Customer Reviews

How to Propose to a Prince (Avon Romantic Treasure)

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

Elizabeth is the youngest of the notorious Royle sisters. It is whispered that they are the daughters of the Prince of Wales, secreted away and raised by the personal physician. Whether true or not, the sisters are close to each other, as well as to the man who raised them. Elizabeth is the sister who has "the sight". Her dreams always come true. The only real problem is that they are only HALF true. No one is ever sure which part is correct and which part is not.

As the story opens, Elizabeth is telling her sister that she dreamed about her future husband. Elizabeth is positive he will be a prince and clearly recalls his features. Very shortly thereafter, they see the man while out shopping. They follow him into a store and hear the clerk call him "Your Highness". The man sternly informs them all that he is Sumner Lansdowne, Marquess of Whitevale, and NOT the prince. After he is gone, the clerk tells them that he saw the prince as he entered town. No one knows why the man will not admit that he is the prince.

Prince Leopold has secretly come to London to seek the hand of the Prince Regent's daughter, Charlotte. Word is that she is most amenable to his suit. Sumner Lansdowne is the cousin to Prince Leopold. From a distance, they look identical. Closely though, one may tell the difference, especially in their heights. To protect Leopold, Sumner poises as the prince at the Ton balls. There, he is reacquainted with Elizabeth. But someone in the area wants Prince Leopold dead. Sumner and Elizabeth soon find themselves with targets on their backs.

**** Mystery, intrigue, romance, or adventure, no matter what your tastes are you will find them satisfied in this story set within the Regency era of London. Since Elizabeth's dreams are only half right, there are plenty of humorous situations due to interpretation mistakes. This is one to pack in your traveling bag. Whether you go to the beach, the mountain, or simply to your back yard, this romance is the perfect accessory. ****

Reviewed by Detra Fitch of Huntress Reviews.

"How To Propose To A Prince" is the third in a series about triplet sisters from Cornwall who are reputed to be the illegitimate daughters of the Prince of Wales and his Catholic wife Maria Fitzherbert. The third story follows the fortunes of Elizabeth, the one remaining unmarried triplet, who has dreams that often become true. When she dreams that she will be marrying a handsome prince before Michaelmas she believes it although her sister Mary thinks she must be wrong. When they almost immediately bump into the man in her dream at a jewellers, introduced as the Marquess of Whitehaven but referred to by the jeweller as "Your Royal Highness", Elizabeth is convinced that her marriage will approach soon. But Sumner, as he becomes known to her, is apparently planning to marry Princess Caroline and as Elizabeth spends time with him and also with Princess Caroline it seems that her dream may be slipping out of her reach.

The central plot of this story is of someone pretending to be someone else in order to protect him. Sumner isn't actually Prince Leopold as everyone thinks but his cousin; the real Prince Leopold is quietly wooing Princess Caroline in the background. The reader is given these details very early on which rather removes some of the sense of suspense and confusion. We know who Sumner is, Elizabeth doesn't, but she seems to blunder on anyway, assuming that Sumner wants her.

The characterisation in this book was pretty sparse with none of the people feeling very real. The writing style was very simple with most descriptive passages being about Elizabeth's clothing, of which she seemed inordinately interested. There was little tension and a minor plot about someone trying to kill Leopold/Sumner was pretty transparent. The names of all three suitors for the triplets - Rogan, Laird and Sumner - all felt very inappropriate for this historical period and the behaviour of Elizabeth was also rather scandalous, for example calling to visit a gentleman on her own. The historical research with regard to the true historical figures such as Princess Caroline and Prince Leopold seemed reasonable but the behaviour of the hero and heroine in this book didn't feel authentic and the case of mistaken identity plot device was carried on rather longer than it should have been. This was a passable read but nothing special.

Originally published for Curled Up With A Good Book © Helen Hancox 2008

How To Propose To A Prince is Kathryn Caskie's third book in a series. The Royle triplets must each find their match. Mary and Anne have found their loves. As the youngest of the triplets, Elizabeth's turn arrives. She dreams of the man she is to marry, but if he isn't a peer of the realm, will her guardians approve? She is no less than the secret daughter of the Prince of Wales. Or is she?

And who is who? Are the Royle triplets really the secret daughters of the Prince of Wales? Is the man Elizabeth fell in love with really Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield or his cousin Sumner Lansdowne, Marquess of Whitevale? And what is the relationship between Leopold and Sumner? You think you know, but wait, don't jump ahead of the story and its final resolution-not only for the book, but for the series as well. Truths are revealed, but some may still remain a secret.

The time frame is the regency era and Elizabeth steps out of the rain into a London jewelry store and humor abounds as she immediately meets her hero-the man she has seen in her dreams. Although her dreams come true, sometimes only parts of her dreams become reality. Which part will be reality for Elizabeth? From there, Caskie's story moves quickly through a wide range of emotions. The combination of historical data with a fictional romance is very well done.

Armchair Interviews says: Political intrigue abounds along with mystery, danger, humor, and above all else, romance.

This is the third book in a very good trilogy of three sisters. This book in particular was not the crowning great ending to a good series. Anti-climatic ending for the series.

I couldn't put it down. Stayed up until 1 in the morning to finish it. Well crafted. Interesting characters that I fell in love with in other books. Fun plot with some mistaken identiy. And just a delightful book to read.

With her two sisters married (see Mary's tale - HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE and Anne's saga - HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL). the youngest of the Royle sisters, Elizabeth dreams of marrying a prince; nothing less will do for her. She even dreams of the royal she will marry. When she actually sees the royal of her dreams for the first time Elizabeth struggles to keep her deportment especially when she learns her hunk is Prince Leopold of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield.

However, Elizabeth is taken aback when she learns Leopold is intended for the Princess of Wales. Hoping for a miracle, Elizabeth obtains a position as a lady in waiting for Princess Charlotte. As she tries to get close to her dream husband, Elizabeth begins to believe something is not right. She plans to find out what secret Prince Leopold is hiding.

This is a terrific ending to the Royle Regency romances as Elizabeth's plan is unusual and seemingly insane yet is clever as it allows her entry into the playing field. Fans will appreciate Kathryn Caskie's superb tale filled with historical persona and tidbits that bring the early nineteenth century to life; plausible twists (especially a final one) that add depth to the plot; amateur sleuthing that enables the audience to understand the heroine's strength of conviction; and a fun romance.

Harriet Klausner

What a waste of time! I really don't ask much of a book...a good plot, wit, characters I can get involved in...but this book was none of those things. I could not get into this book from the very first page. But, I kept reading, hoping at some point it would get interesting. It never did. Every few pages, the character would say "la" or "lud!" which, for some reason, grated on my nerves. Maybe that's how they spoke back then, but is it really necessary? I also had a hard time buying the sudden "I love yous" when the characters never really got to know each other except for the fact that the Royle sister dreamt of her future husband. I have dreams of men too but that doesn't mean I love them...Don't waste your time or money on this one...very disappointing.

This book made the heroine look like a complete dimwit. The hero, the Marquess of Whitevale, is pretending to be the Prince Leopold in response to threats on the Prince's life. However, the hero and heroine have numerous encounters with people who have no knowledge of this deception, but, miraculously, no one mentions the Prince or Marquess by name, no one slips up, and no one has met either of them before??!! It is even admitted at the end of the book that only four people knew of the deception. I believe that the slighest bit of perception from our heroine would have uncovered the whole lie early on. Also, the two would-be lovers take a stroll the first time they meet, leave a ball and climb into a carriage together! Even I know that is a big no-no in Regency England. I have to admit that I was greatly annoyed by the announcement of each new location throughout the entire book.

All in all I would not receommend this as a good example of historical fiction or even good romance.

This was the first Kathryn Caskie book I've read and I can't wait to read more. Her writing style reminds me a bit of Lorraine Heath. She really described the emotions of the characters well, and what they were thinking. The story was really interesting, I finished the book so fast. I literally couldn't put it down.

I was a little confused at first because of how he was pretending he was someone else, then the someone else was a real person, and then his cousin was someone else who he was pretending to be...something along those lines. For a short while I didn't know which was the actual main character.

The romance between these two and the chemistry was really sensual and intriguing. The suspense was great, making you want to know what was going to happen so badly.

This author is talented. The book lives up to its jacket description and is a good read for a rainy day, especially for those hooked on regencies. I read it after reading 'How to Seduce a Duke,' also in the series.