Prinselijke verleider

by Dani Collins, Herman van der Ploeg (Translator)

Quando Sopi Brodeur viene a sapere che nel suo resort alloggerà il principe Rhys Charlemaine, in cerca di una moglie, non immagina che da lì a breve il luogo che più di tutti considera "casa" verrà invaso da un'orda di aspiranti e agguerrite principesse disposte a tutto pur di incastrare l'affascinante Rhys. E Sopi non può certo lui è un uomo sensuale e sicuro di sé che farebbe girare la testa a qualsiasi donna. Di sicuro fa girare la sua quando, dopo aver lavorato fino a tardi, si imbatte in lui e si lascia sedurre dal suo innato carisma. Lei sa benissimo che per loro non c'è futuro, ma Rhys la sorprende con un'inaspettata proposta di matrimonio. Possibile che fra tante candidate, il principe abbia scelto proprio lei?

Genres: Harlequin, Harlequin Presents, Romance, Royalty, Contemporary

160 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 4, 2020

About the author

USA Today Bestselling author Dani Collins thrives on giving readers emotional, compelling, heart-soaring romance with laughter and heat, just like real life.

Mostly she writes contemporary romance, but she has also writes Historical Western, erotic romance, and romcom.

Want to be notified of Dani's latest release along with getting sneak peeks, price drops, behind the scene's gossip and other special offers? Join Dani's VIP list. Join Now!

Reviews

[Esther · Rating 4 out of 5]

ARC provided by NetGalley and Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.

Sopi runs a spa/resort with her (evil) stepmother and (evil) stepsisters. But really she does all the work while the prima donnas pamper themselves and live the good life. She's advised that a prince, Rhys will be staying at their resort and looking for a future bride.

Sopi and this prince meet in the most unusual way and sparks fly. They have several encounters and find themselves in one that things get very intimate.

Rhys needs a wife and finds that Sopi just might be the answer, especially when he uncovers something about Sopi, something she's not even aware of, that seals the deal.

But unbeknownst to Sopi her mother is selling the resort to the Rhys. Rhys eventually plans to have it turned over to Sopi but with the stipulation she marry him first.

This plays out to the cinderella story and surprisingly well too.

Sopi and Rhys eventually return to his country and the wedding plans begin. The development of their relationship is sweet and spicy. Loved the conclusion and really enjoyed Rhys brother and wife secondary story as well.

[Debbie DiFiore · Rating 4 out of 5]

Love Cinderella stories

This one was no exception. Very sweet heroine and a sweet hero for most of the book. He visited the spa that her stepmother stole from her basically and he was intrigued by her. Of course there were mean step-sisters and a plot to sell the spa out from underneath her. The hero buys it but makes her his Queen. There was a brief part of the book where he pissed me off with his stupidity but he eventually pulled his head out, and went after the heroine, and I loved the epilogue. Very sweet.

[StMargarets · Rating 3 out of 5]

The lady doth protest too much. It was the heroine who took me out of this Cinderella story. She is biddable when her evil stepmother and stepsisters want her to do something, but when the hero offers a way out of drudgery to accept her true birthright, she turns skeptical and sharp. Where is the sunny optimism of a Cinderella who endures and then embraces the dazzling life set before her?

Not here.

This is the proverbial drowning victim who wants to question the rescue operation.

Hero was okay – I mean, his role is prince charming and he does his best to sweep Cinderella off of her feet, but she was not making it easy.

This is really a two-star story because of the heroine, but I bumped it up a star because this author really knows how to describes places and sensations. I so want to go to the outdoor spa in the Canadian Rockies. That is what lockdown dreams are made of. Too bad the heroine couldn’t be more appreciative.

[Zubee · Rating 3 out of 5]

It had all the great ingredients ... prince H ... secret princess h ... h's Cinderella life style ... hot chemistry ...
I think its just me; I seem to have waylaid my rose tinted glasses ...
So ....
H was too manipulative ... he was abnormally happy to discover h was a secret princess; meant he could manipulate her into marriage to act as his broodmare ...
h was too doormatty; no need for her to act as unpaid servant for her stepmother in his day and age ...
H was too happy to buy the resort as he could use it as a bribe ...
Stepmother and stepsisters get off scot free ...
h was too eager to feel sorry for H's brother and his wife; sure their circumstances were bad but it was very poor form for H to use the brother's issues to manipulate the h ...
I constantly felt that whenever h seemed to discover a grain of intelligence from somewhere, H talked her around ...
the scene where she says she is way too young and its time for her to make mistakes and live life and he tells her that he believes in her; if anyone can ace the royal life, she can ...
This is a h who has lived her entire life as an unpaid servant, working her fingers to the bone ..
h was actually not bad; she was soft hearted and felt things too deeply and was looking for a place to belong ...
H was the manipulative POS ... and sorry, but his grovel was too short ...
I needed better from this author; she is one of my favorites ...

[Aou · Rating 4 out of 5]

Heroine was so sweet.

[Caro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Me da pena comenzar el año con este libro y no sólo darle sólo una estrella, sino que no quise terminarlo. Pero es que aunque el principio fue prometedor con la heroína trabajando como esclava en un hotel (:D *wink, wink*), la trama no tiene mucho asidero. La historia de amor carece de química, no es atrapante.

[Danielle · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly adored this story and so much more than I thought I would. I knew I was going to like the story, after all it was a Dani Collins book, but I didn’t realize how good it was going to be until I divide right into the story. There was just so many elements of this story that I absolutely loved.

For one, I loved all the nods to Cinderella in this story. I was expecting the Cinderella theme hence the title, but I wasn’t expecting how much of the Cinderella story elements were present here and done in very clever ways. For example the shoe element that was implement here was absolutely brilliant. It wasn’t an actual shoe, but a decal of shoe meant to go on woman’s toenails, which was very appropriate since Sophi ran the spa that would do pedicures for woman. In the case of this story it was that shoe decal wasn’t adhering properly to the toenails so Sophi put it on toenails in order to test different ways to apply them and get them to stick. So when Rhys and Sophi had their encounter in the spa she wearing them then as left she left one of the shoe decals behind and that was the only thing that Rhys had to identity her since he had not known her name at the time. Much like the Cinderella story, he used that decal in a way to try to track her down and invite her to dinner with him. Of coarse backfired because other ladies decided to get the decal as well claiming they were the one that he met not Sophi. So it was very classic to the Cinderella story, but with a new fresh twist to it, and I really dug that. Other elements that were included from the Cinderella was the evil stepmother and stepsisters and the fact that they made her a maid of the hotel and spa owned by Sophi’s father until he died and the evil step family took over and essentially made Sophi a servant by doing all the chores in the hotel as well as making her their own personal servant. It just was done really well that reminded me of Cinderella yet done it totally modern, fresh and adult way. I loved that.

Another thing that I absolutely loved in this story was the chemistry between Sophi and Rhys. It was so good, so amazing that it wasn’t hard to see them getting and falling madly and deeply in love with each other. And more to that it was entertaining as all just to witness the banter and sparks between them from the moment they met. I thought their first interaction with each other was brilliant, and I loved because it was just so good because it showed off their chemistry to a tee. Plus it was really fun and with some very playful moments. How could there not be when Sophi basically walked into the room in the therapy pool, and he was completely naked. It was just really entertaining and fun to see them interact and spark off each other. They had this very flirty and playful banter between them but there was something more that pulled them to each other, which was a deep seated attraction. I knew that they would set the pages on fire once they gave into that desire for each other when they did.

And I was right about that. They had quite a few steamy scenes together through the book, and it was fantastic. The chemistry backed up what they had during their hot moments together with their chemistry multiplying as the engaged in some sexy times together. But also the fact that they had playful moments between them too with that same sexy banter as they engaged in those moments. There were so many hot scenes that just blew way of how good they were. The massage scene. OMG. That was so sexy, so hot, and just downright perfect to show off their attraction, chemistry, and desire for one another. The ironic was that it wasn’t even a love scene. A foreplay scene for sure, but not a love scene. There was no kiss and only one sided touching, but that didn’t mean it wasn’t sexy because it was. In fact that scene was probably more sexy that some of the full blown love scenes that I have read in the past. That scene was just everything. As was the scene in the hot pool, but more elevated than the massage scene was. It showed off a whole new level of chemistry between them and just overall sexiness between them. This went farther than the massage scene with heated kiss and touches meant to bring mutual pleasure to both of them without going all the way, but no less hot than a full blooded love scene. Again this was another scene that was hotter than other love scenes that I have read in the past, which just made it all the more amazing. Finally when they did get to their first time scene, it was so worth it in the end because there was such great build up between these two that culminated in this moment. It was just as hot and steamy as the other two scenes, but there was more to it than that. It was about connection and just coming together. I was surprised how long the scene was and how long Rhys took with Sophi to initiate her first foray into lovemaking. It was pretty darn romantic and very sensual. It was lovemaking in the truest sense of the word. I really loved seeing that side of Rhys as he tenderly made love to her. It was a beautiful moment between them and really brought them closer as a couple. That just really ticked my boxes for a really good first time scene.

I adored Sophi and Rhys as a couple and rooted for them all the way. I do wish they had a couple more intimate scenes together, not physically intimate but emotionally. There was just a tiny piece missing for me on that front, not that it deter how much I adored this book, but I would have liked to see more of that side of their relationship. It was kind rushed a bit because their first time scene happened so late in the story that wasn’t a lot of room to go a bit more in depth on that side of their relationship. I just would have liked to see them cuddle together and just conversation. Those some of my favorite moments in romances so I would have liked to seen another scene like that between the two of them, or even just another intimate conversation together that would have brought them even closer than they already were. But just that’s my opinion. Really the problem was that it ended too quickly and i just wanted so much more.

This was an incredible story that I loved and adored. There were just so many amazing elements to their story that it was hard not to love it. It was engaging right away, and I was immediately hooked especially once the introduction between Rhys and Sophi happened in the story. It was just fun, playful, sexy, and entertaining. It was a really good time and reading experience for me. I took my time to savor this because I didn’t want to rush through this ride with Sophi and Rhys. I adored them together. I loved their chemistry that fit so seemingly with the storyline and just felt natural. Nothing felt forced, or unbelievable despite the fact that it could be construed that way especially since they had only known other for a short period of time. They just worked and fit together really well. I didn’t even mind there wasn’t a lot of angst, which usually I do. It had a lot of anticipation between them going on, but not really angst, but that didn’t bother me at all because it was so good and so well written that I forgot about my need for deep rooted angst. The flow to the story was great. The characters were great. Just it was amazing. I might liked a little more to the ending, which felt a tad rushed and maybe just another emotional intimate scene between them, but I still gave it a five stars regardless because everything was just done really well and was amazing. I loved it. I will be rereading this one again and again many times in the future.

Highly recommend for Dani Collins readers, Presents readers, and anyone that like the Cinderella trope in romance. You won’t be disappointed with this one trust me.

[Hina Tabassum Khatri · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review to follow but let me tell you that I enjoyed it very much!

[lily · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75
A well written Cinderella story with a sweet h and a sexy H , the sex scenes were so HOT
and the epilogue was warm,cute and sexy at the same time, liked it alot 👍

[Laur Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

I do like it when books are based in my neighbourhood, but this is not DC's best. She does have some good ones. No grovel, grr!

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dani Collins’s Cinderella’s Royal Seduction is a fairy-tale retelling with a heroine replete with temper and a prince who exhibits alpha-diminishing humility. I loved it. It’s funny, heartfelt, and possessed of baroque love scenes. The HP’s connection to fairy tale is well recorded; so much so that I was afraid, on first opening Cinderella’s Royal Seduction, it would be trite, tired, formulaic. What I found was anything but. It was delightful, fun, fresh. Much of this may be attributed to Collins’s heroine and hero characterization and how it allows the narrative to subsume the fairy tale, instead of being ruled by it.

Cassiopeia “Sopi” (the worst thing about the novel is the poor heroine’s dimimutive) Brodeur is at the housekeeping beck and call of her evil stepmother and sisters at Lonely Lake Spa in the Canadian Rockies, once her beloved mother’s business-child. Though run-down and in constant need of repair, it’s beautifully situated and lovingly cared for by Sopi. Her evil stepmother machinates a visit from Rhys Charlemaine, Prince of Verina, second-in-line to the throne and, unbeknownst to nasty stepmom, horrid daughters, and Sopi herself, due to his brother’s, the king’s, cancer diagnosis, in need of a wife to provide the stability of an heir to their kingdom.

The first night of his visit, Rhys, in all his muscled birthday-suit glory, swims in the deserted spa pool. Sopi, eyes wide with wonder at his beauty, is hidden by the towel rack, amazed she “had not only seen their special guest, the prince of Verina, in a private moment. She’d seen the crown jewels.” This is how Collins wins you over, with wit and chuckles.

The next day, Sopi must take over the masseur’s job when Karl rushes off to his now-birthing wife. The ensuing scene is cracking good fun, sexy, banterish, wonderful. Collins even manages to sneak a contemporary reference to the magical slipper in Sopi’s bedazzled pedicure. With the cares of the kingdom squarely on his tense, capable shoulders, Rhys’s attraction to and liking of Sopi’s firmly masseusing hands, permeates the scene with humour and sensuality:

“If I’ve been too rough — ”

“You haven’t.” He closed his eyes in pleasure-pain. “This is the best massage of my life. I have to cut it short before it turns into something else.” He thought he heard a small “Eep.” He definitely heard her swallow. “Stay mean,” he growled.

Guffaw from me at Rhys’s “stay mean”! Cinderella’s Royal Seduction maintains this splendid level of fun and never rescinds on the pathos so necessary to good romance.

Oh, there are emotional impediments to this engagement-of-convenience romance, especially on Rhys’s part, but Collins’s reins remain on her magnificent narrative, steering with humour, heartfelt relationship growth, elaborate fireworks-worthy love scenes and the true overcoming of emotional blocks to love and commitment. If you’re an HP fan, you’ll love this; if you’re not, then, it’ll make you one. With Miss Austen, we found in Cinderella’s Royal Seduction “a mind lively and at ease,” Emma.

Dani Collins’s Cinderella’s Royal Seduction is published by Harlequin Books. It was released in January and may be found at your preferred vendors. I received an e-galley from Harlequin, via Netgalley.

[Aisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

*Big thanks to Netgalley and Harlequin for giving me an ARC copy of this book in exchange of an honest review*

3.5 in fact.

This is the 2020 version of Cinderella.

Literally.

Sopi lives in a hotel/spa with her stepmother and two stepsisters. She's like the handyman of the place. One day, her stepmother invites Prince Rys of Verina, who needs to get married so he can produce heirs because his brother, the King, has a terminal illness. As soon as they meet, Rys and Sopi were attracted to each other. Soon he discovers Sopi's stepmother wants to sell the property without her knowing. Rys decided to buy it and give it to Sopi... As her wedding gift!

This is a book that could be a great one if there weren't so many mentions of the original Cinderella story. I mean, a stepmother, two stepsisters, the “Cinderella” treated as a maid and a prince? Seriously?

Taking that Cinderella stuff aside, this book has good and funny moments. The palace games and the intriguing stuff around Rys and Sopi's relationship and their background is excellent. The chemistry between hero and heroine is really hot. The burning-pages type. Together, they were intense and alluring; a genuine romance between them. And the secondary characters (except the step family, of course) brings more attractive things to the story. Specially Henrik and Elise.

A good story... If you get rid of the fairy tale stuff.

[Nas Dean · Rating 5 out of 5]

CINDERELLA’S ROYAL SEDUCTION by author Dani Collins is a February 2020 release by Harlequin Presents series.

Prince Rhy comes to Sopi’s secluded luxury spa but with him comes the baggage of aspiring girls wanting to hook him. Then Rhy comes up with this proposal for Sopi. And what his security team unearth about Sopi astounds her. Dare she accept his proposal now? And how could she not know this secret about her own family for so long?

Could Sopi keep her distance from the man she marries? How could she when she comes alive in his arms? There is no ignoring this passion.

CINDERELLA’S ROYAL SEDUCTION is a sensual romance with a secret princess theme. Girls dream of being a princess and this story fulfils that dream. Author Dani Collins did a fabulous job of bringing these two strong characters to their heel and making them fall for each other. As a romance reader this is the ultimate escape. To a far-away kingdom for a fairy tale romance. The storyline had plenty of twists and turns and would keep you engrossed till the end.

Highly recommended for all readers of romance.

[Bee Mills · Rating 4 out of 5]

I loved this story. Hedgehog hero with a big heart and a load of guilt, and sweet heroine who wasn't prepared to be a doormat anymore.

I loved the H, tbh, he was my favourite. Yeah, he acted like an ass, but I get it. When you carry that much guilt and trauma, it's hard to believe that you're allowed to be happy - or that you'll be allowed to stay that way if you are. Although it's never specifically stated I think the H did what he did not just because he didn't feel that he deserved to be happy, but also because he was afraid that it was going to go wrong *anyway* and wanted to get it over with.

I also loved the relationship between the H and his brother. While good brothers are just as common in HP as bad ones, it's rare for a hero to be this devoted to a sibling who isn't an asshole and is actually still alive.

Also his obsession with her hair was kind of adorable.

[Lynn Brooks · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could she really be the one to steal the Prince's heart? CINDERELLA'S ROYAL SEDUCTION by Dani Collins is a really fun take on a modern day Cinderella story. The characters are very likable and the story is fast paced and well told.

Cassiopeia (Sopi) nabs a readers heart from the very beginning of the story. She's run ragged trying to please all of the guests at the inn she holds dear to her heart while trying to keep her step-family from destroying all that her mother built.

Prince Rhys could have his choice of any of the wanna-be-Princesses that are clamoring for his attention ... but he's only interested in one. She seems to be an employee of the spa ... and she's delightful!

I highly recommend this story to anyone enjoying an opposites attract story with a royal spin on it. I really enjoyed everything about Sopi and Rhys!

[Sissy's Romance Book Review · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cinderella's Royal Seduction by Dani Collins is the story of Rhys and Sopi.
This is a modern take on the Cinderella Story. Sopi runs a resort spa with her stepmother and stepsisters, but of course she is the one to do all the work. Things are pretty busy getting awfully busy with Prince Rhys who will be staying there. Sopi has the chance to enjoy Rhys's company which she takes but then a secret is uncovered.
Enjoyed their story.

[TashNz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Dani Collins magnificent take on the fairytale of Cinderella wove a story that was exciting, emotional, fun and modern with characters I enjoyed and believed in. I loved the drama and the win and the emotional journey to the conclusion. Dani Collins writes beautiful tales where you don’t give up hope and you’re committed right to the last page. Loved it.

[Ishara · Rating 4 out of 5]

What do you get when you combine a fairy tale and a HP author....? This very well written story! A literal Prince Charming and Cinderella tale, with the added secondary story of the troubled King and his lovely Queen, made for a delightful and sweet read.

[Cathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Funny and cute. A joy to read all the way through

[Tonya Warner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ok overall.

[SuperWendy · Rating 4 out of 5]

As far as Presents go, this is definitely one of the kinder, gentler ones. If you're a fan of the Cinderella trope, this one leans in on that HARD. Unfortunately around the halfway point it turns into a marriage of convenience, with icky I'm Royal And Need A Broodmare for a Wife overtones. Not gonna lie, squirm-inducing. But there's good emotional bits at the end that help. Good, but somewhat of a mixed bag for me - probably 3.5 Stars / B-.

[Courtney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I haven't read a Harlequin imprint in an age and saw that this was the one recommended on Harlequin's website as an excellent example of the Presents line. That being said, I'm reminded why I haven't read one of these in a while.

The language is florid and full of euphemisms. Phrases like turgid lengths and reaching their crisis give this an old school vibe. So does the hero's pressuring and manipulation to get the heroine to marry him. Then, as soon as he has her where he wants her (read: in his bed), he gets cold feet because OH NO he's feeling too much, and he ices her out to the point he literally makes her dump him without taking ownership for his own actions.

Plus, as someone with major fertility issues, the entire plotline of his brother needing an heir and the hero making some spares was utterly disappointing. This book should have trigger warnings for cancer, infertility, miscarriage, periods (in general), and lots of babies in the epilogue. I read romance to escape, not to have my reality treated so badly.

[Lisha · Rating 2 out of 5]

My first Harlequin. I have nothing to compare it to, but I guess it was ok. I finished it. The plot was very thin, it kept jumping forward in time and skipping what I thought were crucial moments in what seems to be the major plot line. But I guess plot is not what people write books like this for. TBH I only read it to fulfill a category in EBN...an author I have never heard of. That is a challenge when you are a librarian, especially to find someone in a genre you enjoy that you have never heard of. So I figured what the heck, I love Cinderella stories. 2 stars because I was very meh about the whole thing.

[Heather andrews · Rating 5 out of 5]

Rhys is a stubborn man, “Süsse, I will carry you out of here kicking and screaming if I have to. We are not talking here.” I liked this book, I liked Rhys.

[Calysta · Rating 1 out of 5]

I just couldn't buy the set-up

[Mattie · Rating 2 out of 5]

It was ok, I really liked the hero but the heroine was just ok. I didn't like how she treated the hero after he bought her hotel. She didn't show any appreciation for him buying it instead of someone else, she kept saying it should already be hers. She made a snide comment to hero that he was trading the hotel for her innocence.
Sure the hotel should have been hers, but because of her father marrying the wrong woman it wasn't and had hero not bought it then some other person would have.

I think my problem is that for it being so late in the book it seemed like she didn't really want to be with him or have a baby. It seemed like she just wanted to have sex with him and wanted her hotel. She didn't sympathize with his reasons and want to do it because she feels something for him or because she didn't want him to marry another woman and have his baby.

I really liked the hero, he never seriously entertained marrying another women after meeting heroine. He kept seeking her out while thinking she was a commoner. With how he couldn't stop thinking about her, I believe had he not learned she was a long lost princess he would have still eventually asked her to marry him. P.

[Debs · Rating 5 out of 5]

The ultimate Cinderella story

Sopi, the heroine, is a modern cinderella. Working her fingers to the bone keeping her family spa functioning. Her stepmother and sisters are exactly what you would expect... And into this drops Prince Rhys, a charismatic, handsome prince who needs a bride because his elder brother has been diagnosed with an illness that threatens the succession. I was on Sopi's side from the start, and ready for it to unfold just as the classic fairy tale does - but with hidden princesses, princes in denial and step siblings out for revenge, this was a proper rollercoaster of a page turner. Loved it.

[Carmelita Clardy · Rating 5 out of 5]

very beautiful story

This was a very good book with a cute plot and good characters. The h was a very beautiful, sweet and kind person who was trying to save her family business, but her stepmother was trying to steal it from her. The stepmother and stepsisters were very mean to her and made her work in the business while they used all the profits. The H was a prince who needed a wife so he could have a heir, his brother the king was diagnosed with cancer and probably couldn’t have children. The H had suffered childhood trauma and didn’t believe he deserved happiness. They were able to find their way back to each other and their HEA. Great epilogue.

[Alison · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay! The title is my number one issue with this book, couldn't Collins think of something a little less...obvious? To be fair, there is a lot of sexy time in this book, too much if you ask me. It was a cute story besides, even if it was a little trope-y. And finally, and ending that was satisfying and tied up loose ends. I liked the names that were chosen for the characters, and the non-traditional interactions of them in relation to the Cinderella story. DO NOT buy the large print version if you don't need the large print! The words are HUGE!

[Belladonnabooks · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Prince Rhys was mentioned in another DC book, which I LOVED, so I hoped to repeat the joy with this one. Not quite so good, despite proper Cinderella echoes, right down to the evil step family, dead father, workhorse MFC. In this one, possibly taking us to the coincidence too far, Sopi ends up being a lost princess herself. Just what the prince in need of a wife needs just at the right time. Except he feels guilty for feeling so good about it 🙄
Plot and motive not quite so coherent as it could have been.