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His Royal Bride Replacement

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His Royal Bride Replacement is a royal, stand-in bride, marriage of convenience romance from USA TODAY bestselling author Lynne Graham.

A life-changing ring…
from His Highness!


Crown Prince Alessio drowns out each exploit with outrageous behavior! Even his wedding is hitting the headlines for all the wrong reasons—his reputation-repairing fiancée has pulled out! Leaving him urgently seeking a replacement bride. Enter Rosalia Castelli…

Innocent Rosy is merely a palace art restorer. How can she even think of becoming Sedovia’s queen? Yet to save her family from financial peril, she must accept Alessio’s shock proposal. And as she spends more time with her husband, she begins to catch glimpses of the man beneath the rebellious facade…and to crave his touch!

208 pages, Mass Market Paperback

Published May 27, 2025

3 people are currently reading
15 people want to read

About the author

Lynne Graham

1,778 books1,452 followers
Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the GoodReads database with this name. See this thread for more information.


Lynne Graham was born on July 30, 1956 of Irish-Scottish parentage. She has livedin Northern Ireland all her life. She grew up in a seaside village with herbrother. She learnt to read at the age of 3, and haven't stopped since then.

Lynne first met her husband when she was 14. At 15, she wrote her firstbook, but it was rejected everywhere. Lynne married after she completed adegree at Edinburgh University. She started writing again when she was athome with her first child. It took several attempts before she sold herfirst book in 1987 and the delight of seeing that first book for sale in thelocal newsagents has never been forgotten. Now, there are over 10 million ofher books in print worldwide.

Lynne always wanted a large family and has five children. Her eldest and heronly natural child is 19 and currently at university. Her other fourchildren, who are every bit as dear to her heart, are adopted. She has two9-year-olds adopted from Sri Lanka and a 5- and a 3-year-old adopted fromGuatemala. In Lynne's home, there is a rich and diverse cultural mix, whichadds a whole extra dimension of interest and discovery to family life. Thefamily lives in a country house surrounded by a woodland garden, which iswonderfully private. The family has two pets. Thomas, a very large andaffectionate black cat, bosses the dog and hunts rabbits. The dog is Daisy,an adorable but not very bright white West Highland terrier, who loves beingchased by the cat. At night, dog and cat sleep together in front of thekitchen stove. Lynne loves gardening, cooking, collects everything from oldtoys to rock specimens and is crazy about every aspect of Christmas.

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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
Profile Image for Aou .
2,053 reviews216 followers
May 26, 2025
Perfect MCs hence no angst. 🤷🏻‍♀️
Profile Image for Kate McMurry.
Author 1 book127 followers
June 4, 2025
Pleasantly undemanding, royal, "marriage of convenience" romance

Crown Prince Alessio Marchetti of Sedovia, a fictional small European nation, is a typical LG MMC: 28 years old, 6'4", ripped physique, tan complexion, and surpassingly handsome. However, unlike any other of her heroes (and inaccurately not portrayed on the cover), his thick black hair hangs to his shoulders, he has an earring in one ear, and a few tattoos. And rather than being an arrogantly domineering alpha, Alessio is compassionately charismatic, treating his adoring employees and subjects with dignity and respect.

Alessio is the offspring of an arranged royal marriage. His parents loathed each other and lived separate lives after he was born as their only child and requisite heir to the throne. From the age of eight, his callously uncaring parents abandoned him to a household entirely separate from their own, where he was raised by servants whenever he wasn’t in boarding school. From his late teens onward, emulating their hedonistic lifestyle, Alessio lived as an international playboy. He carelessly permitted a steady stream of beautiful women, who were incessantly throwing themselves at him, to briefly share his bed.

Ironically, given their extreme emotional disconnect, Alessio's parents died together in an accident several years before the story begins. Soon after their deaths, Alessio was approached by the 30-year-old, polished Princess Graziana of Eboltz, a fictional island nation off the coast of Sedovia. When she proposed an arranged marriage similar to that of his parents, Alessio accepted her offer with a shrugging, “why not,” assuming this was the best he could hope for. Though he personally suffered from his parents’ disastrous arranged union, his cynicism has led him to believe real love isn't possible for someone of his status, and certainly not with Graziana. When he asked her if she envisioned them ever falling in love, she bluntly replied that romance is a fantasy. But two weeks before their elaborate state wedding, she elopes with her bodyguard and flees to the U.S., presumably because she is wildly in love, leaving Alessio desperate to find a replacement bride.

Rosalia (Rosy) Castelli is a typical LG FMC: 22 years old, over a foot shorter than the MMC at around 5'2", exquisitely beautiful, slender, and a bit prickly only with the MMC. Like the majority of LG's heroines, she has curly red hair. What’s unusual, though, is that Rosy is highly educated with a university degree. Most of LG's heroines barely graduated high school. Rosy also lacks any querulously demanding female relatives to prop up, which is a refreshing change.

Rosy is a Sedovian citizen, fluent in both English and Italian. Her mother abandoned her at birth, and her alcoholic father grossly neglected her. Fortunately for Rosy, she was raised instead by her much older sister, Vittoria, who became a devoted mother figure. Vittoria’s husband, Patrick, is a talented chef and nurturing surrogate father. Together, they run a small hotel in Sedovia’s capital, inherited after the death of Rosy and Vittoria’s father. A large renovation loan has left the family teetering on the edge of foreclosure due to Vittoria and Patrick’s poor money management.

Rosy works at the palace as an art restoration specialist. She rides a bicycle to work daily. Alessio, who has seen her many times, is attracted to her trim figure, beautiful face, and polished manners. When Rosy is nearly hit by a truck and falls from her bike, Alessio personally rushes to her side, carries her to his limousine, and ensures she sees the palace doctor. Learning of her family’s debt, and impressed by her intelligence and dignity, he decides she would make an ideal substitute bride. Though Rosy has none of the traits of a golddigger, Alessio believes she might agree to a marriage of convenience if it would save her family from ruin.

When Alessio proposes, he offers only vague promises about helping her family and supporting Sedovia’s struggling economy, which is expected to take a major hit from the cancelled wedding. Rosy assumes the marriage will be temporary and platonic, an impression reinforced by the complex prenuptial agreement she signs. She is utterly shocked when, during their honeymoon, Alessio casually assumes they will be lovers.

This is not a Cinderella story, thankfully, nor is it a King Cophetua and the beggar maid scenario. Rosy is solidly middle-class, a citizen of Sedovia, and culturally aligned with her new role.

LG is the only Harlequin Presents author I read, but even she cannot always make certain tropes work for me. Royal and sheikh romances, in particular, tend to exist in an implausible alternate universe that strains my suspension of disbelief. In that regard, in this particular novel, there are several significant plot inconsistencies that pulled me out of the story:

Alessio is repeatedly referred to as a Crown Prince, even though his parents, the former king and queen, died several years before the book begins. If he is the heir and they are gone, he should be king. Likewise, after their marriage, Rosy is referred to as both a queen and a consort, but never as a queen consort, which would be the correct title.

In addition, the book states that Alessio and Rosy are expected to work 60 to 70 hours per week on state duties, starting the instant they return from their honeymoon. That seems wildly unrealistic to me. Ceremonial monarchs in European microstates, like Luxembourg, Belgium, and Liechtenstein, maintain much lighter schedules than those in larger monarchies. They typically attend a modest number of events per month. Their role is primarily symbolic, focused on tradition and national identity rather than constant public service or daily leadership.

As is distressingly often the case in romance novels, Alessio has the physique of an action movie star, though we are never told he exercises. At least Rosy rides a bike, which gives some credibility to her lovely figure, but she never rides it again after her marriage.

There is only minimal romantic conflict in this story. There is the requisite third-act, Dark Period, but it is extremely mild and quickly resolved. For readers looking for a low-stakes romance, something soothing and easy to fall asleep to, this book may be a fine choice. But if you are hoping for the torrid emotional intensity of LG’s novels from the 1990s or early 2000s, this sweetly tepid romance will not fill the bill.
Profile Image for Shivani Singh.
Author 4 books24 followers
August 12, 2025
Seriously?

Lynne Graham needs to experience new things. She has run out of ideas.

Nothing much happened in the story.

There was some drama about hero’s ex which seemed like a veritable storm in a tea cup.

Why is there always a puppy. Maybe the heroine needs to rescue an eagle or a crow instead.

I plodded through this one.

Hero was almost invisible he was so colourless. What did he like? Did he play golf or polo or have some project? Or was he just cutting ribbons?

He disappeared after engagement and reappeared at wedding. Boring

Better marry a robot then.

They were both boring.

I lost respect for hero when I found his staff were so incompetent or mischievous that they did not ready his honeymoon cottage??!!!

They knew he’s taking his new wife there. No checking was done. Someone loaded the fridge but forgot to see place was dusty and neglected.

The explanation for it was lame.

It spoilt the story for me.

Hero is that stupid?? That his people forget to maintain one of his properties. It’s gone to rack and ruin and his new bride is having to cook on the first day of the honeymoon?

What happened to LG’s alpha heroes? The ones who had private jets and staff on call at every property.

I’d lose all respect for the man if I found he can’t even have loyal, faithful and efficient staff .

Thankfully that’s not my load to bear.

I never got a placement on their relationship. What were they to each other?

They got married so in two days they fell in love? Maybe set it over a year. Two years. Don’t end it in a week.

Now married. Now in love.

And the love making scenes. I didn’t read them. Coz irritating.

I will go back to reading vintage mills and boons. Thanks.

They were set over months and even years. People had greater attention spans then.
Profile Image for StMargarets.
3,231 reviews636 followers
July 26, 2025
OMG - what happened to Lynne Graham? Where's the angst? Where are the heroes behaving badly? The cute pets? The humour? The tension - any tension at all?

When reviewers think this story reads like a Hallmark Movie (and they are absolutely right) a Harlequin Presents author should take pause. Since when did a Disneyland kingdom and characters who are perfect in all ways constitute an HP story? Since Covid, maybe?

I don't know. But I don't like this new trend.

The story isn't bad, bad. Heroine is a hard-working, beautiful art restorer at the hero's palace. Prince hero is jilted by a neighboring princess nine days before the royal wedding. Disneyland needs the economic boast of a royal wedding, so prince hero asks heroine to step in. She agrees. Everyone loves her, but heroine feels like hero is emotionally unavailable and has doubts . . .

They go on a rickety honeymoon in a rustic villa and zzzzz. There were more descriptions of the villa and the food than any dynamic between the H/h.

Read if you want a sugar high, I guess.

Profile Image for Andrea Wenger.
Author 4 books39 followers
May 24, 2025
After his fiancée’s betrayal, Crown Prince Alessio proposes to art restorer Rosalia. As she navigates her new role and gets to know the prince beneath the headlines, a surprising attraction develops.

This is fun. We get to know Rosy and Alessio pretty well as their whirlwind romance unfurls. Every time an obstacle occurs, they work together to overcome it, and their bond grows stronger. They don’t run away from difficult things or let pride get in the way. I enjoyed the audiobook narration.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Profile Image for Adri (books.with.adri).
208 reviews13 followers
July 10, 2025
Ahh, this book was so cute. It felt a lot like a Hallmark movie – which I’m a sucker for.

This follows Prince Alessio who is days away from his royal wedding - except the Princess has fled the country to marry her bodyguard. Now Prince Alessio needs to find a new bride.

Rosalia works for the palace who needs to work to keep her family business going. When Prince Alessio proposes a business arrangement, she must decide what option to choose.

I loved everything about this book and loved the narration.

10/10 recommend.
Profile Image for Gladys.
158 reviews
July 20, 2025
This story was such a delight to listen to, the narrator made it easier to just listen and enjoy the story. The story begin with the prince meeting the protagonist. At first he was engage to someone else but because his fiancé eloped with someone else. It gives him the chance to ask the protagonist to marry him and if she accept he will pay her family’s debt. Both characters are really approachable, the love story just what I needed after reading fantasy for so long. I will recommend this story to every romantic. Lynne Graham is great writing relatable, romantic and awesome stories
Profile Image for Carey’s Reviews.
634 reviews28 followers
July 22, 2025
3.5 Stars! This was a cute read. I listened to the audio book and I guess I’m just not an audio book kind of person. Too easy to space out & miss some of the book. The main characters were Prince Alessio and Rosalía/Rosie & they were both easily lovable. His ex causes a few hiccups but for the most part, there wasn’t really any conflict between them like in most romances. Not enough story to the book. As another reviewer said, not enough oomph. Still a quick & pleasant read.
*I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.*
Profile Image for Kayla.
413 reviews
May 10, 2025
This book was wonderfully written and narrated. The narrator was engaging and her character voices were realistic.
The story was interesting and the characters were well developed and while they were from very different backgrounds were able to find common ground. I loved that when there was a misunderstanding between the main characters they talked it out and found common ground which made their short relationship feel stronger. It was a great read!
Profile Image for Renee.
955 reviews5 followers
July 14, 2025
This was the first book I've read/listened to by Lynne Graham. I enjoyed tge sweet listen. I became invested the characters and storyline. I definitely want to find more royal trope reads now. I didn't want to pause it.

The narrator did a great job with both male and female voices. It was easy to listen to her voice as she brought the audiobook to life.

Thank you NetGalley and Harlequin Audio for the ALC of this book. This is my voluntary and honest opinion.
Profile Image for Bookish Venturess.
923 reviews17 followers
May 19, 2025
This was such a great romance book. I love how it was written and how everything happened. This was a marriage of convenience but turned into love. The spice was good, and it was a slow burn for part of the book. I loved reading how the commoner was able to help the prince realize what was important and how things in life should be. Overall, a great romance and I highly recommend.
Profile Image for Andrea Coté.
29 reviews13 followers
June 5, 2025
After a betrayal by his fiancee, the Crown Prince proposes to a palace art restorer, Rosy, who he's spoken to once. They navigate the ups and downs of the press. Overall I enjoyed this low drama book but it also felt low on romance and spice, leading to a touch of boredom. Easy, fun read but not gripping.
Profile Image for Susan in Perthshire.
2,217 reviews119 followers
December 10, 2025
Did LG actually write this? This was so long, so boring, so unbelievable and so utterly pedestrian. It lacked life, excitement and emotional reality. That scene with Graciano was simply farcical but without any humour.
Profile Image for Anita I.
108 reviews3 followers
June 13, 2025
Thank you Harlequin audio for choosing me as an ARC Reader for this book. It was such a cute and sweet romantic tale. I love her feisty self when needed. I highly recommend reading this book
Profile Image for Tami Winbush.
Author 3 books29 followers
May 23, 2025
I wasn't sure if I'd be into royal escapades, but this quick read/listen proved me wrong. The characters are endearing, but I found the story to be lacking in oomph. It just seemed to rush through everything so quickly that I was left wanting more, and not it a good way.

I'm not sure if I would want to read another book by this author in fear that all of her books are this brief. I did however enjoy Melanie Crawley's narration of this book. She did a great job.

I'd like to thank the publisher and NetGalley for the opportunity to read this book.
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews

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