I usually enjoy books involving royalty but for some reason this was not my cup of tea. Maybe because one of the characters was annoying the crap out of me and I hated her decisions. That could have made me biased against the book. There was one point where I almost DNF but once the story evolved it got a bit better. It’s an easy read and time seems to speed up in spots. There is a HEA which I did enjoy in the end.

I throughly enjoyed the premise of this book and did find myself entertained throughout, but there was a few things I didn’t enjoy about it. I felt like it was SUPER repetitive at times. How many times did we have to hear about the origins of Annie’s existence and subsequent upbringing outside of the royal family?!? I loved her father Jonathan and thought he was the best character in the entire book. I didn’t like the hero. I honestly would have preferred an ending where Annie lived her life without him. All in all I find myself floating between a 3.5 to 4 star rating for this book.

Disappointing. More one-dimensional characters, terrible pacing, and stagnant dialogue from Danielle Steel. It’s like this “novel” was basically an outline for what could have been a more detailed and interesting book.

2.5. It's a low rating because the writing was simply atrocious. It was third person so it bounced around with no consistency and you experienced an entire lifetime in less than 300 pages. But it was also pretty entertaining, and I stayed up well past my bedtime because I was engrossed in the story. Definitely mixed feelings for this one.

3.5 stars

This story is about the Royal Princess who is sent to live in a far-away village during the war, to ensure her safety during attacks and bombings near the castle. The decision was a very hard one for the royal family, but one that was deemed necessary. While she was away, the princess falls in love with her keepers' son, and the story takes off from there.

An interesting view into royal families and what could be.

The most exciting events in this book happen in the first third. The story meanders after that and there is no real conflict. It’s fine but I wouldn’t recommend it.

I've never read a Danielle Steel novel before, so I can't compare this novel to any of her others. What struck me the most about the writing style is that it reads like a first draft. Steel has never met a comma she didn’t want to put into a sentence, making sentences long and difficult to follow. There are often sentences that reveal information, and the same information is repeated a few paragraphs later. This may be because I read a galley and final edits had not yet been completed. The repetitive passages seem to wane further into the novel, so hopefully the beginning will be fixed before release.

Steel explains facts without going into the characters' motives, which makes the story feel more like a book report than a novel. The plot is intriguing and would have benefitted from a more refined writing style. There are many twists and turns in this story.

The reader is told (several times) in the opening chapter about Charlotte's petite size, like her great-great-grandmother Queen Victoria. Her asthma contributes to her poor health, which is the reason the fresh air and lack of bombings in the country are appealing to Charlotte's parents. Her size and frailty make her seem younger than her seventeen years, although her mental abilities and hobbies make her soar beyond the average teenager.

Upon arrival in Yorkshire, Charlotte is immediately appealing to the son of the aristocratic couple housing her. This creates tension with the other girl living in the home, who also fancies the boy. The residents of the country home experience several tragedies and keep several secrets that change their lives forever.

The characters' lives are very similar to their real-world counterparts. King Frederick reluctantly takes the throne after his brother abdicates, like King George VI. Queen Anne is much like Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon. Alexandra is Princess Elizabeth, married to a blonde foreigner (although in this book he is German, not Greek), and with a love for horses and corgis. Victoria is the wild, fashionable Princess Margaret.

Readers who love stories of WWII and the British monarchy will appreciate this novel despite its writing flaws. Danielle Steel's legion of fans and fans of happily ever after romances will also enjoy this novel.

I received an electronic galley copy of this title from the publisher through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

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Boring