Karen Hawkins – The Prince Who Loved Me

The first book in the Oxenburg Princes series, published September 23, 2014.
Genre: historical romance
Cover: nice



Romance sizzles in this Cinderella story set in Scotland, the first in a sparkling new spinoff series from New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins.
Prince Alexsey Romanovin enjoys his carefree life, flirting - and more - with every lovely lady who crosses his path. But when the interfering Duchess Natasha decides it's time for her grandson to wed, Alexsey finds himself in Scotland, determined to foil her plans. Brainy, bookish, and bespectacled, Bronwyn Murdoch seems the perfect answer - she isn't at all to the Duchess's taste.
Living at the beck and call of her ambitious stepmother and social butterfly stepsisters, Bronwyn has little time for a handsome flirt - no matter how intoxicating his kisses are. After all, no spoiled, arrogant prince would be seriously interested in a firm-minded female like herself. So...wouldn't it be fun to turn his "game" upside down and prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees...


I am not a fan of fairy tale retellings, I very rarely can see the similarities. But I could in this one. Bronwyn is the oldest daughter, taking care of her father’s work, filing his patents and doing his correspondence, while her stepmother and stepsisters happily socialize and spend money buying clothes. Still, they did all love each other and I was glad for that.

Bronwyn is quite content with her life, reading is her passion and she has two enormous dogs as her companions and guards. So when she encounters a man who is so like her favourite hero, she allows him to kiss her. She has no idea he is a real life prince! Alexsey has no intention of ever marrying, but he does like spending time with Bronwyn and is determined to seduce her. He wants to be the gypsy king, as his grandfather was before him (his father, the King of Oxenburg, married a Gypsy girl). But his grandmother wants him to prove himself, and by that she means getting married, before she allows him to be their leader. So when escorting his grandmother in Scotland, Alex thinks Bronwyn a nice diversion from his boredom, but he doesn’t know that Bronwyn overheard him planning with his friend Starthmore and is out to seduce him instead.
Bronwyn’s stepmother is delighted at the house party next door, and the opportunity for her two daughters to get some society polish before their own seasons in London. She is also determined to snatch the prince for her Sorcha. They make such a lovely couple!


I did enjoy this book more than I anticipated. It was not a stale story like I have read numerous times before, the characters kept it fresh and new, and Bronwyn was such an amazing character. She was sweet, enjoyed helping her father and sisters, loved reading her romance novels and dreaming a little. It was the prince who opened up her eyes about her own future though. What would she do when her sisters got married and moved away? They would not need her anymore.

I really liked the romance part, and all the secondary characters. I will read the next book soon.

8 stars.

© 2014 Reviews by Aurian