My Fair Princess

Written by Vanessa Kelly

Narrated by Beverley A. Crick

Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.

Powerful and sophisticated, Charles can make or break reputations with a well-placed word. But his new protegee, with her habit of hunting bandits and punching earls, is a walking scandal. The ton is aghast . . . but Charles is thoroughly intrigued. Tasked with taking the hoyden in hand, he longs to take her in his arms instead. Can such an outrageous attraction possibly lead to a fairy tale ending?

• Language: English
• Publisher: Tantor Media, Inc
• Release date: Aug 30, 2016
• ISBN: 9781515980308

Reviews for My Fair Princess

[scoutmomskf · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Fun book. Gillian is the illegitimate daughter of one of the princes. She was raised in Sicily by her mother and stepfather on the fringes of society. After participating in a dangerous bout of revenge that puts her life at risk, her mother and grandmother decide it's time to go home to England and find her a husband. Before they can do that, they need to find a way to smooth her rough edges. Enter Charles, Duke of Leverton and paragon of virtue. Much to his dismay, he is enlisted to provide the transformation.I liked Gillian. She has dealt with the scornful attitudes of others all her life. Outwardly she doesn't care what they say about her, but she is very protective of her mother. It hurts and angers Gillian to see the effect the gossip has on her. She is outspoken and blunt, but never intentionally mean. She is a bit naïve in her belief that her actions in Sicily won't have long term repercussions and that she can eventually return there. She is stubborn, certain that her way of doing things is the best way for her. She can be sweet and charming when she wants to be. She also has a definite idea of what is right or wrong and feels that it is up to her to fix those things that are wrong. This can and does get her into trouble.I liked Charles, too. At the beginning, he comes across as quite stuffy and rigid, but it doesn't take long for that to go away. His issues with his father and a love affair gone wrong have turned him into a man with the reputation of always doing the right thing. He's also well known for his unshakeable composure under any circumstances. Gillian's grandmother uses that reputation and family connection to recruit him to provide the polish that Gillian needs.I loved the development of their relationship. Gillian challenged Charles and his composure from the very beginning. He is horrified by her outspokenness and lack of feminine accomplishments. He is used to people doing what he says and is confounded by Gillian's resistance to his instructions. I loved seeing them butt heads as he tried to bend her to his will and she refused to give in. As much as she fights him, Gillian admits to herself that she may have met her match in stubbornness. The more time they spend together, the more they are drawn to each other, which confuses them both. Gillian is not the type of woman he had seen himself with as a wife, but her honesty, character, and liveliness grow on him. In spite of her frequent success in irritating him, Gillian finds that his opinion of her matters more than she thought it would. When a public confrontation with a gentleman at a ball results in some very bad gossip, Charles whisks Gillian into the country while the furor has a chance to die down. Away from the stresses of the Season, Charles and Gillian can relax a little and get to know each other and begin to understand what makes each other tick. As Charles learned more of Gillian's background his admiration for her resilience grew. As the attraction between them grew, so did their feelings for each other. I loved Charles's confusion as all his beliefs in what he wanted in a wife went out the window, but he's still trying to protect his heart. Gillian worries about her feelings for Charles because she can't believe that a woman with her background would be an acceptable match for him and fully expects to get her heart broken. I loved when they gave in to their attraction. Gillian surprises him once again in a scene that is sweet, hot and romantic and Charles comes through in an awesome way when she shares a big fear with him. There are still some fireworks to come as Gillian and Charles try to work out their future. An encounter with smugglers brings some clarity to them both as they realize what is truly important. I loved his big moment at the end when he told her how he felt.

[bookworm2bookworm · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

To say that this was a romance with a twist, is an understatement! Everything from the plot to the characterization of the heroine, was somewhat over the top, yet I loved it!

How could I not to? You had a heroine thirsting for blood and revenge and a hero that’s honorable to the core. Mixing those two was pure delight!

If you’ve never read Vanessa Kelly, I suggest you rectify this omission. She can certainly plot her stories and take you to places you only dream about.

Melanie for b2b

Complimentary copy provided by the publisher

[thebookjunkiereads-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I had the most fun with this one. This was the way to start a new series. Willful, strong, independent, capable, sassy, witty, and a princess. Gun toting, knife wielding, bandit hunting, feisty little sister Gillian was a bit more than the Duke of Leverton was expecting. Gillian grandmother needed help with getting her granddaughter caught up to what she should have already known.Immediate dislike between the two was clear. A perfect match for each other was even clearer. The instata love and hop right in to bed was not this one. Thank you. Gillian carries this story all the way to the end. Not to discount Charles’ presences. She was everything a heroine should aspire to be. She was a peoples princess. She could ride with the best of them. She could shoot, fight, hunt. She was all that a free woman of strength, courage, beauty, lineage could be. Charles found all her quality appealing to him but not suitable for the ton. She need work and polish. She was going to make none of it easy. She was who she was because of what she was. Confusing but true. If she would have been raise in the home of her father she would not have been the heroine that I love. She gave it all and then some. She didn’t back down. She stood her ground. Charles has rarely found any one that could change his take on the world. Gillian made that change in small increments but she proved that she was more than just a female in breeches. V. Kelly brought me a heroine that will be held on to and revisited just for who she was and the strength of character she displayed. Recommending My Fair Princess has topped my historical romance reading this summer. Recommending reading the connecting series (The Renegade Royals) will just make it that much better.

[kathy89_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

A My Fair Lady/Pygmalion type of story. The illegitimate daughter of a Duke who’s been living in Sicily is brought to England by her mother to be instructed in the proper behavior for London society so that she can make a good marriage. She’s an opinionated handful and for the very proper recruited Duke and of course during the time they spend together they fall in love.

[eyes92c · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Another awesome Kelly treat!Gillian Dryden, the illegitimate daughter of the Duke of Cumberland is a feisty beguiling brat of a young woman living with her mother and step father in Italy. When bandits kill her beloved step father Gillian is hell bent on revenge and justice. She tracks down the bandits and ends their reign of terror. In doing so she makes powerful enemies. To her distress she is recalled from her life of freedom in Italy to London to make a suitable marriage. Head of the family Charles (Perfect) Valentine Pevensley, the Duke of Leverton, sophisticated and proper, who has charge of her entrée into society just doesn't stand a chance. Her wildness and sense of purpose, free from the trappings of a confined society, ensures that scandal is drawn to her, she is a lodestone, 'Trouble' is her middle name.Being born on the wrong side of royalty to a prince makes her life difficult, her inability to play the prim miss makes it even more so.After several disastrous social events, including punching an Earl, Charles takes Gillian away to get her out of the social firing line whilst the gossip dies down--right into the mystery and intrigue of smugglers! Of course Gillian becomes involved and by default, Charles.Gillian leads Charles a merry dance and 'Perfect Pevensley and his formidable heart are knocked askew. This startling free spirit shatters his organized life and breaks down his barriers, but is that enough?A throughly pleasurable read with a sensational female lead! A NetGalley ARC

[beckymmoe_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I love versions of My Fair Lady, especially when the Henry Higgins character comes to realize that he likes his "Eliza" without all the unnecessary "improvements"...My Fair Princess was so much fun to read! The banter between Gillian and Charles was fantastic, and the secondary characters--especially Charles's younger sister Elizabeth, his good friend jack (hero of the next series book) and Gillian's stepbrother and his wife (Griffin and Justine from Confessions of a Royal Bridegroom )--were delightful. Gillian and Charles truly complement each other nicely--she needed to stop trying to save the world solo and he needed to not be "Perfect Penley" 24/7, and each helped the other to achieve their goal. (Though I think he was ultimately a bit more successful than she--Gillian was still pretty reckless at the end. I'm hoping that her life with Charles will negate the need for her becoming a gun-toting renegade in the future. Fingers crossed!)This was my first book from Ms. Kelly, but it won't be my last!Rating: 4 1/2 stars / A-I received a complimentary copy in exchange for an honest review.

[julied2 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

Gillian was a fun character, she was an illegitimate daughter to a Royal Duke, and as she was shunned by the ton Gillian had lived most of her life in Sicily and she did pretty much what she wanted...you could say she was a little wild.In Sicily she lived with mother and her stepfather until he was murdered and she was devastated. Now all Gillian wants is revenge, and she's not shy about getting it until she gets hurt in a shooting and has to leave for England for her own safety.In England, Gillian will need help to be excepted, so they ask Charles, the Duke of Leverton, a friend of their cousin to turn Gillian into an English lady, refine her a bit and find her a match.This was a very enjoyable story. Gillian really was a bit wild by the 'ton's' standards, but Charles took on his challenge with some entertaining results.A very nice read from start to finish, I loved it!