The Wild Princess (Paperback)
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all these other countries) Usually dispatched within 48 hours | |Short Description for The Wild Princess The marriage of Queen Victoria and Prince Albert produced nine children--five of them princesses, all trained for the role of marriage to future monarchs. However, the fourth princess, Louise--later the duchess of Argyll--became known by the court as "the wild one."
Full description- Publisher: HarperCollins Publishers
- Published: 31 July 2012
- Format: Paperback 417 pages
- See: Full bibliographic data
- Categories: Historical Fiction
- ISBN 13: 9780062123466 ISBN 10: 0062123467
- Sales rank: 203,766
Reviews for The Wild Princess
Great Historical Romance Debut
When I first discovered that Innovative Online Book Tours was doing a review tour for The Wild Princess, I jumped at the opportunity. Historical fiction is one of my favorite alternatives to science fiction/fantasy. Philippa Gregory is one of my absolute favorite authors, so I could not get my hands on the book quickly enough.
The Wild Princess does not release until July 31st, so the copy I was provided with was an eARC. That being said, there were barely any technical issues on the *Writing*. The only thing I had a problem with was Princess Louise's name was often misspelled as "Louse", but I am pretty sure something like that was caught before the finished copy was printed. I did not see much in the way of symbolism or themes, and that was completely fine with me. This book was nothing but a pleasure-read, despite it being for review. 4/5 Stars
The *World-Weaving* was pretty good for a historical romance. I had no problem believing that Mary Hart Perry's interpretation of the British royal family behaved in the manner she described in The Wild Princess. Stephen Byrne was a completely fictional character, but there were times that he felt more real than Louise. The supporting characters also lent much to the book. John Brown was a real person, and I love that it gives a little wink to their relationship. (I know it is something Perry would have had to mention with the bit of controversy surrounding it, but it was thankfully not overwhelming.) As for the main character, Louise, I quite enjoyed how Perry portrayed her as a woman well ahead of her time, who was passionate and strong-willed. I read a lot of YA with female characters given much freedom and opportunity to be strong, but Louise was born into a gilded cage, and made her life her own in this novel. The Civil War ammunition veterans who worked for the Fenians were my least favorite characters, but they were needed antagonists in the plotting of the story. Louise's husband, Lorne, was also somewhat of an antagonist, but he was not evil or even unlikable for me. Yes, he was not the man that Louise deserved, but that was how it went in "arranged" marriages. (Historically, Lorne and Louise's marriage is usually described as a "love match", but Perry did not use that scenario at all. I will not spoil it for you.) Victoria was also a bit of a villain when it came to Louise, but as a mother and a historian who understands the necessity of maintaining royal perfection, I did not begrudge any of her actions. She was merely a mother who wanted to protect her daughter, her family's reputation, and the monarchy.
The setting itself was enjoyable because it had Fenian plotting at every turn to create tension in the beautifully described royal opulence. Louise's time spent in the more common areas of London also seemed very real. The scenes with the royal family traveling or on the parade route were some of my favorites, and I did not even care to check the historical accuracy of it. (That is usually one of the first things I check.) Did a royal take a bullet for Victoria or face death during another attack? I don't know, but it was a lot of fun to imagine that she did. 4.5/5 Stars
The *Pacing* of the story was the one problem for me. I enjoyed the story itself, but there were periods of time that I felt like nothing was happening. The blame for this can be easily blamed on the fact that I've read quite a few novels lately that are action-packed, and it's been a while since I've read an adult novel. When all the pieces came together, I could not put the book down. I suppose I was just impatient for Louise and Stephen to come to terms with what was happening around them. Perry also made us aware of nearly every aspect of the plots against the royals, so there was not much suspense about what would happen - only a question of when.
There was a few flashbacks in the story that helped the characterization of Louise, which made The Wild Princess more enjoyable for me. Those were some of my favorite parts of the novel. There was also a side plot point that involved one of Louise's school friends that I would have liked to seen wrapped up, but some questions have no answers. 3/5
My *Attention Span* would have been a lot shorter when it came to this book, and I would not have read it nearly as quickly if I had not read it during the Once Upon a Read-a-Thon. I'm glad that I pushed myself through it because it really was a lovely book. However, there were outside forces at work here, so I don't feel I should offer a score based on this factor.
The *Extra Magic* for me came from the story Perry created based on rumors and whispers from the Victorian era. There is no historical evidence that some of the events in this book occurred, but it is a lovely to think that Victoria is spinning in her grave from the liberties taken with the royal family. Louise was given a life I feel that she deserved, and I have no doubt that was the author's intention. Every woman should have a great romance and fictitiously giving one to a princess whose life was never her own was a beautiful tribute to her life. 4.5/5
Overall, I found The Wild Princess to be a lovely example of historical romance. I would be hesitant to compare it to the novels by Philippa Gregory except as a reference point, personally, but that is merely because Mary Hart Perry has a style that is all her own. I look forward to reading her future novels about the Victorian princesses.
End Result - 4 Stars by Kayla BeckA Lovely Historical Romance
I chose to read this book as I love a well written historical romance. I loved the authors note at the end of the book where she says this is her story of who she thought should be the princess' hero.
Princess Louise was the "wild child" daughter of Queen Victoria. Although she had her wild moments, I really enjoyed the princess' character. She had a good heart and wanted to be more than just a royal daughter. I loved how she convinced people to let her do things that normally women did not get to do. She had an influence on them that they did it without question. Of course, this is what got her into trouble the first time.
I don't think I could say I liked the Queen. Of course, she was very traditional and tried to keep her daughters doing what they were "supposed" to be doing. The Queen chose her security personnel. Enter in Stephen, the American to help provide security to the royal family, along with others. I at first found it very different that an American in his cowboy hat and duster was among the main characters, but I did grow to like Stephen. Quite mysterious and romantic.
I enjoyed the story. It kept the pace throughout the entire book. One event or adventure would occur and then quickly as a reader I was involved in another one. Lots of action, compassion, mystery, and romance. Definitely a must read for those who love a great romance.
I was so excited to read that this is the first in a series and can't wait to read more from the author. by Dalene
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