This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and the heroine, Finn and Brinley. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

I would like to thank netgalley and the author for a free copy of the book in exchange for an honest review.

Brinley is a bad princess, dismissed entirely by the press, the country and her family. But she will show them they were wrong when she unexpectedly becomes the next in line to the throne.

Notorious for leaping off roofs, maiming foreign royals, and that twerking incident, Brinley Cantrella of Estau is nobody’s definition of a good princess. She’s fearless and bold, not good and gracious. And after a lifetime of being told she’s unfit to be queen, wearing the crown and helping to usher Estau into a new era is the one dream she’s never dared chase. But when her older sister abdicates the throne, all Brinley has to do to inherit the role is not twerk, not maim anybody, and definitely not get caught fooling around topless with Prince Finn, her childhood crush, the only man she’s ever loved…and her sister’s former future husband. Finn embodies the definition of good. Tall and handsome, serious and honorable, he always does the right thing—including agreeing to marry his ex’s sister to cover up this latest scandal. Brinley has fallen down stairs, broken teeth and broken bones, but this is the first time her heart has ever been broken. She now has the crown and the prince, and on the surface, life is good—but is being married to a man everyone swears could never love her back good enough?
The book was decent. The plot was not bad, it was pretty standard. It was a quick read that flowed easily enough.
**I voluntarily read and reviewed this book

Mini review:

I received this E-ARC via the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was so excited to read this! I have read the authors book before. I am happy to say that I enjoyed it!

I really liked the MC! She was amazing and I really enjoyed her character arc. Her love interest was good as well.

I do have some minor complaints. I felt the ending was very rushed. And I would’ve liked an epilogue of sorts.

Recommend!

Julianna Keyes just doesn’t let me down. When she shared on Facebook that she had written a short story involving royalty well, color me one happy reader. I could not wait to read it. And guess what, it’s pretty darn sexy.

When Princess Elle Vida abdicates the throne so she can marry a man wholly unsuited for a princess, it is up to her younger sister, Brinley Cantrella of Estau, to step in and take over as the royal in waiting. No one is thrilled about this, least of all Brinley’s parents, the current royals. Brinley has always been labelled the “bad princess” because all her life, she seemed to do things that were just out of line with what a royal should be doing. Basically she is NOT the Duchess of Cambridge type (I had to get a little Kate Middleton thrown in here somehow). But what Brinley supposedly lacks as a princess she makes up for being a normal person who enjoys life, is working hard at college and… just so happens to kind of be in love with the man her sister was supposed to marry.

Thus begins the super quick courtship and marriage of Brinley to Prince Finn. It’s NOT how she wanted to make her connection with him. Little does Brinley realize just how much Finn has admired her throughout the years.

Julianna Keyes makes this shorter story work great, especially given how the constraints of a novella/short story format mimic quite well the shortness of Brinley and Finn’s courtship. It’s pretty much nonexistent for reasons you will understand as you read the book.

I really liked Brinley. She leapt off the pages (so to speak) for me. She is caring, kind, a bit unconventional perhaps, but where it counts, as a person who has empathy and compassion, she is as Princess-y as it is possible to be. I really liked that though she initially didn’t believe in herself, she finds that there are a few people rooting for her. This allows her to find her own strength and realize that maybe she hadn’t been properly trained but darn it, she still makes a great princess, a great potential ruler for Estau.

Finn is a quiet guy but he believes hardcore in Brinley. This is a man who has watched covertly from the shadows as a Brinley grew from a bright child to a smart and funny adult woman. He is impressed with how she handles her parents, how she deals with all the bad press about herself, and that he can find a bagel in her room any time of day.

Julianna Keyes succeeds greatly in making this story a great romance where the two leads grow together but also in showing Brinley taking off on her own, finally realizing that being a “bad princess” is not the end of the world and there is a lot of good she can and will do for her kingdom. I love a woman who realizes her own awesomeness!

Bad Princess is available today! If you like royal romances, add this one to your TBR pile immediately.

What do you get when you combine one not so proper princess, one stoic prince, and royal duties? Bad Princess.

Brinley is the Bad Princess of Estau. She's the second daughter, and she's all wrong. She's bold and curious and bright and alive, unlike her oh so proper and elegant older sister, who is betrothed to Prince Finian, the man Brinley's crushed on since she was a little girl. When Elle, the good Princess, abdicates and runs away, it falls on Brinley to take her place as the next Princess in line for the throne and to become betrothed to Prince Finian. But will the vivacious Brinley and the dull, stoic Finian be able to make a match, especially when Finian doesn't bother saying more than a word or two at a time to her?

I have to say I loved Brinley. She's the one bright spot in Bad Princess. She's funny, sweet and unafraid to be herself. I had a harder time with Fin for most of the story because he was so dang stoic that it was like reading about a boring old rock. It was only after he revealed some of his inner thoughts to Brin near the end that I started to like him and see what Brinley saw in him. I wish his thoughts had been revealed the whole way through, or at least sooner than near the end, because it would have made their story seem more well rounded and complete. As it is, though, I still liked Bad Princess because it's a sweet, fun and even a little sexy take on a royal romance.

Loved this royal romance from one of my favorite authors! Highly recommend!

Brinley and Finn make quite a couple. In spite of having the reputation of being the bad princess, Brin rises to the occasion and makes every effort to do whatever is required of her under these dire circumstances. When a scandal forced a marriage between her and Finn she can’t help but feel that he’s settling for the wrong reasons. But as they spend time together she begins to realise that her feelings for him are not quite as one-sided as she thought. And with her, Finn learns to be more than the image created for him by his family.

I love a good "royal romance" and have always enjoyed Julianna Keyes' books in the past, so Bad Princess pretty much had my name written all over it. It's been awhile since I read it and I fear some of the finer points have probably been lost by now, but it was a good, quick and sexy read. Brinley was an atypical princess, who had a knack for finding trouble. I liked her quite a bit, but I'm a fan of sassy heroines. Of course, there was more to her than met the eye and I enjoyed those aspects of her personality, too. 

The hero, Finn, is Brinley's childhood crush and originally her sister's (the "good princess") betrothed, was a bit of an enigma. I wasn't really certain of his feelings for Brinley since he didn't exactly wear his heart on his sleeve. They had oodles of chemistry and I was shipping them pretty hard. Julianna packed quite a bit of swooniness, sexiness and feels into this novella and I enjoyed the ride. 

FAVORITE QUOTES

"A royal marriage is not based on feelings, Brinley. Love is a byproduct of duty, and perhaps you will one day learn what both of those things are."

She was not a traditionally "good" princess, but that did not mean she was bad. Just... different. And a little bit bad.

I really enjoyed this book! I like her New Adult books a little better, but it was still enjoyable.

Brinley is the second born daughter of the Estau royal family and famously known as the “bad princess” even though most of her antics have been beyond her control. When her perfect older sister runs away and Brinley has to step up to take her place, things never go as planned. When her sister’s ex-suitor, Finn, and Brinley are caught in a very compromising position, they marry hastily. As time goes by, Brinley and Finn try to make their relationship work while their families are ready for them to break up. This is a royal story that you will enjoy and hope Brinley and Finn can find a way to make it work.

Brinley, a bad princess who always manages to find scandal despite herself and stalwart Prince Finn couldn't be more opposite. When a spare of the moment hookup gets out of hand in a public place, the shit hits the fan and a quickie marriage is suddenly on the table. This is a short novella and Brinley and Finn are cute together in it. I really enjoyed just watching them hang out in her quarters eating hidden snacks. Ultimately, I felt that the story got a bit juvenile and silly by the end (sexytimes notwithstanding) but I still enjoyed the read.

Bad Princess is the story of Princess Brinley Cantrella, a woman who has always had to stand second best in the shadow of her perfect older sister, Princess Elle, who has just taken off and eloped with a commoner, leaving behind Brinley, who has never quite met the exacting expectations of her parents and yet is expected to now stand in her sister's place, even with the man that her sister was supposed to marry.
The handsome, swoon-worthy, Prince Finian Bellamy, is the Prince Charming that little girls dream of, who hides his own insecurities and he's the man that Brinley has always secretly loved.

The book is a fast paced, entertaining read that I really enjoyed.
For a novella, this book read more like short novel to me. It was packed full of story and characters that I easily connected with.
It wasn't as intense or angsty as a number of the books that I have read recently have been, but it did produce some moments of whimsy, smiles and good feelings.
I definitely recommend giving it a try

An arc of this book was generously provided to me from the author via Netgalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

***Review posted on The Eater of Books! blog***

Bad Princess by Julianna Keyes
Publication Date: November 27, 2017
Rating: 4 stars
Source: eARC from NetGalley

Summary (from Goodreads):

Notorious for leaping off roofs, maiming foreign royals, and that twerking incident, Brinley Cantrella of Estau is nobody’s definition of a good princess. She’s fearless and bold, not good and gracious. And after a lifetime of being told she’s unfit to be queen, wearing the crown and helping to usher Estau into a new era is the one dream she’s never dared chase.

But when her older sister abdicates the throne, all Brinley has to do to inherit the role is not twerk, not maim anybody, and definitely not get caught fooling around topless with Prince Finn, her childhood crush, the only man she’s ever loved…and her sister’s former future husband.

Finn embodies the definition of good. Tall and handsome, serious and honorable, he always does the right thing—including agreeing to marry his ex’s sister to cover up this latest scandal. Brinley has fallen down stairs, broken teeth and broken bones, but this is the first time her heart has ever been broken. She now has the crown and the prince, and on the surface, life is good—but is being married to a man everyone swears could never love her back good enough?

Approximately 39,500 words.

What I Liked:

Bad Princess is the seventh story of Julianna Keyes' that I have read. Since reading Time Served (one of her adult romances), I've yet to be disappointed. While I think her best adult and New Adult novels were Time Served and Undecided, Bad Princess is a fun, sexy novella that I enjoyed immensely. It is a departure from her other works but it has the same emotional depth and heat factor that one might begin to expect from her stories.

This novella starts with Princess Brinley's older sister Elle already having abdicated the throne. Rumor has it that she ran off with a sexy lumberjack to an unnamed island in the South Pacific. So, our story starts with Brinley and her parents (king and queen) having a meeting with King Edric of the neighboring country, and his second son Finian. Then comes a compromising set of photos and... Finn and Brinley find themselves married. Brinley has been in love with Finn since she was five years old, but she knew he was meant for her older sister. Now they're married and she wants nothing more than for him to want her for her, and not for duty or treaties or honor. The proper, golden-boy prince and the bad princess - who would have thought?

Brinley is such a fun character to follow and an easy one to like. This entire novella is written from her POV (which at first I found sad, because I sooo wanted Finn's POV too). Brinley likes to live life on her terms, and doesn't care for the stuffy, boring lifestyle that her sister lives - Finn as well. Her sister abdicating the throne is quite possibly the worst thing to happen to Brinley. Now she is confined to being the next queen - and marrying her sister's intended.

Finn is proper and stoic and full of honor and duty, the golden boy and the "good prince", a perfect opposite of Brinley. He seems boring and not lively, but he has so many adoring fans. Everyone loves his perfection and his no-nonsense non-rule-breaking ways, so unlike Brinley. I liked Finn despite his stuffiness, because all of the granite exterior had to crack at some point.

These two have serious chemistry! You would think, with this story being a novella's length, that the chemistry would be rushed and the romance would be clobbered together, or something like that. But no, the chemistry and the tension were built up and made for some very steamy times. His Royal Stuffiness is really not so stuffy in some ways... as Brinley finds out.

The romance was cute too. Finn was always careful and considerate of Brinley, and Brinley, well, she had always loved him, but she wanted him to want her for her. These two navigate life as a married couple with as many obstacles as one might expect from a couple pushed together via arranged marriage. They were cute to watch though.

A note about the setting - this book is set during modern times, but of course it deals heavily with royalty. Think Prince William and Princess Kate, but with the royalty actually being the government, and not figureheads.

All in all, this was a great novella with a very happy ending. Of course, as with all novellas, I wish there was more, but this story felt complete and satisfying on its own.

What I Did Not Like:

Nothing specific! This is a quick, fun read. The only thing that might have made this better was dual POV featuring Finn, but the story was just fine with only Brinley's first-person POV.

Would I Recommend It:

Usually I'm not one for contemporary stories involving royalty as a protagonist (or both protagonists) - I like fantasy involving royalty just fine though - but Bad Princess was definitely a great read for me! A fun heroine, brooding hero, sweet romance, sexy sexy chemistry... there is a lot to love about this story. And it's a novella so it's a quick, satisfying read!

Rating:

4 stars. I have yet to be disappointed by Keyes' stories and I hope that won't change! I know this is a standalone novella but it would be so cool to see more from this couple or from this world. In any case, I'm always looking forward to reading more by this author!

Rating: 2.5/5 stars

Having read and absolutely LOVED Julianna Keyes's Undecided and Undeclared, I was hyped for Bad Princess. I love royalty themed romances and I knew Julianna Keyes can write one heck of a new adult romance based on reading Undecided and Undeclared. Unfortunately, Bad Princess didn't live up to my expectations.

Don't get me wrong, Bad Princess wasn't all bad. I liked the concept of a trouble maker princess suddenly inheriting the crown after her perfect older sister abdicates the throne, and then being quickly married to her sister's ex-fiancee, a neighboring prince, who she's secretly in love with. Then, they'd have to navigate their newfound roles crown princess and prince as well as their new marriage. All this pretty much ticked off all my buzz romance words: royalty trope, married in haste, a scandalous but lovable heroine and a stiff and proper hero a la Mr. Darcy--swoons for days, right? Not quite.

While the concept was everything, the execution wasn't quite there. To put it bluntly, it fell flat for me. I found the characters one-dimensional, especially Finn. According to the author's note, he's inspired by Colin Firth's Mark Darcy from Bridget Jones and I can definitely see that. Typically, I'd be all over that because I love me a Mr. Darcy-like character, however, he didn't feel... fresh. Finn felt more like a carbon copy rather his own character. As for Brinley, she's likable, but what I got was that she's a bad princess because she likes playing with swords rather than having tea parties, she's a bad princess because she's clumsy rather than poised and dignified at social events. I guess when I hear "bad princess" I was expecting her to be more scandalous (though we're told of some minor scandals like hooking up with a professor from her college, but this happened off page so it didn't really make much of an impression) rather than very clumsy.

It wasn't all bad, though. There were some cute moments between Brinley and Finn, and I'm total trash for the forced marriage trope, especially when it's done in a contemporary setting so it's hard for me hate Bad Princess. I was just expecting more, especially after reading Keyes's previous works and knowing what she can do. I think with a bit more polish Bad Princess could've been amazing.

Bad Princess is the first book I have read from Julianna Keyes, and I devoured it like there was no tomorrow. A modern day fairy tale with a twist. Everyone on the outside thinks princess Brinley's life is too good to be true. But they don't see the constant struggle that Brinley faces everyday. She hides behind a fake persona being the bad girl, and when Fin waltzes into her life he tames her. Shows her what its liked to be loved and cherished.

A sweet steamy read!


"I want you."
In all her life, Brinley had never heard those three words followed by a period.
I want you to behave. I want you to smile. I want you to tell me where you have hidden your sword. Again.
But never simply, I want you.

do you know that feeling you get when you absolutely love an author and everything they write and you can't wait to get your hands on their next book and...you don't like it? and you're afraid to admit it because in liking their books so much you like them too, and you don't want to hurt their feelings and admit you don't like their new release?

that's how I feel about <b>Bad Princess</b> and julianna keyes.

I am a big fan. But not of this novella.

Let's preface this review with a few things I already knew would give me a problem when I started reading:
1. I'm not a fan of fake kingdoms in my romantic fiction. Historical/contemporary...The only author that has (so far) made it work (for me) is Lilah Pace.
2. I hate the name Brinley (sorry if that's your name person reading this review). **After reading the author note I get why she picked it...but from the get-go I was not feeling this name for a princess.
3. Based on the book blurb alone I had my doubts about our heroine. But I like a bad girl too...so twerking references aside I was hoping to like her.

Okay - pre-read thoughts out of the way.

<b>Bad Princess</b> is the story of Brinley Cantrella, a spoiled princess whose scandalous behavior is somehow the result of her restricted, privileged life. (Cue worlds smallest violin). She fails to learn from any of the mistakes she makes and continually provides fodder for the gossip columns by regularly embarrassing herself and her family in public. There is no middle ground with this character - she's the family black sheep, she isn't sorry for her behavior because she's just trying to keep it real, and if anything, everyone else has a problem because they don't understand her. And how her inappropriate behavior is how she 'keeps it real.'

When Brinley's sister elopes with a lumberjack and leaves all the responsibilities and expectations that come with being a first born for Brinley to pick up the pieces...Brinley is devastated. She's just started living HER life and now she's being forced to conform to how a proper princess should behave. Instead of trying to be discreet, modify her public image and/or TALK TO HER PARENTS about the weight of the responsibility on her shoulders, she steps up to the role and just tries to do her best. Which, spoiler alert, ain't gonna be that great.

Meanwhile, Prince Finn, who Brinley has lusted over since childhood, decides this is a good time to make a move on her. He's lost his betrothed (Brinley's sister) and he's secretly nurtured a crush on Brinley for years too! So, they find themselves alone together in a palace room just vacated by a tour group & decide to do tequila shots. And then hook up. And it's amazing. Not weird at all. And then a tour group shows up, someone snaps their picture (she's nearly naked) and they're forced to marry each other. But it's awkward because while they're secretly into each other, neither one is willing to admit it - which is odd because Brinley has so far shown she's more than willing to keep things real and do what works best for her - but anyway.

After some awkward (a day), 'does he <i>like</i> like me? Or am I a convenient replacement for my sister who's only been gone a couple of days?' self reflection, Britney catches Finn searching for secret entrances and hidey holes. Royals do this. Duh. She shows him a favorite, they escape into a secret dungeon - a favorite - which Brinley has tricked out over the years and they...get busy. In a cell. On cushions that smell musty. But it's hot. Again, not weird. Romantic. Meant to be.

Finn is an appealing hero but we don't really know all that much about the guy and frankly, his cautious public persona is so at odds with Brinley's - I am who I am, deal with it - I just didn't see how she could or would appeal to him. I love that he accepts her as she is - but she's ridiculous. Sorry, I was not feeling Brin-Finn.

<b>Bad Princess</b> is mostly about Brinley realizing she's pretty great warts and all and that she's exactly what the kingdom needs, Finn supports her in her wild ways and is all that and a bag of chips in the sack, and even when Brinley has the chance to be free, she...Well, I'm not going to spoil it for you. You can guess. I promise. You can.

This story is predictable, boring and the principals are mostly in lust vs. in love with each other. There's little to no appreciation for the nuance required to be a royal figure with people watching you ALL THE TIME, and the skill and grace it takes to successfully navigate that tricky terrain whilst growing up in the public eye. Brinley is notorious for a good reason. She frequently and continually makes poor decisions with little thought to how it might affect anyone but her.

Predictable. Boring. Surprising from this amazing writer.

This is a great book with a wonderful story and well developed characters. The story flowed very well and was very enjoyable. This book will keep you reading long into the night and you will not want to put this book down until you finish. This was such a great read and full of surprises. I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader’s copy of this book. The free book held no determination on my personal review.

Brinley might be a princess, complete with her own castle but her life is far from a fairy tale. Always second best to her older sister and with years of media scrutiny reminding her why she would never be a good ruler, Brinley has finally accepted her role in life.

But when her perfect sister up and abdicates the throne to run off with a commoner, Brinley's world is tilted on its axis. But Elle didn't just leave her royal responsibilities and duties behind, she also left her royal fiancé behind.

Finian Bellamy is as perfect as any Prince Charming could be and Brinley has been secretly in love with him for years. When she finds herself alone with him for the first time there is an unmistakable pull between them that proves irresistible. Its just her misfortune to finally give in to her desire for Fin only to get caught in a compromising position with him and again having her life completely turned upside down. To stop the media firestorm, she finds herself maneuvered into a marriage of convenience to a man she loves but fears only sees her as a duty to endure.

What I loved about it:
I loved Brinley, she wasn't perfect but she was someone you could relate to. She had an uphill battle when it came to living in her sister's shadow but she was up for the challenge and I loved that she didn't back down when she finally came to her senses and stood up for herself. Even against Fin, she didn't compromise and fought for her due.

I loved Fin. He was more like Brinley then even he thought. He had his own insecurities to deal with and I liked that we saw a budding friendship grow between him and Brinley. It wasn't just lust between them. It was more of a kindred relationship that really worked for their romance. The fact that they both had to come to terms with who they really are and learning to love that person wholeheartedly was the cherry on top.

I don't usually like single POVs and even though I would have loved getting inside Fin's head and getting a first hand look at what he was thinking and feel during some pivotal moments in the story, the fact that we only get Brinley's didn't stop me from being 100% engrossed in their love story. I loved it and would highly recommend.

Memorable Moments:
1. When Fin admits he didn't marry Brinley out of misguided duty but because he wanted her. Just her. *queue the emotional goosebumps!*
"I want you."
In all her life, Brinley had never heard those three words followed by a period.
I want you to behave. I want you to smile. I want you to tell me where you have hidden your sword. Again.
But never simply, I want you.


2. Brinley seeing Fin struggling to mold himself into what others wanted him to be. The first time she realizes they are different but the same.
She pictured him as a bird, sitting in a cage, wings folded, patient. She pictured herself as that same bird, free but not. She didn't know which was worse. To not know you wanted freedom at all or to be so desperate for it that you injured yourself constantly in it's pursuit.


Recommended: I highly recommend. Although the blurb hints at some angst, it isn't caused by a love triangle and there is no catty sisterly rivalry. It's a safe romance with a cute love story and plenty of spice and humor sprinkled in to keep things interesting!

I have been a longtime uber-fan of Julianna Keyes and legit flip out when I see she has something new coming out! She has such an amazing ability to combine heart, humor and heat in her books topped with hot heroes and sarcastic and sassy AF heroines. So it came as no surprise that the minute I read the blurb for Bad Princess my grabby hand syndrome kicked in and I NEEDED it. Gahh I absolutely FLOVED this book. Finian and Brinley were such a perfect match. I honestly could not get enough.

Known as the troublemaker in the royal family, when Brinley is suddenly decreed as the next in line to inherit the throne of the Kingdom of Estau, all she has to do is behave and not get caught in a public scandal. Easy peasy right? Uhh. Try again. But the one guy there to keep her grounded and make her feel like everything is ok is her sister's ex intended (now her husband) and all around nice guy. But what happens when lines are crossed and real feelings develop. Can these true opposites come together or is she too wild for him?

I really enjoyed this novella. It was sweet and sassy and satisfying. I loved the hidden facets in Finn and seeing Brinley unearth his emotions and feelings behind his usual formal and stoic wall. I thought he was absolutely adorable and the perfect man to understand Brinley's personality and who she really was. I can't wait for the next book by this author! Bravo! 4 stars! ~Ratula

I would like to thank Netgalley and the publisher for an advanced copy of this book for an honest review!