Karen Harper

Hoping to redeem her family's disgraced name, Joan of Kent journeys to the intrigue-filled court of King Edward III, where, as part of her revenge on the royal family for their betrayal of her father, she targets Edward, Prince of Wales, but her vengeance is undermined by her growing feelings for the prince. Reader's Guide included. Original. 25,000 first printing.

A Novel

The First Princess of Wales

Tanner Evans

Okay. So there is a lot to unpack with Karen Harper's novel about the Fair Maid of Kent. First off, the re-branding of the novel as historical fiction is somewhat (entirely) laughable. I absolutely love historical fiction and would say that it is my favorite genre. But "The First Princess of Wales," previously published as "Sweet Passion's Pain" is definitely a romance with a capital R. 
With no previous knowledge of this book, Karen Harper, or Joan of Kent, I went into the novel expecting to learn about Joan's life and pathway to being the first princess of Wales. However, it is entirely about her years long, tension-filled, passionate relationship with The Black Prince. And that is completely fine. As a Romance novel, I loved it. It has all the cringe-worthy, questionable elements that you get with a classic Romance novel. I did not want to put it down and finished it in three days. BUT, I am rather disappointed that the re-branding led me to believe I was getting something I was not.
After a mere 2 minute Wikipedia search on Joan of Kent, it calls into question the entire integrity of the story. Hell, she was buried next to her first husband, Thomas Holland, in real life! Harper's version made it seem as though there was no one that could compare to the brooding Prince Edward, Thomas Holland be damned. I can definitely understand liberties being taken with historical fiction, especially dating back this far. Apparently, Holland and Joan married when she was only 12. I certainly understand pushing her age back to make it more palatable for modern readers, but the all of the romances with the three men in Joan's real life (she actually did marry Lord Salisbury!) were skewed to make a passionate tale of forbidden love between Joan and Edward seem like the end all, be all romance for Joan. According to my brief research, they did indeed love each other, but I am incredibly disappointed that this novel is being marketed today as historical fiction. I am hoping to find a more accurate account of Joan's life, as she seems like a fascinating historical figure. 
I would most certainly rate Harper's novel differently according to the genres it claims to represent. As a Romance, it is a solid 4 for me. Entertaining, unputdownable, tension filled...
As historical fiction, which is how it was marketed to me, definitely a 1. Whoever picked the GORGEOUS cover for this novel deserves a medal, because there is no way I would have pinned this as a Romance. I've never experienced a situation like this with a novel. Here's to firsts for everything!

The First Princess of Wales A Novel

Reviews