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Pregnant Princesses #1

Crowned for His Christmas Baby

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The prince has discovered her pregnancy! New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates thrills with this dramatic Christmas baby romance.

It started with revenge.
Can a royal baby be his redemption?

Eloise St. George is not feeling festive. Untouched Eloise has loved Prince Vincenzo all her life. When she is swept up in his plans for revenge, she can’t resist! But one night with her fantasy prince leaves her carrying his heir!

Hell-bent on punishing his cruel father, Vincenzo has vowed never to marry. Until Eloise falls pregnant and he must claim her as his bride. He may see himself as broken, but can their baby be the Christmas miracle that puts this prince back together?

From Harlequin Escape to exotic locations where passion knows no bounds. Read all the Pregnant Princesses

Book 1: Crowned for His Christmas Baby by Maisey Yates
Book 2: Pregnant by the Wrong Prince by Jackie Ashenden
Book 3: The Scandal That Made Her His Queen by Caitlin Crews

224 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published November 1, 2021

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About the author

Maisey Yates

1,226 books3,242 followers
New York Times and USA Today Bestselling author Maisey Yates lives in rural Oregon with her three children and her husband, whose chiseled jaw and arresting features continue to make her swoon. She feels the epic trek she takes several times a day from her office to her coffee maker is a true example of her pioneer spirit. In 2009, at the age of twenty-three Maisey sold her first book.

Since then it’s been a whirlwind of sexy alpha males and happily ever afters, and she wouldn’t have it any other way. Maisey divides her writing time between dark, passionate category romances set just about everywhere on earth and light sexy contemporary romances set practically in her back yard.

She believes that she clearly has the best job in the world.

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5 stars
77 (32%)
4 stars
69 (28%)
3 stars
67 (28%)
2 stars
19 (7%)
1 star
6 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews
Profile Image for Esther .
1,052 reviews195 followers
December 20, 2021
Short review.

I struggled with this one. I normally find MY my go to author, but occasionally it's a miss and this one was somewhat of a miss.

I struggled with the first third of the book. I could not engage with the characters and found the beginning story line flat. I found the characters in the beginning one demential as well.

But about half way point it became more interesting and improved.

I love MY and will always be one of her biggest fans (even with an occasional miss).
Profile Image for Jenny.
3,215 reviews570 followers
November 3, 2021
Friends to lovers romance. MY has a flowery writing style and she never writes epilogues so lately I do not enjoy her books. This was a decent book however and quite steamy too.
Profile Image for Shruthi.
58 reviews15 followers
November 2, 2021
Cute!

Vincenzo and Eloise were both so lovable. They knew each other since childhood and were friends of sort. However, she was always in love with him and though he was attracted to her, he tried to be a grown up!

At the start of the novel, Eloise has been badly hurt by Vincenzo's lack of support for her when she needed him the most but she still agrees to help him take down his dad, who btw is a tyrant.

Things start looking up for the better when Vincenzo finds more about the uglier side of his dad. However, he still has his own inner demons to fight.

This is a typical MY novel with deep conversations and intense chemistry. But it was also a very cute, enjoyable read for the festive season. Great start for the series.

It's a series about four friends and has a collaboration of a dream team with MY, Jackie Ashenden and Caitlin Crews along with Marcella Bell. Of course, Caitlin gets the bad one and I'm very excited for that.

I loved the rapport between the friends and the ending of course because such an ending with friends has never, ever happened in a MY novel. My only disappointment is that they changed the gender of the cat in the middle. Scared ferret like cat, named Skerret, went from being a she to he and back to she. Hello editor?

Overall a very fun read!
Profile Image for Shatarupa  Dhar.
621 reviews88 followers
February 4, 2022
This was such a wholesome read. Vincenzo and Eloise are kind of a second chance couple, having known each other since their childhood. But the way they learn to love each other, after hardly receiving any affection from both their parents... It's beautiful how Maisey Yates has spun this story of two beautiful but broken souls finding each other.

The series starring the four fast friends, Prince Vincenzo Moretti, heir to the throne of Arista, Sheikh Jahangir Hassan Umar Al Hayat, Prince Zeus, and Rafael Navarro, kicks off with Prince Vincenzo and Eloise St. George, the daughter of his father's mistress.

I love a good revenge story involving a pregnancy. But this was different than your run of the mill Harlequin, and it was different in a good way. After the prologue, the story opens on a seven-months-pregnant Eloise, who is not really able to enjoy Christmas eve even after all the preparations she did. Even though she has a lovely furball Skerret to keep her company. The story, for the most part, then takes place seven months before, as Eloise thinks back to all the things that happened...

I loved how feisty Eloise is, even with the terribly limited choices she has had in her life. This story was path-breaking in so many ways. The speed with which the story progresses ensured that there was never a dull moment to be had.

Something that was refreshing was that in a way, Eloise and Vincenzo both had shades of grey, unlike characters being too good to be true; they both enjoyed the downfall of their tormentors, and while there was therapy involved, it was not presented as a cure-all for the pain that the protagonists had suffered.

And there was something hopeful in that. In knowing that she could change something about the world. And knowing that she could take a little piece of the hurt inside of herself and transform it into something different. Into something new.


The message of love and hope blooms throughout the story and the way all of the four friends came together was so funny. I can't wait to see them again in the next book.
Profile Image for Susan in Perthshire.
2,369 reviews126 followers
November 14, 2021
I received an ARC from NetGalley and Mills and Boon in return for an honest review.

I always enjoy Maisey Yates’ books. She creates characters that engage one’s interest and draw you into their story. Her plotting is excellent and she always fulfils the promise of an emotional ly satisfying romance. The story of Eloise and Prince Vincenzo is no exception.

The title is misleading. The pregnancy doesn’t occur until almost two thirds through the book and Vincenzo’s attempts to convince Eloise they should marry start then. The first part of the story when Vincenzo still believes his father’s lies about Eloise is painful but Eloise emerges as a strong, comfortable in her own skin character. Vincenzo is too dislikeable for too long but MY’s skill makes you stick with him as he discovers the truth about Eloise and also recognises his own motivations.

Great story and I am looking forward to reading the others in the series.
Profile Image for Ishara.
559 reviews9 followers
May 31, 2022
This is the first book in the series, which was a lovely set-up for the upcoming stories. However, I did find it slow and flat in places. I think the disconnect for me was the back and forth between time frames. Also, it was just a tad boring....
Profile Image for anisa fitri zakirah.
362 reviews4 followers
November 1, 2021
I love the story. The hero and heroine had known each other since they were kids. Her mother was his father mistress, but he never hated her for that until she confessed that she was in love with him and kissed him, also the rumor of her being with his father didn't help. He went to find her in order to avenge his father, she agreed to help as a friend and also because she had an unfinished business with his father. Thus, their chemistry couldn't be avoided.
Profile Image for Jane Hunt.
Author 3 books117 followers
November 19, 2021
Prince Vincenzo is determined to rescue his country from his father's excesses and vows to end the monarchy by refusing to marry and father an heir. Avenging his mother, he enlists the help of Eloise, the daughter of his father's mistress. Eloise is a positive, strong character who has moved on from her destructive past. She has always loved Vincenzo despite his reputation and agrees to help him.

There is an intense passion between Eloise and Vincenzo despite her innocence. The emotional connection between the couple deepens as they realise they have misjudged each other. The story has many festive touches and ends happily after much angst. Believable characters and an appealing fairytale quality make this a lovely holiday read.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
Profile Image for Jodi Virea.
185 reviews2 followers
May 23, 2022
Good start of this story of four friends.
Profile Image for Jane.
1,220 reviews4 followers
January 12, 2022
I am a big fan of Maisey Yates. Eloise St. George, for most of her life, was raised in a castle. This was because her mother was the 'personal assistant' to the married King. Eloise became invisible to all around her.

Prince Vincenzo was the King's son. He was brought up the same as Eloise but he put a tall stonewall around his heart. Eloise has had a crush on him since she first laid eyes on him. She was only a child but as she grew up her feelings for him only got stronger. But then a scandal hit the press and she was old enough and ran.

There is much more to their story and it isn't easy getting to their happy ever after. I loved this book and didn't want it to end.
Profile Image for Brittany.
670 reviews15 followers
December 13, 2021
First time reading a Maisey Yates novel, and I have to say, I really liked it. Even though I gave it a four of a five stars, it was actually really good. Friends to lovers, accidental pregnancy? I’ve never read an accidental pregnancy trope type story, and when I read it, I was honestly shocked-I…really…like it??? A lot?? Especially when they got their HEA and live happily ever after.

This book is about a prince named Vincenzo who really hates his father with a vengeance for all the horrible shit he pulled in Arista, and he wants to put all of it to a stop. He decided to go and ask Eloise, a woman who also was in the castle with Vincenzo and going to pretend to be his mistress so they can take down his father and her mother, who was really terrible to Eloise.

I really liked how powerful Eloise was, for standing up to her mother and the King. It shows that she was tired of them doing what they were doing, and they needed to be stopped. It also shocked Vincenzo from learning the truth about what really happened that night, when Eloise was eighteen and went into his room and kissed him. He thought really bad about her, and learning the truth shocked him. That night, they made love for the first time, and after that…Eloise left Arista.

For months-seven months, to be exact-Vincenzo has been working to take down every toxic thing his father has ever done to Arista, only to learn from his friends that Eloise was pregnant with the heir, thus breaking his own promise to himself and his father that he will never continue the Moretti line. Rafael, Jag, and Zeus told him to bring her back to Arista and marry her, even got on him like boys do about having safe sex and using a condom. After talking to his boys, he got off and went to Virginia to get Eloise back.

Eloise, shocked to see Vincenzo at her doorstep again after the first time he came over, tells Vincenzo that she’ll come back, if he can give her a Christmas at the palace. Vincenzo agreed, and they go back to Arista, and they have a pretty good Christmas. They rode on the troika and they made love in front of the fire. But then things changed when Vincenzo saw his son, his heir, on the monitor.

This idiot told Eloise to leave, and she was shocked, because she told him that she loved him, and he couldn’t even say it. So with her cat Skerret, she left to go back to Virginia. Vincenzo got drunk and his friends found him. They talked to him (well, he went to the spot where he showed Eloise after they talked to him), and all of them went to Virginia, where Vincenzo and Eloise got married. I’m so glad that they got married and became figureheads to the people of Arista. I just didn’t like parents, so they moved the stars down from five to four.
Profile Image for Happily Ever After Romance.
1,089 reviews29 followers
December 4, 2021
Reviewed at Happily Ever After Romance

Crowned for His Christmas Baby begins the Pregnant Princesses multi-author series with an intense romance with a lot of heat – and even more twists to add to the plot. I enjoyed Eloise and Vincenzo’s story very much, however, I can see where it also may have a divided audience as well. I’m used to arrogant heroes in the Presents line, it’s almost natural to expect now. Yet, there is an underlying vulnerability in Vincenzo that when you see it for the first time it won’t leave your mind.

I imagine that there are people, in all aspects of wealth or poverty, who have never, ever experienced what love is in their lives. That is Vincenzo. He doesn’t know what loving someone means, he suspects the emotion, doesn’t believe in its existence, and certainly never expects to fall prey to the lure of love – whatever that is. I could feel sorry for him through most of his story… after I was angered by his actions and words. Experiencing that “ah-ha” moment of his was perhaps one of the best moments in a romance that I’ve felt in a while. Not because it’s rare, but because it was so heart-wrenchingly human. Vincenzo was a hero that I had to learn to love, but once I did, I cheered him on even when he did stupid ego things.

I adored Eloise. She’s been through a lot but she’s found herself in the midst of chaos. She also has a fire that even she didn’t recognize until the right situation came along. I ached for what she experienced at Vincenzo’s hands, by his actions and words. Yet, I also rejoiced with her when he saw the light of what love truly is.

About the plot I’m, as you can tell, being very vague for I believe to understand these characters and why they react as they do you have to have read their story firsthand, not gotten bits and pieces from reviews. Crowned for His Christmas Baby is a story that I’ll return to for it delivers an emotional romance with two people who grow individually and together throughout. I’m also looking forward to learning more about Vincenzo’s friends’ adventures in the rest of the series. I got just enough of a taste to want more. In all, I had a good time in this world and I’m eager to return with the next title.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.
Profile Image for TashNz.
731 reviews22 followers
November 23, 2021
Crowned for His Christmas Baby is a Christmas themed delight and the start of a very promising mini series.

Connected by their dysfunctional childhoods, Prince Vincenzo thinks his plan of revenge is brilliant when he brings Eloise back to his palace. What makes this book so interesting is that Eloise is all for their country finding out what a snake Vincenzo's father is. Being in love with Vincenzo since way back doesn't help Eloise's heart but she draws strength from it and has the most unforgettable night with Vincenzo.

Like most of Maisey Yates's heroines Eloise is strong and brave and not afraid to speak out about the injustices thrown down at her. Vincenzo is a broody hero determined to wipe out his father's chaotic and cruel rulings and absolutely not looking for love so when it smacks him right in the chest he does not recognise it at all. He's determined to stop all his fathers nonsense with him and has no plans to carry on the royal lineage. He is driven by passion and revenge but he's regretful for the wrongs he has also put on Eloise's shoulders rather than listening to her.

Quite the Christmas fairy tale with dastardly parents and beautiful Christmas spirit sprinkled with a side of Maisey Yate's humour and dashing friends, Crowned for His Christmas Baby was a lively and warm read.

Finishing it in one day I couldn't put it down. And you know reading the author's dedication the future books are going to be awesome!!!
Profile Image for Jane Hunt.
Author 3 books117 followers
November 19, 2021
Prince Vincenzo is determined to rescue his country from his father's excesses and vows to end the monarchy by refusing to marry and father an heir. Avenging his mother, he enlists the help of Eloise, the daughter of his father's mistress. Eloise is a positive, strong character who has moved on from her destructive past. She has always loved Vincenzo despite his reputation and agrees to help him.

There is an intense passion between Eloise and Vincenzo despite her innocence. The emotional connection between the couple deepens as they realise they have misjudged each other. The story has many festive touches and ends happily after much angst. Believable characters and an appealing fairytale quality make this a lovely holiday read.

I received a copy of this book from Mills and Boon via NetGalley in return for an honest review.
760 reviews
December 7, 2021
A very good start

This is the 1st book in the series and it was very well written. The H and h knew each other from childhood, the h was accused of sleeping with his father, she didn’t, she was only 18 and the king had tried to seduce her. The H was planning on exposing his father’s wicked behavior, so that the king would be removed from the throne. The H pledged never to have a child but one night of passion with the h, led to an unexpected pregnancy. Neither had a good childhood. They were able to find love. His friends are hilarious. Great ending.
Profile Image for Kiela Joseph.
263 reviews4 followers
November 16, 2021
Love the twist with father/son and mother/daughter. They are very different than their parents
1,617 reviews
November 28, 2021
Loved this story about Vincenzo and Eloise. The intrigue and suspense kept me turning pages until the very end.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
914 reviews2 followers
December 14, 2021
I loved Eloise and Vincenzo's story. They grew up in the same place and had extremely different lives. I like them as adults. Really liked his friends and can't wait to read their stories.
Profile Image for Mattie.
2,106 reviews10 followers
February 15, 2022
It was ok, I liked the heroine and how good she was. The hero was quite a jerk for a very long time to the heroine (decade and a half), I did like how bad he felt about how he wronged her but I felt that he should have been harder on himself. I mean it's kind of mindblowing that he knew her for 12 years and was friends with her and yet he could immediately think she slept with his father because he was told she did so despite her denials. I get he was messed up from his childhood but to persist in thinking that of her for a decade and half, I feel he deserves feeling worse about how he treated her.
Also the heroine was 18 when it all happened and hero knew what a jerk his father was, why did it never occur to him that his father could have forced heroine into an affair. He just assumed she was a hussy like her mother and treated he like it when he met up with her again. To be clear heorine never slept with the hero's father but he wanted to sleep with her. I did like how sweet he was with her once he knew she truly was as good as she seemed to be. P.

** didn't like hero's reputation and how much of a manwhore he was but was glad it didn't spill over into the main plot like in form of another woman or some kind of scandal to do with being a manwhore
Profile Image for Page Passion .
1,024 reviews9 followers
December 5, 2021
Cute but ultimately forgettable Christmas story. Vincenzo and Eloise (not at the plaza lol) have some sweet moments. Their shared effed-up childhood made for some vulnerable moments. There was just a lot of nothing going on, especially in the beginning. MY tends to use purple prose, but that didn't take away from the story. I think my expectations were just leaning towards angst and it popped up every so often.

What I liked most was and the banter between the hero and his friends. They had humourous banter filled with #poorlittlerichboy problems lol.

Profile Image for RomLibrary.
5,788 reviews
hq-to-read
December 10, 2021
The prince has discovered her pregnancy! New York Times bestselling author Maisey Yates thrills with this dramatic Christmas baby romance.

It started with revenge.
Can a royal baby be his redemption?

Eloise St. George is not feeling festive. Untouched Eloise has loved Prince Vincenzo all her life. When she is swept up in his plans for revenge, she can’t resist! But one night with her fantasy prince leaves her carrying his heir!

Hell-bent on punishing his cruel father, Vincenzo has vowed never to marry. Until Eloise falls pregnant and he must claim her as his bride. He may see himself as broken, but can their baby be the Christmas miracle that puts this prince back together?
Profile Image for LoveRomance.
939 reviews1 follower
February 20, 2022
I usually like Maisey Yates, but this story was shallow. I didn't care about Vincenzo, and I was confused by Eloise. She left the toxic family for years, became a horticulturist, found a new community, but didn't make one friend? She's warm, kind and loving, but not one friend? Vincenzo is single dimensional but has 3 deep friendships? Doesn't make sense that he's emotionally bankrupt and has friends and she's emotionally available and only has a ditch cat.

Also odd to have so little insight into his dad and her mom -- no depth at all, they're both just all bad?

I don't expect a lot of backstory or depth with an HQN Presents, but this fell short.
Profile Image for Martin Meek.
165 reviews1 follower
November 13, 2023
Friends to lovers with a twist of revenge. Set 7 months before conception. A son set on destroying his father, and one night of unbridled passion. 7 months later, Prince, soon to be king, finds out he is going to be a father. So, with his friends, he is convinced to do the right thing. But will what he said in the past come back to kick him in the ass? That is the million dollar question. I gave the book 4 stars because of its sat during Christmas, and because Eloise makes up for Vincenzo being an ass. But in the end, I loved how he came around. And how they became a family.
921 reviews
November 2, 2021
Yet another royal plot this Christmas season from this publisher and doesn’t read any better than the other. The exaggeration of H and his friends’ reputation at Oxford to the plot, it was too one note with evil royal dad that needed to be disposed and h was his dad’s mistress and too many plot holes on the second half of the book and convenient plot devices that made for an uninteresting read that had no relatability whatsoever.
285 reviews11 followers
January 21, 2022
Vincenzo and Eloise were a couple that you knew belonged together, but they needed to work through their issues/misconceptions about themselves and each other before they could be together. Looking forward to the rest of the series.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 37 reviews