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How I Accidentally Slept With a Prince
While on vacation in the south of France, aspiring chef Oliver Reed unwittingly thwarts an assassination attempt on the mysterious Max—and finds himself embroiled in courtly intrigue, stately theft, and a whirlwind romance.
A brief holiday fling with the sweet young American isn’t enough for Maximilian IX Lukas, crown prince of the Kingdom of Noricia. He whisks Oliver—and the entire Reed-Ruíz family—to a castle in the Alps.
But picking up where they left off won’t be easy while contending with Max’s elitist relatives, dealing with the lady he’s supposed to marry, and staying one step ahead of the killers still pursuing him. Add to that Max’s flexible relationship with the truth, and Oliver isn’t so sure being with a real-life prince is a dream come true.
A brief holiday fling with the sweet young American isn’t enough for Maximilian IX Lukas, crown prince of the Kingdom of Noricia. He whisks Oliver—and the entire Reed-Ruíz family—to a castle in the Alps.
But picking up where they left off won’t be easy while contending with Max’s elitist relatives, dealing with the lady he’s supposed to marry, and staying one step ahead of the killers still pursuing him. Add to that Max’s flexible relationship with the truth, and Oliver isn’t so sure being with a real-life prince is a dream come true.
308 pages, Paperback
First published May 26, 2020
5 people are currently reading
22 people want to read
About the author
Susan Laine
91 books220 followersSusan is an award-winning author of LGBTQ erotic romance. She writes for Dreamspinner Press, DSP Publications, Siren BookStrand, Evernight Publishing, and Less Than Three Press. Susan is a Finn writing in English. She likes action flicks, pop music, saunas, and the seasons in Finland. Join Susan's newsletter HERE.
Coming soon new M/M and F/F erotic romances....
Sorry but... I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from writing at the moment. Will keep you apprised of any changes. Huge thanks to anyone who has read my stories and, hopefully, liked them <3
Merry Christmas!
Coming soon new M/M and F/F erotic romances....
Sorry but... I'm taking a bit of a hiatus from writing at the moment. Will keep you apprised of any changes. Huge thanks to anyone who has read my stories and, hopefully, liked them <3
Merry Christmas!
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
July 8, 2022
** I WAS GIVEN THIS BOOK FOR MY READING PLEASURE **
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
How I Accidentally Slept With A Prince
by Susan Laine
★★☆☆☆
302 Pages
dual character, 1st person POV
Personally, How I Accidentally Slept With A Prince had a lot of potential, but it just never came together for me.
DNF'd at 10%.
I always say that I'll give a novel 10% to impress me, and if that doesn't happen, I don't need to feel guilty about giving up. I just have too many reviews and books to read/write to spend time on books I'm not enjoying. And I often find, if I'm not enjoying it by 10%, I'm only going to get frustrated and angry by the time I write my review.
Susan Laine is an author I've had a hit-and-miss relationship with. Out of 11 books of theirs I've read, there have been three 5*s, three 4*s, and five 3*s, so far. That's pretty across the board, in terms of love/hate. I've lost the more emotionally based stories, the ones with a strong plot from start to finish, and sadly, this one doesn't fall into that category for me.
While the beginning of this novel was interesting, it failed to engaged me at any point. Up to 10%, I wasn't connecting to the characters, to the situation, to the plot that was being woven. Sadly, that all began on page 1. The map of the world created here was stunning, and I absolutely appreciate it's inclusion, however...it is small. It takes up only just over half the page, and it's so small that you can't actually read the key of locations that's included. I don't know why it wasn't made full page, or why it was included rather than linked to, if it wasn't going to translate well on page.
Then came the story. 1st person isn't my favourite, but it felt right for the story, the characters and the situation. It started with a mistaken-room situation, due to lack of sleep, which was a nice idea for a meet-cute. Oliver tries calling room service, but they don't answer, so he heads to the kitchen ot get a glass of milk and gets off the elevator to head to his room. Only, he dialled the wrong number for room service, got off the elevator one stop wrong, and ended up in the wrong room, in bed with Max, a complete stranger. Like I said, it had the potential to be a great meet-cute.
However, it quickly descended into a strange insistence of Max to keep Oliver around. This was an obvious ploy to make sure Oliver was there for the eventual “attempt on Max's life” but it didn't feel authentic or natural. It felt clingy on Max's part, and awkward for Oliver to stay around just so he could be there when they discover a theft. Which leads to a convenient insistence on Max to have Oliver go to the vault with him, which leads to forcing Oliver to see what's inside, even when he says he isn't interested (but secretly is). All convenient for the plot.
But it never felt right. It felt like Max was pushing Oliver into situations that put him on the X spot for his next big scene. However, even the whole idea of a murder plot didn't feel authentic or well done, because Oliver doesn't really do anything. Max shows Oliver his crest-ring. Somehow guessing, without “deducing with the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes”, Oliver decides that probably isn't the *real* ring, and the hotel inspector insists on examining it. Rudely tries it on and...dies. Now, at no point did Max plan to wear the ring. He insisted it was in the safe upstairs. So, how exactly does Oliver *save* Max's life? Except in the crucial moments after the unexplained death, when Max stupidly tries to touch the ring. Which would make his death from stupidity, not an assassination.
For me, this means the entire premise of the plot doesn't function. There was no big rescue from an assassination, no real threat to Max that brought Oliver into his life. From the blurb, I expected Oliver to accidentally help a stranger out, inadvertently saving a member of royalty from an attempted assassination. Not for a mistaken-room situation to lead to Max being inexplicably obsessed with keeping Oliver around, so that it was convenient for him to rescue him.
Then, for some reason, the story waits until Chapter 5 – just after we find out Max is royalty (which *shh, don't tell anyone!* we already knew from the blurb!) – to switch to dual POV. Which doesn't sound or feel all that different to Oliver's POV, except that Max talks far more formally than he thinks. Hmm...
Sometimes the writing drifts into these long, waxing lyrical sentences and paragraphs, while at other times it's so short and choppy the sentence really has no purpose or usefulness anymore. In the end, the blend of both styles in one book makes it feel uncomfortable and awkward to read, at times.
Similarly, the characters become awkward and uncomfortable, too. Like when Oliver suddenly gets snappy and judgmental when Max is asking about his family, presuming everything is racially motivated or a criticism of his family. Or how Max describes his brothers to Oliver, saying things like “My middle brother, Berengar I Clovis, or Ben for short” instead of just saying “My middle brother, Ben” which would be more natural and true-to-life.
At times, the story flows well, but then you'll get a massive info-dump that isn't even related to the moment, about something completely innocuous like the weather. For example, Oliver and Max are sort-of flirting over the Sound of Music (!!) and then Max is randomly thinking about how he's never been to this area before, the weather isn't what he expected, but he's been told it will be better thanks to climate change. That takes TEN lines, and about one-third of my page to cover. Why? Why on earth does that matter?
And then there's the (not-so) subtle political criticisms, as they're talking to each other. Applauding the sanitation services, rambling about hate and right-wing haters, that good will prevail. It's almost preachy for a while.
There's also the uncomfortable situations, such as “Oliver cackled, his whole body shimmying”. I mean...who shimmies, while laughing? And why would this shimmying be followed by “The movement sent his natural scent floating about as well.” That just feels like an excuse to talk about how Oliver smells, but...you guys are in super-close proximity, watching a movie on a tablet – (and BTW, why is there no TV in this room?) – so I really don't think a segue was needed, but this one definitely wasn't the one to use. FYI, this isn't the only instance like this, but the one that stood out the most.
The pacing of the plot itself is slow. It begins well, with Oliver being on holiday, going for his milk, waking up in the wrong bed and somehow falling into the chaos around Max. But, straight after the murder – where an innocent man died, in place of Max – they end up sitting watching the Sound of Music and talking about having sex with each other. It felt...rushed. Unnatural, and all wrong for the way the story had been set up until now.
The editing could also have used a bit of work. Like I said before, there were some short, choppy sentences that could have easy been cut or moved into the next/previous sentence without a problem. There were also a few instances of missing words, e.g. “Max harder, throwing his head back.”
~
Overall, I just found myself a bit bored. The book was insta-lust, with Max behaving a bit stalkerish about Oliver, and Oliver seeming to become more distant after finding out Max was a royal. By 10% Oliver has blushed in about ten different shades, and I wasn't engaging with any character or the overall situation. While the murder plot had so much potential, it just wasn't realised, and it took far too long to get to the point.
Reviewed for Divine Magazine
~
How I Accidentally Slept With A Prince
by Susan Laine
★★☆☆☆
302 Pages
dual character, 1st person POV
Personally, How I Accidentally Slept With A Prince had a lot of potential, but it just never came together for me.
DNF'd at 10%.
I always say that I'll give a novel 10% to impress me, and if that doesn't happen, I don't need to feel guilty about giving up. I just have too many reviews and books to read/write to spend time on books I'm not enjoying. And I often find, if I'm not enjoying it by 10%, I'm only going to get frustrated and angry by the time I write my review.
Susan Laine is an author I've had a hit-and-miss relationship with. Out of 11 books of theirs I've read, there have been three 5*s, three 4*s, and five 3*s, so far. That's pretty across the board, in terms of love/hate. I've lost the more emotionally based stories, the ones with a strong plot from start to finish, and sadly, this one doesn't fall into that category for me.
While the beginning of this novel was interesting, it failed to engaged me at any point. Up to 10%, I wasn't connecting to the characters, to the situation, to the plot that was being woven. Sadly, that all began on page 1. The map of the world created here was stunning, and I absolutely appreciate it's inclusion, however...it is small. It takes up only just over half the page, and it's so small that you can't actually read the key of locations that's included. I don't know why it wasn't made full page, or why it was included rather than linked to, if it wasn't going to translate well on page.
Then came the story. 1st person isn't my favourite, but it felt right for the story, the characters and the situation. It started with a mistaken-room situation, due to lack of sleep, which was a nice idea for a meet-cute. Oliver tries calling room service, but they don't answer, so he heads to the kitchen ot get a glass of milk and gets off the elevator to head to his room. Only, he dialled the wrong number for room service, got off the elevator one stop wrong, and ended up in the wrong room, in bed with Max, a complete stranger. Like I said, it had the potential to be a great meet-cute.
However, it quickly descended into a strange insistence of Max to keep Oliver around. This was an obvious ploy to make sure Oliver was there for the eventual “attempt on Max's life” but it didn't feel authentic or natural. It felt clingy on Max's part, and awkward for Oliver to stay around just so he could be there when they discover a theft. Which leads to a convenient insistence on Max to have Oliver go to the vault with him, which leads to forcing Oliver to see what's inside, even when he says he isn't interested (but secretly is). All convenient for the plot.
But it never felt right. It felt like Max was pushing Oliver into situations that put him on the X spot for his next big scene. However, even the whole idea of a murder plot didn't feel authentic or well done, because Oliver doesn't really do anything. Max shows Oliver his crest-ring. Somehow guessing, without “deducing with the brilliance of Sherlock Holmes”, Oliver decides that probably isn't the *real* ring, and the hotel inspector insists on examining it. Rudely tries it on and...dies. Now, at no point did Max plan to wear the ring. He insisted it was in the safe upstairs. So, how exactly does Oliver *save* Max's life? Except in the crucial moments after the unexplained death, when Max stupidly tries to touch the ring. Which would make his death from stupidity, not an assassination.
For me, this means the entire premise of the plot doesn't function. There was no big rescue from an assassination, no real threat to Max that brought Oliver into his life. From the blurb, I expected Oliver to accidentally help a stranger out, inadvertently saving a member of royalty from an attempted assassination. Not for a mistaken-room situation to lead to Max being inexplicably obsessed with keeping Oliver around, so that it was convenient for him to rescue him.
Then, for some reason, the story waits until Chapter 5 – just after we find out Max is royalty (which *shh, don't tell anyone!* we already knew from the blurb!) – to switch to dual POV. Which doesn't sound or feel all that different to Oliver's POV, except that Max talks far more formally than he thinks. Hmm...
Sometimes the writing drifts into these long, waxing lyrical sentences and paragraphs, while at other times it's so short and choppy the sentence really has no purpose or usefulness anymore. In the end, the blend of both styles in one book makes it feel uncomfortable and awkward to read, at times.
Similarly, the characters become awkward and uncomfortable, too. Like when Oliver suddenly gets snappy and judgmental when Max is asking about his family, presuming everything is racially motivated or a criticism of his family. Or how Max describes his brothers to Oliver, saying things like “My middle brother, Berengar I Clovis, or Ben for short” instead of just saying “My middle brother, Ben” which would be more natural and true-to-life.
At times, the story flows well, but then you'll get a massive info-dump that isn't even related to the moment, about something completely innocuous like the weather. For example, Oliver and Max are sort-of flirting over the Sound of Music (!!) and then Max is randomly thinking about how he's never been to this area before, the weather isn't what he expected, but he's been told it will be better thanks to climate change. That takes TEN lines, and about one-third of my page to cover. Why? Why on earth does that matter?
And then there's the (not-so) subtle political criticisms, as they're talking to each other. Applauding the sanitation services, rambling about hate and right-wing haters, that good will prevail. It's almost preachy for a while.
There's also the uncomfortable situations, such as “Oliver cackled, his whole body shimmying”. I mean...who shimmies, while laughing? And why would this shimmying be followed by “The movement sent his natural scent floating about as well.” That just feels like an excuse to talk about how Oliver smells, but...you guys are in super-close proximity, watching a movie on a tablet – (and BTW, why is there no TV in this room?) – so I really don't think a segue was needed, but this one definitely wasn't the one to use. FYI, this isn't the only instance like this, but the one that stood out the most.
The pacing of the plot itself is slow. It begins well, with Oliver being on holiday, going for his milk, waking up in the wrong bed and somehow falling into the chaos around Max. But, straight after the murder – where an innocent man died, in place of Max – they end up sitting watching the Sound of Music and talking about having sex with each other. It felt...rushed. Unnatural, and all wrong for the way the story had been set up until now.
The editing could also have used a bit of work. Like I said before, there were some short, choppy sentences that could have easy been cut or moved into the next/previous sentence without a problem. There were also a few instances of missing words, e.g. “Max harder, throwing his head back.”
~
Overall, I just found myself a bit bored. The book was insta-lust, with Max behaving a bit stalkerish about Oliver, and Oliver seeming to become more distant after finding out Max was a royal. By 10% Oliver has blushed in about ten different shades, and I wasn't engaging with any character or the overall situation. While the murder plot had so much potential, it just wasn't realised, and it took far too long to get to the point.
Want to read
September 7, 2020Fuck a duck, realized this was a Dreamspinner book after I marked it to read. Oh well, looked good!
June 5, 2020
3.5 stars rounded up.
September 8, 2020
This one had a little bit of everything . . . Boy meets hot guy one vacation, hot guy turns out to be a prince, boy ends up involved in a thwarted assassination attempt, boy and prince begin hot vacation affair, then go their separate ways . . . This is all the very beginning of the book! From there, things get REALLY interesting! There's more political intrigue, lies and hidden agendas, more hot sex and romance. I really liked Oliver and Max, they were great together. Oliver's family was funny, especially his sister, Elinor. The racial and sociological issues that ran throughout the book were on point, especially for an interracial couple. I would love more about them!
July 10, 2025
I guess I was late to the party with reading this book, but it was a big miss for me. I'd rather if the authors who don't have an actual experience of living in America won't write an American characters and biases they know from the TV channels and SM they watch/read. It doesn't sound authentic and shows their own biases and assumptions which makes characters more a caricatures then real people, aside from the rest of suspend-the-reality plot points. Some statements about Americans in general were offensive and not true.
I love stories when people are authentic and places are real vs generic if you are trying for more current date approach vs fantasy. It's especially annoying since I've read other stories from this author that were based on actual places in Europe and they worked really well for me.
The plot was ridiculous, too many inconsistencies and most characters are so unrealistic it was annoying.
Since this book was not a satire or black humor or alternate reality/fantasy, it felt uninspired and more like a wokeness vehicle than an actual story. Boring.
I love stories when people are authentic and places are real vs generic if you are trying for more current date approach vs fantasy. It's especially annoying since I've read other stories from this author that were based on actual places in Europe and they worked really well for me.
The plot was ridiculous, too many inconsistencies and most characters are so unrealistic it was annoying.
Since this book was not a satire or black humor or alternate reality/fantasy, it felt uninspired and more like a wokeness vehicle than an actual story. Boring.
January 1, 2023
Not great . . . it felt like a good concept that wasn't fully fleshed out. Obviously in the word of fiction, readers suspend reality to a degree, but I could not get over how unrealistic SO MANY aspects of this story were. Starting with a rando guy stumbling into a prince's hotel room and getting into bed with him accidentally . . . . guards? Security? He is a prince, like come on.
Read
November 30, 2020Guess I won't rate this because I am DNFing at Chapter 3. Too many annoying things so far.
August 1, 2020
Honestly it was a bit too Cinder-fella for my tastes. I felt like there was too much time spent on petty issues, when I wanted to know more about the mystery.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews