I couldn't get into this one at all. While I don't mind suspending belief to read a story (I mean I read mostly romance, that's a given lol), but this one was just beyond unbelievable. Some random stranger comes to your door to tell you that you're a long lost princess and that you were kidnapped as a kid, and need to come with him right this moment. My first thought would be to contact the parents who raised me, not think, huh well if he says it's true. I just can't. This book reads more for a younger audience, and I'm not a fan of YA. Immaturity isn't one of the tropes I enjoy. Although this one wasn't for me, I would give this author another read.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced readers copy of this book.

Of course. Not because they are my subjects, my responsibility, but because they are people, just like you and me. And everyone matters. Everyone is unique and has their own contribution to society, to friends, to life. Nobody is ordinary. Least of all you, Kelsey."

Ah what a story! Kelsey is hanging out inn her NYC apartment, when her life as she knows it is suddenly changed forever. Long-lost Princess Valentina of Moncriano, Kelsey is taken to the little-known European country where she meets her family that she last saw as a baby 20 odd years ago. And the man taking her is Elias, of the Royal Protection Service, devout and loyal to the core to serve his country and the Royal Family. Including Kelsey. So she should be off limits, technically, but who is following the rules?

What ensues is a well-written, witty and sweet story, with some steamy bits, and a love story that defies obstacles. It's about relationships between family members, duty, loyalty and love. Kelsey grew throughout this story, her self-belief and reasoning blossomed amongst this fairytale setting, despite her fervent wish for her old life back. I loved reading about her childhood, and at parts I had tears in my eyes, reading about the Royal Family's anguish and loss. However, primarily The Princess Problem is a read I thoroughly enjoyed with humour, relationships, love and loyalty at it's fundamental core. Ms Barth is a new-to-me author, and I'm so glad I read this book, I recommend to all readers who love Royal Romance books, family dynamics and a well-written romance. A 5 star review from me *****!

I received a free copy of this book, which I voluntarily read. All thoughts are my own.

This is the first book I read by this author, who is now on my favourites list, and I’ll be reading more of her books.

The Princess Problem is written very well, the story flows and engaged me from the start. I didn’t find any plot holes, annoying characters, or parts where the story just seems to drag on and on.
It’s the perfect book if you want to escape reality for a couple hours and dive into a thoroughly enjoyable story with well developed characters and a solid plot. Reading this left me smiling for hours.

I grew up loving the Princess Diaries, and this book was that but for adults. I love the idea of a long lost princess, a forbidden romance, and a fish out of water American princess. I cannot wait to read all about the other members of this family!

This story was cute! the main characters had great chemistry, and the secondary characters added some great texture to the plot.

Thank you Publisher and NetGalley for this early copy!

Did not finish - I could not connect with the writing or plot and decided to put this one down.

I know that most little girls dream about being princesses, especially after all those delightful Disney Princesses, but I'm that one little girl who wanted to be a Jedi Knight or a profession football player. So, I was totally suffering with Kelsey, when she found out she was a long lost Princess, and had to give up her yoga pants for tiaras & heels. As an adult, I had a little girl who wanted to be a Princess, but she & I are both aware what goes into being royalty, and no thanks, because neither of us have a filter which is big no no! Anyway, as Kelsey is learning the million rules & her true royal family, I could feel her struggle with it all, and especially after she had some lethal chemistry with her royal bodyguard Elias Trebanti of the Moncriano Royal Protection Service, and he's yummy which is why I believe she even went to check out the situation. I really did love this story so much, as it was entertaining as Kelsey aka Princess Valentina of Moncriano, forced the stuffy people to accept her, which made me laugh on more than one occasion. Oh, and of course there's danger, because why was she long lost in the first place?! There's also this little issue of wanting to be with Elias which is against the rules as well, so you'll have to one click this story to find out how it all panned out. I'm seriously hope there's more to come with this family by the talented Christi Barth! HIGHLY RECOMMEND!

Every girl dreams of becoming a Princess, wearing the tiara, ballgowns and hello meeting Prince Charming. Well get ready for Christi Barth because she has a Princess who well doesn’t want to be a Princess. Now this was a beautiful story about one girl who just wants to be like everybody else. Life for Kelsey has always been what she grew up in and bam Christi Barth turns her whole life upside down with one hot bodyguard. This is one book that will make you laugh and yet root for Kelsey to be who she is really meant to be. The love Elias has for his client may seem cliche but his feelings are stronger than any man she has ever met. The past about Kelsey is one that needs to be told and man once everything has been revealed it’s up to Kelsey to show who she really is meant to be. Quite a unique story Christ created and this is the first book in her new series worth getting. Loved it.

“I received an eBook copy from the publisher for the purpose of an honest review. I was not compensated for this review: all conclusions are my own.”

Royal romance is my guilty pleasure and this book falls under that category for me. Yes please! And there’s a sequel?! I will take them all, forever. Please never stop writing!

This was a DNF for me. I didn't mesh with the writing style and couldn't bring myself to carry on with the book. The beginning of the book was bit much and a little too cheesy for my taste. Thank you for the opportunity to read it.

A new spin on an oft told story...a “normal” woman who finds out she’s a princess. This one was done really well, and I loved Kelsey’s loyalty to her sister, as well as her newly found siblings. Elias is just the absolute best. The struggles they faced while falling in love only made them stronger. A great start to a new series!

I am very happy to hear that there is more to this story and I hope we get some answers!

The story is a great premise - a bit of Rapunzel mixed in with a traditional royalty/commoner romance novel. Elias and Kelsey are great characters, especially Elias and the book kept me entertained. I just would like more answers to the main mystery. And I want more Mallory, even a standalone book, because she is the best sister in the world.

Ahhhhh this was just such a great read. I just didn't want this book to end and I was sad to turn the last page. I'm so excited to see what's next from this author.

I enjoyed this book by Christi Barth and am excited to see that it is the first in a series to read. It was fun to read about a girl who DIDN'T want to be a princess. Can't wait for the next book!

The Princess Problem is a perfectly fine, new adult romance. It uses a lot of tropes, including a clueless heroine, to move the story forward and it’s entertaining to see how main character, Kelsey, navigates her new life and the relationships she begins to form. I couldn’t rate it higher, because I just didn’t believe the story - it held me attention as an easy read, but I spent a long time questioning the motives of the characters and cringing at the breach in royal protocol. For those people who love rags to riches and royalty stories, it will be a great read. For me, it was just okay.

The Princess Problem is an absolute pleasure to read. As a fan of the fairytale princesses of the world, I can only imagine how it feels to become one. As a Jersey girl with no formal training and not knowing much about tiny European countries, I can totally understand Kelsey's dilemma.

A regular girl and an irregular life. It's a clash of unreal proportions. Kelsey went from 4th floor walk up and 600 SQ. FT. to 634 rooms. There is no handbook big enough for those kinds of changes. Not only that but a gloriously handsome man whose only job is to keep her safe but finds ways to make her happy...Yeah, I'm not sure I have an unbiased perspective. I would totally have jumped Elias consequences be damned. Then again, I'm just a Jersey girl.

It's highly romantic and dutiful ways make The Princess Problem a must read. Even better, Christi Barth is continuing to regale us with the royals of Moncriano. I can not wait for all the royal gossip!

A romance book full of clichés and a Mary-Sue protagonist, this one fell short for me. I couldn’t for a second believe that Elias would risk his whole career (and honor) over a girl he just met. Especially when they started out as just being a fling. And I didn’t like how naively American Kelsey was as to somehow not know the slightest basics of how royalty works. Americans love a good royal story. Let’s not act like we don’t know the most basic of royal protocol.

I received an advanced copy through Netgalley in return for an honest review.

Kelsey and her big sister Mallory have just moved to the Big Apple, NYC, Manhattan, and are ready to live the dream they’ve been planning and saving up for for nearly a decade. After finally moving into their tiny apartment, they begin to unpack and dive into life in the big city at full steam when a knock on the door changes everything. Kelsey’s world is upended when she’s told she’s the long-lost daughter of the king of a small country nestled near the Italian coastline. A country she’s never heard of. They tell her she was kidnapped as an infant, something that makes no sense to Kelsey, who grew up in a very decidedly middle class family that was perfectly average in every way. She never had even a hint that she was a) adopted or b) kidnapped. None of it makes any sense to her or Mallory. And the fact that she can’t reach her parents, only makes matters worse when government officials from Moncriano want her to return to her home country. Elias, her self-described body guard is as hot as he is foreign, only muddying the waters further.

Kelsey not only needs to navigate royal life, bond with a family she’s never known, come to terms with her past, but also decide in two weeks if she’s ready to embrace her true identity and give up the only way of life she’s ever known. Yeah, no pressure there.

Plot
Kelsey must embrace her true roots or not. That’s the heart of the story. But the romance with Elias is a strong subplot. Her journey throws a lot of obstacles in her way, not the least of which is getting to know her royal family. With her birth mother having already died, her father, the king, is struggling with embracing the daughter he believed gone forever. She has a brother for the first time ever, but also an older sister who seems to hate her. The fact that Elias is her subject as well as her employee makes any relationship completely off limits. Which of course only makes the sparks fly hotter.

My biggest problem with this book is that Kelsey seems to take it all in stride. The fact that she’s willing to just go with the hot stranger without verifying anything for herself, that she’s not more distraught over her past and secrets withheld from her, ate away at me at a low level as she meets her “real” family. She mentions a few times in passing that her parents weren’t kidnappers, but this should have been driving some serious low-level angst in everything she does. Instead, less than 20% in, she’s snogging her security detail in the garden instead of having an identity crisis of epic proportions. But if you can overlook this for the sake of convenience, it’s a lighthearted take on what it’s like to be unexpectedly thrust into royal life, like a grown-up THE PRINCESS DIARIES. It’s definitely a fun, fast read.

Characters
The characters aren’t terribly deep, but they are fun, and not stereotypical. Kelsey is delightful as the reluctant royal and her sister, Mallory, is hysterical as her partner in crime. I love Kelsey’s loyalty to Mallory as well as her sense of duty to both her families. Elias is honor-bound and full of principle. Princess Genevieve is so relatable as the older sister whose entire life has been shaped by Kelsey’s kidnapping and is struggling with yet the latest upheaval in her relatively short life. Prince Christian is adorable as the loving older brother who has no idea how to interact with his youngest sister. I was totally pulling for a Christian/Mallory side romance. The rest of the characters are there to provide humor and conflict and do their jobs well. There really isn’t a whole lot for any of them to overcome on a deep level, leaving this more plot-based than character-based and that’s perfect for a romantic comedy.

What I Enjoyed About THE PRINCESS PROBLEM
1. Royalty. Sure, Americans don’t have our own royalty, in fact if anything we’re anti-royal since our whole country was founded on bucking the monarchy, but it’s still fun to get a behind-the-scenes reminder of why being a princess would suck on almost every level.

2. Elias. Not only is he yummy to look at, but his sense of duty and honor makes him nearly irresistible.

3. Christian. He walks a fine line between the duties of heir to the throne and that of an adoring older brother with class, humor, and intense hotness.

4. Mallory. Kelsey is her sister. She always has been and she always will be, regardless of Kelsey’s royal status. I love how nothing changes for her when it comes to her little sister.

5. Politics. I’ll admit, I didn’t really expect that in this story, but it plays into everything, although with a light touch by the author. It adds intrigue that would otherwise be missing.

Bottom Line
A super fun, lighthearted royal romance.

OMG! I loved it! “Christi Barth” is one of my many favourite writers because her books have such interesting premises! I’m a total sucker for a princess and bodyguard rom-com and this book is one of the many reasons why I love them. The writing is excellent! It’s well written, witty, swoon worthy, fun and thoroughly satisfying. It was an absolute delight to read and can’t wait for the next book. A five star read that will make your year! Grab your copy today!! Happy reading!!

Not for me. The writing style just wasn't up to my alley. I wouldn't say that there is anything wrong with the writing, but I just don't think it is my style. It didn't make me want to dive in and devour. I was bored from the beginning.