Juliana Gray - How to School Your Scoundrel

Princess Luisa has devoted her life to duty, quietly preparing to succeed her father as ruler. Nothing, however, primed her to live on the run, disguised as a personal secretary to a notorious English scoundrel. The earl is just the man to help her reclaim her throne, but Luisa is drawn to her powerful employer in ways she never imagined…
Philip, Earl of Somerton, has spent six years married to a woman in love with another man—he refuses to become a fool due to imprudent emotions ever again. Only, as his carefully laid plans for vengeance falter, fate hands him hope for redemption in the form of a beautiful and determined young princess who draws him into a risky game of secrets, seduction, and betrayal. And while his cunning may be enough to save her life, nothing can save him from losing his heart…

Comment: This is the third installment in the Princess in Hiding series by Juliana Gray. I have liked the previous two and would definitely read this one as well, but as a whole, I wasn't as marveled by it as I hoped for.

In this third story we switch focus to Luisa, the heir princess who is not only mourning her father, but also her late husband, even though they were better friends than a couple. Like her sisters, she is placed under disguise in the house of an aristocrat for her protection but, also like her sisters, she can't truly hide her personality and struggles to maintain a humble persona. 

The earl of Somerton has the reputation of being a scoundrel and not even marrying changed it, but Luisa's uncle knew this would be the man to protect Luisa. The longer she is there, though, the more she realizes how everyone misunderstands the earl and she even tries to help him save his marriage, which is quite altruist since she seems to be falling in love with him... what future could there be for them, especially when the enemies come closer and the princesses are in danger once more?

One of the elements I loved the most in the previous books was the balance between funny scenes - mostly related to the princesses' disguises - and the serious situations and the larger than life romances. Even when something wasn't as appealing to me personally, I still found a lot of be entertained with and cherished the books. This one starts off in a good enough way, then has developments I wasn't too happy with and the end again seems to be strong. I feel a bit conflicted because I can understand the author's intentions with presenting the hero as he is, but I didn't like him that much for a while.

It is true the title does indicate the earl as being a scoundrel but how often the premises are based on vague or unimportant things and the true beauty is to see the development anyway? I can accept the ear was a scoundrel and there are enough scenes in the book for the reader to see it and believe in that impression, but of course that paints him as not being such a great guy. Any romance reader would guess, of course, that the relationship between the protagonists would change this and, deep down, he isn't such a bad person, he was clearly a product of his experiences, but then I'll say this: why spend so much time establishing his scoundrel personality instead of developing a more balanced romance?

I do feel the amount of pages/plot moves weren't divided as best as they could. I think we spend too long with the setting up of the plot, with the reasons why this is this way, why this person has this personality and when things finally seem to advance, it's not as progressive. For me, it felt as if the jumps in time were too many and without proper development. Perhaps less "introduction" might have helped but then my opinion was already influenced by the elements I wasn't too fond of.

Closer to the end there are many things that happen quickly and the romance also moves along. I still think Luisa and the earl didn't have the same amazing love story as the other couples, even though the author does try to present it as wonderful and special, in a way that both of them could not have with their previous spouses. I did like that they got their HEA and that we are told their personalities and interests match and complement each other, which means their relationship will be successful. 

The resolution of the issues related to why the princesses were hiding isn't any kind of surprise, a few things are easy to guess from a certain point on, in pretty much all the books. Since part of the overall plot can be seen through different POVs in all books, there are things here which are easy to guess. I was only curious on how the situation would be presented and it is true some of it was a bit too fanciful, but the enemy was defeated and the princesses, mostly Luisa as heir, managed to take their places and find happiness.

I still think of this trilogy as a captivating one, there are many elements among the three books that I liked but this third one was definitely the weakest for me. I upgraded my rating one point because of the end of the book, where things seemed to follow better the pattern in the other books, but yes, it wasn't as magical to me.

Grade: 7/10

Juliana Gray - How to Master Your Marquis

Of all her sisters, Princess Stefanie is by far the least amenable to law and order, which is why she’s appalled to find herself masquerading as an unbearably drab clerk for the most honorable barrister in England. But her dull disguise turns out to have its privileges: namely, the opportunity to consort unchaperoned with her employer’s exceedingly handsome nephew, James Lambert, the Marquess of Hatherfield.
Hatherfield quickly realizes that his uncle’s spirited new clerk is, in fact, a lovely young woman of daring habits. The outwardly impeccable marquis isn’t about to reveal her deception. After all, he’s hiding a dangerous secret of his own. But when one too many escapades with the madcap princess bring Hatherfield’s troubled past to light, it is only Stefanie’s sharp wits that stand between the marquis and utter disaster, and only Hatherfield’s daring that can save the princess from the shadowy agents bent on finding her.

Comment: This is the second installment in the Princess in Hiding trilogy. I've read the first book last year and was quite pleased with it, and I've decided to finish the trilogy.

In this second book we have the story of the youngest sister, Stefanie, as she and her sisters hide as men in places chosen by their uncle, the duke of Olympia, until their enemies are caught.

Stefanie is an impulsive and vibrant young woman and she feels a little disappointed that she is going to become a clerk with a very boring job. Not everything is bad, though, for she can be around the marquess of Hatherfield and he seems to be a good friend and eventually even her work is being recognized. However, the danger continues and she and Hatherfield seem to get along very well, to the point others start to become suspicions... at the same time, Hatherfield is having some family problems, but can these two join forces to become the romantic pair they are on the path of becoming and to help each other in what they need to accomplish?

As it had happened with the other book, I also found this one to be extremely entertaining. Perhaps the plot might not the cleverest of them all, but it did amuse and entertain me and sometimes that can be a win alone! I think this was a good enough story but I confess a few things did seem easier to follow after having read the first book. Perhaps this isn't as necessary for some readers, but for me it made more sense to have read the first book before.

The story is very unlikely, but it's fun and has fun scenes. This isn't aimed to be a comedy, but I did smile at a few things. Stefanie is a lively and bubbly person but I did struggle to imagine her as a traditional type of aristocracy. I really don't think her actions would be any near what a princess would be like, but part of the fun is precisely that. She was engaging and funny, it was very easy to like her but I must truly suspend my belief in how long was she able to deceive others - not Hatherfield - that she was a man. Nothing in what was described would make it seem that such a mask would last so long.

That aside, I must say I liked the way the story developed, this was not only focused on hiding the princess, the plot also touched interesting themes, such as Stefanie's restlessness, her feeling of not accomplishing much and she discovers that the law and helping people is really something she could be good at; it's not that clear, or I might have missed it, but perhaps she will use these newfound abilities to help others. As for Hatherfield, he is in a tricky situation for most of the book...

The hero is peculiar here, I didn't have the notion he would be one of those larger than life heroes, nor is he really a "beta", so to say, but the fact he isn't all powerful in all fields made him more human, and perhaps easier to think of as a potential suitor for Stefanie. He sees himself in a complicated situation and I thought the author did a good enough job portraying this, I felt the plot had the right amounts of seriousness and details to make it different from the majority of historical romances, but as one would expect, all ends well.

The romance was cute and romantic for the most part, but I was not fully convinced at all times. There were moments in which things felt rushed, in others their dynamic felt too superficial... still, somehow I felt convinced they would be a good couple.

The secondary characters were captivating enough, a few were really there just for fill in the roles needed, not much to them, others actually sounded a bit over the top. As a whole things worked well, but detail by detail some things might not feel as cohesive.

All things considered, like I said, I had a good time reading, I liked the protagonist found happiness and it was fun to see their story was similar enough to the first but, thankfully, also different and helped me be able to distinguish their personalities easily. I hope the last one will be vibrant as well.

Grade: 8/10

Juliana Gray - How to Tame Your Duke

Quiet and scholarly Princess Emilie has always avoided adventure, until she’s forced to disguise herself as a tutor in the household of the imposing Duke of Ashland, a former soldier disfigured in battle and abandoned by his wife. When chance draws her into a secret liaison with the duke, Emilie can't resist the opportunity to learn what lies behind his forbidding mask, and find out what adventure really means...
The duke never imagines that his son's tutor and his mysterious golden-haired beauty are one and the same. But when the true identity of his lover is laid bare, Ashland must face the demons in his past in order to safeguard both his lady - and his heart.

Comment: One more book I added for some reason I can't pinpoint now, but since the plot has some Beauty and the Beast vibes, it might have for that, I do like that trope.

In this book, we learn the three princesses of a German principality have fled their country after anarchists tried to attack them. They are helped by their British uncle, the duke of Olympia, a incisive and clever man who decides to hide them, individually, with families he trusts, while they try to investigate who is part of the anarchist group.

Emilie is the middle sister, interested in books and studying and she is placed at the house of the duke of Ashland, as tutor to his 16 year old son and disguised as a man. At first, it seems all goes according to plan, but Emilie can't help but feel fascinated by the duke, who had been in India and was hurt during those times in the military. As time passes by, they seem to become friends but one night, after a chat with a family friend with news on her sisters, she is mistaken for someone else at the inn where the duke has a rendez-vous and they start this mysterious and daring intimate relationship... the problem is the duke doesn't know Emilie is also his son's tutor... before they can even be honest with one another, a surprising attack from the anarchists must rush their decisions. Will they be able to trust one another when the truth is revealed?

The plot of this romance is completely far fetched, but nevertheless so entertaining that it was fun to read. It does seem helpful knowing, as explained by the author, where her ideas came from and which details might have had some kind of realistic base, but the sequence of events is definitely a good exercise in imagination!

The three princesses' troubles seemed serious enough to validate such a radical decision, to hide them under disguise, but at the same time it does feel like it was a bit silly. Especially since they are placed in houses of people who are unaware and then the author chooses dialogue and situations which are dealt with a bit more sexiness and comedy factors, instead of focusing on social conventions and historical accuracy. That aside, though, reading the story was very funny in a way, and the romance, well, romantic.

As soon as Emilie meets the duke and immediately can't stop thinking about him in no less than lustful ways, even though it's in her interest to stay out of sight, to be seen as invisible - thus her disguise as a male tutor instead of simply being there as her own identity - how not to guess that the tactic was intentional by her uncle, to pair her up with someone with whom she might settle with? I "guessed" this pretty early but to be fair, the author was not really hiding its possibility.

The romance was evidently fantasy-like. Even if Emilie had been a nice young woman, who would not mind the idea of an adventure pretending to be a man and one lacking means at that, her personality would still be conditioned to not act on her feelings and expectations the way it was, hiding her identity from the duke, at the same time he was hiding his. The thing is, she knew who he was all the time, and he didn't. As expected, part of the fun and the conflict, was to see how they would finally tell each other the truth. I'd say this was a bit like a missed opportunity because the duke learns the truth from an external situation, and their conversation on the subject was not as intense as it could have been.

I liked Emilie, though, her enjoyment of books, of learning obviously made her likable to me and despite some situations in which she acted in a very impulsive and silly manner, her heart and intentions were good and I was rooting for her success in winning the duke's heart and in gaining the stability and freedom to be with her sisters again. The whole drama about the principality and the politics had its interest but I confess I didn't really pay much attention to that, I mean, it was a given this would be solved somehow at some point, even if not at the conclusion of this book.

The duke is a more complex character mainly for his past and experience. There is a certain age gap between them - she is in her early 20s and he late 30s if not already 40 years old, I can't remember properly - and I expected this to be an obstacle in their relationship, perhaps even more so than his looks (consequence of the war and so on), but the biggest reason to make them apart was something else, which we discover in the middle of the book, when their feelings become more real after they become intimate. Still, the duke is one of those honorable men, a lot more adaptable than what it might seem because of his title and age.

There are plenty of silly scenes and some more annoying ones, which I thought to myself, surely there were better ways to convey certain emotions and conventions, but that was fine, I could put aside my least favorite details, because the romance is sweet and sexy, I kind of believed in the chemistry between them and was quite glad when the end comes and they get their HEA.

I wasn't as interested in the other sisters, considering the little we see of their personalities in the first chapter, but since this story was so much more appealing that what i thought, I'll absolutely read the rest of the trilogy.

Grade: 8/10