The Princess Deception

Princess Affair #3

by Nell Stark

When Sebastian, the Crown Prince of Belgium, overdoses on heroin shortly before he is set to launch Belgium’s campaign to host the FIFA World Cup soccer tournament, his family manages to hush up the scandal. While the royals are debating how to proceed, Sebastian’s twin sister Viola decides to impersonate him to keep Belgium’s bid hopes alive.

Missy Duke is a freelance reporter covering Belgium’s World Cup bid. A former women’s soccer player whose career was sidelined by injury, she is now trying to break into the male-dominated sportscasting world. While in Belgium, she meets the imposter Sebastian and soon realizes that he is actually Viola. Sensing a big story in the making, Duke feigns ignorance and plays along with the charade.
Real sparks develop between the two women, but will the double deception doom this fairy-tale romance?

Cover Artist: Sheri Halal
Genres: Contemporary / Romance

Genres: Romance, Lesbian, LGBT, Queer, Sports, Lesbian Fiction, Fiction

280 pages, Paperback

First published May 9, 2018

About the author

Author of the following lesbian romance novels:
1) Running With the Wind (Bold Strokes Books, 2007)
2) Homecoming (Bold Strokes Books, 2008)


Co-author (with Trinity Tam) of the EVERAFTER paranormal romance series:
1) everafter (2009)
2) nevermore (2010)
3) nightrise (2011)

Reviews

[Diane (IF U'RE PRIVATE, PLEASE SKIP ME!!!) Wallace · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Netgalley ARC provided by The Publisher in exchange for a fair and
honest review'

3.5stars!
From the opening paragraph of 'THE PRINCESS DECEPTION,' the readers knows that this deeply affecting family tale of mystery,suspense and romance is going to be special. That introduction--only a few sentences,sentences that says so little yet tells so much more--creates an air of quiet foreboding that permeates this somber,gripping,electrifying story of pain,anger,trust,loyalty,love, and in the end hope. This book at times may have provide some rouge slog in spots due to Ms.Stark's attention to historical detail,particularly with respect to the naming of Royal Officials and including successions of Governmental Leaders that form the backdrop of this story. My advice is to tiptoe through this and stick with the narrative which is first rate. Viola who is one of the leads,is a smart and likable protagonist while her trusted bodyguard Thijs,though a secondary character,is an entertaining,very supportive and one who inadvertently will provide occasional low-key stability to her life. Aided by this submissive,edgy ex-soccer star who now works as a journalist trying to uncover the truth behind all the deceptions. The author redefine what their strong attraction is all about in this story:- Lover to another--is the thread that binds these women's stories together as they both navigate their relationship are define by compromises & misunderstanding,guilt & forgiveness and most of all,by an obsessive attempt to communicate--to understand & to be understood,to Love & to be Loved. Finally, to readers this book is 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.

[Lex Kent · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m a fan of Nell Stark. I have been reading her books for over a decade and I always enjoy them. I’m sorry to say that this is my least favorite book of hers ever. It’s not bad it just didn’t sit right with me. I have to put it in the strictly just okay category.

This is the third book in the Princess Affair series. While the Princess’ from previous books do make an appearance in this one, I don’t think you have to read these in order. Each story is self-contained enough that you could read in any order or just pick the one/s that appeal to you. I enjoyed the first two books especially the first one.

Stark wrote this book as a modern retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night. It has been ages since I read that book, and my memory is a little spotty, but I didn’t think the books matched up enough. For one I remember the original being a lighter story. This book has a lot of anger and just not the same feeling. Also, the main character Viola, who is posing as her brother, is recognized almost right away by Duke (the other main). In the Twelfth Night, we as a reader know the truth when no one else does. It’s part of the fun of the story. I guess my main point is I would have felt better if Stark didn’t announce this was a revised retelling.

My biggest issue really was with Viola. I just didn’t care and connect with her. She is the one lying and deceiving everyone. But in her mind she did nothing wrong and she is just nasty to Duke. Everything is Duke’s fault no matter how much she apologizes. Reading the angry sex scene was not fun. It’s basically revenge sex just to hurt Duke. Also, the power imbalance in having a princess as this nasty aggressor just made it worse. I wanted to yell at the book to tell Duke to run far away. Instead of reading a romance, I felt like I was seeing the beginning or a relationship that could become abusive. The fact that Viola never really apologized for everything she did just made my warning sign flash brighter.

One other thing, so much of the book was trying to find out what happened to the Prince. One of the reasons Viola is posing as him is to find out the truth. She goes undercover with his friends and finds some clues. But at the end of the book this storyline is basically dropped. I think it was said the royal family figured it out, but that was it. Who were the people? What was that weird code name people were saying? It was such a big part of the story that is was jarring that it just went away basically.

I think Stark was taking a chance here, trying to push the envelope a bit. I like when authors do that but unfortunately it really didn’t work for my personal tastes. This is a book I can’t recommend, but it might not bother others as much. As I said earlier, I have been a fan of Stark for a long time so I will keep reading her. This one just wasn’t for me.

An ARC was given to me by BSB, for a honest review.

[Lexxi Kitty · Rating 3 out of 5]

*I received this book from Bold Strokes Books and Netgalley for an honest review*

This book is about a con artist and an abusive relationship (and no, I’m not talking about Maria and Sebastian). Part of that is seen by the reader immediately. Part takes longer to come into focus, though it does by at least the 39% mark (more the potential, not the confirmation of an abusive relationship).

A con artist, by the way, who became violently enraged when her con was detected and broadcast to the world. The other party involved, the one who didn’t broadcast the information to the world, but was perceived to have done so – and even if the con artist (she thought to herself) believed this other party, this other woman’s words, that they didn’t tell the world about the con – she still . . . . lied about . . . the con artists identity (this is also part of the abusive relationship – getting enraged at the other party for your own actions. Getting enraged that the other woman didn’t immediately, and I mean immediately, tell the other woman her suspicions concerning the long-con Viola was running).

A long con? The book doesn’t seem to indicate some kind of criminal caper is going to be involved. No, it implies something like a retelling of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night would occur. Sure, the book is titled ‘Princess Deception’, so the reader knows going in that the princess is a lying deceiving type, but I’m wording things too harshly, yes? Perhaps. Perhaps not.

Twelfth Night is about a young woman named Viola who shipwrecks on an island and, to protect herself (history isn’t exactly kind to random wandering single unprotected women), she pretends to be a man named Cesario. There’s a weird love . . . mess that occurs. With Viola (as Cesario) falling in love with Duke Orsino; but Orsino is in love with Countess Olivia; and Olivia herself falls for Viola . . . as Cesario. Confusion galore.

Princess Deception? Well, it isn’t an exact retelling, of course. With one story set long long ago, and the other set . . . roughly around now. Viola and Sebastian are the twins of Deception and Viola plays Sebastian. There’s even a Duke for Viola to fall for, here a Missy ‘I don’t like my first name’ Duke (former soccer star). I suppose it would be pushing things to have the other ‘love interest’ in the story, Sebastian’s girlfriend I mean, be named Olivia – instead she’s named Maria in Deception (though one of Olivia’s servants in the play is named Maria; hmm, and Olivia’s uncle is named Toby – and Toby has a big-ish role in the Deception book).

As noted – Viola pretended to be a man in 12th Night (Cesario, though I’d originally misremembered and thought she played Sebastian). And in Princess Deception Viola plays Sebastian, or pretends to be him in certain circumstances. She’s doing this long con in Deception because Sebastian has a drug problem and Viola believes the best thing to do is to pretend to be Sebastian so that people wouldn’t hound him, and therefore allow him to recover in peace and quiet.

They can’t all just go ‘into hiding’, or the like, because Sebastian had been the front person for the effort to land . . . um, the World Cup? Something like that, to Belgium and the Netherlands (a joint bid), and the month long celebration of this bid was just about to kick off when Sebastian landed in the hospital. So – Viola gets a haircut, gets some masculine looking clothing, clothing that looks like Sebastian’s, cut to her own proportions, puts on a breast binder, and struts around as Sebastian. She just doesn’t wear his clothing because they aren’t actually the same height/shape.

Duke, the other main point of view character in this story, starts off the book deeply depressed about her place in life. For, you see, she had been a high rising, hard charging, and popular, wealthy soccer/football player. Until an injury ended her career. Through a teammate’s brother, she landed a job as a journalist (apparently, no one wanted to hire her on her own merits). Duke has been tasked with writing a story or stories, about the FIFA World Cup bid process.

Due to the fact that Duke had, in fact, once been famous, she’s recognized when she attends a particular event. Recognized by a young Princess. Of the Netherlands (ETA: this specific paragraph has annoyed me since I wrote it. I wish to clarify: the young Princess of the Netherlands is a side character, roughly around 12 years of age, and is not Princess Viola (who is Princess of Belgium, not Netherlands). Who invites Duke to get close, then watch a soccer match up in the VIP area. Before that, though, Duke had seen a speech given by Prince Sebastian – a welcoming to the festivities type speech. And Duke immediately knew, knew, that Sebastian was actually . . . . Princess Viola. Despite never having meet either, and the fact that her entire knowledge of Viola comes from some research conducted, while distracted, on the train up to the soccer match (research study needed for many reasons, including the part wherein she never before paid attention to royal types). Part of the ‘oh my god that’s Viola!’ is from phrases, and moves Sebastian does/says while giving the speech. Which I’d normally leave for the reader to find, but I need to say that so I can say – part of the OMG is the part where Sebastian has to be Viola because . . . of certain feminine aspects detected by Duke (I mean, seriously? In this day and age we are going to play the ‘men are men, which means super macho manly men, while women are feminine, and effeminate men either don’t exist or are actually women in disguise’ game? Seriously?, pfft).

Right, so, Viola-as-Sebastian and Duke interact. Duke doing things like interviewing Viola, Viola doing things like flirting outrageously and trying really hard to kiss Duke. Despite, you know, that not really being Sebastian’s style.

Life continues. The month long celebration continues. Duke continues studying the situation and building a story about the matches/bid; plus another story about Viola-as-Sebastian. Viola continues doing the long-con, and continues flirting hard with Duke. And playing power games (‘close your eyes, do you trust me? Close your eyes and let me slip you a drink . . .’).

One thing leads to another, and as you would expect, the truth comes out. As I said in the beginning of this review - this is a book about an abusive relationship. Because, really, it is. Viola plays power trips and does abusive-like moves throughout the book. Including the part where she becomes enraged by her lies being seen by Duke – turning it around and calling it Duke’s lies (somehow). Did I mention yet that Viola, as Sebastian, kept trying to kiss and seduce Duke? Yes? Well, it’s important to keep mentioning. Then, even though Duke is looking horrible – lost weight, bags under her eyes, Viola keeps up the abuse by hate fucking her – sure, she demands consent first, but still – hate fucking her – and continuing to play power control games during this hate fucking.

Viola is one of those ‘I’m doing the right thing! I’m helping my brother! All that you mention is just . . . what had to be done for the greater good!’ types. The ‘I’m a good girl’ type who gets enraged at others for doing much less …. Um . . . fuckery to her. I’m not wording this right. Ironically Viola is probably making things harder for Sebastian, even though she’s ‘trying to help him’, but, meh. She’s ‘doing the right thing, even if that means lying and deceiving the world’ then getting angry at anyone who calls her on her deceit and lies. Viola is a horrible human being.

Duke? Eh – oddly, I had to stop reading the book originally because of Duke. Part of it was because of her hyper-conscious about gender roles (aka – the person calling ‘himself’ Sebastian has to be Viola because . . . of the feminine traits Duke sees). Part is because of the ‘journalists and photographers, who I despise, were horrible when I was a famous athlete’; ‘I need a job, I despise journalists, I’ll do that’ vibe. Oh – and later it turns out she didn’t really need a job, despite the vague ‘must find work, must keep working, must . . . do my best!’ vibe. Because of reasons. Like the various sponsorships she was able to retain through not revealing that she was a lesbian. So, initially, I disliked the book because I disliked the Duke character. Then the nastiness that is Viola became revealed, and so that’s two main POV character to dislike. Oops, there are only two in the book.

Weird. First 39% of the book, I was thinking that this was the best of the Princess books. But . . . alas . . ..

As an aside, and I’m sure it doesn’t matter in any real way, but, of the roughly 15 plays I’ve read by Shakespeare, Twelfth Night is nowhere near the top of the list of favorite plays. No, it’s one of those that I didn’t really like when I read it decades ago. I didn’t enter this book expecting to dislike the book because of that, though. Nor did I enter expecting to like it because it’s a retelling of a Shakespeare play. So, just an aside of no importance.

Rating: 2.67

April 3 2018

[Joc · Rating 3 out of 5]

Using the cross-dressing aspect of Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night and many of the same character names, this is the story of Viola, princess of Belgium, and Missy Duke, injured soccer player. Viola’s twin brother, Sebastian, overdoses on heroin just days before he is due to launch the Belgium/Netherlands bid to host the FIFA world cup. Not wanting her brother’s reputation destroyed she decides to chop off her hair and fulfil his duties while he is in rehab. Missy Duke’s injuries have forced her to retire from soccer but in an attempt to stay involved in the game she partners with a photographer as a freelance reporter to cover the progress of the bid.

I enjoy Stark’s writing and this was a reasonable read. I did have a number of misgivings around the way the plot unfolded but to expound on them would give away too much of the story. Viola and Duke (as she prefers to be called) have been given a powerful chemistry but I felt they didn’t spend enough time in each other’s company for their attraction to be much more than physical.

Deception, whether it’s a fake relationship or pretending to be someone else, sets up its own tension and that sense of impending doom is what keeps me reading. The unravelling of it though, is where it can all fall apart. How the characters conduct themselves and how they apportion blame alters my perception of them. In the end, I wasn’t happy but I do seem to be in the minority.

This is the third in the Princess Affair Series and I’ve read the first, which I thoroughly enjoyed, but I haven’t read the second. I don’t think they need to be read in order as the characters from the other two play fairly minor roles in this one.

Book received from Netgalley and Bold Strokes Books for an honest review.

[Kexx · Rating 5 out of 5]

A good story, kept me gripped, and I did wonder how she'd pull them both together! It was impressive. A good follow up in the Princess Affair series - and loved the way the two were segwayed together. Loved the re-read.

[Heinerway · Rating 2 out of 5]

The title says it all: deception. It's a pity but this princess series goes worse and worse.

And... what happened with the Lorelei party???

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really enjoy Twelfth Night, and I'm an even bigger fan of She's the Man. When I saw this available on NetGalley, I jumped at the chance to read it. Modern adaptations of older works are always a lot of fun, especially when things get updated in unique ways. Because of that, I really, really wanted to love this one. However, I didn't.

The story is about Viola, the Princess of Belgium. When her twin brother, Sebastian, overdoses right before the month-long bid for the FIFA World Cup begins, she decides to play him while he goes to rehab so the bid can continue. Meanwhile, Missy Duke is a former pro soccer player who was forced to retire early because of a knee injury. Now, she's covering the Belgian-Dutch joint bid for a sports magazine/network. Cue the ensuing misunderstandings.

I don't think it's a spoiler to say that Duke finds out about Viola's ruse, but I think she finds out way too easily. Ultimately, I think that's what dissatisfied me. The whole conceit of Twelfth Night is that pretty much no one knows that Cesario is really Viola, and a lot of the drama and comedy come from the audience knowing. Instead of being intrigued by "Sebastian" and then having to reevaluate when she finds out Sebastian is really Viola, Duke spends the majority of their relationship trying to figure out why Viola's doing it so she can break a story. More than that, though, they actually just don't spend a lot of time together. We're 40% in before they have a conversation in private, and the black moment comes at 70%, which doesn't leave them much time to develop a relationship.

My main complaint is possibly my own fault. I went into this with high expectations because, like I said, I enjoy Twelfth Night and especially She's the Man. So, my expectation was that this would be funny. Instead, it's very dramatic. That's fine, and the drama is mostly earned. Sebastian's overdose and subsequent rehabilitation are treated with the weight they deserve. Duke is still depressed over losing her soccer career. I just wanted this to be a lot more fun and filled with more shenanigans than it was.

There are some nice moments and observations in the writing, though. At one point, Viola notes how much she appreciates her circle of friends. Both Viola and Duke treat Sebastian's addiction as a disease and defend him against people who would "out" his addiction as a scandal. While posing as Sebastian, Viola realizes she shouldn't say a lot because men are often laconic when it comes their emotions, and she wonders "whether men felt as constrained by the norms governing their behavior as she did emulating them."

Because there's such a focus on a woman pretending to be a man and having to wear "masculine" clothing and on how people present gender, it made me think a lot about transgenderism and gender expression and passing and the "proper" amount of masculinity or femininity. I don't know if this can be classified as transgender representation, especially whether it can be classified as positive transgender representation. What I can say is that it made me think and made me want to learn more about transgender history.

Overall, The Princess Deception is an interesting book, but don't go into it expecting a faithful representation of Twelfth Night.

Thanks to NetGalley, Bold Strokes Books, and Nell Stark for the advanced e-copy in exchange for an honest review.

[Jade · Rating 3 out of 5]

*ARC provided by Netgalley and the publisher for an honest review*

If I am honest, this book was rather underwhelming. I enjoyed the previous books in the series, because who doesn't enjoy a royal romance, but I just didn't feel transported by these characters.

Viola and Duke are supposed to be the main characters but I felt like this was a story written about the background characters. I didn't find them to be very compelling and the twelfth night angle has been utterly exhausted.

A lot of things that happened in this story didn't make sense as they were a bit over the top.

I am giving this book 3 stars because this author is a good writer and although I wasn't engaged with this story, the way I was with the others, I still found it to be an easy mildly enjoyable read.

[Angie · Rating 2 out of 5]

The Princess Deception is the third and final(?) novel in Nell Stark's Princess Affair series and it is definitely the weakest of the three novels. That's not to say I didn't enjoy parts of this--I actually liked it more than I expected to--but it have moments that really made me wonder why any of this was happening at all.

Sebastian, the Prince of Belgium, has overdosed on heroin and the Belgian family must decide how to handle the situation publicly. His twin sister Viola decides that the best way to protect her family and give Sebastian the best chance at battling his addiction is to impersonate him until he is well enough to continue his public duties.

I'm going to stop here for a second to state that this is the stupidest plot idea ever. And I say this as someone who loves Twelfth Night. But the problem with this plot device in this series is that it's too much disbelief I have to suspend. I'm already having to believe that there is a world in which the second-in-line-to-the-throne in England is allowed to 1) come out and 2) be in a relationship with an Irish-Catholic American nobody (sorry, Kerry); a princess of Monaco is dating a female half-American F1 racer; and now there's the Princess of Belgium who, in this book, will not only fall for an American retired women's soccer star but also that she will be impersonating her brother for weeks in very public areas in which his girlfriend is also fooled?

It was a struggle, guys. Not to mention the fact that there seems to be a retcon on Sebastian's character in this novel, as he wasn't the easiest character to like in book 2. But I read this book anyway, mostly to see the characters from the previous two books. And while they are here, they're not featured as often as I would have liked.

So this book, as the title reveals, is really about deception. And in this case, there's a double deception, which isn't really a spoiler if you read the back-of-the-book synopsis. And I think it's an important detail because it would be really uncomfortable to have anyone falling in like or love only to have been deceived--especially when queerness is in the mix, even if Duke is bi, which she isn't. So Nell Stark at least avoids that pitfall. I think you can probably guess what's going to happen and that sh!t will hit the fan when it does. And it did during my reading, things got uncomfortable very quickly. Revenge sex is not sexy. It's actually really f*cked up. And it made me second-guess pretty much everything I thought I knew about both characters. I actually had to look ahead to see how long I was going to have to stay in that scene. It was bad. And it kind of killed the entire novel for me right there. The only real saving grace was the scene with the other queer royals and their partners.

I'm giving this 2 stars because I don't know that I can rate it higher. But I do feel like I liked it more than that. But that nose dive, man. I can't justify anything higher.

[Guerunche · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.25 stars
This was rough and I probably wouldn't have finished it if I hadn't chosen it for the 2021 Sapphic Reading Challenge.
Missy Duke's voice as interpreted by Nicola Victoria Vincent was painful - and I am quite a fan of the narrator's work in general. I have no idea what sort of American accent she was supposed to have, but it sounded so off that it was distracting. I kept telling myself, though, that listeners from other countries often have to put up with American narrators messing up their accents, so I just said "Hey - it's our turn" and increased the speed a bit so I could get through it faster.
That wasn't my main issue with this book. Duke knew Princess Viola was impersonating her brother almost immediately so it was a stretch to believe that she was the only one to pick up on it. But I suspended disbelief on that. It was the cringe-worthy revenge sex that turned me off of it altogether. It was cruel - not sexy - and I just couldn't buy Duke moving on so easily from it. Princess Viola lost much of her shine after that for me. I believed physical attraction existed between them, but love? I didn't see much evidence of that on Viola's end. They needed a lot more time to rebuild trust after the experiences of their first months.
Some other reviewers have said this is their least favorite of Stark's books so I will give another one a try sometime. It's unfortunate that my first experience was with this one.

[Tiff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nell Stark is back with another book in her Princess series. Deception is the name of the game here. Based on William Shakespeare's Twelfth Night, we have a princess pretending to be her brother and a journalist trying to uncover the sordid tale.

Viola is the Princess of Belguim. An accomplished artist who prefers to stay out of the family's limelight. Unfortunately for Viola, her twin brother Sebastian overdoses on heroin right before Belguim begins its rally to win the bid on the next FIFA men's World Cup. As in the Twelfth Night, Viola takes on pretending to be Sebastian to fool everyone into believing everything is on the up and up. She doesn't want to let her family or her country down.

Missy Duke was the face of USA women's soccer. Her career was ended before she was ready with a catastrophic knee injury. Duk" doesn't know what to do with herself, emotionally she is a mess and now she has settled for a job she really doesn't want because she has no idea what to do not being on the pitch. Taken a job as a gift from a brother of a teammate, Duke sets off to cover Belguim's bid for the cup.

Unlike in the Twelfth Night, Viola doesn't totally sell her alternate identity as her twin. Duke picks up on it pretty quick by seeing little tells Viola has. Tucking her hear behind her ears, little things here and there. So a good portion of the story is the newbie journalist trying to figure out the why and see if it's newsworthy. Of course, she is attracted to Viola so this makes her problem even larger.

Overall the book is q good read, Nell Stark always delivers a quality product. My only hangup is that I wish our two mains spent more time together. The reuse of pretending to be Sebastian takes up so much of the storyline that you don't get enough Duke and Viola time. The relationship/romance portion of the book is smaller than I would have liked. Still a great read!

[F. · Rating 3 out of 5]

Something’s a little odd here: me or the book. It could be me; I read this in the early hours of Christmas, exhausted from running around after in-laws but unable to sleep. On the other hands, the book centers on a Belgium princess impersonating her fraternal twin brother (indisposed after a heroin overdose) in order to save everyone from scandal *cough* falling in love with a journalist who is uncovering the secret.
For starters, I’m married to a twin. I have in 20 years mistaken her twin sister for her twice for a few seconds. Even identical twins don’t look all that identical I once you know them quite well. The idea that you could cross-dress impersonate one and fool people and people who know you is absurd. But then there is no realism in this at all. If you read it as a pure fantasy it’s quite entertaining.

The writing is very good. The story perhaps less so. On reflection, what is a little odd may not be me but the book. Still, it filled a sleepless night and left me cheery enough to wait on in-laws in the morning....

[Danni Mladenovic · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was very interested to read this book after I've seen the synopsis. It didn't disappoint but I wasn't really ecstatic after I've finished it. It could've been more fun reading it actually, had it not have been for one fact: their get together was rushed somehow, and in spite of the characters' great chemistry, the majority of the book they spent mildly flirting and behaving very politely and cautiously around each other. Plus, I wasn't really keen on that first sex scene when such a power-play imbalance happens out of anger and hurt; it might have been a better situation had that scene followed, without it being the first and the main in the book...

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I wish I could rate this book solely on its romantic merits but I'm still reeling from these invaluable pieces of information that I learned in this story about modern European royals:

1) Prague is in Czechoslovakia now

2) The river running through Prague is Vitaska river

3) Oslo is in Sweden apparently



I just have one question, your Honour - WHO EDITED THIS BOOK???

The truth is, the romance in this one didn't quite manage to hold my interest, either. There were some steamy moments, but the pacing was off and that's when the lukewarmness would set in.

There was no tension or internal conflict because of Viola posing as Sebastian (besides all the media-induced drama, naturally), at least in terms of Duke's attraction to Viola, as she guessed the charade almost immediately. Which, on one hand, is probably a good thing. On the other...I thought it was a missed opportunity to expand on Viola's feelings regarding her own gender identity.

Then there was also this one weird/awkwardly written part of Duke's inner monologue, where she's turned on by Viola's packer and thinks this:

"Now that she considered it, what she found so arousing about Viola’s package was the prospect of revealing it for an accessory, and then pulling it aside to -"

So...yeah, there was that.

All in all, call me picky or fastidious or whatever, but I just can't get over how little research must have gone into this book that takes place in Europe for an author to write about a country that doesn't exist since 1993.

[Jasmine · Rating 5 out of 5]

So good! I finished the other two Princess books just in time for this to come out, it was just perfect. You likely don't need to read the other two Princess books to follow and enjoy this book, but the other couples do make an appearance and it's just so lovely to see them again if you've already read the previous two books!

When Belgian Princess Viola's twin brother nearly dies for an overdose, just days before Belgium's bid for the FIFA World Cup, she feels she has no choice but to take her brothers place. She only wishes to protect Sebastian while he recovers, and to protect the country's bid for the World Cup. Missy Duke, former woman's soccer player, is now making her foray into the world of journalism, providing coverage of World Cup. She's thrown into Sebastian's (Viola's) orbit and and it isn't long before she's figured out what no one else has, that Viola is disguised as Sebastian. If she can break the story, and figure out why Viola is covering for her brother, she thinks she will get the break she needs for her career. What she doesn't count on is the overwhelming attraction and affection she feels for Viola. But will deception and betrayal break their relationship before ti even gets going?

I had a major crush on Duke, she was gorgeous, just damn. Viola's character was incredible - she was so confident and that was irrespective of gender, when she was herself or impersonating her brother she was so sure of herself. The chemistry between Duke and Viola was off the charts - it was sooooo well written. I loved also that their attraction towards each other - it wasn't about gender or appearance or social status it was just about the person, loving a person for who they are inside above all else. The Belgian family dynamics were really positive - it was a nice shift form the other two books, seeing them supportive and cohesive royal family unit was really nice and refreshing to see. The drama was intense and super stressful, but it wasn't forced, it was really realistic and justified even if it was so frustrating at times that I wanted to yell at Viola and Duke. It had a great buildup and was really nicely paced. I totally loved it!

The sex scene in this book was sooooo hot! The author really took it to another level in this book.

I received an ARC via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.

[Dreaming · Rating 3 out of 5]

Living in one of the European monarchies I very much appreciate Nell Stark's alternative royal houses.
Everything is in place in this world, the counties's culture, the royal palaces, the names. Only the people are different.
It's interesting to point out that the Belgian princess spoke both Dutch and French as it has always been very important to appeal to both the Flemish and the Walloon part of the population. It was a nice touch for the Dutch princess to be a football fan as the real royal family of the Netherlands is always present at important sports events supporting the country's team.
I enjoyed reading this book, and although I'm not a fan of instant attraction and I found there was too much drama involved, I liked the way the book was written and the story unfolded. The ending was a bit too sappy for my taste, but I'd still recommend this book to anyone who likes European settings. I'm sure I'll get the audiobook too when it's out!

ARC received from NetGalley and BSB for an honest review

[Mekeia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not going to lie, I really enjoy nell stark's writing!

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars
A very good romance with a nice plot and two interesting leads. Recommended to all romance fans especially for those who love modern royal romances. I would read it again, and I'm looking forward to the other two books in the series.
eARC via NetGalley

[Cindy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I liked this book but it didn’t come close to the other ones in this serie. It just didn’t seem fair to me that Viola was the one who fooled everyone but ultimately blamed Duke for almost everything that went wrong.

I liked the romance between Viola and Duke but there was a lot of unnecessary drama. The book could’ve done with a little less drama and a bit more communication and I would’ve loved it more. Duke was bit to naive for my liking and Viola a bit to angry.

All in all it was a decent book and I loved the cameos from the other books in the series. I just didn’t connect as much with these characters as I had hoped. A 3,5 which rounds up to a 4.

[Tara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Duke and Viola are both well done and I enjoyed seeing their relationship develop, even as they danced around the truth. I’m not a huge fan of deception in romances, but in this case it worked really well, since the whole story hinges on it. Also, I suspect that I liked it because Viola’s deception was intended to help her brother so he could recover in peace, and because I appreciated how Duke handled things when she realized why Viola was keeping up the pretense.

Full review: https://www.thelesbianreview.com/prin...

['Nathan Burgoine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Twelfth Night-inspired, this was a fabulous audiobook that kept me company for days while I walked the dog, got things done around the house, and generally procrastinated anything else I was doing because I wanted to keep listening.

When her twin brother—and the prince—Sebastien ODs and nearly dies, Viola steps up on a whim and impersonates him for an event...and no one seems to notice. It's a risky plan, but she doesn't want the press anywhere near him during his recovery in a rehab centre, which will be hard enough without the world staring him down. Her parents aren't exactly happy with her choice to do so without their input, but seeing that it worked... It's possible this could save a lot of trouble, not the least of which is their country's bid for hosting the FIFA world cup, which Sebastien had been spearheading.

Former soccer star Missy Duke was on the track to the top, but an injury has taken her permanently away from the sport she loves—but a job opportunity as a sports reporter has left her close enough to really feel what she's missing. She's trying, she really is, but it's hard to find motivation to report on the sport she thought would be her life. That is, until she sees the Prince give a speech and something seems off.

Missy suspects that Sebastien is Viola, but what does that mean? Why? What could possibly motivate the deception that seems to have everyone else fooled? When she manages to score some one-on-one time with the "prince," things get complicated, fast. Missy likes "Sebastien." And "Sebastien" seems to be flirting right back. Is it the role? Is this the story Missy needs to launch a career she's not entirely sure she even wants? Is there more to this than the obvious deceptions on all sides?

The performer was great, I really, really liked the complications that popped up throughout the story (especially those dealing with Viola trying to be her brother) and Missy's arc was really solid. I appreciated that her reaction to her injury felt really conflicted and realistic, too.

[Patricia Foort · Rating 4 out of 5]

In the beginning I gave it 3 stars. It took too long and too much for me unnecessary information before the MC’s met eachother. But when they finally met? It really became interesting. I love how their attraction was described. It was all in their head and their eyes. I like that a lot. And that sex scene....one of the hottest🔥🔥 I’ve ever read. Which for me is a plus++ in a book. So overall 4 stars.

31 August 2020 listened to the audio. Nicola Victoria Vincent did a fantastic job. So fantastic that she made it a 5 stars book instead of the 4 stars I gave the ebook.

[Evren (Nonbinary Knight Reads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5/5

I really wanted a book that featured a woman disguised as a man and eventually I managed to find this one. I was a bit confused by the summary at first (it reminded me too much of She’s the Man) until I realized that both were based on Shakespeare’s The Twelfth Night. At that point, I was sold. Royalty and people not being who they say they are, sign me up.

Viola is the princess of Belgium. When her brother Sebastian overdoses and has to go into rehab she worries for him. They’re close and she wants his life to be as normal as possible when he leaves, but how will that be possible with the media storm that will be stirred up. She elects to take his place in his FIFA bid. Missy Duke is crushed after her career in soccer ended in injury, but she’s taken a job as a reporter in hopes that it will help. She has to cover the FIFA bid and she thinks she’s struck gold when she notices some differences in Prince Sebastian’s behavior. With both of them lying to the other, can a relationship truly be formed?

I really liked both of these characters most of the time. Viola was easy to like. It was clear how much she cares about her brother and how much she was willing to do in order to make sure that his life remained as normal as possible. There never really came a point where I didn’t love her. Duke was a bit harder towards the end. She’s in a bad mode because of her soccer career ending and that’s understandable. She really wants to get the scoop on Prince Sebastian and even then, I didn’t dislike her. I disliked her when she believed her boss. I just personally don’t see why someone would have taken someone like him at his word.

I wasn’t sure how I would like Duke’s plot. I’m not a huge fan of people continually lying to someone they want to be with, but I actually really liked how this was written. Duke was written as someone who regretted her actions. She owned up to the fact that she had made mistakes and tried her best to fix the problems she had helped cause. It might not be perfect, but I really liked how it was handled.

I want to commend this book on one thing in specific. This is the only book I recall reading that has managed to give me an absolutely heartbreaking sex scene. I’ve had emotional scenes before, but this one hurt. I won’t explain the context or anything like that, just know it affected me more than I had originally expected it too.

At some point during the book, I can’t quite recall when, I became less invested in what was going on. That’s not a blame on the author or even the plot, it’s just a purely personal thing that occurred. If that hadn’t occurred, I think there’s a chance that I would have given this book 5 stars.

I enjoyed this book more than I expected too. This is the third Princess book by Nell Stark, and it was good enough that I’m planning on reading the previous two when I have the time.

[Wendy · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5* Book 3 in the Princess books by Nell Stark. It's enjoyable, especially if you like reading light romances with royals. It does include a heavier topic like drug addiction. Princess Viola's twin brother Sebastian suffered and overdose and she decides to impersonate him in public appearances supporting Belgium's bid for the World Cup. There's also Duke, an ex-soccer star forced to retire because of injuries. She's still quite bitter and grieving over the end of her career. She got the chance to be a journalist covering the World Cup bid. And, the story goes from there...
My only complaint is that the book is too short. Things could've been detailed more. But I guess, the romance is the priority and that part is well-done - quite hot actually once we got to it.
I also like that the characters from the previous 2 Princess books are in this one. Always like seeing how they're doing after their HEA.

[Juno · Rating 4 out of 5]

Contains spoilers for the previous books

So, that was a good trilogy.

Ever since reading Her Royal Highness by rachel hawkings I needed to read more sapphic royal romances. It truly scratched an itch i didn't know i had. I enjoyed Her royal happiness, and im planning on reading Red white and royal blue, but these three books have stifled this particular craving.

The first book drew me in. Sasha's magnetism was intoxicating and Kerry was a lovely partner. I had some difficulties going through the first few chapters of the second book, but im glad i finished it. I'm a bit disappointed that they glossed over alix's coming out to her family. It would've been an incredibly interesting avenue to explore, which makes the absence of it deafening.

Part of that silence returns in this book. I get that this isn't a dark series, but the seemingly very accepting culture in royal circles just feels a bit too much like a fairtytale for me. It's great to read dont get me wrong, I just like shit to hit the fan a lot harder.

Still, this book was very good. A princess cross dressing and impersonating her brother while he's going through rehab is a very good concept, which pays off spectacularly. Duke was ok, She's my least favourite main character in the series, but Viola is second best after Sasha, so that makes up for Duke's shortcomings. They're not shortcomings I just don't like her that much.

This trilogy is very much worth a read, it's light and cute. Not exactly 100% feelgoody but still makes you happy.

[Jos]

DNF 20%

The synopsis sounded very intriguing (based off As You Like It) but at 20% of the way in the two leads still had not met one another. The non-princess lead saw a picture of the princess and had some very intense sapphic pining.

There were bigger topics here that I thought would keep my interest addiction, injury and disability, depression, etc. but they were delivered in a way that included long explanations to the reader. I understand the need to fully explain these things for readers who might not be familiar and to set the tone that does not paint any one person as a villain, but it just was not for me.

If you're just starting in the Lesfic world or are not used to having intense topics in your reading, you may like this more than I did. I think it laid out the complexity of having a family member you love have addiction issues in a way that still keeps the tone lighter and the reader ready for the romance portion, it just was not my taste.

[Ariadna · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the third book in a loosely connected series. The connection is more based on having at least one main character be a princess, than by anything else. Though, being they inhabit the same relatively small royal world, the princesses have some passing awareness of each other (that is the impression given in this book, though the prior two princesses are actually described as great friends of the princess in this book, though that hardly seems likely considering how they are deployed in this book - barely and brief cameos).

The first two works in this series were not as good as the fantasy series I read by Stark, but they were entertaining works. This one here, though, is something of a let down. Mainly due to my general dislike of all characters, and their actions as seen in the book, seen in the book.

[Stevie Carroll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Previously reviewed on The Good, The Bad, and The Unread:

Shakespeare’s Twelfth Night has spawned a lot of pastiches and reinterpretations, but I’m always happy to read, or watch, more. Especially, as in this case, when the author manages to put a different slant on the story. The book takes one of the central premises of the play, the heroine who masquerades as her twin brother, and brings it thoroughly up to date by making her a success in her own right and who takes on the disguise to protect her family, rather than to allow herself more freedom. In fact, this Viola finds the role of Sebastian far more restrictive than the life she has been living as herself; however, she is prepared to make the sacrifice for the good of not just her immediate, royal relatives, but also her native country and its closest neighbour.

Her Royal Highness Princess Viola of Belgium is an award-winning photographer, who is preparing for her latest exhibition when she is summoned back to the palace by her parents. Fearing an imminent terrorist attack, she is even more concerned to discover that her twin brother is seriously ill in hospital following a heroin overdose. Feeling a degree of guilt for not spotting her brother’s drug problems, Viola also worries about the wider impact that might be felt when her brother’s condition becomes widely known. Belgium and the Netherlands are jointly bidding to host football’s (‘soccer’s’ to you in the US) World Cup and Sebastian was to have represented his country’s Royal Family at the upcoming month-long gala to open the bid. Aided by her and her brother’s closest staff, Viola decides to take her twin’s place, not even telling her parents until the game is afoot.

One of the reporters covering the gala’s events is former US and International footballer, Missy Duke, generally known only by her last name. Following a career-ending injury, Duke has found a way to stay close to the football action, helped by a friend’s brother who is also a sports journalist covering the same event. While carrying out some background research into the prominent members of the bid team, Duke is intrigued to lean that the sister of the Belgian royal representative is a lesbian. And when she sees ‘him’ at the first event of the gala, Duke finds herself strangely attracted to the androgynous man before her. As Duke continues to cover the events, she becomes more and more intrigued by ‘Sebastian’ until the similarities and differences between the two twins’ appearances and mannerisms in past news videos, and the current ‘Sebastian,’ lead Duke to the realisation that ‘he’ is in fact ‘she.’

Duke determines to uncover the reasons behind the deception, but in doing so finds herself growing ever closer to Viola. Meanwhile, Viola is conducting an investigation of her own into who supplied Sebastian with the drugs that led to his overdose, before then abandoning him to be left alone at the nearest hospital. As the pair make discoveries about each other and those around them, it seems that they may be destined to form a closer bond; however, Duke’s investigations may lead to Viola’s exposure, and subsequently disaster, for all concerned.

I liked this book a lot, although at times the size of the cast felt a little unwieldy. There were appearances by the characters from previous books in the series, which I would probably have enjoyed more if I’d read the first book. All that said, this is a fun series, and I really must find time to go back and read the story that kicked it all off.

[MM · Rating 2 out of 5]

A very quick review from me. 2.5 stars unfortunately.

I’m not a huge fan of Nell Stark’s writing but I did enjoy previous two parts of this trilogy. In this par there’s only two things I liked.
1. Loved the Shakespearian idea in general.
2. The not so sweet princess character.
But... (here we go), the idea that Duke was the “bad guy” in Viola’s eyes is ridiculous. She’s the one lying to everyone.
I get that Duke wasn’t “pure” from the beginning but blaming her for everything while knowing from the start that she might get discovered and put her family in the centre of even bigger scandal is once again ridiculous.
I couldn’t get along with the main characters. Maybe Viola at first but that went away very fast. I didn’t have that problem with parts 1&2.
Also!!!!! For crying out loud who the hell edited this thing? Oslo is not in Sweden nor is Prague in Czechoslovakia because that country does not exist since 1993. Prague is In Czech Republic. If I missed something in that book that indicates otherwise, I’m sorry.

[Marthese Formosa · Rating 4 out of 5]

[253 pages on adobe digital editions]
Cross-posted on the Lesbrary: http://lesbrary.com/2018/05/11/marthe...

"Nothing about this situation was simple. Both she and Viola were trying to fool the other”

I’m not one for too much romance, but give me a queer royal romance and I will enthusiastically give it a try. I remember reading The Princess Affair by the same author and liking it and so I got a copy of The Princess Deception on Netgalley. The Princess Deception is the third book of the Princess Affair Series and I somehow skipped the second book, however, these books can be read on their own! There are cameos from the other books’ characters but you will still understand without having to read them.

The Princess Deception follows the Belgian royal Viola and Duke, an ex-soccer player turned sports journalist. This book is partially inspired by 12th Night (the Queerest play by Shakespeare)! Following an overdose by her twin brother Sebastian, Viola has the idea to impersonate her twin who the following day was launching the Dutch-Belgian bid to host the FIFA cup. Sebastian has a long way ahead to fight addiction, and Viola cannot let his work and passion be in vain.

Viola becomes Sebastian; but Duke soon realizes the deception. Duke feels an attraction to Viola as Sebastian but is still all set to uncover this deception. Duke has recently got a sports journalism job following rehabilitation from injuries that left her unable to play soccer; she needs a breaking story. Things have a way to come out though…and Viola keeps inviting her to meet.

The characters in The Princess Deception were fleshed out and complex. Viola is a very strong character. While usually artistic, she accepts the challenge that life had set her to act more political. She suffers from guilt for not realizing what her brother, who she loves gravely, was going through and doesn’t trust her instincts anymore. Indeed, she has a multitude of trust issues but fortunately, she has people surrounding her who help her move forward.

Duke self-develops as well during the course of the book. She needs to let go of her self-pity and reinvent herself while being proud of her achievements. While feminine and a sub, she still stands her ground most times.

Both Viola and Duke are self-aware and in tune with their emotions. They’re pretty mature at least until the big conflict starts. While both are emotionally attuned, they still manage to make a mess of their situation and they have to untangle it.

Towards the middle, I was a bit disappointed at each character in turn. There was a lot of self-pity and demands and anger and unhealthy behaviour. It still felt very real and semi-justified, if flawed.

This story takes place in many countries, it’s very much an international romance. One thing which I found strange, is that supposedly, this story takes place in recent times, yet Prague is said to be in ‘Czechoslovakia’. To me, this was a geographical inconsistency.

My one true pet peeve and dislike though was something that I had quite enough of. While it could be quite realistic, I’m fed up with characters that have sex in anger while still things are unresolved! Sex should not be a violent act; even with consent, it’s shady! It’s one thing is characters enjoy that play, it’s quite another to use it instead of having a proper mature discussion. In the end, things do get talked about and they do refrain from having sex until after the discussion – there was both plot and character progress there. Considering I only had this problem with the book, I’d say it’s a pretty good story!

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. Thijs 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.