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The Christmas Princess Swap #1

The Royal Pregnancy Test

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Royal drama has just taken on a whole new meaning in this sexy surprise pregnancy story by USA TODAY bestselling author Heidi Rice.

Carrying his Majesty’s heir…
Is she or isn’t she?

Princess Juno won’t stand by and let her twin sister be forced into a loveless marriage with King Leonardo of Severene. Juno switches places with her for Christmas, intent on ruining the match. A night of electrifying pleasure with the playboy King wasn’t part of the plan!

Leo has never felt such searing attraction, least of all for his duty-bound fiancée. It’s clear why, when her true identity is revealed! But Juno’s princess swap is going to have shocking consequences, when they realize they need a royal pregnancy test…!

From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds.

Read both books in The Christmas Princess Swap
Book 1: The Royal Pregnancy Test by Heidi Rice
Book 2: The Queen’s Impossible Boss by Natalie Anderson

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published October 27, 2020

74 people are currently reading
100 people want to read

About the author

Heidi Rice

601 books412 followers
My name's Heidi Rice, I'm a USA Today Bestselling author. I'm married with two sons (which gives me rather too much of an insight into the male psyche!).

I love my job because it involves sitting down at my computer and getting swept up in a world of high emotions, sensual excitement, funny feisty women, sexy tortured men and glamourous locations where laundry doesn't exist ...

I also tutor a 14-week in-depth online Write a Romance Novel course. So, if you have ever wanted to learn how to write romance from a bestselling author, check it out here: www.profwritingacademy.com/course/wri...

Now I believe wholeheartedly that readers should give honest and open reviews on Goodreads and Amazon and elsewhere. If you didn't like a book you are entitled to say so (even if it's mine! ouch). But you may notice that none of my book reviews are less than four-stars. That's simply because as an author myself I know how pathetically sensitive I am about bad reviews and with that in mind I prefer to spread the love among other authors — and don't do public reviews of books I didn't like. Just thought I'd clarify that!

You can find out about my latest releases and all my other books at www.heidi-rice.com

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5 stars
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Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,162 reviews560 followers
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October 5, 2020
Thanks to my friend Esther for letting us know heroine is not a virgin. Plus all my favorite tropes are missing so I will skip this. An epilogue without pregnancy/baby doesn't cut it for me. Thanks Esther again! ❤️
Profile Image for Nicola.
1,390 reviews287 followers
November 27, 2020
With royals, and indeed a pregnancy test, Heidi Rice has taken a trope I’m not that fond of—the identity swap—and created an entertaining story with likeable characters that worked for me.

description ...no one here even suspected a girl from Queens was masquerading as a queen among them tonight”

If you’re looking for a specific set of tropes, the clue is generally in the title of a Harlequin/Mills & Boon and true to their brand, modern day absolutely meets fairytale here. I’m off to see how Natalie Anderson fairs with the other twin.

description
Profile Image for Melody Cox.
1,502 reviews179 followers
March 29, 2021
Enjoyable but slow moving. Off to read book #2.
Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,789 reviews
June 9, 2021
Carrying his Majesty’s heir… Is she or isn’t she?

Princess Juno won’t stand by and let her twin sister be forced into a loveless marriage with King Leonardo of Severene. Juno switches places with her for Christmas, intent on ruining the match. A night of electrifying pleasure with the playboy King wasn’t part of the plan!

Leo has never felt such searing attraction, least of all for his duty-bound fiancée. It’s clear why, when her true identity is revealed! But Juno’s princess swap is going to have shocking consequences, when they realize they need a royal pregnancy test…!
Profile Image for Susan in Perthshire.
2,217 reviews119 followers
November 16, 2020
Heidi Rice has done it again. A brilliantly executed Romance - a version of the ‘impersonating a twin’ trope with the added ‘Royal’ dimension and set in a wonderfully evocative mountain setting at Christmas. I loved every minute of it and it’s been added to my ‘to be read again’ pile!

The basic premise is that Princess Juno persuades her sister Queen Jade to swap with her so that Jade can escape her reality and think about whether she really wants to marry neighbouring King Leo, a man with a rather doubtful reputation as far as women are concerned. Princess Juno has been away from her homeland since she was 16 and is filled with self doubt and feelings of worthlessness because of her father’s behaviour. This colours her behaviour with Leo for a long time.

King Leo finds himself strangely attracted to the new version of Queen Jade at the Ball, and from the point that they meet, that attraction is mutual, red hot and building and leads to an explosive sexual encounter. The development of their relationship, the way they start to share their deepest secrets with each other while waiting to see if Juno is pregnant is beautifully done.

The author creates wonderfully believable characters, who engage one’s interest and concern. Her prose is faultless - as it just flows beautifully regardless of the situation or emotions in the scene. There is real sensitivity and poetry in the way she tells the story.

I really liked the dual POV which allowed the reader to totally understand where the h/H were coming from.

There’s an amazing mix of drama, humour, emotion and excitement in the story and I finished it with a smile on my face! Thank you Heidi!

Now looking forward to Queen Jade’s story.
2,372 reviews
December 2, 2020
Major plot spoilers ahead. Read at your own risk.

4.5 stars

After taking a bit of a hiatus from Harlequin Presents books, this was a welcome return to the the series line. It had many of the tropes that I have come to love from this line, but with a little bit of a twist to it. The fact that this happened to be one their holiday stories for this year just seemed like the perfect one to pick up at this time of year.

This was an interesting one with the basic premise of the twins swapping places. It had been done before in this line, but something just felt different about it. One reason being that the twins had been raised apart from one another for the past eight years or so with very different upbringings. Juno was living in New York with an alcoholic mother, struggling through her day to day life in the least glamours way possible while her sister Jade was the queen of their country with every luxury imaginable at her fingertips. They were great love between these siblings even the circumstances that they were in mostly at the hands of their father the king. So, these girls had very different personalities and ways about them that made them very distinct and very easy to tell them part, or so you would think. Jade was made to be the ruler while Juno was the discarded/“bad girl” princess that was basically in exile. That made for an interesting dynamic.

Add another layer to the story was the fact the reason for Juno’s exile was King Leonardo aka Leo. The reason why was she tried to kiss Leo after a budding crush that had been building for months upon months. She threw herself at him, which he rejected due to her being only sixteen at the time. This caused not only hurt and embarrassment for poor Juno, but earned her a one way ticket to New York with her mother away from her loving twin. Understandably the left quite a mark on Juno, though she pretended to be hard on the outside, she really was vulnerable, yearning someone to love her. Juno didn’t have the best feelings about Leo especially when she learned that he was looking for alliance with her country by marrying her twin sister Jade. That just rubbed salt into the wound and was the impetus to the twins switching place so Juno could make sure this marriage wouldn’t take place between the two of them as well as just give her sister some freedom that she had been missing all her life.

The tension was already thick with Juno’s “hate” for Leo as she approached him as her sister, but what she didn’t count on was the amount of chemistry that she felt between them as soon as their eyes met. Leo immediately felt it too and couldn’t understand why when he never had those types of feelings for Jade in the past. Those sparks flew between them. Oh my goodness did that. It was hot and sexy as they went round for round with each other in this sensual tango that they were dancing around each other. It was pretty steamy. I thought that they would get to some bedroom activity pretty quickly because of all that sexual tension between them. It was thick and it was intense. It was so good. Those moments were some of the best banter/sexual foreplay scenes that I have ever read. It was done perfectly.

And Leo didn’t have a clue, which made it fun yet worrisome at the same time because it was going to come out eventually. What surprised me though was how long it did go on and how long it took them before they finally gave into their attraction to one another. They had heated moments together, but never went all the way. It worked because of how it was paced out. It upped the stakes between them because not only was their physical attraction growing by leaps and bounds, but so was their emotional connection to one another. They got to see each other’s pains and vulnerabilities and everything else that the world never saw beneath the surface. That bond and attachment was full formed between them before they went to bed together and it made them yearn for it even more because of that. It was great development.

Then the moment came between them that exploded in many different ways. The love scene between them was hot and spicy. It was intense. It was intimate. It was about their connection. It just had what they had been wanting and needing from each other since their eyes met that first time. It brought them closer up until the moment when the truth was revealed, which was shortly after, then everything went to hell after that as you can imagine. The heat that they had before was transformed into anger that was spewed on Juno in a very painful way. Did she deserve it? Yes, but it still gutted me when it happened.

Then during Christmas he took her to his isolated cabin until the time that they would find out if she was pregnant or not. He was still very angry and lots going on emotionally for sure, but to counteract that they had some great moments together in the cabin. Romantic and Christmassy moments like the snowball fight, which was freaking hilarious, and then lead into some sexy time moments. That was great. I enjoyed seeing those Christmas get played out to enhance the romance between Leo and Juno.

It got really emotional after that because he refused to connect with her emotional and just focus on the physical aspect. What got to me the most was how much it was killing Juno that was what he was doing. I could feel her pain and longing for the love that she had so been desperately searching for her whole life not only with Leo but her father as well. Each time that she reached out, she would be rejected. She reflected that she shouldn’t have done that, knowing that they only was second best. It just killed me when she said. It brought tears to my eyes especially when she was trying to get that connection back with Leo again, but couldn’t bridge gap between them and coming to accept that. One of the moments that gutted me was when after they made love, she asked him to stay for the first time ever because she needed him in that moment yet knowing he would never truly be hers. It was heartbreaking. The only thing was that he did stay the night with her and hold her for the first time ever, but it was still heartbreaking nonetheless.

The last thirty or so pages just made feel so much. I had tears in my eyes the entire time. I think a few slipped down my cheeks because I could feel how much they both were feeling emotionally. Juno with her need for love from him because she loved him so much while Leo being devastated when he thought he lost after she ran away. The feels just were so real and so intense that it got to me. It hurt yet it hurt so good especially when they got their happily ever after in the end.

There were a couple things that I wish were explored a little more, but overall this was a great Christmas Presents read. It had a lot of elements to it. It had a lot of feels. There was tons of chemistry and tension between Leo and Juno both sexually and emotionally. They had really great banter together. They had some sweet and tender moments together. I loved the vulnerable moments that they showed to each other. I liked seeing them connect and begin to understand one another all the backdrop of the whole twins swap being drifted in the background as the ultimate conflict between them that created one big ball of angst. It was great. It was amazing. It wonderful. I had a great ride while reading this. I can’t wait to read Queen Jade’s story next to complete this duet.





































This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Christy Hammond.
Author 1 book2 followers
January 26, 2021
This was a fun read. Heidi Rice is really good at taking the formula romance books and adding depth to her characters and interesting twists to the usual romance book plot lines.
Profile Image for TashNz.
729 reviews21 followers
October 28, 2020
The Royal Pregnancy Test by Heidi Rice is a November 2020 Harlequin Presents which I adored!

Chaos ensues after Princess Juno secretly swaps lives over the Christmas period with her twin sister Queen Jade, hoping to give her sister a glimpse of what normal life is like before the Queen has to settle into the confines of a loveless marriage with King Leo of Severene.

On the outside happy and carefree and labeled spoilt by some, Juno is shocked by the electrifying attraction that hits both her and Leo! Humiliated by a previous rejection from him long ago, she’s thrown for a six. It’s more than shocking to King Leo, it’s unconceivable that out of nowhere his attraction to Queen Jade has hit him like a freight train, unlike when he met her earlier, he had previously felt nothing beyond royal duty to join two kingdoms.

Woven through a beautiful and enchanting alpine winter wonderland is a funny, emotional, entertaining and magical story, full of wonderful dialogue, mischievous adventure, sincere heartbreak and emotion that can only be created by the talented Heidi Rice. I found Juno to be so likeable and brave; and I loved her mingling with the townsfolk. Leo is also likeable and brave; the perfect dark to Juno’s light and the scene where he finds out the truth is incredibly powerful with emotion.

What starts off as a not very well thought out plan turns into a journey of true love and strength that soulmates create. I really, really enjoyed Princess Juno’s story and I cannot wait to see what to see what trouble Queen Jade has been getting herself into in New York.
Profile Image for Lynn Brooks.
3,536 reviews45 followers
December 15, 2020
4 1/2 STARS!

A delectable attraction will steal your heart when you dive into this royal twin switch! With the first book in The Christmas Princess Swap duet Heidi Rice sets the stage for the unruly princess to step in and take her sister's place over Christmas. The characters are intriguing and the chemistry between them is sizzling. I'm looking forward to wrapping the duet up with Jade's story!

Juno is attention grabbing. She's sweet and misunderstood while letting her feisty and adventurous side show. I loved her connection to Leo!

Leonardo is kind-hearted but rigid in the beginning and it's really something to see how Juno's affection warms him.

I highly recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a royal romance mixed with secrets and scandal.
51 reviews1 follower
October 9, 2020
I enjoyed this book. This is an easy read for a rainy afternoon when you want to laugh a bit and not be challenged.

I like the switched places stories and crushes story. Hero is your playboy king who needs to clean up his act and marry for political purposes. Heroine is the twin of the queen. h has not been home and has been living in America due to a divorce of the parents and disapproval of the king. I liked our strong h - she was sassy and kind. It took me awhile to begin to like the King because he seemed to only have sex on his mind.

I would not put it on any shelf where I would race to reread it. But it was enjoyable.
Profile Image for Cat E..
Author 3 books65 followers
October 30, 2021
Juno wanted to be accepted

Juno wanted to help her sister out, but deep down she was also doing this for herself. Switch places, be Queen and prove your late father wrong. The father who kicked her out of his life. The one thing she didn’t count on was falling for Leo. Man! This was the cutest romantic Christmas book I’ve read in a long time. Leo knew it was something different about Jade, he just never thought the reason was because it wasn’t Jade. But Juno, she makes his heart race and in the end, she will be his Queen and mother of his heir❤️❤️😍😍😍😍. Go Leo & Juno.
Profile Image for Martha.
534 reviews1 follower
January 18, 2021
This is about King Leo and Juno. Juno decided to switch places with her sister Jade to give Jade an opportunity to not have duty weighing her down for once until she has to return to the palace and take up the mantle again. I love HEA's and will continue to read them.
900 reviews2 followers
April 28, 2021
I enjoyed the fast paced story. Twin sisters, who are also royal, switching places. This is one sisters story. Junk and Leo have such chemistry they would ignite. Like I said, fast paced, and a good read.
338 reviews20 followers
June 20, 2021
What the hell did I read! How did this book get so many good ratings?

Some spoilers ahead.

The heroine was so childish and immature. If you are swapping positions with your queen sister, act like her at least. What did she expect will happen with her deception? Did she really think that she could walk away from the king after sleeping with him and not have consequences of actions? What was the queen thinking of doing something like that? Did she think about how it will affect the dealings of her country? What kind of grooming was done for her to take such a risk with her country? Where were all the supposed running of country tasks that come with queen and king title? The chances of finding out about pregnancy within a week of having sex are minimal. Stupid book. Its making me mad writing the review. There are so many flaws in the concept and the rating just seems odd seeing all these obvious flaw in the story.
Profile Image for Mattie.
1,993 reviews8 followers
February 28, 2023
It was ok. They had good chemistry, I liked he wasn't attracted to heroine's twin sister (but he did originally plan to marry the sister even with the lack of attraction to her).

I didn't like the plot very much, it wasn't horrible, but I wouldn't want to re-read it. P.
Profile Image for Sheridan Kunde.
694 reviews5 followers
December 3, 2022
This one was okay but there was a lot of instalove - I'm drawn to her and I don't know why - going on. The heroine has gone on describing how she's going to confront the hero but them completely doesn't because all she can think about when he's around is her vagina. I am rolling my eyes.

This heroine really annoyed me with her stupid decisions. She's a friggin' princess who was meant to grow up street smart? But she makes so many incredibly stupid decisions ans does so many incredibly stupid things.

Also what is with romances and they have like one PIV interaction where he comes inside her and he goes off worried about her being pregnant and then of course she is. I don't know how any infertile women who don't want to be read romances.

I liked the premise but I just wish it hadn't been done in the ridiculous Mills and Boons style. I think if this was delivered in a more contemporary style with more spacing and timeline I would have enjoyed this much more.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews

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