Book Summary: 

A gruff prince in need of a wife
A commoner impersonating a princess
And a bridal competition gone terribly awry…

Gabriel
I am the crown prince of Villroy, heir to a kingdom, bound by duty to marry and produce an heir.
I expected a quiet arrangement through royal channels, instead I got a palace full of women vying for my hand. And how do they “win” this barbaric game set up by my crafty mother? By figuring out how to save the kingdom’s faltering economy through a series of challenges. This undignified circus is beneath a man of my stature! Proof being that a saucy, ill-mannered woman wearing body-hugging clothes is in the lead. I could never love someone like that, let alone marry her.

Anna
The plan sounded simple.
I pose as my friend, pick up her inheritance, and return with the cash to keep her out of jail. (Apparently, being a princess in hiding is no excuse for identity theft.) So, yeah, I’m not exactly royal. I’m an orphan, a self-made woman, and proud of it. Suddenly I’m in a battle royale with a bunch of crazy competitive women for “riches beyond our dreams.” I’m in a time crunch, which means I need to win this competition fast. Only, that means winning over the judge; the smoldering hot grim-faced Gabriel. And now I find myself wanting to compete for more than just the money. But could a royal prince ever fall for a commoner like me?

Mini Review:

Royalty romances have never been my ideal trope but I am starting to find the joy in them – especially when it is a commoner vs a royal. This book had me laughing from beginning to end. Anne was something else! The fact that she had to pretend to be prim and proper when it was the opposite of everything she truly was as a person (especially Leopard being her “spirit animal”) made for comedy gold. I enjoyed the reality show twist and the moments when the princesses became more “human” and less “high and mighty”. Scrappy things, weren’t they! I loved Gabriel and definitely want to read about his brothers, at least Phillip. My heart broke for what Anne and Gabriel had to endure when it came to their parents but loved how that is what connected them. The only thing that bothered me was that there was A LOT of building up for a very quick resolve. If felt like watching a runaway train heading towards utter disaster, only for the breaks to magically work in end and the train comes to a slow and steady stop. You find yourself saying “What just happened?” I have ever intention to read at least Book 2 to see where this story goes. Phillip was just too dreamy to not witness his HEA.