The Princess Deception

...a heart-rending love story that spans the globe and is also a well written drama at the edge of the mystery of near-death experience/drug overdose, it was also a profoundly moving story of memory, identity, misconnection, a novel of lasting insight.

Reviewed by Diane Wallace

This was... shockingly cute. I mean, a princess dresses up as a boy, and falls in love with a girl who ostensibly doesn't know she's a girl. Adorable premise. It's one of those books that while I was reading it, I was like, okay, this is not high literature, and the premise is executed just as you'd expect, but I'm still having a super-good time reading it.

One part I did enjoy was the authenticity of Duke's experience as an American abroad. She communicates with Viola/Sebastian in English, but is occasionally aware of her use of idiom, and her own lack of bi- or tri-lingual-ness. Most Americans living in other cultures eventually become aware of their own speech patterns and the parts of their English that are non-standard, and it was interesting to see Duke be so consciously aware of this. It was small nuances like this which made an otherwise unbelievable story more relatable.

Also, the gay royals club. I loved that! Now I'm going to go look up and see if there are actually any out European royals, because I have no idea.

All in all, a fun read!

Reviewed by Allison Jones

...I liked a lot of things, chief of which was the storyline (I love retelling!). The royal family closeness was very endearing and healthy. There were a lot of I love yous and the family dynamic was very supportive. I liked the background characters as well. While we didn’t see a lot of them, I still felt that each had a distinct personality. This was probably my favourite background character. Both Viola and Duke had people acting as their family and support system – this was very nice and well handled.

The background information in the story was introduced quite smoothly and felt very natural. It also felt like a very feminist book. Unfortunately, lesbian books are not always feminist, even though you’d think they would be!

The conflicts were good. At first it was ‘to tell or not to tell?’ and later, it was all about moving forward and forgiveness. A lot of angst and suspense, but also fluffy and flirty moments.

The book got male-impersonation right. There was also a brief moment where a character was thinking of how complex sexuality it and I was glad to see that.

This book was well written. It had a good pace and kept me looking forward to continue reading. Seeing parts from both Viola’s and Duke’s perspectives made me emphasize with both. They both had a story not just a romance. I’d recommend this book to people that like romance, royalty, sport and good character writing.

Reviewed by Marthese Formosa

Nell Stark’s Princess Affair series of lesbian royalty romances is pure luxury escapist pleasure reading, straight up, no chaser. This latest volume is a contemporary retelling of *Twelfth Night* that involves a World Cup bid, a pro soccer player-turned-journalist, and a Belgian princess impersonating her twin brother while he recovers from an overdose. It’s as high-concept as it comes, but grounded in some beautifully potent feelings. Duke’s loss of her professional soccer career due to an injury is raw and poignant, and it puts her in the right place to appreciate Viola’s grief and anger about her brother’s newly revealed addiction...Both heroines are reeling, in that dizzy headspace where bad ideas seem like great ideas. Impersonating your twin brother is the only way to win the World Cup bid! Flirting with that princess you’ve discovered in disguise is a great way to boost your journalism career! Things go predictably to hell in all the best ways and it’s great, smart, angsty fun for the reader. Themes of exposure, revelation, coming out, and disguise intertwine to keep things feeling complex without overwhelming. The slender mystery subplot and beautifully rendered, rare locations (Amsterdam! Prague!) are the frosting on the cupcake. A+ travel reading to lose yourself in on a long flight or a lazy beach.

Reviewed by Olivia Waite

...I liked this book a lot...this is a fun series, and I really must find time to go back and read the story that kicked it all off.

Reviewed by Sandra Marlow