CLAIMING THE PRINCESS
Historical Romance
AUTHOR:
Charis Michaels
RELEASE DATE:
August 26, 2025
PUBLISHER:
Avon
ISBN/ ASIN NUMBER :
9780063280137
RATING:
4.75
AUTHOR LINK:
https://charismichaels.com/
Captain Luke Bannock, former smuggler turned privateer,
never intended to become a war-hero. He simply wants to rescue his surrogate
father and avenge his dead crew mates. As his reward of valor, Luke requests a
marriage with the French princess living in exile. He plans on using her to confront
his nemesis; however, the princess is not what Luke expected. He soon finds
himself loath to include her in his revenge plot. Can Luke find another way to
rescue his surrogate father without using Danielle?
Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans never knew her royal
French heritage. Her simple village life gets disrupted by the sudden news of
her arranged marriage to a war hero. Danielle knows nothing about the handsome
sea captain, but she senses there is more to Bannock than what he has told her.
And he offers Dani a way to save her beloved Kent village. However, she soon
learns Luke’s true reasons for marrying her. Can Danielle forgive Luke for all
his lies? Will she help him rescue his surrogate father?
I have always been a sucker for the wounded / tortured
hero types. So, it was inevitable that I would love Luke! He is haunted by the
gruesome deaths of his crew and the kidnapping of his surrogate father. I like
how Luke felt uncomfortable being labeled a “hero”. He believed he did not
deserve that title. What I love the most about Luke is that he often wrestled
with his guilty conscience. He hated lying or misleading the truth to Dani, but
he felt that he had no other choice. Desperate men do desperate and risky
things.
Danielle is a good fit for Luke. Both were raised by
surrogates from a young age. This allows the two to easily identify with the
other. I admire Danielle’s dedication to her hometown. She hates how it is
becoming a ghost town due to a businessman’s greed. Dani knows, for it to thrive
once again, she needs to find a way to bring back jobs for the townspeople. What
I love the most about Danielle is how the news of her royal blood did not
diminish her love for her adoptive family. She refused to push them out of her
life but to share them with her missing sister and brother.
CLAIMING THE PRINCESS is the third and final book in
Charis Michaels’ historical romance series, HIDDEN ROYALS. I started this
series in the middle with THE PRINCE’S BRIDE. It made me want to read the next
installment because I became invested in the d’Orlean siblings. I seriously
need to read SAY YES TO THE PRINCESS, book one. Elise, Killian, and Gabriel - characters
from the prior books – play important roles later in the story. I practically
devoured this book in two days, even forgoing precious sleep.
There are only two things that kept me from giving this
delightful book five stars. Bannock and his mother. Danielle alleged there was
a valid reason his mother never was a part of his childhood. I sensed a story
there. I even expected it to be touched on, but it never happened. If it was
not going to be explored, then why bring it up? Heck, I would have been happy
with it being covered in the epilogue.
My other small nitpick – I wish we knew what became of Amelia
and Fernsby courtship. Did they wed? Did he get praised for his part at the
end? Their courtship was a very minor detail in the story.
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