Royal, by Danielle Steel.
Thank you to Net Galley for an early copy of this book in exchange for my honest review.
I tend to be a reader of scientific, political, and historical books. Basically, I’m kind of a nerd, and I’m okay with that! But, throughout my late teens and adult life, Danielle Steel books remain my guilty pleasure. I find them at used book sales, garage sales, the library, etc... and when I have time, I gobble them up!
Royal did not disappoint.
During World War II, The Germans bombed London and it’s surrounding areas, relentlessly. Businesses, factories, schools, churches, homes...nowhere was safe. Buckingham palace was even bombed. There was a haze of residue and dust that lingered in the air from the bombs falling and the destruction that ensued.
The king and queen of England decided that their youngest daughter, Charlotte, would greatly benefit by living in the country. The country was safer due to fewer bombings and the dust and residue would not precipitate the life threatening asthma attacks the princess suffered from.
The last thing in the world that Charlotte wanted was to be separated from her family during the war. Try as she might, at 16 years old, it was impossible to defy her parents decision. She would be staying on a farm with a family who had one son who would be going off to war soon, and a girl her age who had lost both of her parents during the raids in London. Theparents would be theonly people who would know she was a royal. Keeping it a secret was a must for her safety.
Sadly, Charlotte and Lucy (the girl who had lost her parents in the raids), despite being the same age, had nothing in common. Even conversation was difficult. Henry, the son of her hosts, and Charlotte bonded instantly. They both had a love of horses which bonded them as fast friends. As war loomed closer for Henry, their friendship evolved into love. Events then occurred which Charlotte knew her parents would not approve of... Prior to his departure, Henry and Charlotte were quietly married by the vicar... there was a baby on the way!
War time dealt some serious blows to the family...death surrounded them. Within a matter of months, the only people left on the estate were the help, Lucy, and a tiny tot named Anne Louise.
Lucy loved the baby with all of her heart. There was no way she would ever let harm or judgement hurt her. Lucy worked hard to provide a happy home for her “daughter”. The love between them was mutual. Lucy was the only mother Annie knew!
Not surprisingly, genes came to play in Annie’s love of horses. Her work with horses brought several key players into her life and her mother’s. Jonathon, the stable master who adored Annie and her passion of horses, fell in love with Lucy, and married her. Annie could not have been happier with their family.
But again, death took away the person Annie needed most in the world...and her whole world changed when secrets came to light as her mother lay dying...
I really enjoyed this book. I loved the “Cinderella” story!
The only thing I wished for was a bit more historical detail. (The nerd in me).
All in all, I really liked it. A solid 4 stars from me.

This book was harder to get into. I’m not sure why. This book is about a princess who gets pregnant and a jealous friend, who ended up deciding to do take things in her own hand after the princess dies. The story is good, It ends good but just this book was harder for me to get into. I would recommend this book still to the people that like to read her books.,

Okay- know up front there is no Princess Charlotte and that this is a fairy tale, nota reimagining of the lives of one of the Windsors. That said, it's a fun read about a young woman who falls in love, suffers tragedy, and then about her daughter, who is a secret from everyone. It's 1943 and Charlotte is the youngest princess. They never thought that Charlotte would fall in love with Henry, the son of their friends, nor that she would become pregnant. Charlotte never imagined that Henry would die (although that loomed large for young men of the time) or that his mother and father would succumb to illness or, worst of all that she would die, leaving behind infant Annie. No spoilers from me on how things work out for her but that's the charming part of this tale (which has a lot of sadness getting there!). It's classic Steel = it's not too deep, it's got strong female characters, and it has a happy ending (that's not a spoilers!). My only quibble is that this is set in the UK- it might have been more transportive had it been set in an imaginary country because I would not have constantly harkened back to real life. Nonetheless, a good read. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC.

Oh Danielle Steel! I grew up on this woman! My mom was and still is an avid read of Danielle’s and I feel like I watched all her TV movies as a teen. So I was beyond excited to dip my toes back into Danielle Steel greatness!

This book was great! Danielle gives us an escape to England durning WW II. And gives us a story about a royal family and of course love. Danielle gives us an amazingly strong lead woman Annie. I loved reading her journey of her trying to define the odds!

I thoroughly enjoyed the beginning of this book. Charlotte, one of the daughters to the King and Queen is sent away due to the bombings in the city. However to keep her protected, she moves to Yorkshire under an alias. Without giving too much more away, things become complicated during her stay at Yorkshire and the book follows along from there.

As the story progresses, I felt a disconnect from the main character. Everything just lined up too perfectly for her. It seemed a bit unrealistic to me. However I did enjoy the book and look forward to upcoming releases by Danielle Steele.

I used to read this author years ago. I stopped because all of the books sounded the same. I enjoyed this book. I didn’t love it and some of it seemed unbelievable. When the royal princess hides for a year during the war, and nobody doubts her? Or discovers her? I didn’t buy it. I don’t want to give more away. The story itself was interesting and filled with drama. Thanks netgalley for giving me this opportunity.

A long time fan of the author! I love it when the stories take place in a different time and place. This story fills the bill, especially during these Covid times. I escaped and read about the royal family, life in England during WW II, commoners, love, and family. Annie is a strong central character, I really cared about her and was so glad that she was strong in her desire to pursue her dream of becoming a jockey, during the times of only male jockeys. Exciting to read about her journey pursuing her dream. Thanks to Net Galley and the publisher for the opportunity to read an advance copy.

A riveting good read that might be short, but never feels it, as it packs in the yearning desire and amusement to overflowing!!

Annie is a character to be emulated as she was strong yet sweet and was never dissuaded from achieving her goal as a prize winning jockey. She was willing to sacrifice love to pursue her dreams. This book is set in the midst of war where death and rationing is commonplace and the royal.family as well as Lucy and Jonathan certainly experienced their fair share. What Lucy did was wrong but she truly loved Annie and wanted to make sure she was taken care of. That she found such a wonderful partner in Jonathan was testament that she was capable of great love. I also enjoyed the characters of Alexandra and Victoria as despite being of royal bloodline were not docile in the least. Great book.

I really enjoyed “Royal”. It brought me back to the style of writing that endeared me to Steel many years ago. The characters came alive to me and I found myself caring about what happened to them.

I really needed a Women’s Fiction book during these difficult times. Royal fit the bill. The story developed clearly, moved along quickly, and held my interest throughout.

This story is all about the fallout of war and secrets. As the book opens, princess Charlotte is sent away for her own safety. No one thought it would be for more than a year. Well, a lot happens when the year in question is during a war. And in true fiction style, a lot happens in Princess Charlotte's life within said year. Not only does she keep her true identity secret, but she falls in love, gets pregnant, gets married, becomes a war widow, gives birth and then dies. The rest of the book is centered around her daughter, Anne Louise who doesn't learn of her heritage until she's an adult.

There were parts of this story I had a hard time connecting with. Most of the story had me fascinated. What originated out of revenge grew to a genuine parental love between Lucy and Anne. You kept waiting to see how the truth would unfold and it didn't happen in a way I expected. You didn't always want to like Lucy. Her motives weren't always good in the beginning- but they changed over time. She gave Anne a happy and solid life full of love that she probably wouldn't have had otherwise,

Not being a big horse fan, I wasn't pulled into that part of the story. While I like the groundbreaking leaps Anne made for women in the equestrian field, I wasn't as pulled into this aspect of the book as I was with other parts.

The area I had the hardest struggle with was the last 1/4 of the book. Anne's transition to royal life wasn't at all what I expected or thought likely. Nor was I able to get behind the romance of Anne and Anthony. In a matter of a paragraph she goes from seeing him in a brotherly view to confessing her love in a romantic view.

Overall, it was a moderate read. There were amazing parts and equally disappointing parts to this story for me. I wasn't as gripped or invested in this book as I have been with previous Danielle Steel books. I don't think I would buy this particular book. I love her historical fiction, but this one wasn't one of her bests. It's a great summer beach read, but not among my favorites.

This book was a beautiful, heartwarming escape from all of the ugliness currently going on in the world right now. It’s a story that will tug on your heartstrings because of the sheer amount of emotion weaved into the pages. A fairytale with a royal flourish, you will be swept away by both the characters and the events taking place throughout the story. Danielle Steel weaved together a tale about love in its purest and truest forms, and offers hope to anybody who is in need of a story that will lift you up and help you to see light in the darkness. Because while this is very much a heartwarming story overall, there are still some tragic happenings and devastations that occur throughout, but the touching, hopeful aspects balance out the bleaker side of things.

Danielle Steel touches on many subjects and things in this story, including love (in all its forms), loss, and the importance of family. There’s also romance, mystery, scandal, and so much more. Woven all together, these elements make for a very compelling and emotionally impactful read. Fans of historical fiction, romance, and more specifically, British royalty and British history, will fall in love with this story and its characters.

This book centers around a girl who is raised as a commoner, unaware of her true status and family. As the dramatic events of this story unfold and as secrets are unveiled and brought to the surface, she comes to find out that not only is she a member of the royal family, but is a princess.

Between the story of the secret princess, her birth parents’ tragic but beautiful love story, her adoptive parents of sorts, and her assimilation into the royal family, this book will enthrall you from start to finish as you delve into the lives of these characters and their connections to one another.

Despite some of the bleaker, heavier parts of this story, this book is ultimately a beautiful, heart warming story that will bring a smile to your face and remind you of the beauty of life and love despite the hardships that come along.

Fans of The Crown, and other British related shows and books, will certainly find this book appealing! As well as anybody else seeking a story that provides a pleasant escape and showcases hope and happiness even in the darkest of times.

Thank you for this touching, spellbinding story Danielle Steel! I look forward to falling in love with more of her books in the near future!

I read this book in one day...absolutely could NOT put it down. What a fantastic read! I fell in love with all of the characters! Annie is born during the war. She somehow survives and grows up to be a lovely young lady who has a love for horses. When a secret about her birth is revealed, it sets Annie off on a different, but more exciting path than she’s ever imagined!

What an enjoyable read! As with all of her books Danielle Steel pulls you in with her well developed characters and attention to detail.

I enjoyed this book! I liked the characters and the storyline. It moved quickly with characters that were worth reading! Here’s to never giving up on you dreams !

Another beautifully written emotionally moving novel by Danielle Steele.Characters that come alive British history part of this wonderful read.Highly recommenced.#netgalley #randomhouse

Royal, by Danielle Steel is a book that will grab your heart and not let it go. I have been reading Danielle Steel since the 70’s and I always love them. Danielle Steel always gives you characters to love and some times to hate ( no haters in this book ) and she will give you scenarios that make you feel a part of them.
This is a modern fairy tale of a girl who is raised as a commoner but discovers her connection to the Royal family and is actually a princess. This book is set in England from WWII through the late 60’s early 70’s. There are names dropped of many places that we all have hear about because of Princes Diana and the current Royals ( Windsor Castle, Buckingham Palace, Balmoral Castle).
The perfect escape has once again been provided by Danielle Steel.
Thanks to Random House Publishing Group – Ballantine, Edelweiss and NetGalley for an advanced copy of this book.

Another winner from Ms. Steel! Besides having a good storyline, I also learned alot of Brittish history. Wish the book was longer, it ended too soon!

This Historical Fiction book fulfilled so many needs that I like in Historical novels.
There was love, mystery, scandal, and so much more that kept the book moving forward and interesting. Royals created such a well-rounded love story starting with the beginning main characters and continuing throughout the story with other characters.
The only negative I have about this novel was sometimes it would have an almost omnipresent moment where everything and everyone's thoughts and feelings were known. It just threw me out of the story every once in awhile, but did not cause much a change in my opinions about this novel.