Claiming His Princess

Kings of Conquest #1

by Adelaide Forrest, Lyric Cox

Most of my life is spent in service to my Kingdom and my people, despite how the tabloids try to portray me as a hard and cruel ruler.
Then I’m forced to host the Annual Gathering of Eligible Royals and socializing with Princesses to find my future wife becomes my newest duty. I want nothing to do with any of them or the contractual marriages that bind Countries to one another.
Until the moment I first see Princess Alina of Lantis.
The endearingly awkward princess has spent all her life locked away in her palace so that her mother can use the secret of her beauty to her advantage and arrange a marriage to King Corbin. If I was anyone else, Alina would be bound to him by the treaty between our realms.
But as the King of Oshal, he’s only a minor detail for me. A blip in the road I’ll take to make her mine.
And nobody will stand in my way.

Claiming His Princess is a 40k word royal romance novella. This instalove romance has no cliffhanger and a guaranteed HEA.

Genres: Romance, Royalty, Novella, Fantasy, Contemporary Romance, Contemporary

142 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 24, 2020

About the author

Adelaide fell in love with books at a young age and quickly discovered her love for writing soon after. Since then, she’s become a self-professed plot hoarder of over 300 book concepts.
After receiving her degree in Psychology, Adelaide went on to work in a therapeutic riding facility. When her daughter was born, Adelaide traded out her boots to be a stay-at-home mom. In 2019, she added author to those job duties after a lifetime of dreaming about it.

She lives in New York with her husband, two children, and their dog and cat who all make up the center of her world.
For updates, please visit www.adelaideforrest.com or follow her on facebook: https://www.facebook.com/AdelaideForr...
or instagram: https://www.instagram.com/adelaidefor...

Reviews

[Yas · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.75 Quick fluffy, and easy Royals Romance
I did enjoy this one, it was a fun read, but I lost interest towards the end.

I really liked the concept of having Monarchs in a modern society.
The MMC was a j/p Hero who fell in love/ lust with the FMC at first side. I don't mind insta-love as much in Novellas, but I was missing the tension here.
That's probably why I wasn't as invested in their relationship for this to be a higher star read, but I think this is a good palette cleanser between books.

🗂Genre: Contemporary Romance
📕Type: Novella

🏷Tropes:
- Royals
- He falls first/ Boy-obsessed
- J/P King x Princess promised to another
- Spice

⚠️Safety: toxic mother

📖KU: 1st person, dual POV

[KittyLuvr · Rating 5 out of 5]

. . . . romantic sigh . . . .
I thoroughly & completely enjoyed this one by Ms. Forrest. A LOT.
A Hero, King Reece, who is intensely hot, has a deliciously dirty mouth, commanding, jealous, possessive & laser focused on the woman he wants as his Queen. Labeled as a 'love em & leave em' Lothario who is also known to be a sadist, he somehow seems to be greatly admired & revered by his staff & subjects.
A heroine, Princess Alina, who has been beyond controlled & hidden by her coldly mercenary Queen Mother determined to use her daughter to obtain as much financial benefit from a marriage as possible. Her mother is a nasty, cold, uber dominant controlling WITCH who dictates every single facet of her sweet gentle daughter's exsistence including keeping her hidden from view Alina's entire life. And Alina's only spark of love & light is her loving supportive older brother Aric.
But now Alina is 18 & the time for her public unveiling, debut & marriage has arrived. And with this goal, Alina, Aric & their mother travel to the King Reece's Kingdom of Oshal for the Annual Gathering of Eligible Royals.
But things do not unfurl as planned. Alina dreams of escaping her cage & spreading her wings & her much older intended, King Corbin, doesn't seem the type to allow her to do so, & his touch repulses Alina as well. But she loves her country & this is what is best for it.
But King Reece is slammed by desire for this beautiful sweet Princess & he 'sees' her & wants to plumb her depths mesmerized by her hauntingly stunning & yet sad eyes. And this Wolf determinedly pursues his 'Baby Bird' with two goals in mind: Make her his Queen & help her fly.
But Alina's mother & King Corbin intend to do anything to prevent Alina & Reece from being together . . . .
This is a beautifully written contemporary fairytale filled with romance, suspense & tension, laced with sensual scenes that steam the page. I was invested in & intrigued by the characters (the mother was a -Boo & Hiss- worthy villain), worried for our H/h, on tenterhooks for the ultimate resolution.
Ms. Forrest's smooth & seamless style of writing drew me into the story immediately & I didn't want to leave. The plot was intriguing & her writing made me care about the H/h, worry for & about them, ROOT for them to prevail. The sensual/erotic scenes were deliciously steamy, the characters were perfectly detailed & fleshed out while the action scenes were excitingly intense. I read this one in one straight sitting because I had to know what was going to happen next as well as ultimately.
The writing quality is excellent, smooth with nothing to yank a reader from the story, descriptive without any fluff or padding.
I found this one to be a beautifully written contemporary fairytale with the PERFECT blend of the erotic, of suspense, of tension, of love & loathesome villains that spun me away into a wonderful escape from reality that I loved & enjoyed. I think most readers will too.

Although, I do wonder just WHERE Aric was when he turned up missing for a while . . . .

[PnQn Hafsa · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fluffy, dreamy and sweet 😂.

[Farscapegirl · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an opportunity to read an advanced copy of this gem. Well, it's been proven, caveman alpha tactics are HOT! Reece proved it with his immediate claiming of Alina on sight. The setting is a contemporary one filled with kingdoms of royalty meeting at a meet and make a marriage alliance at a ball.

Phew, my muscles all tensed up when I was reading the visceral description of how Reece was feeling and physically reacting to his first glimpse of Alina and his thought of "Mine". I loved their banter. Alina has been isolated her whole life by her mother, and her only real human connection is to her brother, Aric (Whom I adored !) Alina talks to herself a lot, she's quirky. She approaches life with a rational acceptance of her role in having to marry sleazy Corbin (on her mother's overbearing insistence) but a hidden passionate desire to be more and do more for her kingdom's people.

Reece sets out to explore what she wants and encourages her to follow her desires, of which he wants to be the main one. This sweet, short story is full of No holds barred, possessive alpha maneuvers on Reeves part in claiming all Alina's attention. Reece dominates and seduces Alina in a matter of days. The sex scenes were scorching hot!! Highly recommend. I can't wait to get my hands on Aric's Happily Ever After.

[Kathyjacks · Rating 5 out of 5]

I really don’t know how to explain this book except to say it’s like the Hallmark movies I’ve seen with the King or soon to be King falling in love with his soon to be queen . I always watch it thinking this is going to be amazing and then you get one kiss in the last two minutes of the movie and it’s very anticlimactic . Well this book is like the movies but much, much better . Reese is not a Hallmark kind of King, that’s for sure . He is a dirty, naughty , possessive king who is determined to have what he wants . He wants Alina but Alina has been controlled her entire life and isn’t allowed to make her own decisions especially on who she marries . I loved her because she was so down to earth and really wanted to be a princess of the people . She wanted to help her people flourish . Unlike the Hallmark version you don’t get a pristine and proper queen because our boy Reese dirties her up and it was fabulous! We also get more than 2 minutes of that steam in this book . He can dirty me up anytime . I especially loved how he likes to mark her before she went out amongst people . This is not the kind of story that I normally read but I enjoyed every word of it . You don’t want to miss out on this awesome book and of course the juicy King Reese!

[Mindy Reader · Rating 3 out of 5]

Possessive king meets his match

A j/p king falls for a caged princess. I liked seeing how her personality had a chance to flourish under his attention. The sex was pretty hot as well. Nice chemistry. I would have liked an epilogue further out but we get a HEA. I would have liked to find out why the hero was called the cruel king. He was the complete opposite of that. It just didn’t make sense. I also would have liked to see what happened to that evil woman. It needed a better showdown for that.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a great story of a innocent young woman, a Princess whom listen to her mother, and her subject to make the right decision for the Prince charming a man who loves the Princess Alina of Lantis ,also the people. Alina mother that do not want them to be together. And the Princess Alina of Lantis have a bother whom will be a man that in the next story Stealing His Princess: A Royal Romance ( Kings of Conquest) two book series.

[Chalice · Rating 5 out of 5]

The couple: Alina and Reece

Romance genre: royalty

Plot: Alina has a horrible mother who is trying to arrange a marriage for her. They, along with her brother, go to an annual gathering of royals that seems to act a little like a marriage market. This year it just happens to be in King Reece's land. The minute he sees her, he is smitten. Her mother has a different king, Corbin, in mind for her and continues to manipulate her into that relationship. Reece is smarter than her mother, though, and finally gets a HEA with his new queen.

Character development: Poor Alina. She wants so much and doesn't know how to reach out and grab it because her mother has beaten her down her whole life. I was really annoyed with her brother for not doing more to help her break out, because it would seem he had more power as king than their mother would as the widow of the previous king. However, a mother's influence is difficult to break.

Part of a series: Yes (Kings of Conquest)

Would I read more from this author/in this series: Yes

[Liz [reads books] · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well, I so enjoyed this story! I'm a big fan of instalove romance, and this did not disappoint. I worried for a moment over the inevitable conflict, but luckily it was short-lived. I'm looking forward to other stories in this series. 4 stars

[Hayley · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this novella. Reece was a great hero: commanding, possessive, protective, and confident. I’ve always loved royal stories, and this one definitely delivered on all of the magical romanticism you expect with a king and princess falling in love. Speaking of the princess, Alina was also a very strong character. Her self-sacrificing nature was charming rather than being overly martyr-like. Her adorable quirks and deep connection with her brother were some of my favorite parts of the story. I like that Adelaide Forrest writes solid side characters with their own unique personalities, rather than just throwing them in to further the plot.

My main issue is that I was never able to feel fully invested in the story. I liked the characters and was interested in finding out what happened to them, but I never truly found myself caring about them. The beginning of the book was somewhat confusing. Certain things never seemed to be explained, and I almost felt like I was reading the second book in an interconnected series rather than the first—the world they were living in was just not fully developed.

However, overall, I truly enjoyed this story. I would recommend it to anyone who enjoys novellas similar to those of Jessa Kane or Lucy Darling.

*I received an ARC of this novella. This is my complete and honest review.*

[MichelleG · Rating 5 out of 5]

I know I have said this before, but I love grumpy, growly heroes, and Reece definitely falls into that category even as he does his absolute best to be a worthy king. This was absolutely a Cinderalla-esque story with a hero forced to have a ball to for princesses vying for his attention and a heroine who is mistreated and manipulated by her mother.

Alina has been her mother's puppet/doll all her life and is there to meet a king (not Reece) to save her floundering country. All her mother's plans go out the window when Reece spies Alina dancing with that other King and our hero swoops in to claim HIS princess.

The majority of the novella focuses on their relationship which happens over the course of a couple of days. Yes, it is a short time span, but I love insta-love stories. The way that Reece simultaneously pushes and tempts Alina to show her true self and beguiles her to be open to his touch and advances is a steamy sweet seduction.

There is just enough bad guy shenanigans to keep it interesting, and I appreciate that the villains get their comeuppance. The epilogue happens just a few months after the end of the story, so I am hoping that some secondary characters get their own story and that we will see Reece and Alina in them.

[Miki’s⚠️ Safety Reviews & Rants⚠️ · Rating 5 out of 5]

I just love Adelaide Forrest she writes the BEST OTT JP men. Although this one was a bit tame for her. Have not read Lyric Cox yet but after this read I’ll be hunting down more of her work.

This was a short super sweet read that had a surprising amount of drama, heart and character building for such a short read. You really got into their world. Some of it seemed a bit archaic since I was like… ok what time line does this take place in? Lol but her it’s fantasy so I just go with it.

I love Reece he was what made this story for me. He’s OTT and willing so do whatever it takes- even start a war- to claim his woman.
Alina was just a product of her seclusion and abuse and a bit whiny about being in a cage… but it’s all she knew so not sure why she fought one cage w Reece for her mothers cage… but toward the en….and as Reece showed her w him there would be no cage… she opened up and got sassier.

Her mom is EVIL 😈

This couple fights to be together and get their HEA. Looking forward to The next one.

Overall a fun quick read with lots of personality.

[Lizi · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alina is living in a gilded cage, her mother had kept her hidden, her whole life. Until she's ready to be married off.
Reece, King of Oshal, lives for his kingdom and his duties. As soon as he sees Alina his priorities shift and he will stop at nothing to claim her for himself.
This book is an instant love AU romance. It's not a super long book but very enjoyable. It has a HEA and also (I hope) has set up for the possibility of further books within the universe.
The main characters are both likeable and believable. What sheltered princess wouldn't fall for a man like Reece?
My only criticism is that there is the odd paragraph feels a bit silted, but it's very very mild and not enough to jar you out of the reading experience. Established readers of Adelaide's work may find it somewhat lighter in tone than the Bellandi Crime Syndicate series. All in all a read that's worth your time.

[Krystal Duckarmie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I have a soft spot for insta-love, quick novellas and this one truly doesn’t disappoint. We meet our heroine, Alina, a young woman with spunk and desires of a different life than what she is resigned to - an arranged marriage to profit her mother. Though Alina is resigned to the path laid out in front of her, fate has other plans in the form of King Reece.

Though he has a reputation that is less than desirable, Alina can’t help but find herself drawn the the persistent Reece. It would be too quick a story, even for a novella, for everything to be neatly resolved with no risks involved, so expect some good intrigue to go along with your romance.

These are the type of stories you can read in an evening, invest a short period of time and be rewarded with a wonderful happily ever after.

[Samantha · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book has it all. A sheltered mysterious princess, a controlling overbearing mother, a misunderstood loyal king, and an obsessive rival. This is a quick burn romance with great character development and doesn't feel rushed. There is suspense and also just the right amount of heat to really make the story draw you in.

This is the story of Alina, a princess kept captive in her own kingdom by a controlling mother. When she is finally debuted to the world her mother hopes she will catch the eye of the rich King Corbin, however he isn't the only King who becomes ensnared by Alina. I love as we see Alina blossom from a naive sheltered girl into the snarky and strong woman that she is.

This is a stand alone novel told from two points of view, but definitely has the character development that could lead to additional novels in the future based on some of the other lovable characters.

[Dreaming in Paperback · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was one of my first Adelaide Forrest books and I loved it. It was intriguing, adorable, and spicy all at once. I liked the characters and the dynamics between them. The main male character is oh so good and I was instantly enamored with his fall first attraction to the main female character. His possessiveness and sureness in their relationship was incredibly attractive as was her (FMC) quirks and opposing desires - to be the princess (and ultimately the queen) she was expected to be and the woman at heart who just wanted to be happily loved without the orchestrations of royalty. This book was executed wonderfully: the right amount of tension, well developed back stories, a healthy dose of heat, and the climax and conclusion fit so well together that, page after page, everything just flowed seamlessly. I look forward to reading more.

[Darcie · Rating 5 out of 5]

Who knew being a royal could be so bad? Walk in Princess Alina shoes as she has a duty to fulfill but wants out of her cage just to be traded into another. This book has drama and backstabbing, but that fairy tale romance we all want. The chemistry between Reese and Alina is electric. While forces work against the both of them too keep them apart, can Alina finally find happiness with Reese? I loved this modern day royal tale with suspicion all around everyone. Adelaide Forrest did it once again with a timeless romantic story with some twists and turns just to keep the reader guessing. I absolutely loved this book and cannot wait to see if does more stories with the other characters we grew to love like, Aric! Sky is the limit for Adelaide!

[Hey Lin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Adelaide Forrest's books are always a one-click for me! She has alpha, possessive Hero's that fall in love with their heroines and they don't see anyone else for the entire book. I LOVE THAT. If you're not a fan of insta-love, then this might not be your jam, but I swoon at the love at first sight type of books =) King Reese takes one look at Princess Alina and he falls for her hard. She has been tucked away from society so she's an innocent, awkward type of princess who is literally swept off her feet by King Reese. I loved this book and the only con I can think of is that it was too short =)

[Ashley · Rating 5 out of 5]

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving a free copy. I enjoyed every minute reading this modern day royal story. Princess Alina and King Reese have a passionate, raw, and beautiful connection between one another. Princess Alina, has been hidden, and manipulated her whole life by her mother... She just wants to be free to live. King Reese is the man to help set Alina free, and let her be who she needs to be. I wholly enjoyed the characters in this story, and it was over all very well written.I loved the twists, and the intrigue in this story, definitely kept my attention!! I highly recommend this book!!

[Jessica · Rating 5 out of 5]

Alina has always lived her life in a metaphorical cage. She yearns to be free but isn't given the opportunity to shine. Full of mystery and intrigue, this is one wild ride. It's short, sweet, and full of twists and turns that will keep you guessing. It's not your typical fairy tale. I was able to really relate to the relationship between Alina and her mother. When you have an overbearing mother, there's a kinship that just comes from surviving. It was beautiful to watch her transformation from trapped under the veil to learning to fly with a quiet strength. Didn't hurt that she had a sexy king who wasn't going to give up on his jewel.

[Mandy Carnley · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a royally cute insta love novella... I thoroughly enjoyed this novella and the royal spin on things. Alina is a beautiful sheltered princess and Adelaide does such a great job once again making the reader feel the emotions of her main characters. Reece is bold and has a bad reputation but he is very sweet and caring with Alina. I loved them as a couple... I’m really hoping we get a book on alinas brother I’m ready to know more about him... Alinas mother is a horrible woman and I’m not sure she got what she deserved... maybe she will in the next book. If you want a quick novella with a cute royal spin take a chance on this book.. you won’t regret it

[Sui · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was just so predictable.

It would have been better if it were longer and the characters actually had sense.

FMC is supposed to be queen material but she was easily manipulated and has a do or die mentality about her. She’s nothing but naive and sheltered.

Oh and I know an elderly man trying to marry an 18 year old is creepy but so is a mannerless man who whisks off a naive girl and takes away her innocence in just a day after.

Oh and I think I have a trauma on the word propriety now. There’s so much word that can mean or produce the same effects, but no it’s to be used hundreds of times in each chapter that I cringe even reading that word in other books.

[Becky · Rating 5 out of 5]

From the moment King Reece sees Alina he is ready to claim his princess, his 'Baby Bird'! What follows is a fast paced, erotic, insta-love romance where Alpha Reece does whatever it takes to claim the at first naive Alina.
I love how Alina's character grows throughout the story and how Reece will do anything to claim the woman he loves. A real fairy tale romance, with an evil mother and danger along the way..... just a very dirty fairy tale.

Once again another awesome read from Adelaide Forrest. I cant wait to read more about the secondary characters....Aric in particular!

[Erin Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was so good! A modern take on a classic Cinderella story!

Reece and Alina were great together. There was a surprising amount of character development for a novella, which I loved! Throw in a wicked villain or two and you have all the makings of a fantastic and complete story that can be read in about an hour.

I love all of Adelaide's work and have read all of her books to date. Her writing is so good and her alpha males are unrivaled in my opinion. If you like this story, try one of her full length books from her Bellandi Crime Syndicate series. They are to die for!!

[Sandra Cook · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is a wonderful story of Alina and Reece. Two people that are royalty, and they are beautiful hearted people that cares for the people or subjects. That they want , what good for their people in
the kingdoms. Princess Alina mother is controlling and wants Alina to do what she wants. King Reece is a man whom knows from the first glance Alina was going to be his Queen. This is wonderful story of two people that find love with one another. Two lonely Royals finding bliss together, but some people don't agree with their relationship.

[Vanessa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Holy... like.. I.. damn..
This book... you know that feeling, when you tell yourself your going to take your time with a book? That you aren't going to devour it in one sitting because you dont want the story to end to fast?

And then before you know it, woops, 2 hours later the book is finished and you are left craving more!

That's what this books was! It was a modern twist to the Kingsom era of our times. Old fashion rules with the modern time internet and society!

And the the main characters.. I dont have words. I really wish this book was longer so it disnt have to end... what a read.

[Amber · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you love Lucy Darling, Alexa Riley, and Elle Goode books then you’ll love this!
It’s insta love with a possessive H whose all alpha and gruff with everyone but his princess.
A super sweet, short (tho longer than most Lucy darling books) and fun read.
It had a good story for being a shorter read, it’s also lighter than Adelaide Forrests other books.
I look forward to getting to know more about Alaric! I’m assuming he’s getting a book because they left us curious!

[Heart Books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whats not like like about a man looking at his woman for the first time and knowing that he's his? This was delicious!

I don't normally read shorts, but this one keept me wanting to find out what was going to happen and I couldn't NOT find out.
And our h Alina who just wanted to fly couldn't help but be drawn to Reece

Add in insta-love, Royalty and a horrible mother and you have yourself a hot plot worthy read.

[Katherine · Rating 5 out of 5]

This novella was short and sweet. Packed with a lot of detail that when i finished it, I couldn’t wait for the next one in the series. Alina was sheltered but sassy. Reece was confident but not too pushy. I hated the mother throughout the book. But I really loved the brother, Aric. Royal stories are not my typical read, but just as she does Adelaide gets you sucked in within a few pages. I couldn’t put it down and couldn’t wait to see what happened with the conflict.

[Martha Simmons · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was not my typical type of romance genre as it dealt with kings and princesses, etc. But the author presented well drawn characters, beautiful descriptions of scenery and some interesting plot twists that did hold my attention. This was an enjoyable, quick read with a very satisfying ending.