What a read! The Princess and the Scoundrel by Beth Revis is the first Star Wars book I’ve read as an adult, and now I’m wondering why I’ve waited so long. I am a life long fan of Star Wars, meaning that I cannot tell you the first time I ever watched it because it has just always been. Princess Leia, Luke, Han, Chewie, Threepio, and R2 are a part of my childhood and will always be what influenced my love for sci-fi. Because of this, I’ve always been hesitant to read books set in their world. Lucas got it perfect in my opinion. I am so glad that my husband finally wore me down enough that I agreed to buddy read this one with a fellow book lover (thanks Kristen!). 

The Princess and the Scoundrel begins the same night the Death Star exploded. We find Princess Leia celebrating on Endor and beginning to process what this means for the new government as they can no longer call themselves rebels. In the midst of this inner turmoil, she finds peace with Han. She spent a year looking for him and then rescuing him from Jabba the Hutt. She had a full year to love this man, grow without him, and fight for him. When he proposes, the answer is immediate and feels so natural. Seeing as this couple was my original OTP, I was in my element reading about their honeymoon 😁

For Han, it’s been one week since he awoke from being frozen in carbonite. The last thing he remembers was the princess telling him she loved him and then pain. Since then, he was promoted to general and led an assault on Endor, and now the war that had barely started for him is over. It’s a lot to cope with, and to be honest he is struggling. Like Leia though, he finds peace with her. He’s ready to start a new life, whatever that may look like, as long as she is in it. What he as yet to come to realize is what that means.

I loved seeing the beginnings of their relationship here. These are two people that come from completely opposite worlds (both literally and figuratively), and they have to find a way to cope with that. Han’s frustration with Leia is true to life as he deals with her always putting everyone above her own needs. She’s a diplomat, an ambassador, but she also has a large heart. She empathizes with and feels the grief of others deeply. For Han, he has to find a way to support her and make her see she is no longer alone. 

The plot of this one is character driven, but also there is a lot happening. We get a glimpse of life after the fall of the empire. Leia and Han are sent on a honeymoon on the Halcyon, a luxury star cruiser who is going on its first voyage free of the empire. Here we see both sides coming together, those that supported the empire and those happy to be free of it. Leia is in more danger than she’s ever been, and Han isn’t comfortable with that as he realizes just how much. When they find themselves on a frozen moon as part of the cruise, they must find a way to work as a team to help its citizens. 

If you can’t tell already, I loved The Princess and the Scoundrel. I could ramble on for several more paragraphs about why I loved it so much, but I’ll stop here 😂 Fans of Star Wars will love seeing Han and Leia as the begin their lives as husband and wife with the remnants of the empire looming around every corner. Exciting and thrilling read!