This book is a good fit for readers who enjoy uplifting and heartfelt stories about second chances at love and the blossoming of hidden feelings between two long-time acquaintances.

Live the life of a princess or maybe just that of the prince's assistant. For 10 years, that is what Stephani has been doing. She got the position because her cousin was married to the prince. An unfortunate car accident caused the cousin's death. Now the feelings Stephani has had for the prince could be possible.

But the prince is unable to move forward with his love life. The weight of being the prince and all the duties that go with it, two small children to try to help live with the loss of their mother and knowing he will be king one day, just doesn't work in his favor.

They both know there might be something possible between them so they take a business trip to France so they can explore that without being in the spotlight of the kingdom. While there, the king has a heart attack. It is not fatal but that is what pushes the situation over the edge.

Stephani tells the prince she has taken another job for six months to see if anything between then can become real. Being around him doesn't allow her to have him see how valuable she is to him and the country. A physical exam needed for the move to Africa presents a new issue.

Read the book to see what the issue is and how they resolve it.

Not reading the first book in the series isn’t a problem. You won’t have missed anything and can immerse in this story.

The Crown Prince lost his wife in a tragic car accident. Even though his future queen was ripped away, after a period of time being heartbroken and lonely, he feels ready to come back to life.

Raoul, the Crown Prince, has had an assistant for many, many years. Stephani also happens to be his late wife’s cousin. Just as Raoul struggled with his wife’s death, Stephani also struggled with her sweet cousin’s death. Stephani is an amazing assistant, Raoul’s right-hand man, and keeps his personal and professional life organized. She has all the qualities of a phenomenal assistant, including putting her work before herself. Following her cousin’s death, Stephani steps up even more and supports Raoul and the family. She comes to realize she cannot maintain this position as her personal needs and wants have been overlooked and overshadowed by being Raoul’s assistant. That decisions is compounded with the revelation that she has some kernel of love for her boss, and it’s not the familial kind.

I was a little leery of this budding relationship. Was this man, who was so utterly devoted to his wife and their children, really ready to move on in his life? In love? Was it really love, or was it that level of comfort and support from Stephani was interpreted as love by Raoul?

Regardless, the two negotiate the ripples of these new feelings and angst in a short timeframe. It makes for a quick one-day read.

Grief is never linear and Raoul's loneliness is beginning to wear on him. He's trying his best for the country, his children, for his deceased wife, and maybe a little for himself as well. It's a good thing he has Stephani to keep him in line. But one moment changes everything between them.

Their romantic evolution is quite sweet, but it's Stephani that leads the charge into good things because she's a strong female lead who keeps the Crown Prince in line as best she can while refusing to be a pushover. She has some hard decisions to make when it looks like the future she's dreamed of is disappearing in the face of a wishy-washy Prince. A few surprises along the way complicate everything though, and she'll have to decide if love and happiness can be found in the same place.

Raoul is bothersome in many ways. I know he's a good man who's trying his best, but the way he treats Stephani after things develop between them is pretty bad. I really do understand that grief, loyalty, expectations, and untruths we tell ourselves can muddy the waters, especially when a new relationship is new and at the precipice of big implications, but it didn't excuse him treating her the way he did. They do get things together, but there was far too little groveling from the Prince for my liking.

The backbone of the whole story as well as the relationship feature was truly with Stephani. She made this story good and very much worthwhile.

This was a decent story and I somewhat enjoyed both the hero and the heroine. Stephani and Raoul were both well-written characters. I do like a good royal and a workplace romance. However, nothing really stood out making it a great book.

The fact that the crown prince lost his wife and his way is very sad. It takes him quite some time to get his head back in the right place, but it was nice to see his assistant was that person for him. What his brother and the nanny began to do in the first book the assistant finished. They brought him back to life from the sadness that was consuming him and keeping him from spending time with his kids. The one thing I was a little bothered by was the fact that Stephanie was such a close family member to his departed wife. But I liked that she worked hard to help him.

This was a cute book. I didn't think it would be but I love almost everything the author writes so I shouldn't be shocked. We met Stephani in the first book and in this book we see her a little bit more opened up and written more fleshed out. Raoul is a great character and together they make some good chemistry. Was this the best to come from Ms. Alward? No, but I really did like these characters. I'll definitely be reading her next book.

THE CROWN PRINCE'S BRIDE - Donna Alward

#2 in the Royal Duology

SWEET ROMANCE - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Stephani is the crown prince's executive assistant and was cousin to his wife. Stephani has always loved him but kept her distance except for their professional life. But now that Ceci's gone, she would like to be more than assistant to Raoul. Unfortunately he's fighting his budding feelings for her, so he still tries to think of her as an employee only.

Writing - 4 stars - I always describe Alward's writing as sweet, and that hold true for this book as well. Always romantic, always pleasant, always sweet, I can count on her to create a warm and loving story that makes me feel good. There was a little more description of the romantic encounter in this book than in previous ones by her, but she still left a lot to the imagination, which was OK, but I would have liked a little bit more detail to really get the sense of the progression of their relationship.

Characters - 3 stars - We meet Stephani first, getting to know her better after meeting her in the first book in this duet. She's hard-working, loving, and really wants more out of life than she's been getting. She has always loved Raoul from afar, but it's getting too difficult to keep up the pretense around him. She can't help but wonder if there could ever be anything else. Raoul is the hard-working prince who has basically taken the reins while his father the king steps back. He's thoughtful and generous, but he's afraid to love again after the horrible accident that took his wife. He's a little one-dimensional, though. Alward spends way more time showing us Stephani and all of her thoughts and feelings, but Raoul is less well-rounded, so we only see his thoughts about Ceci and the kingdom, not really his true inner feelings or much about his personality.

Title - 3 stars - This title just seems a little obvious and unimaginative.

Cover - 4 stars - Lovely cover, beautiful color, setting the stage for an exotic location.

Overview - 4 stars - As always, Alward has created a warm and loving romance, although this time there is a definite stumbling block that comes between Stephani and Raoul--the kingdom and his responsibilities (not to mention the lack of privacy) are all certainly a big deal and things that must be considered. I felt like I really got to know Stephani inside and out, but Raoul was a little more shadowed. For such a decisive leader, he seemed to spend all of his romantic time trying to make up his mind about their relationship. As expected, however, we get our happy ending, and it was definitely a satisfying romance.

This book was very well written with interesting characters. The story was very emotional and pulled at my heart strings. I was pulled into the story very quickly and enjoyed it very much. I would read more from this author in the future.

A big thank you to NetGalley and St Martin's Press/Swerve for the ARC. I am voluntarily reviewing this book. First time reading this author. I actually didn't know this was book 2 in a series until writing this review. It reads well as a stand alone. I found the relationship between Raoul and Stephani to be interesting, but rather hot/cold. Stephani is obviously smart and capable. I didn't really like Raoul. So I wasn't very invested in their romance. It is a cute story and a fast read. Most romance readers who like royalty will probably love it.

i just loved the cover and story. Many like this have been told -- even in a select TV genre, but the turn of phrase and descriptions in this rendering were delightful.

This was a quick read, the 2nd in a duology (and I haven’t read the 1st) and a new author for me. I give it a 3.5 (rounded up), not because it’s a bad book or poorly written, but because there was nothing new here. Prince is a widower, heroine is his dead wife’s cousin, who happens to be his business assistant (and who has secretly loved him for years). It follows a formula with its twists and “surprises”. While not bad...been there, done that. 🤷🏻‍♀️ With that being said, I was pleasantly surprised that this was NOT a steamy, sex-fest type of book. So if you’re looking for lots and lots of 🔥🔥🔥, you won’t find it here. I enjoyed that it was more sweet and romantic, as Raoul was still working through his grief.

This is a quick and light HEA book, perfect for some quick escapsim

Stefani has loved working for Raul but she's fallen in love with him. He's been off limits for years but now that he's available will she be able to build a relationship with him?

Donna Alward’s The Crown Prince’s Bride seemed a romance palate-cleanser after Willig’s intense English Wife. Certainly that’s what it felt like – initially. But Alward is a writer who transcends what I call the trappings of trite, with emotional wisdom and psychological acumen. While I settled comfortably into a mild romance read – not too much drama, not too intense a plot, decent protagonists – Alward managed to surprise and delight me.

First, the trappings. In the fictional kingdom of Marazur, heroine Stephanie Savalas is the supremely competent right-hand woman of Crown Prince Raoul Navarro, grieving widower, single dad, and his homeland’s hope (now that King Alexander, his father, has handed kingly responsibilities over to him). The novel opens as Stephani plans Raoul’s brother’s wedding to Raoul’s children’s former nanny, all the while juggling the country’s well-being and the big-ole torch she carries for her boss. Raoul is deep in mourning for his beloved wife, Stephani’s cousin Cecilia, who died in a car accident. And yet, dear reader, stirrings! Raoul always cared for Stephani and their platonic relationship is warm, friendly, affectionate, and caring until one night, these vague “stirrings” lead to a passionate kiss.

Raoul is mortified. His love for Ceci and yet-aching grief are stronger than what he feels for Stephani. While Stephani may have loved Raoul for years, nothing improper ever occurred, her feelings a secret in her heart. When Diego and Rose’s wedding rolls around, we are subjected to many characters and moppets from previous books. My reading-head was spinning and after a while, I didn’t bother to keep track. Amidst the celebrations, Raoul and Stephani, in Alward’s signature portrayal of characters who are mature and honest, admit their attraction and liking bear exploration. They explore, spending private time together and making their way, with considered decision-making and passionate desire, to becoming lovers.

Unfortunately, while Alward develops her characters emotional evolution beautifully, not one, but two, incidents of deus ex machina move the novel forward. They’re eye-rollingly obvious, but they don’t deter from what Alward does well, make her hero and heroine emotionally interesting and honest. There may be in-your-face dei ex machina, but at least no BIG MIS show up. Stephani and Raoul are mature and honest. They’re flawed, but sympathetically so. Stephani is so in love with Raoul, she cannot see his fear and hesitation after the loss of the love of his life. (And that’s another wonderful aspect to Alward’s romance: the first wife is not derided for the widower to love again.) Raoul, in his fear and uncertainty, hurts Stephani. She calls him on it and the result is one of best lines I’ve read in romance: “She was right to be angry. And he was ashamed.” (Yup, that right there can fix so many romance conflicts.) Alward continues to surprise when Raoul doesn’t grovel: instead, he respects Stephani. He communicates with her. Stephani, no matter how much she loves Raoul, never turns doormat. She is true to herself, never hesitating to tell Raoul how she feels. Stephani never settles for anything less than what she deserves: Raoul’s whole self, his heart, friendship, companionship, and body.

I wish there had been fewer previous-book characters swirling around. I wish coincidence didn’t play a part in the hero and heroine’s journey. But they don’t really matter in the end because Alward engages with a deep understanding of how falling in love is frightening and exhilarating, tests courage, demands the revelation of our deepest self, and yet gifts with joy. Miss Austen agrees, Alward is always worth reading. In The Crown Prince’s Bride, we find “real comfort,” Emma.

Donna Alward’s The Crown Prince’s Bride is published by Swerve (St. Martin’s Press). It was released on January 9th and is available in e only at your preferred vendor. I received an e-ARC from Swerve (SMP), via Netgalley.

Raoul's wife, Ceci, was killed in a car accident and Raoul has vowed never to love again. Stephani, Raoul's assistant, was Ceci's cousin and has been in love with him for years. One night, some alcohol and a kiss begin to make changes in their working relationship. He's the prince and must avoid speculation. Stephani has decided to look elsewhere for a job as she can't remain at the palace any longer if her feelings aren't reciprocated.

Eventually, Raoul decides to explore what they might have by spending a week away and see if they may have a chance at a relationship.

This story was just ok for me.

Raoul and Stephani's story had it all, romance, heartbreak, and finally their HEA. It was a very good story.

Raoul is a Crown Prince and the future King. Raoul lost the love of his life to a tragic accident, leaving him rudderless and his children without their mother. Stephani is Raoul’s assistant and is the cousin to the Crown Prince’s deceased wife. Stephani also has a major crush on Raoul, but she knows there can be nothing between them, and she is resigned to that fact.

Following an accidental kiss between Raoul and Stephani, both realize they are attracted to each other, but there are implications to a relationship with the future king. I really enjoyed watching these two consider the implications of their actions in mature and direct communications.

This is an entertaining read with considerations for others while learning how to change the direction of their friendship (to lovers and HEA). I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more interaction with the Crown Prince’s children as it seemed they spent more time attempting to spend time alone than on that relationship. Perhaps, there’s an understanding the children already have appropriate relationships with the main characters?

Thank you to Netgalley for the opportunity to read and review an ARC of this book.

Loved reading Raoul and Stephanie’s love story. Second chance at Love. Raoul found love where he least expected it. Recommended read. Loved the series.

Well written and an enjoyable story. I really enjoyed reading this book and look forward to reading more by this author.