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A review by tsukikomew
Once a Princess by Johanna Lindsey
2.0
This review was posted at Tsuki’s Book Blog on June 3, 2013
I'm not much of an old-skool romance reader but occasionally I want to understand where the genre came from and how it evolved. On top of that I heard Sarah Wendell rave about it on one of the DBSA podcasts. Well let me say it turned me off of old skool for awhile and this is from the girl who loved "The Flame and the Flower"
Tatiana is a barmaid...an abused barmaid. She's tantalizingly beautiful but dresses herself as the old hag unless he has to 'dance'. Of course, she is secretly a princess who has no idea she is one. When Stefan (scarred) comes with his men to find the princess he is to marry they discover a woman who wants nothing to do with them. They kidnap her, lock her up, take away her freedom, and introduce her to Stefan's mistress all while expecting her to love the idea she's a princess. Crazy shenanigans abound as she fools them, escapes, and fights them every step of the way until love finds a way.
Okay, where to start? Let's start with the craziness surrounding Tatiana. Tatiana was beautiful. No scratch that. She was the epitome of beauty with silver hair, a perfect body, and a little birthmark on her ass. Sorry, but that was how it was. Ms. Lindsey could pretty it up as a crescent moon on the underside but it was her ass, so let's call it like it was. On top of that, she wanted her independence! Shock!
Oh and Stefan? Not endearing in the slightest. Seriously by about page forty I wanted her to kick him so hard, the very idea of sex was painful. There was nothing sexy, interesting or even remotely endearing about the man. He made horrible assumptions followed by horrible decisions, followed by incredibly irritating speeches. Frankly I hoped he drowned.
By the end of the book, the relationship made no sense. The love story was not there and there was no rationale for them ever wanting to spend a moment in the same room. Stefan did not understand Tatiana, nor did he bother to try. Tatiana didn't want the life chosen for her and made it painfully clear she was unhappy. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it at all.
I will not be re-visiting Johanna Lindsey anytime soon if this is what she offered to romance readers. I've been told by other readers how much her newer books have gone down hill. It saddens me when a classic romance author does absolutely nothing for me.
2 Stars
Published by Avon
June 1, 1991
432 Pages
Provided by--the Library
I'm not much of an old-skool romance reader but occasionally I want to understand where the genre came from and how it evolved. On top of that I heard Sarah Wendell rave about it on one of the DBSA podcasts. Well let me say it turned me off of old skool for awhile and this is from the girl who loved "The Flame and the Flower"
Tatiana is a barmaid...an abused barmaid. She's tantalizingly beautiful but dresses herself as the old hag unless he has to 'dance'. Of course, she is secretly a princess who has no idea she is one. When Stefan (scarred) comes with his men to find the princess he is to marry they discover a woman who wants nothing to do with them. They kidnap her, lock her up, take away her freedom, and introduce her to Stefan's mistress all while expecting her to love the idea she's a princess. Crazy shenanigans abound as she fools them, escapes, and fights them every step of the way until love finds a way.
Okay, where to start? Let's start with the craziness surrounding Tatiana. Tatiana was beautiful. No scratch that. She was the epitome of beauty with silver hair, a perfect body, and a little birthmark on her ass. Sorry, but that was how it was. Ms. Lindsey could pretty it up as a crescent moon on the underside but it was her ass, so let's call it like it was. On top of that, she wanted her independence! Shock!
Oh and Stefan? Not endearing in the slightest. Seriously by about page forty I wanted her to kick him so hard, the very idea of sex was painful. There was nothing sexy, interesting or even remotely endearing about the man. He made horrible assumptions followed by horrible decisions, followed by incredibly irritating speeches. Frankly I hoped he drowned.
By the end of the book, the relationship made no sense. The love story was not there and there was no rationale for them ever wanting to spend a moment in the same room. Stefan did not understand Tatiana, nor did he bother to try. Tatiana didn't want the life chosen for her and made it painfully clear she was unhappy. I just couldn't wrap my mind around it at all.
I will not be re-visiting Johanna Lindsey anytime soon if this is what she offered to romance readers. I've been told by other readers how much her newer books have gone down hill. It saddens me when a classic romance author does absolutely nothing for me.
2 Stars
Published by Avon
June 1, 1991
432 Pages
Provided by--the Library