London, early 1800’s

Miss Elizabeth Royle has no doubt she will marry a prince. After all, she’s seen him in her dreams and her dreams often come true. She does not know his identity yet, but she has no trouble recognizing him when they chance to meet in a jewelry shop. However, at the end of this meeting, Elizabeth is quite confused. She is quickly informed by the shop’s proprietor that she has just encountered Leopold, Prince of Saxe-Coburg-Saalfield, but he introduced himself as Lansdowne, Marquess of Whitevale. What’s more, he has just bought a gift for the Princess of Wales, whom he is reportedly determined to make his bride.

Is Elizabeth wrong about her dream? She doubts it, even though her family and her Society sponsors are convinced she is mistaken. She will admit it certainly appears to the public eye that Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte are soon to be betrothed, but privately Sumner, as he wishes to be called, leads Elizabeth to hope her dream will come true. When they are alone, she has no misgivings. Sumner’s kisses tell her how much he wants her. However, it is getting more difficult to believe he will abandon his duty to state when he ignores her in public and advances his suit for the princess. It’s almost as if he is two different men and Elizabeth is unsure if she can really trust him or her heart.

If Sumner were free to pursue the lovely Elizabeth, he would not hesitate to make her his own. However, he is sworn to protect Prince Leopold and his duty will always come first. Unfortunately, right now the prince must stay hidden. Not only has he become a target for assassins but the Prince of Wales has other ideas for his daughter, which means Leopold must secretly court Charlotte. Therefore, Sumner, who closely resembles his cousin, must masquerade as Leopold. Deceiving Elizabeth, however, is becoming complicated. Once Leopold and Charlotte are betrothed and the threat of assassination is past, Sumner vows he will claim Elizabeth. He only hopes that it will not be too late and she can forgive him for all the times he has to hurt her.

HOW TO PROPOSE TO A PRINCE rounds out Ms. Caskie’s trilogy about the Royle sisters, triplets who have taken London by storm. Mary Royle is now wed to a duke while Anne Royle married an earl, but for Elizabeth, only a prince will do, or the man she assumes is a prince. HOW TO PROPOSE TO A PRINCE is a case of mistaken identity that delivers humor, intrigue and adventure. Poor Elizabeth is caught up in so much more than a complicated romance; indeed, she’s involved in affairs of the state and what makes it more interesting for readers is the historical detail in the tale. Prince Leopold and Princess Charlotte were real people who did marry. It’s fascinating to suppose that they had to conduct their courtship in secrecy, meeting in clandestine locations. The author even goes a step further to heighten the drama, adding danger in the mix with deadly assassins. Naturally, in the midst of it all, Elizabeth and Sumner fall in love. They are two very appealing characters, she with her pluck and determination, while he is heroic and sexy. Their relationship is sure to satisfy romantics.

All throughout HOW TO PROPOSE TO A PRINCE, the twists keep coming. The Royle sisters may or may not be the illegitimate daughters of the Prince of Wales, and Sumner is hiding more than just his identity. The many intrigues, along with the passionate romance, wit, and three-dimensional characters are enough to ensure that readers will be fully captivated until the very end of the story. I highly recommend HOW TO PROPOSE TO A PRINCE and suggest, if you have not done so already, reading the other two books in this trilogy, HOW TO SEDUCE A DUKE and HOW TO ENGAGE AN EARL.

Sandra Brill