Review by Maria
This is a princess/bodyguard romance. I read a similar plotline recently in a Lynn Raye Harris novel, in which the princess was actually a president. But romances are character driven rather than plot driven. The two novels are romance novels with similar plotlines. They are, however, very different.
Princess Evangelina is a princess from a Greek island kingdom. She chafes at the controlled life she is forced to lead. Her father has protected her from the world like a caged bird and she waits for him to arrange a marriage for her which would advance the welfare of their kingdom. Makhail Nabotov is the bodyguard who is responsible for keeping the impulsive princess within her limits. She has led her security guards a merry dance until now and the credibility of Makhail's security company is literally under threat because of her.
Makhail's initial impression of Evangelina is that she is a pampered, frivolous time waster. After getting to know her better, he understands her problem. She is literally frustrated at her inability to lead a normal life like other people. He in turn, is emotionally stunted, having spend ten years of his life as a carer for his late wife, who was disabled. The two fall in love and fill in the gaps in each other's lives.
But Evangelina's arranged marriage is still on. And Makhail's credibility is more under threat than ever, having failed to protect his royal charge from scandal.
I enjoyed this engaging emotional read. If I might just make one observation about it, I found it rather strange that Evangelina seemed to have no sense of service or duty, which is the hallmark of a true royal. She seemed to just live for going shopping and visiting cafes. She didn't have any social projects going on or concern for her nation or its people. Her one acknowledgment of royal duty seemed to be the idea that she'd marry her father's choice for the sake of advancing her country's interests. There's a lot more being royal than that in my humble opinion. Otherwise, the story was credible.
Three and a half out of five stars.
