Princess Charming (The Men from Special Branch)

I'm not one of those people who likes to tell you the story in my review. I loved the story loved the cast of characters and love the romance. It was suspenseful, kept my attention, and I'll be reading the whole series again.

Following the theme set by the first novel in this series, we have a substandard romance mixed with a token spy agency and mystery/thriller. It's confused about what it is and I'm confused because I still liked it. 3 stars

Funny and engrossing. Can't put this book down. Thornton delivers once again!!!

Jason Radley had been the boy, then the man Gwyn Barrie had always loved but the tragic drowning of Jason's brother and other events and circumstances beyond anyone's control made Gwyn's abrupt elopement one of the worst mistakes of her life. The one thing that the elopement did though was to force Gwyn to grow up and gain in strength the reserves she would need to shoulder the hardships of being a soldier's wife. It was this strength she relied on to hold together the meager life of genteel poverty after the death of her husband that she had forged for herself and her son Mark.Eight years from the time she had run away, Gwyn is widowed and alone with her son Mark. When Gwyn inherits a sizeable legacy from an anonymous benefactor, she was overjoyed until the fine print revealed that the sole trustee of said legacy would be her handsome and charming cousin Jason. Jason, the man she had loved and run away from; Jason who never knew why she had run away eight years ago taking with her his very heart.Now, along with this legacy, there is another matter of someone watching her, and going through her house when she is not there. After a couple of attempts on her life, Jason forces her to leave London for the family estate where he can better protect her - but would that protection extend itself to protect her from having Jason break her heart again?The mystery was great. I did not figure out the assassin or who the mysterious benefactor was until the very end!This was soooo good. I don't know how she did it but with this book but Elizabeth Thornton has managed to combine, suspense, complex plots, romantic sensuality and a very charming love story all in one awesome read! I hate to repeat myself but this is another very hard to put down book. Again, she has given us characters that are very full bodied and complex, she has reintroduced and given more depth to a wonderful character from a previous novel that I believe is the central character in her next novel "The Perfect Princess". And if that is not enough, you get to read a delightful little side romance between Gwyn's cousin Brandon and best friend Judith. I am finding you get so much more from an Elizabeth Thornton novel and I highly recommend you get this book!

In 1816 London, widow Gwyneth Barrie ekes out a living for herself and her son Mark by providing piano lessons. However, her sedate life radically changes when her cousin Jason Radley arrives at her home with the news that she is the recipient of an anonymous donation that names him as trustee. Eight years ago, Gwyn and Jason were in love, but she left him and married someone else.From the start of their renewed acquaintance, both realize that the love they once had for one another still threatens to enflame them. However, neither one trusts the other having been previously burned. Still, when a clever, devious unknown individual tries to kill Gwyn, she turns to the only person she believes can keep her and Mark safe, her beloved Jason.PRINCESS CHARMING is a torrid Regency romantic suspense novel that never eases up on the sexual tension or the suspense. The taut tale thrives because of the charming but scarred lead characters, who have a past to overcome, a present to survive, and a hope for a future. Sub-genre fans know that an Elizabeth Thornton historical always provides a powerful, entertaining non-stop reading experience.Harriet Klausner

Being a woman in England during the early 19th century is not easy. Gwyn Barrie knows this first hand. After enduring a difficult marriage and helping out at a women's 'library' Gwyn knows just how precarious a woman's position can be and when she accidentally gets caught up in someone else's domestic drama, ... without even knowing it!, her life is in danger.Eight years before Gwyn had been in love with Jason Radley and Jason had been in love with Gwyn family pressure failure to communicate and circumstance forced Gwyn to elope with another man. Now, a mysterious legacy has been left to Gwyn and her seven-year-old son, with two stipulations, 1. Jason is to be Gwyns' son's Guardian and 2. Gwyn can only live on the interest, the principle (10,000 pounds) goes to her son when she dies.This is not a simple plot, as usual for an Elizabeth Thornton novel, but all of the threads add rather then subtract from the main story line. The main characters are likeable and have a strong sexual and emotional chemistry together. Overall this was a great book, but not a light read if that is what you are looking for.

This was my first novel by Elizabeth Thornton and it was quite enjoyable. The characters are well drawn and entertaining, following a realistic pattern of behavior, rather than being manipulated to fit the plot lines. I am not quite sure if it is true to the Regency period, the class lines were firmly established at that time and it would have been very difficult for Gwyn to be accepted and re-established into the Radley family after having "worked" teaching piano. That said, I would recommend this as a lovely afternoon read and shall look forward to trying another of Ms. Thornton's books.

I not much for mysteries. I can't seem to wait for the story to unfold. However, I did read this book cover to cover with a minimum of flipping to the back cover. I liked that Ms Thornton did not try to solve everything at the end, but tied up loose ends through out the book. I also liked that the Heroine was willing to marry the man she loves without the a declaration of love from him, even though it hurt her. She is smart, gutsy, and charming.

Un roman en demi-teinte... Etant une lectrice assidue d'Elizabeth Thornton, je suis un peu déçue par celui-ci. En effet, c'est une trame récurrente que l'auteur utilise. Pas de grande innovation, malheureusement ! Thornton semble s'être un peu endormie sur ses lauriers. Les personnages ne sont pas très creusés et l'intrigue est assez convenue, même s'il y a un petit coup de théâtre à la fin.En bref, sympa pour une lectrice occasionnelles, mais décevant pour les habituées...

Good