The Stolen Princess (The Devil Riders)

England, 1816 - With the war over Lord Gabriel Renfrew, the youngest son of an earl, was adrift with no real purpose. Not caring a whit if he lived or died, Gabriel raced his horse along a narrow moonlit path where he came upon a young woman and her son struggling up from the beach below. The woman, unbeknownst to him was the runaway princess, Caroline (Callie) of Zindaria, and her son, the seven year old Crown Prince Nicolas (Nicky). Disguised as commoners, Callie was running for her and her son's life, from people who had attempted to kill her son. Left short of her destination in a remote area, Callie had no alternative but to trust the handsome rake who offered her his protection and opened his home. When soldiers from Zindaria eventually caught up with them Gabriel offered her the only viable option that would keep she and Nicky safe, a marriage of convenience. Only Gabriel was hoping to make it a marriage in truth, but Callie, afraid of love, was not sure she could ever risk her heart to be broken ever again. *** Ms. Gracie has a remarkable flair for fleshing out her characters, showing them to be three dimensional and giving them necessary motivations for their actions. With Callie, it was clearly understood that Nicky was her life especially after having been bitterly humiliated by her husband who as a young bride of fifteen she'd fallen head over heels in love with! After her husbands untimely death, and several `accidents' started to occur around her son, she knew she had to protect him at all costs. When Callie was rescued by Gabriel, it was natural for her to be wary - first because he was a stranger and though charming and evidently a gentleman, her motherly instinct to protect made her raise shields around Nicky and herself. Later knowing the bitterness and heartbreak of rejection, Callie was afraid to let her heart be swayed, convincing herself she was only agreeing to marry Gabriel for the protection it could afford her son. After the war, Gabriel had had no real direction. Drawn by Callie's beauty and strength, he found `purpose' to fight for what was right and that along with his newfound passion lifted his disposition Gabriel was a much more complex character Ms. Gracie fashioned. He was the victim of a dysfunctional family, used and mentally abused by a mother who used him as a weapon against his father with no regard for his feelings. Because of his mother's actions he was deprived of the opportunity to know his father (not really so much of a loss as it turned out), but also suffered a long standing estrangement at the hands of his two older brothers. On the plus side there were benefits for he got to know and became best friends with one of his fathers by-blows, his illegitimate step-brother Harry. The passion and sensualness of the romance was very well-done and you could feel the love blossom and grow between Gabriel and Callie. Nicky was just plain adorable and watching as Gabriel helped him to o

I read 4 books a week and I could not put this book down until it was finished. I love the setting, the morals in it and just plain love.

I'll be completely honest - I bought this book because two authors I like (Julia Quinn and Stephanie Laurens) had comments on the cover. I know these aren't necessarily a ringing endorsement, but I thought I'd give it a whirl. The book was a pleasant surprise and I did enjoy it. It didn't have the amount of witty banter I was hoping for, but it kept me entertained without too much of the typical angst that historical romance novels seem to have in spades. I personally enjoy a more lighthearted read. This was no Julia Quinn, but it wasn't bad either. It was intriguing enough to make me consider buying another of her books...

"Romancer" complains that the heroine doesn't want anything "for herself" -- and here I was, so charmed to find a heroine with an altruistic streak, someone who did put public service and the welfare of others before her own interests. How charming and un-modern, I thought. She seemed real enough to me :) This is not my favorite Anne Gracie book; I'm not much on royalty and imaginary European principalities myself -- but I did find it a very entertaining read, and I would recommend it.