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Best Friend to Princess Bride
“I have to marry…I want you to be my wife!”
In this Royals of Monrosa story, Prince Edwin and Kara have been best friends for years, and there’s never been a hint of attraction between them! So when Edwin must marry to succeed the throne of Monrosa, Kara’s the sensible choice to be his princess. That is, until an electrifying kiss to seal their engagement breaks all the rules of friendship and their arrangement suddenly feels painfully real!
In this Royals of Monrosa story, Prince Edwin and Kara have been best friends for years, and there’s never been a hint of attraction between them! So when Edwin must marry to succeed the throne of Monrosa, Kara’s the sensible choice to be his princess. That is, until an electrifying kiss to seal their engagement breaks all the rules of friendship and their arrangement suddenly feels painfully real!
- GenresCategory RomanceRomance
256 pages, Paperback
Published March 3, 2020
About the author
Katrina Cudmore
93 books46 followersCity loving, book addict, peony obsessive, Katrina Cudmore lives in Cork, Ireland with her husband, four active children and a very daft dog. A psychology graduate, with a M.Sc. in Human Resources Katrina spent many years working in multinational companies and can't believe she is lucky enough now to have a job that involves daydreaming about love and handsome men!
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 15, 2020
B- at AAR, so 3.5 stars
I used to read category romance by the boxful, but as the focus of many lines has shifted to babies and billionaires, I have to admit that my reading of them has slowed down. Lately, though, I’ve been craving the tight plotting and quick reading of a good category book and I’ve been dipping my toes back into those waters. This has gone largely successfully, and Best Friend to Princess Bride was a fun, light read. If you’re looking to divert yourself with a fairytale for the afternoon, this one is mostly lovely.
Kara has been close friends with Prince Edwin of Monrosa for years. Edwin and her brother Michael met at university, and the three were inseparable friends until her brother’s death by suicide. The story picks up some years after this event, and we see that Edwin has returned to Monrosa while Kara now runs a charity called Young Adults Together. Her wish is to expand the charity and to reach as many people as possible with the group’s mental health advocacy.
Kara’s world gets upended on a visit with Edwin when he shares with her that his aging father plans to abdicate the throne. As the oldest son, Edwin would normally succeed his father, but the laws of Montrosa have been changed to require that the ruling prince (or princess) be married. Since Edwin has spent his entire adult life avoiding emotional vulnerability and close relationships, he’s in a quandry. He asks Kara to marry him so that he can secure his throne, and he promises her it would only be a marriage of convenience.
Veteran romance readers know where this is going. Of course there is chemistry between Kara and Edwin. As they travel to the Mediterranean island of Monrosa, we see the tensions between them and I actually rather enjoyed watching them try to negotiate their friendship as it turned into something clearly more romantic.
Royal watchers may see recognize more than a few elements in this story. After all, the leads are university friends. There is also mention made of how Prince Edwin and his younger brothers were forced by their father to walk in their mother’s funeral procession as children and how negatively this affected them. I’m American, but I suspect British readers might draw more parallels.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
I used to read category romance by the boxful, but as the focus of many lines has shifted to babies and billionaires, I have to admit that my reading of them has slowed down. Lately, though, I’ve been craving the tight plotting and quick reading of a good category book and I’ve been dipping my toes back into those waters. This has gone largely successfully, and Best Friend to Princess Bride was a fun, light read. If you’re looking to divert yourself with a fairytale for the afternoon, this one is mostly lovely.
Kara has been close friends with Prince Edwin of Monrosa for years. Edwin and her brother Michael met at university, and the three were inseparable friends until her brother’s death by suicide. The story picks up some years after this event, and we see that Edwin has returned to Monrosa while Kara now runs a charity called Young Adults Together. Her wish is to expand the charity and to reach as many people as possible with the group’s mental health advocacy.
Kara’s world gets upended on a visit with Edwin when he shares with her that his aging father plans to abdicate the throne. As the oldest son, Edwin would normally succeed his father, but the laws of Montrosa have been changed to require that the ruling prince (or princess) be married. Since Edwin has spent his entire adult life avoiding emotional vulnerability and close relationships, he’s in a quandry. He asks Kara to marry him so that he can secure his throne, and he promises her it would only be a marriage of convenience.
Veteran romance readers know where this is going. Of course there is chemistry between Kara and Edwin. As they travel to the Mediterranean island of Monrosa, we see the tensions between them and I actually rather enjoyed watching them try to negotiate their friendship as it turned into something clearly more romantic.
Royal watchers may see recognize more than a few elements in this story. After all, the leads are university friends. There is also mention made of how Prince Edwin and his younger brothers were forced by their father to walk in their mother’s funeral procession as children and how negatively this affected them. I’m American, but I suspect British readers might draw more parallels.
This is a partial review. You can find the complete text here: https://allaboutromance.com/book-revi...
February 20, 2026
3.5/5
The library is finally getting its copy back!! I really enjoyed this book (even though it did have a spicy scene when I think it should’ve). I would have liked to have seen them connect more than just the ending. Like watch them actually fall in love during the dates and watch them become more open with each other sooner.
The library is finally getting its copy back!! I really enjoyed this book (even though it did have a spicy scene when I think it should’ve). I would have liked to have seen them connect more than just the ending. Like watch them actually fall in love during the dates and watch them become more open with each other sooner.
January 1, 2020
This book just wasn't for me. I usually love the friends-to-lovers trope but as this story played out it was lacking the internal debate usually present in these types of stories. The protagonists struggled way more with *how* to avoid the other person and didn't focus at all on the *why* of it. Part of my struggle with this book, too, was the slow pace and fade-to-black of any potential sex scenes. That's probably my fault for not realizing this was in a tamer line of Harlequin romances. If all of this appeals to you, you will enjoy this book.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review consideration.
I received an advanced copy from the publisher via Netgalley for review consideration.
June 16, 2020
A beautiful friends to lovers romance - one of my all time favourite tropes. This one didn't disappoint. Kara and Edwin have been friends for ten years, so when he needs a wife to succeed his throne, there's no one else in the world Edwin would choose for his wife of convenience. And being a princess will allow Kara to build her charity. But neither of them had been ready for the startling realisation that they did indeed love each other! This was also a well crafted royal romance, a trope I tend to be hard on as I don't like to see royal rules manipulated, but this one was very realistic and stuck true to what royalty is all about. I loved it!
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March 1, 2020Categories
Contemporary Women's Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Royals of Monrosa (Book #1)
Contemporary Women's Fiction, Romance, Contemporary Romance
Miniseries
Royals of Monrosa (Book #1)
March 27, 2020
Good read, friends to lovers.
books-i-dnf-d
November 22, 2025I read the first chapter, and I’m not feeling it. DNF.
January 1, 2026
Marriage of convenience/ friends to lovers
I don’t know why I just wasn’t into this. Maybe it was the way it was written. After chapter two I decided to skim
I don’t know why I just wasn’t into this. Maybe it was the way it was written. After chapter two I decided to skim
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews