before sleep last night and my dreams were heavily influenced.
A wonderful book to read, but certainly not the best by JL.
Not safe by definitions he's kissed by the heroine after he returns. He entertains her and at a moment also considers? Sleeping with her- but doesn't end up doing so
3.75/5

[Erika B. (SOS BOOKS) · Rating 3 out of 5]

The fact that the main hero uses kissing as an anger outlet got me like


Mmmk....does this happen to anybody in reality out there in the Goodreads universe? When I'm angry I go driving and usually find me some donuts or something! We all deal with emotions in different ways I guess! I am currently on a quest to find an alternative to Julia Quinn (she is queen aka hard to replace) because I've read all her books...almost. So I gave Ms Lindsey a whirl! I will give it to this book-there were some fun moments of this book-fun tension that I liked! Might go ahead and try another!

Erika's Amazon Link

[Lillian · Rating 3 out of 5]

Prince/king of some made up Eastern European kingdom travels to Mississippi to collect his clueless betrothed.

Most of it is their journey back to the made up country. It felt like a lot of JL books I’ve read. Enjoyable enough read.

[Jo-Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joanna Lindsey has a wonderful way of spinning a tale. Tanya worked in a tavern in America and didn't know she was a princess from the European country of Cardinia. That's weird. How could she not know? Well, because she was taken away from that country as an infant, so she would not be murdered like the rest of her royal family. At birth, she was betrothed to the Prince of Cardinia, Stefan, so he was tasked with finding her and then taking her back to Cardinia so they could marry.

When Tanya met Stefan with his guards, she did not believe their story that she was a princess and were taking her to Cardinia. She thought they were stealing her for nefarious reasons, and she was not going meekly. Being a strong woman who was used to taking control, Tanya was not going to foolishly believe their fairy tale.

Being a prince, Stefan was used to getting anything he wanted. He didn't know how to handle Tanya's disobedience. And was not happy by having to marry this woman.

Tanya began to care for Stefan and finally believed she was a princess. He cared for her too but was so concerned about his scarred face that he didn't think a beautiful woman like Tanya (he had eventually seen her without makeup) would be interested in him.

I really enjoyed this book, especially the ending. It has romance, mystery and humour, too.

[Pamela(AllHoney) · Rating 5 out of 5]

The first in the Cardinia's Royal Family series by Johanna Lindsey. I loved this book. I thought it was hilarious. Tanya (Tatiana) works in her guardian's tavern with high hopes of inheriting it someday. All hope of that dies when a group of men come and kidnap her to take back to their country. After all she is their long lost princess and its time for her to take her place by the prince's side.

[Selenita · Rating 1 out of 5]

Vamos a dejar un par de cosas claras, yo creía que eran palmarias pero se ve que no:

1) Comer es una necesidad vital, si no comes te mueres, así de simple; el sexo no es una necesidad vital, puedes pasar toda tu vida sin tener sexo y ser centenaria.

2) Sí que es cierto que se pueden tener movimientos y reacciones involuntarias. Los primeros se reducen a acciones tales como dar un repullo, templar, parpadear, etcétera. Las segundas, si hablamos de hambre, pueden ser que te salive la boca cuando piensas en comida o la ves y/o hueles; y, si hablamos de excitación sexual, pueden consistir en que tengas un principio de erección o empieces a lubricar ante estímulos visuales.

Voy a añadir otros datos: a pesar de que comer sea una necesidad vital y el sexo no, la voluntad humana es tan fuerte que puedes elegir morirte de hambre. Aunque lleves más de dos semanas sin comer, situación en la que te estás muriendo literalmente, lo que supone que tienes unos impulsos brutales que pueden enloquecerte con tal de conseguir comer, hay gente que sigue siendo capaz de aguantar. Testimonios reales de guerrillas y soldados japoneses en Filipinas y Nueva Guinea muestran que, aún en esas condiciones de estarse muriendo, tomaban racionalmente la decisión de seguir pasando hambre antes que cometer canibalismo; porque el canibalismo les parecía tan mal que preferían no considerar la opción, pese al estado en que se encontraban.

¿A qué viene todo lo anterior? A que si un hombre me viene con la excusa de que no puede evitar violar porque cuando se excita no controla la única respuesta posible es meterte dos patadas: una en la cara por violador de mierda y otra en la entrepierna por hipócrita. Y eso es lo que pasa con el protagonista de este libro: es un violador, pero te dicen que hay que perdonarlo y entenderlo porque si se excita no es capaz de controlar y realiza movimientos "inconscientes" consistentes en arrastras a una mujer a la fuerza o quitarle la ropa o besarla y toquetearla sin permiso. No. No hay excusas ni perdón y eso no se hace "sin querer", es que es un violador porque no se tiene sexo ni se hace nada de eso "sin poder evitarlo".

Se supone que hay que perdonarle lo anterior porque ha sufrido mucho, ya que tiene problemas sociales debido a que la gente, y en especial las mujeres según cuentan, no se le acercan mucho porque tiene la cara desfigurada por un ataque de lobos. Dejando de lado que eso sigue sin excusar que sea un violador, es que directamente es mentira. Tal y como te lo pintan yo esperaba que le faltaran un ojo o media cara, que se le viera la mandíbula, que no tuviera nariz o algo similar. Una cosa grotesca que justificara que la gente del primer vistazo se horrorizara. Pues bien, resulta que en realidad tiene así como un par de cicatrices de arañazos en una mejilla que no siempre se le notan a menos que mires de cerca o ponga determinadas expresiones. Obviamente porque la autora quería darle la típica excusa de haber sufrido como si eso justificara ser un capullo violento y violador, pero a la vez no quería renunciar a un protagonista físicamente atractivo. Supongo que según la autora los hombres feos no merecen amor, pero los maltratadores y violadores violentos sí. Patético y sin sentido, como toda la historia del libro, en realidad, que es rocambolesca a más no poder y se sostiene sobre coincidencias y malentendidos inverosímiles.

Por si todo lo anterior no bastara, encima el protagonista y sus amistades son putófobos y desprecian a las mujeres por tener sexo, y en especial a las prostitutas a las que pintan como lo peor y que dan asco las muy guarras; cuando ellos son los primeros que fardan de irse de putas. Misoginia en estado puro, considerando que los hombres pueden tener mucho sexo, pero las mujeres merecen o no respeto en función de si son vírgenes; y si no lo son las puedes tratar como trapos, aparentemente. Lo peor es que la protagonista femenina es la primera que está de acuerdo y desprecia a otras mujeres por tener sexo, y en espacial a las prostitutas. Repugnante que se culpe a las mujeres que se prostituyen, como si no fuera algo horrible que se hace por necesidad en la mayoría de los casos, a la vez que se justifica a los hombres que se van de putas (manteniendo el sistema de prostitución, porque si no hubiera demanda no habría oferta) como si nada. Y es especialmente enfermizo e irreal que la propia protagonista piense igual y culpabilice a las mujeres cuando ella es la primera que ha evitado a toda costa tener que prostituirse porque lo encontraba horrible. Además de romantizar luego el acoso que sufre del protagonista masculino, algo también despreciable y totalmente inverosímil en una mujer que ha sufrido varias veces acoso sexual e intentos de violación hasta el punto de ir armada por si acaso.

[Nicole R · Rating 2 out of 5]

Let me sum this up quickly before I dive into my mini-rant: soon-to-be King from Eastern Europe is betrothed to a princess who was sent to America when she was 5 months old to escape a blood feud with some crazy mother f-ers. Said STBK (soon-to-be king....) travels to Mississippi to find said princess who was to have been raised in the lap of luxury to come home and bear him an heir while he continues to bone every chick in the joint. Imagine his surprise when tragedy had struck and this woman ended up as a Cinderella-esque slave in a bar tavern to a man who beat her. But now he has to get her from Mississippi to Cardinia...against her will...

Oh, did I mention she is the most gorgeous woman in the world but hides her beauty.

And she is a virgin.

Oh, and did I mention that the STBK has a couple of scars on his face (like, not a big deal) that he totally needs some therapy about.

So this is really a cross between Cinderella and Beauty and the Beast with a makeover scene from Miss Congeniality.

With a touch of 50 Shades because STBK gets angry and likes to work out that aggression between the sheets.

Whatever.

Up until this point, I am not really judging anyone. That is actually a premise I can get behind. (Minus the 20 year old virgin part. Seriously?!?)

At this point, I remember what my problem is with a lot of historical romance (and hence my preference for contemporary romance). For some inexplicable reason, historical romance writers seem to forget that no actually means no and portray rape as something that is okay if the guy is hot. I am all about romanticizing sex (simultaneous orgasms? Let's have a show of hands how often THAT happens) but I am not all about romanticizing rape.

And it bothers me that books do this. (says the woman who is queuing up the next Diana Gabaldon book).

I get it. It is symbolic of a woman's unacknowledged need to be dominated by a strong man. It starts as what we call "date rape" in college but morphs into true love. It is rape as the key to unlocking a woman's tightly crossed legs so she can recognize her sexuality.

It's bullshit.

And, in case you couldn't tell, it really annoys me.

Call me feminist. Call me overreactive. Call me what you will. But I love me a good, descriptive, erotic sex scene but think it is way better when the woman isn't opposed to the sex and forced into it before discovering what she has been missing all these years.

Okay. Rant over. Please resume your daily lives.

[Mehvish · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book gave me Bridgerton (and at times Shadow and Bone ) vibes but doesn't live up to that. It started out fine, but it got so tedious to read it - got so bored that I skimmed till the very end after chap 20.

The plot had potential, but the characters were bleh. And the smut wasn't appetizing nor satisfying. tbh-, it felt forced, flat, and annoying. Ana didi (Ana Huang), you have spoiled me 🤣.

Buddy read with K , who's also spoiled by Ana didi/Talia Hibbert's smut lmao!

[Stephanie (Jump) · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ok in truthfulness I didn't read the whole story. I could barely get into this one. I just didn't enjoy it. This was one of her higher rated books too.

Our boy genius hero
We meet our hero first, and after the first scene with his father, we meet the evil OW the mistress - and they have sex offpage. It's not descriptive. But boy is this lady ever present - more about that later.

Hero has scars and he is obsessively insecure about them. We learn he uses sex to get rid of his anger (so mature), and he is gullible enough that said mistress can manipulate him to think she gets bruised during his rougher sex sessions so that he buys her jewelry.

And why should any smart man not be wary of the mistress' words about his fiancée - she is only the woman who's about to take more importance in your life than the mistress and become queen. With such a king, I worry for the future of their nation.

Too much drama. The drama and misunderstanding continues through out the book.

The mistress is there, ever present, all the way until the end of the book. In fact she appears in the last chapter of the book, in a confrontation w the heroine. Why? Hero does refuse her advances by Chapter 38 (of a 49 chapter book). I just don't know why she needs to keep popping up like a bad case of acne. Enough of that plot line.

In fact, the hero finds out his fiancée was a chaste virgin after all in the last chapter, in the very last scene (no, our boy genius did not figure it out when he had sex with her). At the same time, he also finally understands that she doesn't mind his scars either. And they confess their love for their HEA.

I wish that the main characters had resolve each of their issues/misunderstanding gradually throughout the book, instead of suddenly like the author just had to wrap up the story. It would have shown us they can communicate honestly with each other. Instead the author left us with mostly angry conversations and accusations between the two and not enough sweet to make up for it. None of her books have an epilogue but in this case especially it was definitely missing.

I'm beginning to think I read all of JL's good books already. That would be disappointing.

At a Glance
Safety warnings Hero has mistress in the story. There is sex off page with this OW who is scheming to break them apart. The mistress is in the story until the end.
HEA Yes

[Katherine 黄爱芬 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Love Tanya and Stefan!!!!
walaupun rasanya juga pengen tabok Stefan pas ga nolak2 amat ama selirnya, tp yaaaahhh scr keseluruhan ini novel menarik bangett... ampe ga sabar buat menyelesaikannya.
tapi tetep gw lbh cinta ama vasili drpd stefan.

[Ekaterin · Rating 2 out of 5]

Voilà ce qu'il se passe quand une maison d'édition tarde des années à publier les suites. J'aimais beaucoup Johanna Lindsey... mais dans les années 90. Déjà à l'époque elle avait du bon mais aussi du très mauvais.
On évolue, les styles et les goûts changent. C'est comme quand on revoit avec des années une amie d'enfance et que l'on se rend compte que l'on n'a plus rien à se dire. C'est surtout triste.

Je lui mets 2 parce que j'ai encore tous mes livres d'elle publiés dans la collection Aventures et Passions. Mais sinon cela méritait 1. Le héros est un crétin homme des caverne et elle une insupportable tête à claque. Aucune histoire, aucun dialogue que des prises de becs

Petite aparté technique, on ne dit pas danse du ventre mais danse orientale. Danse du ventre c'est réducteur, la danse orientale ne se résume pas à bouger les fesses et les seins. Pas étonnant que l'héroïne passe pour une p*** ^^

[Lindsay pinkcowlandreads · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐️

[Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince · Rating 2 out of 5]

Once a Princess was not one of my favorite Lindseys. I'd put this in the unremarkable category with books like Glorious Angel and Tender is the Storm. Not her worst, by any means, but not her best either. Maybe it was the aesthetics of the book. I've always been a curmudgeon who doesn't like change simply for the sake of change, so it was a shock that June 1991 to find the Lindsey covers were now totally different from before. The font was more "romantic" with its loops and curves; it was a step-back; Avon had updated Johanna Lindsey's photo on the inside back cover; and where the heck was Fabio?

Anyway, the "secret princess" from a fake country plot didn't wow me. It's the 19th century, and Stefan Barany from the (fictional) kingdom of Cardinia is in Mississippi to find the long-lost Princess Tatiana. She was stolen as an infant from her family, and they've searched for her for years. How will Stefan know who she is? Well, she's got a special little birthmark hidden away in a private place that will prove her identity. That sounds positively regal.

Tanya, the princess they're looking for, is working in a tavern, getting paid a pittance, and treated like garbage. I believe the first words in this book were "Tanya, ya slut!" so you know she gets no respect. I think she tried to make herself look ugly on purpose to get the customers not to harass her, and Stefan thought Tanya was unattractive, too, until her ugly makeup came off when she was doing some naked swimming, and Stefan caught sight of her.

I didn't love this because I never warmed up to the characters. This was one of those Lindsey's where the protagonists are unbearable. Stefan was a grouch mainly due to insecurity about being ugly due to his scarred face, and Tanya was too feisty, fighting for the sake of fighting. Together they just argued and argued for ages.

I preferred Stefan's cousin Vasili, and I suppose JL did too, as she gave him his own book You Belong to Me.

Once a Princess took me forever to finish, and I skimmed a lot to get to the end. For me to do that with a Johanna Lindsey book was unheard of at the time. I thought this one was a sign of things to come, but for the time being, it was just an anomaly, as I loved her next books from Prisoner of My Desire to Surrender My Love. By the time the book after SML came out, I actually was busy having a social life and dating guys, so I had neither the time nor inclination to read romances until years later. (TMI, I know, but that's what I do in these reviews.).

2 stars

[Slayermel · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really enjoy this book, and it does not matter how many times I read it there are always parts that make me laugh out loud.

This is the story of Tanya who grew up poor and working for a mean spirited man named Dobbs in his Tavern. When Dobbs becomes ill, Tanya’s luck seems to be on the rise as she is able to run the Tavern and finally have a taste of freedom. That is until Stefan walks into her life with his three friends.

They have come to collect Tanya home to Cardinia to get married to Stefan who is King. It would seem she’s a princess who has been hidden away until now; at least that’s what they keep trying to get her to believe. Tanya or Tatiana as they say is her birth name is not convinced and believes they are trying to abduct her to sell to a brothel. It just seems so much more believable then four men showing up telling you your some long lost princess.

There are many interesting moments between Tanya and Stefan and I really enjoyed their characters. The constant misunderstandings due to self consciousness, stubbornness and arrogance were very entertaining. I also loved the side characters, especially Vasili! Topping off the story is a bit of a mystery due to a blood feud between two families and the adventure of escaping an assassin and you have a full fledged Romance. Oh and let’s not forget to mention the many hot and steamy love scenes which actually complete the novel. :0)

I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys historical romances.

[BJ Rose · Rating 5 out of 5]

Tanya works in a Mississippi tavern - with dreams of soon owning it herself - when along comes a small group of very arrogant men who tell her she's a lost princess and they're going to take her to her destiny. Yeah, sure, what intelligent woman would believe that line?! So she does her best not to go with them, and they do their best to make sure she does. Pretty much a foregone conclusion, since there are 4 of them against one determined, able-to-take-care-of-herself feisty gal.

Since this is a romance, you know everything's going to work out at the end, but it's the journey that makes this a fun read; and what an action-packed journey it is! I loved the personalities and interactions of the characters. This was a reread for me, and I enjoyed it just as much the 3rd time as I did the first.

[Sue Lyndon · Rating 5 out of 5]

I finally got around to reading this last week...and yet again Johanna Lindsey blew me away. If you like romance stories that begin with a betrothal/arranged marriage and the hero and heroine start out at odds with one another, you'll probably like this book. The hero is very dominant and determined to bring the heroine back to his country, even if it means chasing the heroine and dragging her back kicking and screaming. Don't worry, they fall in love along the way. The only thing that might bother some people about this book is that the hero does spank the heroine once and threatens to do it again a number of times - but compared to the abuse she suffered as a child, it doesn't really phase her. But if you're familiar with this author, you probably already know what I mean. I highly recommend this book to others...it's defintely one of those 'can't put it down' books

[Anisashraf · Rating 4 out of 5]

The beginning too slow or fast, I don't know. But, I can't keep on. Rest for a while, after that, I read again and finished in one night. Huhu. The story a little complicated to me, especially at the beginning, maybe I was wrong because my english not so good.

Tanya is a princess, lost from her parents. Raised by a stranger whose claim they were her parents. After sometimes, when she has fully grown up, came someone said she is a princess and his wife to be. Never want to believe it, she took escapes from their journey to back home. And, his husband to be, Stefan is too arrogant, want to marry her to fulfill his father wished.

After each of her escape failed, she finally gives up. When she started fell in love with Stefan, his mistress came to meet her and said the marriage is only in the name. And the ending, just like every novel, the hero will be with heroin. Happy ending. ^.^

[Christy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I've had this book sitting in my garage since I was a toddler and just picked it up yesterday out of boredom. I actually found it quite a good book. Although all the hints are there at first to how the outcome is going to turn out, I didn't quite catch them as I was so consumed with the whole love story. Tanya shows to be not as naive as they picture her and proves to be a better woman from how she was raised. I was quite disappointed at how fast Stefan and his fellas were to judge the young Tanya. Either way it all worked out and I can't wait to read the second book to this series.

[Booked · Rating 5 out of 5]

description

ONCE UPON A TIME...
In a rustic Mississippi tavern, a beautiful exiled princess was forced to dance for the pleasure of others--unaware of her regal birthright ... and infuriated by a magnificent, golden-eyed devil who crossed an ocean to possess her.

FROM A FAR OFF LAND...
A bold and brazen prince came to America to claim his promised bride. But the spirited vixen spurned his affections while inflaming his royal blood with passion's fire... impelling virile Stefan Barany to take in sensuous and searing conquest the love young Tatiana vowed never to yield.