The Selective Mute Princess

by Samantha Jayne Grubey

Princess Amelia has been silent for ten years, ever since Amelia and Ava were kidnapped. One returned home the other did not. Amelia has always kept herself guarded with her twenty-first birthday approaching things are going to be changing.

Ethan Sparks is on his first assignment, guard the Princess in the Palace. The longer he’s there the more he finds himself being drawn to Princess Amelia, he can see she’s drowning and he wants to help. Romantic interests stir in a mixing pot of emotions as Amelia and her family recover from the kidnapping and murder of her sister. Unsure what to feel or who to believe, Amelia needs to find her truth, as she deals with her trauma and finally brings her family to mend. Along the way they find themselves hitting challenges at every wall.

So many questions left unanswered by the kidnapping and murder, can she finally find the answers she’s searching for? Can Amelia finally allow herself to live and be freed from the guilt she feels? Can Ethan survive the challenges that come with falling for a Princess in line for the throne?

Genres: Contemporary

326 pages, Kindle Edition

Published August 29, 2022

About the author

Samantha Jayne Grubey is an author of new adult romance.

When she's not writing or reading, she will be playing sims or doing some diamond art and if she isn't doing any of that she could be pole dancing or most likely working.

Follow her on social media, learn all about the books at: https://www.samanthajaynegrubey.com

Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SamanthaJayn...
Twitter: https://twitter.com/SamanthaJayne_x
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Reviews

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

For the past ten years, Princess Amelia has not spoken a word. Not since that fateful time when she and her twin sister Ava were kidnapped and Amelia saw her sister murdered and the reason the kidnappers gave, was because Amelia talked. This rendered her mute and she shut down completely. That is until Agent Ethan Sparks came along and he sparked (no pun intended) something in Amelia. Slowly, she starts to come out of her shell, and to the surprise of everyone, she even starts to slowly talk. What happens though when she is about to get the fright of her life and learns that everything, she has thought for the past ten years has been a lie? Now Amelia who has only just come to terms with the past is about to have Pandora's Box re-opened and a can of worms is about to spill out. Can Amelia with the help of Ethan handle this or will it revert her to not talking and lead her into a depressive state and render her mute forever? Find out in this edgy royalty romance The Selective Mute Princess by Samantha Jayne Grubey.

[Secret Library of the Witch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Happy stuff your e-reader day! c:

1.5*
(slight TW for a brief mention of r*pe and OD)

I expected to read this book for its romance, but I ended up pushing through it mostly for the absolutely unhinged, slightly predictable mystery plotline behind it.

This story was originally posted on Wattpad, which is quite noticeable from it's characteristic fanfiction-y writing that most original works posted to similar forums have - particularly how unrealistic everything is and how every scene and conversation is way too brief - however if a lot of people consider such forums trash, I am but a measly raccoon foraging for dinner.

First and foremost, we certainly started off on the wrong foot here. I feel like I got dropped into the middle of this story via parachute and it took me a second to realize that the MMC and the FMC were already well acquainted and friendly when the story starts. The introduction period is usually what hooks most romance readers and this book was definitely short of it.

All the timings in this book felt off with the main couple sharing too many romantic moments in the midst of or directly after tense, stressful (some even traumatic) situations, and there was simultaneously an immense lack of build up for every romantic act, such as the MMC asking the FMC to be his girlfriend so out of nowhere that I felt whiplash.

Some things, however, were just straight up ridiculous, such as:
- How quickly Amelia started speaking. Not even how sudden or early in the book it was, but how quickly she just started talking for long periods of time. After being mute for so long you can't just simply start eloquently speaking out of nowhere.
- Amelia telling Ethan to chill about his 15 year old sister od'ing on date rape drugs and getting pregnant????????
- Ava saying she "wasn't raped because she liked it" (which was, and I cannot stress this enough, so unnecessary? This sentence served no real purpose and I can't even begin to speculate on why it was included)
- The main couple simply "forgetting" to use any form of contraception?? When the FMC is literally on her way to becoming queen????
- Ava saying her kidnappers let her go to school under a different name as if she isn't a literal princess who is supposed to be dead? Surely, it wouldn't have gone unnoticed that someone who looked eerily similar to a dead princess was learning long division on a Wednesday afternoon
- Amelia getting sick from the smell of bacon and then eating it like 3 days later
- This charming piece of dialogue:

"How could you get her pregnant? She's fucking ugly," Jack said disgusted.
"Shut the fuck up!" Peter snapped. "No, she's not pretty, she's beautiful, so both of you shut the fuck up."

Last time I checked the usage of 'she's not pretty, she's beautiful' involves actually calling someone pretty, but we can overlook this one.

However! There was something so unhinged about the Ava underbelly of this book that I just had to keep reading to see how crazy it would get. Even if it took me 2 weeks to finish this. But not being able to DNF a book because I can't look away from all it's car-accident-on-the-highway-ness is enough for me to rate it more than 1 star, hence the 1.5.

Overall, I was captivated by the premise, a bit disappointed in the execution of its romantic aspects, but lowkey pretty invested in the unhinged chaos of the mystery behind everything. This author seems to have a hidden knack for mystery that could turn into something great!

Thank you for the opportunity to read this book!

[Ornella · Rating 1 out of 5]

Thank you Netgallery and the publisher for the ARC. All opinions are my own.

It wasn't the worst thing I've ever read but I didn't like it much, I read more than 40% but I DNF. The premise sounded quite interesting but there's just stuff about it that doesn't work. We jump in and I had the feeling I was supposed to know and care about these characters already? Wouldn't have been better to see the bond develop between Amelia and Ethan from the beginning, since the day he was hired? I feel like a missed several chapters. Like I was thrown in the middle of it.
Also, I know it's fiction and all but it's a royal family and the guard, the princess, the king and queen seem to be talking too informally with each other for my taste maybe? No protocol or something? Too casual. They didn't feel much like royalty..any of them.

The pacing felt weird.. everything seemed to be happening so fast. After 16% mark it got a little better but at one point it went back to being hard to follow, and it continues to be like that. It became kinda flat too(?) even though so much was happening, I wasn't on the edge on my seat..I was bored and other than a couple of scenes, I didn't feel invested in the characters or what was happening.
The way the characters were behaving often felt like it didn't make much sense to me.

I wasn't satisfied with this book but I will probably give this author another chance in the future. There's definitely room for improvement.

[Apoorva · Rating 1 out of 5]

DNF at 43%

Such a stupid stupid book. I'm beginning to think my "Stuff your kindle day" books are all a bust

[Nat_json]

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC. These are my honest thoughts and feelings about this book.
Sadly I DNF this book at 10%. It just wasn’t what I was expecting and I felt like you got thrown into the story a third of the way in.
This book is about a princess who got kidnapped along with her sister and then watched she sister die because she spoke so after she got recused she decided to not talk again and about how her relationship grows with her bodyguard. Sounds great right?
When you open this book the bodyguard has already been assigned to the Princess for a few months I think so we don’t get the see how the relationship between them was right away and honestly that’s the fun part (in my opinion). To watch them struggle to work together and build a friendship and then the romantic feelings start to grow but sadly we didn’t get that.
The Author notes that this book was originally a Wattpad story and to me it did really read like one. Also this book is marketed as new adult and from the little that I read I don’t know why it has that rating. More probably happens later in the books but I was surprised.
I decided not to give this a star rating because I did DNF it so early on and maybe that speaks more to its self then me leaving a rating.

[eli · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a great book and one that I will for sure love always! I really liked the way you could tell how Mia felt even though she didn’t speak for a number of chapters and the bond that she and Ethan had was really, really deep (I was surprised with their history later on in the story). As someone who, for a time, couldn’t bare to be around a lot of people, much less converse, it was nice to have a character to relate to, especially one who was a princess and had so much duties that she needed to do. Ethan was an absolute darling, and the banter and sincere, pure love he had for Mia was touching and precious. The plot, even without the romance, was well-written and there were so much shocking turns with soft moments between family melded in the plot. Mia was so strong and resilient, I couldn’t admire her more. A wonderful read and one that should be read by lovers of romance, family, and resilient women.

[Kait · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cute princess/bodyguard romance.

Amelia is mute, has been for 10 years ever since she and her twin sister we abducted. She was the only one who returned and she never forgets the last moments with her sister. Now the only person she opens up to and feels safe with is her bodyguard Ethan.

REMEMBER that this is just my personal opinion - you could absolutely love this book, it just may not be for me.

I felt like this was very back and forth, and it pains me to say that because I was really hoping for the best with this book. Amelia’s mom is so against her and Ethan together, then a chapter later she’s ok with them sleeping in the same bed together, to eventually talking about their babies. I felt like her language changed too from royal to not (ex. puh-lease). Ending was cute.

*I received an ARC of this book and am voluntarily leaving a review with my honest opinion.*

[Chloe McCormick · Rating 5 out of 5]

Where do I start!?

This is such a fast paced book with so much going on, page one suddenly became page 300. It became the first book in over a year I've managed to get to the end of, and I hope it is the first of many more.

Ethan and Amelia have a nice, readable, enjoyable relationship. The way the story goes these characters could have been written all wrong, but Samantha Jayne Grubey pulled it off perfectly. Ethan to the end reads like a gentleman, suited perfectly for the side of a princess.

As for the story, there are so many twists and turns. Should the author have wanted, I'm sure this could have been prolonged over two or three books, but instead we get this fast paced action-packed book that goes from one plot point to the next. I don't want to spoil it, but there are some - or a lot - of surprises.

I enjoyed the world building. Although it is actually set in England, the dynamic of the royal family was pretty unique. Not as you'd expect a royal family - but they are human after all! Maybe our queen Elizabeth also enjoyed some role play with her king once upon a time haha. It definitely was unique to read, and refreshing.

My only criticism is I'd have loved some background on how Ethan and Amelia begins. As I said, story moves so fast with so much plot I'm sure it wouldn't have made the cut of essential story... However I just think this is an excuse for author to write a prequel 😉, hint hint.

The inclusion of selective mutism not only represents in the form of our main character but also another big character, and it's nice to see it represented. It's done tastefully in my opinion. It obviously plays a big part in the story but not so big that a lot of detail needs to be fleshed out. Trauma and anxiety is a funny thing.

I also feel the inclusion of a therapist within the story line, a character who appears consistently and with other characters,works to normalise therapy and seeking help for your mental health. We need more of that in our real lives, and while mental health advocacy is on the up, it's little things like this that will reach those hardest to reach on destigmatization of mental health.

This story amongst other things and asides from being plainly a quick and enjoyable read, is definitely a story you will take something away from.

Thanks to the author for bringing us such a wonderful story!

[Sydnie Nova · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars. This book was a quick read, and while enjoyable, was somewhat predictable. I do like the princess/bodyguard trope, but while the book was titled The Selective Mute Princess, the story behind her selective mutism stands on shaky legs. I don't want to give anything away as to the larger plot, but there are some kidnapping elements in her past that later become brought back up and, to me, this is where the story has it's flaws. It feels a bit rushed, or forced, to bring certain characters back on the scene, all while dealing with an evolving love story and the side-story with the body-guard's family. I did enjoy this book, even if it lacks the level of spice I'm used to, and would enjoy to read other stories set in this same world even.
I received an advanced reader's copy from NetGalley for free, but all opinions are my own and am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Okay, this was actually 3.5 stars for me.
The book is written well and the bodyguard/princess forbidden aspect is what initially drew me in but I quickly found myself skimming pages.

Ten years ago, Princess Amelia/Mia and her sister were kidnapped from the one place they were supposed to be safe. Amelia survived and her sister did not. When she returned she remained silent much to the frustration of her parents who are trying to prepare her to one day take the throne. She's also heavily guarded.

Ethan Sparks is Amelia's newest guard. The longer he's around the easier it's become for her to lean on him. He's there to soothe her after nightmares, even staying in the room so she can sleep better.

Pretty soon Amelia begins to use her voice again. Wanting to heal from the trauma of the past and finally figure out who kidnapped her and her sister.

Thanks to the author, XpressoTours, and NetGalley for the ARC to review.

Working on review

[Rebecca · Rating 3 out of 5]

After reading what this story was about I was like oh this could be interesting. And then when I read what the author wrote about this book and how much he meant to her I was like OK this is definitely gonna be really good. But then when I started to read in the chapters I could not get into it. And that really hurts to say because I really wanted to and I thought I would. Because there is a lot of books that I thought that were really good until I started reading them and I found I had to force myself to finish them and I am not gonna do that to this book. Now this is just my opinion because I got an Advanced copy from NetGalley

[BookishlyBroken · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book was good, I enjoyed it, it’s not something that I normally read so at first it was a little hard getting into but as the story progressed I liked it more and more. Seeing Amelia grow and find her voice as the story continued was great. I would recommend reading it because even though it’s not my normal I know other people who would absolutely love it.

[Megan · Rating 2 out of 5]

I enjoyed this book as a quick read. The premise of the book had a ton of promise, and I enjoyed the book for what it was.
The main characters are well rounded out and I enjoyed seeing their journey.
I think unfortunately, the fall of this book was trying to fit too much into one book. All of the conflicts made sense within the universe but they were all squished together in quick succession. I would have liked to see them spread out and fleshed out more.
A lot of the politics were glossed over quickly, and the parental relationship flip flopped too much for me.

I’m a sucker for a good nightmare comfort scene and has several of those that were swoon worthy.

[Heather · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a surprising tale that took twists and turns. It was quite intriguing so of course I had to read it in one sitting.

[Marissa Gray]

When I saw it was a princess/bodyguard plot, I was so excited. And I wanted to love this book, so bad! I wanted to devour it as soon as possible. However, I only got about 5 chapters in before I had to step away from it. The plot of a princess with selective mutism and only bonding with her bodyguard, it sounded great. I just think the execution wasn’t there. It kills me to say that because I know this was such an important book for the author. It just didn’t work for me and I decided to not finish the rest of the story. It could pick up in the later half of the book, but I just didn’t feel the need to keep pushing through.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for giving me a free ARC in exchange for an honest review. These are my own thoughts and opinions.

[Shai Z · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
Overall, this book was a cute princess x bodyguard romance, but the writing style was a little weird, with the main character thing of something, like "she is probably going to be our tour guide" and then the pearson would said the same thing, and the dialogues were often unrealistic.

Also, the royal family accepted the princess relationship with her bodyguard way to easily, and it wasn't really forbidden romance.

In my opinion, this book is more a ya book than a na book, and I would recommend it to people who are 14+.

[Virginia · Rating 4 out of 5]

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️
I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.