I don’t love the premise of any woman being called an ugly duckling, but I adore a heroine who feels like an odd duck. I think we all feel like that at one time or another, so I loved the idea that Hannah has felt out of place all her life. She doesn’t fit fashion-magazine ideas of beauty, she’s very smart and was bullied for it as a child. She became a librarian because libraries were always a safe space for her. When her grandmother dies, she decides to quit waiting for Prince Charming and make her own happily ever after with a Happiness List. Her first item of business is getting pregnant at a clinic.
Through the magic of modern storytelling (Mills and Boon Modern–wink!) she does get pregnant by Prince Charming. Sadly he dies and his brother, the very grumpy Prince Akin, shows up to inform her that she’s carrying the next king of Baaqi. This is not on Hannah’s list, but she had little choice. Fortunately, she is an irrepressibly cheerful person who is determined to make the best of a difficult spouse. Akin doesn’t stand a chance!
I had so much fun writing this story. I hope you fall for Hannah and Akin as hard and fast as I did.
Fun Fact: I’ve wanted to get my Princess/Sheikha wives together for a long time and this one gathers them for a couple of scenes. Look for a visit with Fern and Zafir from The Sheikh’s Sinful Seduction, Galila and Karim from Sheikh’s Princess of Convenience, and Angelique and Kasim from Pursued by the Desert Prince.
