Blog Tour: Seducing the Princess by Mary Hart Perry

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Seducing the Princess
by Mary Hart Perry

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Seducing the Princess

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Seducing the Princess

Mary Hart Perry's acclaimed series of romantic Victorian thrillers continues with Seducing the Princess, inspired by the life of Queen Victoria's youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, convinced she is unattractive and unloved, the dutiful Princess Beatrice finally accepts that she will never marry and vows to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. In fact, her mother has secretly discouraged suitors for Beatrice's hand. Just when Beatrice has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who matches wits with the aging Victoria and risks his life and liberty to woo Bea.

But Henry isn't the only man interested in being welcomed into Beatrice's bed. The timid princess has become the target of a cruel plot hatched by her nephew, the madman destined to become the last Emperor of Germany. Wilhelm II sends a ruthless agent, a charming Scot, to seduce the naive princess and spy on the queen. How can the sheltered princess hope to fend off a man capable of murder, and perhaps worse, to get what he wants? But Beatrice is not without her own allies--her older sister Louise and Louise's American soldier-of-fortune and lover, Stephen Byrne. Will Beatrice discover which of the two men pursuing her she can trust, before it's too late? Drama, romance and peril chase the royal family from Buckingham Palace to a storm besieged castle on the Isle of Wight.

FACE BOOK EVENT Running March 31st to April 4th With an all day hoopla on April 2nd to celebrate the release of "Seducing the Princess" Facebook Event

Join Mary Hart Perry and Vickie Ann in celebrating the launch of Seducing the Princess. Mary Hart Perry will be doing random giveaways at this event, so keep an eye out for prizes and help spread the word!!!

Don't miss the fun! Invite your friends to join in! And ask Vickie how to get Seducing the Princess for free in exchange for an honest review on Amazon. Vickie@iobooktours.com

Need to catch up? The Wild Princess: A Novel of Queen Victoria's Defiant Daughter Amazon.

EXCERPT
Seducing the Princess

She gathered her skirts, dismayed by how odd she'd look on the dance floor, like a widow in her weeds among all the pretty young things in their floaty white and pastel tulle. A raven among peacocks. A toad among flitting rainbow damsel flies.

He drew back her chair for her as she stood, giving her room to step away from the table and ease her full skirts clear of the furniture, and offered his arm. She took it, her mind whirring with a long list of names, none of them fitting the tall, elegant, beautiful young man beside her.

Oh, God…oh, God, who are you?

His hair was dark, his eyes mesmerizing when he looked down at her. They seemed bright with curiosity, or amusement. What did he see when he observed her with such intensity? She feared it was unpleasant. She hoped she wasn't repulsive to him.

The music had faded from the previous gavotte by the time they reached the edge of the dance floor. Ladies were being escorted back to their seats, new partners located, couples sorted out. The orchestra tuned up again, and lively chatter filled the ballroom.

"I believe it's to be a Viennese," her partner said. "Does an aggressive waltz please you, Princess?"

She was momentarily terrified that she'd lost her voice but, miraculously, sounds crackled out. "Oh…why yes. Viennese. Lovely."

"Battenberg! Liko, how goes it, old man?" A man in a black swallow-tail coat passed by, clapping Beatrice's dance partner on the back.

Ah. Now she had it. One of bridegroom's brothers. The youngest? No, there were four, she recalled, and she'd never met the youngest. But she had met the eldest, Alexander-Sandro to his friends and family. And the second son was Louis. Then came Henry, who also had a quirky family nickname, Liko. Henry. Henry. Henry. Yes, now she remembered. She recalled having played with him when they were very young. She should say something to show she was pleased to see him again.

Beatrice cleared her throat and straightened up as tall and slim as she could. "Henry," she said, to let him know she really did recognize him.

"Yes?" He was still smiling but with a touch of restraint, perhaps even concern that he was now obliged to a dance with a woman incapable of expressing her simplest thoughts.

"It's been a very long time," the words burst from her lips all at once, "since you were last in England."

"Yes, it has, Princess. I should like to visit again, soon."

Violins broke into the opening strains of The Blue Danube, one of her favorites by Strauss. Beatrice felt her partner's palm settle gently yet firmly at her waist. His other hand opened, palm up, inviting her fingertips. She timidly rested her gloved hand in his. As soon as they were in proper position, he stepped bravely into the whirl of dancers. Off they flew, as if on a hawk's wings. Beatrice tensed, suddenly aware of the speed at which her feet must continue moving to avoid tripping herself up.

"It's all right," Henry whispered, his breath warm against her ear. "Relax, let me guide you."

It was the strangest thing. Just his saying those words made every taut muscle in her spine and shoulders loosen a notch. It hadn't sounded like an order, the way her mother would have made it seem, but her body obeyed instantly.

Beatrice tilted her head and gave him a shy smile. "You dance very well, Henry." She meant it. Her partner wasn't a hobbling octogenarian or, just as bad, a brother or cousin with a stiff gait and sweaty shirt front.

"Thank you. As do you." He executed a clever heel turn at the end of the room and brought them back into the swirling crowd with a roguish twinkle in his eyes. "I ought to, after all the damned lessons Mother and Father forced upon the lot of us."

"I love to dance," she said a little breathlessly.

"Do you? I'll have to ask you more often. If you like, that is."

"Oh yes," Beatrice said, "this is ever so much fun." Then she laughed because she sounded like a child, pleased to be taken out to play on the swings. Push me higher…higher!

He chuckled. "What's so funny?"

"Just that, I don't know, I feel years younger when dancing, don't you? Sitting all night and making polite conversation becomes so very dull."

His eyes fixed on her face, and she thought she saw his mind working. "It does, doesn't it?" he agreed. "All the silly gossip, the forced chit-chat. I'd rather be doing something too. I guess tonight we'll have to settle for dancing. Though a carriage ride would be brilliant, on a full-moon night like this."

She gasped in delight at the thought. "Oh, it would-wouldn't it just be too perfect?" The music swelled, the tempo raced, pulling her pulse along with it. She tried not to think about her feet, letting them do the work for her. It was better that way. If she thought too hard about the intricate steps, she'd flub it up and they'd end in a sprawl on the floor.

"Do you ride?" he asked. "Horseback, that is."

She gave him a sideways look that said, Are you joking? "Remember who my mother is?"

He blushed. "Of course. The queen is a dedicated horsewoman so certainly her daughter must be too. I understand you're inseparable, the two of you. Mother and daughter. " Was there a question behind his words? Or teasing? She wasn't sure.

"I love to ride," was all she could think to say at first but then plunged on. "Riding fast is the best. Faster than she ever does. At a canter at the least, better at a gallop. Mother says running a horse is far too dangerous, but I think racing across a field is rather like dancing the Viennese."

"Exactly." He grinned. "Funny. I wouldn't have thought you'd be so keen on speed."

No, of course not, she brooded. You'd think me dull and clumsy and uninteresting, like the rest of them do. She ducked her head and lowered her eyes, feeling chastened and reminded of her many inadequacies.

Too late, Beatrice realized her mistake.

How many times had she been scolded by her dance master for peeking at her feet while dancing? It threw off the body's posture, disturbed the fragile balance between partners, and courted disaster.

Then, she missed a step. And another.

Before she could recover she felt herself falling forward, out of control, the toe of her slipper catching the hem of her gown, making everything impossibly worse. She imagined herself dragging Henry Battenberg down with her to the floor, other couples coming upon them at speed, so suddenly they would be unable to avoid the fallen pair beneath their feet. Dozens of dancers would plummet to the floor, creating a messy, embarrassing pileup.

All because of her clumsiness.

MY REVIEW

Seducing the Princess

The following review is my opinion and not a paid review. I received a free copy of the book from the author for my honest opinion.

Princess Beatrice aka "Baby" to her mother has been a companion to her mother, Queen Victoria since the age of four when her father died. The Queen has never completely gotten over the loss of her husband. She is very afraid that she will lose her "Baby" and she will be left all alone. This is why she has always discouraged any gentlemen callers that the Princess had. Princess Beatrice didn't know that her mother had scared away any man that had ever had any interest in her. She thought that she was ugly and unlovable until she met Henry Battenberg, a very handsome man. Princess Bea and Henry fall in love through writing letters after Princess Bea and the Queen return home.

After asking Princess Bea to marry him and she says yes he decides that he is going to ask the Queen for her hand in marriage. Princess Bea knows this will not be an easy feat to confront the Queen. She knows that her mother is still morning and still needs her around. Princess Bea thinks it would be best if she tried to warn her mother about Henry coming. She tells her mother that he is coming and why. The Queen tells her in no uncertain terms and tries to explain to the Princess that men are evil creatures. They will pretend to love and care for you in the beginning but before long they will have a mistress and will never be around. Men only want women as a baby making factory. But this is not what Henry wants from Bea and she knows this. Bea tries to tell her mother that he really does love her but she will not listen.

Henry arrives and approaches the Queen before Bea has a chance to warn him about her confrontation with her mother. The Queen tells him in front of a big crowd that she will never give her blessing for him to marry her "Baby". The Queen banishes him from England. Bea is very upset but she lives with her mother's decision for a while. Then she decides that she deserves to be happy and loved just like anyone else and is determined to be happy no matter what her mother says. But she will do this in a way that is very proper for that time period. Henry and Bea cannot do the improper thing and then the Queen would probably let them marry. But doing things that way would cause a scandal and Henry would never do anything like that to Bea. He only wants Bea to be happy and have the life she deserves.

While Henry is a gentleman that does not mean that every man is. Gregory, a Scott is sent by Bea's nephew Wilhelm II the last Emperor of Germany to seduce Bea and spy on the Queen. Gregory is a very charming man and he charms the Princess into believing that he is a gentleman. But he is not a gentleman by a long shot. He is like in Henry in that he will do whatever it takes to get Bea to marry him. But the difference is that he doesn't love Bea and he will hurt Bea or anyone that gets his way. Will Bea figure out what kind of person Gregory is before it is too late? Will Bea and Henry get the Queen's blessing to marry? Will Bea ever get the happiness she deserves?

It has been awhile since I read a historical romance book. I have been into paranormal romance for a long time now and have not wanted to read anything else. But I am glad that I decide to read Seducing the Princess. I have in ways missed the historical romance books. I love the era in which they are written. This is one era if I could that I would like to travel back in time to visit. Seducing the Princess is a very superbly written novel one that I do suggest that you give a try if you are into historical romance or if like me you use to read them but have not read one in a while. Seducing the Princess is a good one to start with.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Kathryn Johnson lives in the Washington, DC area with her husband and two feline writing partners, Tempest and Miranda. The author of over 40 novels, she's written under her own name and a variety of pen names, including Mary Hart Perry, Kathryn Jensen, KM Kimball and Nicole Davidson. She also teaches fiction-writing workshops for the renowned Writer's Center in Bethesda, Maryland. And, in 2008, she founded Write by You, to coach other writers interested in reaching publication. She has been nominated for the prestigious Agatha Christy Award, and won the Heart of Excellence and Bookseller's Best Awards (sponsored by the Romance Writers of America) in 2011.

Her works in progress include a series of Victorian thrillers inspired by the lives of Queen Victoria's five daughters. The first novel, The Wild Princess, focuses on Princess Louise, who desperately wanted an education as a professional artist, at a time when women were not admitted into art schools. Her personal life becomes complicated when she uncovers a secret about her husband and must help protect her mother from an assassination attempt. The second book of the series, Seducing the Princess, launches April 2, 2013, and features Victoria's youngest daughter Beatrice. Painfully shy and lonely, the dutiful Princess has promised never to marry and to devote herself to the queen in Victoria's waning years. Just when she has all but given up on love and happiness, she meets Henry Battenberg, a dashing nobleman from the Continent who risks his life and liberty to woo Bea and save both his beloved and the queen from a cruel plot. A third novel, to be published later in 2013, will star Crown Princess Vicky.

ONLINE LINKS