Royal by Danielle Steel is exactly what I love about this author. A story with so much feeling, emotional and full of angst. I was captivated from the start. Setting during World War 2, the royal family must make a difficult decision. They decide to send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte away to keep her safe. No one could have predicted what happened next! The story is full of love, loss, secrets, hope and so much more.

Happy reading!

Great book!!!! Loved it a British monarch fiction readers love. Anna had an adjustment to make after she found out at was a princess after 20+ years but she didn't lose her true self and fell in love with Anthony who her queen aunt knew since birth and knew his father since young children.

My Bubbie (Yiddish for grandma) always loved @officialdaniellesteel and passed that love to me. I remember being in seventh grade and checking out all her books from the library and feeling like a true adult. Her old stuff is classic! But her newer stuff has fallen flat for me, except this one. This has an interesting premise: a secret princess, and if you know me, I love a good royal twist. However, Steel falls into her typical ~not like other girls~ trope with her protagonists, which always bothers me. Plus, her definition of beauty is pale skin and hair and being incredibly small. I think it’s time for her to move on from traditional Eurocentric beauty standards and embrace a more diverse cast of characters and stories.
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Thank you @netgalley and @randomhouse for this advanced copy!
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Book 72 of 2020
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Although I'm no history buff, Danielle Steel once again managed to pull me in with this page-turner. Set during WWII, the King and Queen of England send their youngest daughter, Princess Charlotte, to the country to live because of health issues that put her risk. Using an alias, no one suspected who she really was while residing with a noble family and a war orphan, Lucy. Charlotte falls in love, gets married and dies giving birth to her baby girl. While Lucy was jealous of Charlotte, she was deeply in love with Charlotte’s orphaned daughter, Annie, and raises her as her own. The story continues with more secrets and tragedy.

5/5

Fans of Danielle Steel will not be disappointed. I always enjoy her reads and this was another good one.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC.

3.5 Stars...I haven't read a Danelle Steel book in YEEEEARS because they all started to sound the same, but I actually enjoyed this book!

There's very little dialogue here (there's more towards the end). The story is told almost in a fairy tale kind of way. It's very detached and moves along quickly. It's as if someone was recounting a tale that someone had told them and they're passing it down.

One thing to keep in mind about this story...it's very happy-go-lucky. Everything is 'perfect' and 'amazing' and all-around sunshine and lollipops. Yes, there's death and deception, but you never really FEEL it. It's just something that propels the story forward.

Princess Charlotte is young and beautiful and an amazing horse rider. Henry is young and handsome and SO in love with her. Even when they find themselves in trouble being pregnant and unmarried, that problem is quickly solved by a hasty marriage and they're just so gosh-darn happy!

There are a lot of deaths in a fairly short time, but we never really feel attached to any of the characters, so you don't feel a whole lot of grief.

Annie lives a perfect life with her family on the Markhams estate and even once she finds out who she really is, the Royal family welcomes her with open arms and is so accepting and caring. Every single one of them! And she's the best rider, just like her mother and everything just comes so easy for her!

This book is 100% a filler book...there's no real substance to it, but it's a pleasant way to pass an afternoon. It's a great book to take your mind off all the crazy that's going on out in the world right now, and the perfect light reading in between some heavier books.

Overall, while this certainly isn't anything special, it's not a bad way to pass an afternoon.

I’m definitely a Danielle Steel fan and she doesn’t disappoint. I have always enjoyed historical fiction and the retelling of the British monarchy with a slight twist was quite fascinating. The story spans from World War II into the 1970s and the storytelling is magnificent. Of course, there’s tragedy and romance and also great horse racing to boot. The characters are familiar yet also unique and the ending made my corny romantic heart very happy. A must read for the end of summer.

3.5 Stars

Well it seems Danielle Steel is back to her old self and I couldn't be happier. I read a book by her at Christmas and wasn't happy. I loved her older novels and she has got that style back with this one.

This story starts off with a bang...WWII, a princess in hiding, a young romance, a surprise pregnancy...and death...lots and lots of death. But there is also love, happiness, joy and of course romance.

This isn't a unique plot but somehow I didn't mind that fact as Ms. Steel has her mojo back and I enjoyed the writing and the atmosphere contained in the book. My imagination took me to new places and a different time.

I really enjoyed this book a lot....royalty, loyalty, and relationships. I loved all the descriptions of the era and the castles. I also liked that not all of it was about the war. The author managed amazing character development. It was a nice break from all those thrillers.

My only complaint is that it was VERY repetitive...otherwise...a very enjoyable read.

I loved this story about a princess who goes into hiding during WWII and how her life changes over time. Read it in one afternoon. A wonderful family saga.

Many thanks to NetGalley, the publisher, and the author for my ARC. All opinions are my own.

Captivating. Heartbreaking. Couldn’t put it down!

I simply adored this historical drama. Steel covers the span of generations beginning with HRH Princess Charlotte who has been sent to the countryside during WWII and falls deeply in love with Henry, the son of her caretakers. The untimely death of Charlotte following childbirth, weaves a tale of loss and destiny. The life and love of her long-lost daughter (Princess) Annie sucked me in and spit me out with a lovely appreciation for Steel.

I absolutely would recommend Royal. This was the first book of Steel’s I have read, but will not be the last. Bravo!

Special thanks to Random House and NetGalley for this advanced copy of Royal.

Loved reading the amazing and awesome historical romance. During the war, Princess Charlotte is sent away for her safety and hidden away to live with a noble family in the country. Charlotte falls in love, gets married, and dies giving birth to her baby girl. After the count and countess dies, the secret of Charlotte's identity dies with them. Lucy, another girl from the war who lived with them, takes Charlotte's baby, Annie and Charlotte's correspondence, and raises her as her own child. When Lucy is dying of cancer, she feels the need to tell her husband, Jonathan, the truth about Annie's origins. Read the highly recommended, wonderfully written, full of mystery and secrets, and a must read story.
I reviewed a copy of the story through NetGalley.

A truly incredible read, this heartwarming story takes you through a quarter century of the lives within the royal family of England. It begins during WWII when war torn London is being ravaged with bombings. We meet Princess Charlotte, the youngest daughter of the royal family who is fragile in health. She is being sent off to the countryside to secretly reside with an Earl’s family for her own safety. Princess Charlotte never returns home alive, as her grieving family believes that she has died suddenly from pneumonia.
Astounding events bring a young lady commoner back to the royal family over twenty years later. This amazing girl who followed her dream, strong and determined to accomplish all that she knew she could be.

I look her books. I always get in them to so quickly. I love the characters and the cover and the title and I love fast you can get in to and hard to put down.

Royal by Danielle Steel is a book that drew me in right away. Princess Charlotte is seventeen when she is sent to Yorkshire for her health and safety. The owner’s have a handsome son who is the same age (you see where this is heading). The pair soon find themselves in a compromising situation. A baby ends up being raised by a housekeeper and a stable manager. The secret come to light forever altering people’s lives. Royal has Danielle Steel’s trademark writing style which makes her stories so easy to read. I liked the characters and the storyline. We get to see how family can help loved ones deal with grief and the intensity of love during war which will make people do things they would normally never think of doing. We also learn that it is important to fight for our dreams. There were some emotional moments in Royal that will have you searching for a hanky. Royal is a delightful escapist novel that I enjoyed from beginning to end.

What an intriguing story! I couldn't put it down! Such an amazing journey of life, love and family. Annie came from humble origins, or so she thought. When her mother died her stepfather learns a of a secret that will change their lives forever.

What a difficult decision Jonathan had to make. By sharing the secret his wife kept for almost twenty years, he alters his family going forward. The characters come alive in Danielle Steel's story. Annie is faced with a life changing decision, and she follows her dream giving up her true love. Her story is magical and it's a great read!

I received a free ARC eBook from Net Galley and the publisher in exchange for my honest opinions.

First, I will start off with this warning: if you are not horse crazy like I am, then this is probably not the book for you. This year I read my first Danielle Steel book. When I saw this one coming out, I was excited to receive an ARC from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Charlotte is a princess, third in line to the crown, and longs to help with the war efforts and tasks just as her two older sisters do. Due to her health, her parents are firm about not letting her do her duties and send her away to the country for her safety. She is unhappy at first, but with the bombings, her parents simply do not want to risk it. Charlotte expects to return home in a year once she is 18 years old, but her future is not what she planned. While staying on an aging estate, she meets a fellow young lady of a similar age to her. Here, she finds love and encounters death and sadness. The other young lady who stayed at the estate one day decides to take her savings and leave with an orphaned baby and make a life for herself. She holds a secret close and guards it like a dragon would it's gold. Finally, one day it is time for the truth to emerge. When the truth comes out about the child, everything will change for her family and the child.
There is romance in this story, but it is not as heavy as one would expect at first. A large portion is about horses and the love of those beautiful creatures. There is also a time where a character has to make a decision; follow their heart and keep their dream or give up the person they love and forget their life dream. It was a fast read and the horse racing was thrilling! I definitely recommend this book for those who like light to medium gentle romance with a ton a of amazing horses!

Typically, a review for such a superb storyteller as Ms. Steel is easy to write. However, when the book is drudgery, the review is horrific to write. The story has no twists, turns, or surprises. Honestly, after two maybe three chapters you could write the ending yourself. The concept is simple a couple too young falls in love and tragedy strikes. There are numerous thinly veiled references to the Royal family and the House of Windsor. This includes subtle reminders of rumors regarding the Queen and her life-long friend. There are too many new stories to tell without wasting time writing such drivel. Also, there are too many wonderful books to read without bothering with this one. Perhaps a ghost writer was practicing?
A courtesy review copy of "Royal" was provided to me by NetGalley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I don't love generational stories, but for fans of Danielle Steel, this is not a miss. She writes with her usual style and all of the heart that has made her such a bestseller.

I'm a fairly new Danielle Steel reader. I've liked most of her books, and this was no different. I will definitely keep reading her.

I am fascinated at the thought that a royal princess could get married, have a baby and die in the space of a year with no one being the wiser. Yes the story is set during the war and said princess is sent to the countryside to help with her chronic asthma. For her safety no one but her hosts know who she truly is but within the space of that same year her husband and hosts all die leaving a baby girl princess unknown, abandoned and alone.
Lucy the other city girl who was sheltering with the same noble family as the princess Charlotte came from trade and even though she loved Henry who only had eyes for Charlotte and was envious of Charlotte loved Charlotte's little baby. Even after she found proof that little Annie was legitimate, Lucy took the proof, disappeared and reinvented herself as a war widow with a child. One has to wonder about Lucy's motives but the author makes it clear that Lucy loved the baby Anne and raised her well. Fortunately Lucy also had the good fortune to fall in love and marry a very good young man who had aspirations to become the stable master for the noble family where they both found themselves working. The story moves slowly to a point when Anne is a young woman who's truth is revealed and her loving father works to re-unite her with her long lost blood family who happen to be the ruling family in the country.
Anne is horse mad and has aspirations to be a female jockey. Working in the royal stables she makes friends with her boss's son who is arrogant, rich and entitled. The transformation from this brotherly affection into a full on romance is again improbably because the author doesn't really build a romance but again it is fiction and a romance at that and after a few curves and rocks they will live happily ever after.
The story is a bit slow but sweet and the characters with the descriptions of the royal family will be appealing to fans of all things royal.

Pretty typical Danielle Steel, although this one moves FAST over a period of about 30 years. Princess Charlotte, third in line to the English throne is sent away during WWII. She gets pregnant at 17 and is married without her parents' knowing due to the lack of secure communication in the days of yore. The book largely follows her daughter, Anne Louise (Annie) who has a penchant for riding.