Book Review: Always a Princess by Alice Gaines
Alice Gaines- Always a Princess Format- ebook Source- Netgalley review copy Synopsis: Eve Stanhope masquerades as a foreign princess at ton parties, stealing jewels from the nobility she despises and returning to her London slum at the end of the night. She's carefully plotting revenge on her former employer—a society cad who's ruined her reputation. Now it's her turn to ruin him.What she doesn't expect is to encounter the criminally handsome Orchid Thief on one of her heists…Philip Rosemont, Viscount Wesley, is also in disguise. Bored and stifled by society, he steals jewels for fun and leaves orchids as his calling cards. He knows the woman he's cornered at the ball is no aristocrat, much less the Princess of Valdastock. But something tells him she's not exactly common, either. Now he must uncover her motives while he enjoys her illicit kisses. Can these two become partners in crime even as they give in to their mutual seduction?Review: Eve Stanhope has plunged into a new occupation as a jewellery thief. But when she collides with Lord Wesley A.K.A Phillip at the scene of her next crime she realises she has some competition. He knows instantly that her princess persona and shonky accent is a sham but instead of turning her in, his intrigue leads him to partner with the ‘princess’ to rob the riches of their jewels.Eve and Phillip team up to steal some of the most extravagant jewels in the county, but for entirely different motives. Phillip does it for fun while Eve needs the money for survival. Eve is feisty and stubborn while Phillip is cocky and amusing and there is some definite chemistry between the two of them.Eve has a ‘shameful’ past that she hides from Wesley because of her fear of rejection. She has protected her ‘virtue’ throughout her life, except when her former employer, the despicable Arthur had tried to get his mitts on her. From the moment Lord Wesley steals a kiss from her at the party he alights a passion inside of her she never thought she could feel towards a man because of previous mistreatment.Eve’s feisty nature and Wesley’s charming wit evokes a lot of sexual chemistry between the two of them. Wesley is not looking for the typical Englishwoman to take as his wife but wants a woman with passion who will come to his bed willingly and enjoy what he has to offer.Slowly, Wesley manages to break down Eve’s defences and they begin a passionate affair but still there is something Eve is hiding from him. The ultimate problem they face is that Phillip who is to inherit the title of an Earl cannot marry a nobody pretending to be a princess.The ending may have been a bit far-fetched but I was happy with how everything was tied up in the end. This was an enjoyable historical romance novel with a good premise that was well executed into a fun, fast-paced story with lively characters.
4/5 rating
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