The Wild Princess by Mary Hart Perry is a piece of historical fiction based on the real life of Princess Louise, Queen Victoria’s fourth daughter. The princess has often been called an early feminist as she dedicated her life to many good works involving women. There were also a good deal of rumors circulating about this royal person as she was married to Lord Argyll who was almost certainly a gay man.

This novel takes a very romantic look at her life and pairs her with a long time lover, Stephen Byrne, an American who works as a Secret Service agent for Queen Victoria. Ireland was fighting for it’s independence and the Royal Family was in danger of kidnapping, bombing and assassination attempts.

I found myself often going to Wikipedia or other sources to check on the information provided in this book and I found that the author was fairly true to real history. Of course, the real state of her marriage was never brought to light so the romance angle in this book is pure fiction. Overall I found this a light historical read that held my attention and I particularly enjoyed the descriptions of Royal life and Royal residences but I found the romance rather overdone. ( )

3.5 Stars

This one is a hard one for me to rate. One the one hand, I really enjoy the idea of the princess and the guard sort of romance. Then there’s the added twist of the guard being an American cowboy-esque sort of figure in Victorian London and the princess being one of Victoria’s daughters… So of course, my interest is piqued. The author does an admirable job in writing the romance between these two. I enjoyed their interactions and feel like they’re a romance I can root for. I also enjoyed the overall story line, though the coincidence of the bombers and Stephen knowing each seemed a bit of a stretch. I was kept in suspense wondering who was going to come out on top and how the royal family was all going to survive the fallout.

On the other hand, Louise back slides into the “Imperial Princess” mode far too often, falling back onto the characterization issuing orders and expecting obedience even from love interest, Stephen. In the beginning I could see this, but continuously doing it throughout the novel? Really? I also felt that some of the secondary characters were a bit too two dimensional for me; I’m thinking especially Victoria. She seemed a bit too scheming and manipulative to me. From what I've read, I know historically she had these traits to a degree. But it seems that in this novel, that’s all that Victoria portrays and I just don’t feel that’s all there was to her.

I don’t know. For the most part, I enjoyed the romantic bits and if I could find my own Stephen Byrne floating around somewhere, I’d latch on like no one’s business. I enjoyed the story despite some eye rolling coincidences. Yet, some of the characterization choices made me cringe and wish for some real growth. So if you can overlook some of that, sure give this a gander, if only to glory in the magnificence of Stephen. LOL ( )

Please forgive me if this review is a little off. I finished this book 2 weeks ago and just started the review this morning around 3:30 AM. I desperately need some sleep but have to be at work early in the morning. I just cannot find enough hours in the day to get everything completed. Please remember I will not go into a lot of detail about the book. If I did I would end up writing spoilers and they are not fun to write or read.

This historical romance novel is set in the Victorian period. Maybe it is me but I love all types of books set in historical England. During this time there was so much learning, women trying to be accepted that they have brains just like me. I am anything but an expert on history. I admit that history is very interesting. I remember a college professor telling the class one day to watch history it will repeat itself. That is so true.

This book is about the ‘wild child’ of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert. She was considered wild because she pushed the constraints of proper traditions/society. Well, who could blame her? She wanted to be an artist. Just imagine that you were growing up and wanted to be an artist, singer, author or anything else and were told that you cannot do that. I know how I would feel I would be mad. I would do what I wanted. Granted as teenagers we all push our parents to the limit. However, nowadays parents encourage their children in their dreams of whatever profession they want. Sadly, this is not something that happened 100 years ago.

I do not blame Princess Louise for her behavior in rebelling. Granted as she grew older she probably should have calmed down some but maybe she just did not know how or did not care. This book is based loosely on fact but has a lot of fiction. Ms. Perry has created a wonderful book where the reader can fantasize
about eating, being friends, or even hanging out with a royal family member.

This book was a quick read for me. Perfect for a day at the beach or anytime. I am amazed at how fast I read this book. The hardcopy of the book is amazing. If you have not gotten your copy yet head on out to your favorite book store and pick it up today.

Thanks for a great read Ms. Perry. ( )

The Good: Royals were definitely scandalous back in their days, and Princess Louise is a prime example of that. Headstrong and unrestrained, her belief that women should have similar opportunities as men had took her places she most likely never dreamed it would. At its core, this is the story of Louise struggling against her past, her mother the Queen, and her husband to find real love and happiness. It's not always pretty. It's painful and realistic and all the better for it.

The Bad: Louise's naivety, post-scandal, was just aggravating. She's strong and admirable, yet as soon as she realizes she's trapped in a sexless marriage, she's seeking out a boy from the past like a desperate drunk girl at last call. She's supposed to be worldly, but becomes a simpering fool about this boy who disappeared, unable to believe he could have ever left her by choice. It was seriously irritating and made Louise very unlikeable at times. ( )

Princess Louise is considered the wild princess due to her tendency to want to only do what she wants. Her mother, Queen Victoria, tries many different ways to tame her wild offspring but instead pushes her daughter further and further away. Now that Princess Louise is an adult, Queen Victoria feels it is time for her to marry and settle down. Her mother’s choice of a husband pales in comparison to the love she had with her collage boyfriend who mysteriously disappeared. The two learn to tolerate each other after discovering her husband’s alternative lifestyle (which her mother knew about) and Louise starts to wonder what happened to her first love.

Stephen Byrne, and American who is employed under the Queen’s Secret Service, has been trying to uncover who is behind all the assassination attempts on the Queen and her family. Louise secretly asks him to investigate her lover’s disappearance. Throwing these two together adds spice and tension to the story that the reader eagerly anticipates when these two finally let down their guard and discover that they could make each other happy.

This light romance is a fun read. You discover more about Queen Victoria and the dynamic with her family. Perry sticks close to what history says the relationship between Victoria and Louise was. Louise was often very openly critical of her mother’s never ending mourning phase which caused tension between the two. The reader discovers that Louise was just a free thinking woman ahead of her time who only wanted to find love and live her life to the fullest. Due to her social station, that just wasn’t possible for her and she acted out in many different ways in defiance to her mother. With the added mystery of assassination attempts and a missing lover, The Wild Princess leads to an entertaining read.

(book was provided by publisher for an honest review) ( )