Karen Hawkins

Determined to foil his grandmother's matchmaking attempts, Prince Aleksey Romanovin sets his sights on unsuitable Bronwyn Murdoch who, much to his chagrin, turns his game upside down as she sets out to prove that an ordinary woman can bring a prince to his knees. Original. 250,000 first printing.

The Prince Who Loved Me

Lover of Romance 

I received a ARC of The Prince Who Loved Me in return for a honest review thanks to Karen Hawkins, Pocket Books via Netgalley.

 Prince Aleksey Romonovin is content with his carefree and worry free life. Aleksey is determined to have a strong involvement in the Romany and their way of life, to be a good leader for them, but he must convince his grandmother of it first. When he comes to Scotland, he meets a woman that makes his heart pound and he finds her way more intriguing than she should be...but her sense of freedom, love of books and dogs, and her intelligence draws him in like a bee to honey. Bronwyn, is considered on the shelf, having being only twenty four years old. She has dedicated her life to helping her younger sisters and her step mother in doing what is best for them. Her father is a scientists, and gone quite a bit, and she is the glue that holds the family together. She is perfectly suited to her life of reading, helping her family and enjoying the moment. When she meets a stranger in the wood, and they share a kiss that curls her toes and makes her want to give into temptation...she knows that she is in big trouble...because he is the first man in her life to give her thrills and excitement in her average life. Even though she knows that there could never be a happy ending for them...she and Aleksey have a spark and connection she never imagined...and she isn't willing to let it go without a fight.

The Prince Who Loved Me is the first book in this latest series, but is somewhat connection to the Duchess Diaries series, when we see Wulf's story, who is one of Aleksey's brothers. Now ever since I read Wulf's story I was fascinated with his character, and wanted to see more of the family, so imagine my surprise when I heard this series was coming out and I was beyond thrilled. There are four brothers, and Aleksey is one of the younger brothers, and loves the Rom, and he has his grandmothers blood in him, wanting to be their leader and guide them. He also loves his pleasure and his women, and his flirtations. But he also craves a afternoon in the woods with his books. Now who doesn't love a intelligent and charming prince who knows how to curl your toes with one look? When Aleksey and Bronwyn first meet, they have no idea of the others identity. To Aleksey, Bronwen is dressed as a servant, so he pursues her a interested in a pretty woman that fascinated him. Bronwen thinks of him as a woodsman, not realizing that he truly is a prince. When they learn of each other's identity, it doesn't stop the attraction. Everyone surrounding them are trying to stop them being together, but love always finds a way.

The connection these two have is quite unique and I couldn't help but cheer for them from the beginning. They both have the same passions and not just for the physical touch, you see how they connect on a intellectual level as well. They were such a fun pair, and such a charming love story this one turned out. From the start, it had me laughing, and there is such wit displayed on each page, to keep you quite entertained. Even though on the outside, it seemed to be a predictable story...it was so far off that mark...it continually tended to surprise me with little twists and turns that I didn't expect. I love a solid fairy tale romance...and this story probably tops them. It is based on the Cinderella story, but has many difference. The step mother and step sisters, are far from cruel and evil. In fact Bronwen has a loving family, even if her step mother is a bit zealous in her pursuit of good matches for her daughters. At first she seems to overlook Bronwen, but in the end I loved her. Her character really overturned any assumptions about her that I had. Now the grandmother of Alskey, she was a hoot and barrel of laughs. She will do anything to find a good match for her grandson, even to deceive him, but she definitely is full of depths, and I love her concoctions and ways of diverting the prince from his goal. She was quite a character, and added depth yet humor to the story, and I can't wait to see more from her in future books-I hope she is just as a spice in future books as she was in this one.

Overall The Prince Who Loved Me is a sensational romance that just gives you everything you are looking for in a love story. Packed with vibrant characters, sensual chemistry, witty humor, and a sensational plot that is bound to keep you captivated from the beginning to end. Charming, emotionally provoking, and will be compelling enough to give the reader a desire to devour it with each page!! A REFRESHING FAIRY TALE ROMANCE TO MAKE YOU HUNGRY FOR MORE!!

The fourth and fifth exciting novels in New York Times bestselling author Karen Hawkins’s sparkling Scottish Regency series about two beautiful twin sisters who find romance with the sexy MacLean brothers. The laird of the MacLean Clan, Alexander, is a handsome and eligible bachelor. The infamous Caitlyn Hurst, known in society as The Incomparable, would love to change that. After her plan to trick him into marrying her goes awry, she gets a second chance to woo Alex into matrimony in The Laird Who Loved Me.

The Laird Who Loved Me

Alexander MacLean, the oldest of the Maclean clan, has been both amused yet frustrated by the enticing Caitlyn Hurst, then after the incident that trapped his brother into marriage, he desired revenge against her. However, he knew it wouldn't be easy, with Caitlyn matching him on every level. Caitlyn Hurst, even after seeing that her sister and her husband are very much in love, she wonders if she will ever be so lucky as to find that as well. She has been attracted to Alexander ever since she met him. Having shared some passionate embraces, she knows that there is something explosive between them. When she is invited to a house party, she never expected to see Alexander again, and its obvious that he is still furious over what had happened to his brother and is far from forgiveness. As time goes forward throughout the story, a battle of wills ensue, where a bet is made between Alexander and Caitlyn, but who will win? The battle of wills and love is on!

As much as I was looking forward to reading Alexander's story, I found that both of these characters in this story were a bit like little children fighting over a toy. It was a amusing story, and definitely had me laughing at quite a few moments, however it just seemed to be lacking in a strong and emotional side, that I like seeing from Karen Hawkins. Throughout the whole book I kept wondering when they were going to admit they love each other and get over the whole "I despise you" scenario, it got tedious after a while. There was some good passion in this story, and a strong plot, I think the characters were somewhat lacking. However despite the fact that I didn't like the attitude they had in the book, I did enjoy both of them. Alexander being the oldest, and the most furious temper of his whole family, has a lot of anger bottled up inside of him. Of course, Caitlyn is the focus of all that frustration. When they decide to act on a dangerous wager, they both are determined to win at any cost. Caitlyn, was the first to be sent out to society, and has always felt spirited, and never has held back from what she has wanted. When she agrees to the wager, she had no idea how much caos that would ensue due to it. What they both find in the end, is that they have found a love that will bring them excitement and passion that they never expected to find in each others arms. It was still a enjoyable read, and I am glad to have read Alexanders story.

The writing was really charming and cute, & of course I instantly loved Bronwyn in all her bookish glory. I also liked how the author turned all the “evil women” tropes from Cinderella on their heads. But man, I was really hoping for a slow burn enemies (or rivals)-to-lovers and this…was NOT that. By the end, I think I was more invested in the side characters than the main romance 🤷🏽‍♀️. Cute, but not my fave.

The Prince Who Loved Me

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