I love second chance romances and this one is great. The story has Indian maharaja, Princess Sarani Rao needing to travel and ends up on her one love’s ship Captain Rhystan Huntley. He’s reluctantly headed back home as Duke of Embry. This book is different it has diverse cultures colliding and we see the main characters struggling to hang onto the love they once shared. I have voluntarily read and reviewed the excellent story.

I like this story very much. This is the first book I read from this author and is not going to be the last one. Her writing is really really good.
Born to an Indian maharaja and a British noblewoman, Princess Sarani Rao has it all: beauty, riches, and a crown. But when Sarani’s father is murdered, her only hope is the next ship out—captained by the boy she once loved…and spurned.

Captain Rhystan Huntley, the reluctant Duke of Embry, is loath to give up his life at sea. But duty is calling him home, and this is his final voyage. Leave it to fate that the one woman he’s ever loved must escape to England on his ship.

I absolutely love the dynamics of this book. The story is super enjoyable. Sarina is strong and resilient; full of life and braver than most. Rhystan is sexy as hell and the chemistry between them is amazing. There are great dialogs and well developed characters, including the side ones. I hope his sister is our next heroine!

This book is beautiful and emotional. It´s funny, sweet, romantic, passionate. I adore that he SEES her. And when the time comes, he stood by her making sure anyone else sees her too.

I highly recommend this story.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

I like the premise. The writing style wasn't for me though. My main problem with the writing was that the transitions between scenes weren't smooth. I didn't like Sarani and Rhystan. Both were so arrogant. This is an enemy to lovers book, but it is drawn out so long that is gets annoying. The romance wasn't convincing me. Overall it was an okay read, but I won't continue the series

This was not your average historical romance and I love it all the more for it. I want more of these type of books with mixed heritages.  We know the English aristocracy does not accept or approve but sometimes being a Duke is enough to ignore the rules.

I just love Sarani and Rhystan's origin story and how they met but duty kept them apart. They are so steamy when they are together. They can't keep their eyes or hands off eachother.

This book did discuss the difficult issues of racism, colorism, prejudice beliefs of the time. Even as she tried to hide in plain sight by powdering herself and changing her name to Lady Sara. 

Even now people are changing their names to make people more comfortable pronouncing their names. Honestly people can't pronounce my name which is Laura. Don't change for other people. It's easy for me to say. But I've changed things about myself to fit in and it sucks to hide away pieces of yourself when you want to show them. 

Synopsis:
Born to an Indian maharaja and a British noblewoman, Princess Sarani Rao has it all: beauty, riches, and a crown. But when Sarani’s father is murdered, her only hope is the next ship out—captained by the boy she once loved…and spurned.

Captain Rhystan Huntley, the reluctant Duke of Embry, is loath to give up his life at sea. But duty is calling him home, and this is his final voyage. Leave it to fate that the one woman he’s ever loved must escape to England on his ship. 

Thank you sourcebooks casa and net galley for the e-ARC for my honest and voluntary review.

So much to relish...

In Amalie Howard's latest book, The Princess Stakes. I think she's hit her stride with this second chance, reversal of fortune, with race relations front and center, just to make it more complicated.
Sarani lived a life of wealth and abundance, though she couldn't marry Rhystan, as he was a lowly third son. Now, with her father dead, she must flee for her safety. Straight on to the ship that Rhystan is captaining to return to England, cuz he's now a duke.

So much to enjoy in The Princess Stakes.
Recommend.

✨ willing brown girl seeking kickass adventure and brooding ship captain 🙋🏽‍♀️✨(it’s me I am willing brown girl 😂)

Tropes:
😍 second chance
🙌🏼 hate to love
🥵 brooding ship captain hero
⚓️ adventure
👑 runaway + badass heroine
🥺 groveling
🗣 witty banter
😏 forced proximity

Summary:
After running away from the evil men who murdered her father, Princess Sarani manages to escape from India only to land on the ship belonging to the captain she knew and loved years ago. With danger hot on their trail, both must team up to keep Sarani safe. But as old hurts and suppressed feelings begin to resurface, both can't help falling for each other all over again.

As the descendent of Indian freedom fighters, South Asian colonialism is topic that is extremely vulnerable and important for me. I know the book had to go through a major recall to reform huge mistakes it committed in the earlier version. Therefore, It was vital to me that this book do everything right. I am glad to report that it did. The history and the plot was woven in perfectly while being true to the times and unoffensive. The recall was absolutely worth it. I haven't read the earlier version of the book so I cannot report on what had improved since its original. What this book achieved and how it did in this version was perfect to me. It is very hard and expensive for publishers and authors to recall books. Thank you so much Amalie Howard and Sourcebooks for taking that risk. As many early readers were, I would have been appalled and heartbroken if this book was problematic. The South Asian community has such a bloody and heartbreaking history with the time period and society most historical take place in, that is why it was vital to write this book, heal past hurts, and diversify the genre. Minorities of all kind are pushing for diversity in the historical romance genre and are met with the argument about the inability to weave historical accuracy into the plot. However, this book is the perfect example of how the history of a culture during that time period can be so scary but still beautifully woven into a historical romance for a modern society.

Sourcebooks and Amalie Howard have done something amazing today. My eyes are getting misty as I write this review; this book and the diversification it achieves means so much to my community. Thank you.

Moving on...

Inspired by the ferocious Queen of Jansi, a martyr and overall badass in South Asian history, Sarani very much lived up to her inspiration. She was strong, kind, passionate, clever, etc. All things I wanted her to be. I loved how she took charge of her life and stood up for herself. Society shoves this male gaze ridden image of what a "badass" woman should look like: hyper masculine, unfeeling, unattached, etc. Historical romances are the biggest attest to how real badass women come in all varieties. Sarani was kickass, kind, clever, loving, considerate, etc. Loving people and being kind didn't take away from how badass she was. That is such a wonderful message to be showing readers.

This book gives you so much 🙌🏼 I got badass heroine, hot brooding hero, sizzling chemistry, amazing tropes, artfully crafted history, great romance, sexy steam, gripping adventure, high stakes, and more!

Rhystan was sexy, brooding, stubborn, and more! I could not get enough of him. I need a man like him in my life.

Though I love a great hate to love, the only reason I am docking a 0.5 from this book is I wished there were better communication at the beginning. Their intense loathing was a little uncalled for seeing that it could have been solved very quickly. I also wished that Rhystan had groveled a bit more after saying and doing the hurtful things that he did.

I am also hosting a GIVEAWAY for the book on my instagram (@_a.book.nook_) go check it out!

I cannot stress enough how wonderful this book is. I implore you to read this book, especially if you are looking for a unique, steamy historical with wonderful diversity.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/ 5 stars | 🌶🌶🌶/ 5 steam

Thank you to Sourcebooks, NetGalley, and Amalie Howard for granting me an ARC of this wonderful book in exchange for my honest review.

I definitely enjoyed the reading experience of this book, as I haven’t been reading that many historical romances recently. This book is about Princess Sarani Rao, daughter of an Indian maharaja and a British noblewoman. Here father is murdered at the beginning of the book, which starts her escape to England, the birthplace of her mother. The captain of the ship she ends up on is Rhystan Huntley, whom she loved in the past. He is now a duke on the way back to England.

I heard about the issues which this book had when the arcs were released last fall. I did not read that arc, and this one is a review for the revised version of the book. I would say there weren’t any inherent issues in this revised version, which is something I’ve also heard from other reviewers. It’s refreshing to see an author take criticism to heart, even in an own voices book.

I loved Sarani in this book, she was definitely my favorite of the two main characters. She was strong and resolute, while at the same time grieving for her father. On the other hand, I kind of disliked Rhystan. I didn’t quite understand why he was so mad at Sarani about something that happened 5 years ago, especially since he was in a similar situation currently. He was being very hypocritical and that annoyed me a lot. I think that’s where the relationship suffered too. Rhystan was so angry and wanted to punish Sarani from her past actions, and I just didn’t care for that. It felt like at the end of the book, he just flipped a switch when he realised he loved her.

I also loved the plot of the book. The whole concept of the book had me intrigued, even if I don’t love a second chance romance. The beginning half which took place on the ship were my particular favourite. The main characters disliked each other and tried to piss one another off constantly. The discussions on racism and colonialism were very interesting and based on the author’s note seemed to be well research. The pacing felt a little off, but that didn’t bother me too much.

Overall, I would recommend this book for anyone looking for a historical romance that has different elements than usual.

Please note: I have read the reviews of the previous version of this novel, and went into this read with my eyes open.
Official rating: 3.5 stars
I feel like both of our characters are written very well. We have a man who has Captained his own ship, disgruntled and duty bound to return home and become the duke he is supposed to be. What he doesn't expect, is that on his final voyage home, he would be bringing the princess he loved.
Our princess is grieving the murder of her father, and doesn't expect to see the boy who spurned her love captaining the ship to take her home.
There is a huge race discussion within this novel that I think is historically accurate. Does that mean we should do the same now? No. How do we do that? By educating ourselves.
This own voices author took the time to educate the readers while she wrote a second chance romance, and I can't blame her for that. The book did feel a bit clunky with it's pacing, but I did overall enjoy it. I'm not sure if the clunky bits came from the rewrite or not, but I do know that the author went back and made changes to the book.

This was my first book by this author, and I enjoyed it very much!

Princess Sarani Rao is on the run, after the murder of her father. She suspects she knows who is responsible, and they'll be coming for her next. So, she needs to get out of India ASAP. She ends up on the next ship out of port, which just so happens to be captained by the boy she loved and lost 5 years before.

Captain Rhystan Huntley, the new-ish Duke of Embry, is upset that his mother has summoned him home to London. He knows she is trying to get him married and settled, which he has no intention of doing. So, he sets off from India, and after they are well underway, he is horrified to find the only woman he's ever loved on board. He hoped to never see her again, and he has no qualms letting her know it.

There's a thin line between love and hate, and Rhystan and Sarani's chemistry is EXPLOSIVE! They don't want to still be attracted to each other, given their history, but they ARE, and they both have a hard time fighting it. So instead, they constantly bicker, and give each other a hard time. The whole ship finds it hilarious, and some crew even help Sarani play her tricks on him. He starts to reluctantly find himself anticipating what she'll do next. It's really sweet. Then, once they settle on a fake engagement that solves both their problems, and they arrive in London, things get even more confusing for them both.

The side characters here were great. I especially love the ship's quartermaster, Gideon, Sarani's maid, Asha, and Rhystan's younger sister, Ravenna. Gideon was a great friend, and always supplied good advice for Rhystan, especially when it wasn't wanted. Asha was a ride or die friend to Sarani, and was all Sarani had left of her home. Ravenna was a total delight, and she and Sarani got along great. Ravenna's book is next, so I'll definitely be looking forward to that!

There was a lot of info in the story about British colonization of India, and the inherent issues related to that. It touched on racism once Sarani arrived in England, and all the reasons she needed to keep her true identity a secret. There was of course plenty of toxic patriarchy for her to deal with as well. There was a lot of tension between the main characters, in part because of their fraught past together, and I kept waiting for them both to finally realize they were still perfect for each other! Sarani was an amazing woman, and even though her duty tore her away from Rhystan in the past, she didn't want anything to come between them once they finally started to discover their way together. She dealt with all the issues facing them exceptionally, and Rhystan (and his sister!) definitely helped too.

I really enjoyed this book, and I will definitely be reading more from this author!

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

“The Princess Stakes” is a standalone second chance romance by Amalie Howard.

This story features Princess Sarani Rao and Captain Rhystan Huntley, Duke of Embry. I understand an earlier version of the story was problematic and had several issues to work through. This version featured an interesting plot with the hero/heroine on both a physical and emotional journey.

The story starts with a murder and continues with twists and turns throughout the book. Sarani showed her strength and resourcefulness while Rhys worked through his own personal demons.

I enjoyed this story and enjoyed a different view of colonized India that isn’t glamorous or perfect.

This was my first book by Amalie Howard and it was a good one. I look forward to future bookstores. 📚

*I received this ARC from NetGalley and SOURCEBOOKS Casablanca in exchange for my honest review.
#ThePrincessStakes #NetGalley

There’s an escape from a royal coup, forbidden first love and forced proximity on a ship, and that’s just chapter one! Amalie Howard starts this off with action and continues to be quite the gripping read.
This is a second chance romance and forbidden love story. Sarani and Rhystan were childhood sweethearts but were torn apart because of circumstances. They meet again at the beginning of this book when Sarani unknowingly stows away on a ship that Rhystan is the captain of. From there their love story has ups and downs but it's certainly swoon worthy. Especially for those angst romance readers like myself!
The plot is exciting and different from what I typically read in historical romance. I liked that the East India Trading Company was somewhat discussed and the way India and India natives were treated and colonized but this did not take over the rest of the story.
I know a lot of arc readers were upset with the first manuscript of this book (which had a different title) so I cannot speak on whether Howard's changes improved the story but I did really enjoy the revised version (this one).
If you're looking for action, adventure, forced proximity on a boat, second chance romance trope and forbidden love you're going to thoroughly enjoy this.
Thank you Sourcebooks Casablanca , NetGalley and Amalie Howard for the arc. This in no way influenced my review or opinions of the books.

This was a really fun read. I wasn't sure what to expect, but the constantly changing setting worked well to help keep the plot moving forward. I adored Sarani - she's bold, but self aware enough to remain on the right side of recklessness. Rhystan is a solid, broody male lead who only sometimes gets overly frustrating. What I really loved, though, was how the book didn't ignore the problems with colonialism, the pervasive racism/colorism of the time period (which continues today), and the difficulties for someome like Sarani who possesses multiple identities.

That opening really had me on the edge of my seat. As Princess Sarani is fleeing her home we learn a coup is underway, her father is dead and her cousin is most likely behind it all. She wastes no time putting as much space between her and the palace. Because if she is discovered she won't live to see another day.

Her only plan is to make her way onto a ship and go to England. Look for her mother's long-lost relatives and see if they'll take her in for the time being.

She works her way onto a vessel that refused her request. And then comes face to face with the man she was once in love with. Captain Rhystan Huntley. Now also the Duke of Embry.

Forced to be around each other, they learn the truth about what kept them apart years ago. He believed she chose to marry someone else and he sent a letter saying some hurtful things. These hurts are hard for them to put aside. But when he learns that she might be in danger he offers to marry her to give her some protection. She's not willing to risk her heart so they agree to be fake engaged.

I feel so conflicted. Overall the story was great but I had a hard time believing they were in love again.

Thanks to the publisher, author, and NetGalley for this ARC to review.

The cover is so pretty and an Indian (and white) heroine as the romantic lead both captured my interest. However, when I dug for more information about the book, I saw that there were many issues. Thankfully, the author heard the concerns of the readers and The Princess Stakes was edited. I have to say, it was clear that there was a serious attempt to remedy the book’s previous issues. I think it most definitely made an impact, affecting my overall rating. From a historical standpoint, I really enjoyed the premise. I have different feelings regarding the romance.

(+) Throughout the book, there is cultural context and history embedded into the story. A lot happens. This is a journey! Despite coming from different cultures, the two characters have a balance of power in their roles. The revisions aided in preventing the hero from becoming a typical white savior. Though he isn’t neutral (not wanting to be a duke is another matter than revolting against the empire entirely), he does go against the accepted norms which makes him stand apart. The flashbacks were a nice piece of storytelling. It helped establish the romance along the way.

(-) The characters are thrown from one extreme situation after another, trope after trope, and the transitions weren’t smooth. (Perhaps a simpler story would have been better? Though kudos to the author’s ambition). Their romance doesn’t thoroughly convince me. The prose about their physical appearance didn’t quite match their romantic past. Yes, the characters knew each other from years ago but in the beginning of the book, their interactions are filled with lustful thoughts without much context from their past. Then, the hero is mean to the point that I had trouble sympathizing. All of these are a result from more internal dialogue than actual communication between the characters. As the book moves along, the characters admire each other’s intelligence but they do not have much emotional development.

This is the only book I have ever read with an Indian heroine that wasn’t racist or written with colonialist favor. While I had issues with the romance, I can see this appealing to other readers. My personal takeaway was the history and further research that I delved into as a result of the book.

3.5 stars

I received an ARC from the publisher via NetGalley and am voluntarily posting a review. All opinions are my own.

The Princess Stakes (previously called The Duke’s Princess Bride) is releasing after it faced a pre-release controversy last year, and I applaud Amalie Howard for being so gracious in taking the critiques, especially when others who rushed to her defense weren’t as tactful (to put it mildly). And upon actually reading the new ARC copy, I can appreciate the effort she did to try to mitigate harm.

The most important part for me was addressing Rhystan’s role in colonialism. As for myself, I was satisfied with the revisions. In this version, the first thing he did upon inheriting the title was hand over ownership of the ducal plantations in the Caribbean to the locals, while acknowledging this as only a start of the work that needs to be done to atone for the past. He also shows a sense of self-awareness that what is going on in India at the hand of the British is exploitation of a “lesser” civilization by the technologically advanced British, something which Sarani calls out and critiques, questioning the logic and citing India’s wealth, art, and history as immeasurable, incomparable to that of the British.

I cannot speak too much on the cultural nuances of being biracial, or the lives of those of South Asian backgrounds. But I did feel Sarani’s struggle of being between the two worlds of India and Britain, and finding herself having to assimilate to British society was conveyed beautifully, and the notes at the end from the author confirm her good intent, with further clarifications of the additional work she did exploring the varied perspectives of BIPOC readers from different backgrounds in regards to this portrayal, demonstrating how messy the issue of “good” representation and ownvoices is.

But under all the controversy, I don’t know how I feel about it. The characters were conveyed strongly, but I felt very “meh” about the romance. Despite all the additional nuance, Rhystan is still an aloof, broody Duke who isn’t that endearing, only really showing emotion at the end, and it made the attempts to “develop” things between them along the way super awkward. As mentioned before, I did like that Sarani had the spine to challenge him, so the banter definitely helped to keep things from getting stale as well as to avoid the power imbalance being too creepy, but I just never fully warmed up to him and their relationship.

Given the baggage this title dealt with, it’s perfectly understandable that there’s skepticism, and there are those that don’t want to read it, even with the revisions. But for those who are choosing to be cautiously optimistic, I would encourage looking at varied opinions before making the decision.

This is hard for me because I have read a lot of Amalie’s works and have really liked them. The beginning of this story was the best part in my opinion (when they are on the ship). It moves the story along and it is funny and irreverent. Just delightful. Then we come to the middle of the story (when they get to England). It moves like a turtle. Slow. I will be honest in that I skimmed over the second half of the story. One of the reasons, and this could just be me, is that there is hardly any dialog. It is all rambling on with thinking. I did like the epilogue.

To escape a bloody coup, Princess Sarani and her maid bribe a couple of crewman and take their place on a cargo ship. Once they're out to sea, the captain, Rhystan, isn't happy to discover the two women onboard. He's especially unhappy that one of them is his lost love. He planned to elope with Sarani five years earlier, but she got engaged to an earl instead. The joke's on her, though. With the death of his father and brothers, he's now a duke and the higher-ranking man.

They quickly realize, though, that once they return to England, she'll need Rhystan's protection to escape the assassins who seem to be following her. Will posing as his fiancée keep her safe? And how will society react to a half-English, half-Indian princess who's engaged to a duke?

This is a tropey, plot-driven adventure romance. The hero and heroine don't develop much over the course of the novel, but they're interesting and well drawn.

Thanks, NetGalley, for the ARC I received. This is my honest and voluntary review.

Initial Thoughts/Expectations
I’ve read a few of Amalie Howard’s historical romance novels and have admired how she always puts a unique spin on a story that makes it feel fresh and new, while still invoking classic historical romance vibes. Based on the blurb I knew this story would take place partly on the high seas, which is a familiar setting for these epic romances, but our heroine being from India was a distinctive twist on what I would typically read in this genre. The stunning gown on the front cover did a great job of setting the scene and drawling me in, too!

What I Loved
I grew up reading old school romance and Amalie Howard’s heroines say all the things those past heroines thought in their heads but would never say out loud. Her leading ladies are outspoken, quick-witted, and they never back down from their men. Sarani had all those attributes and so much more! When her father dies, Princess Sarani is forced to flee her homeland and book passage to England, where she hopes to reconnect with her mother’s titled family. Sarani, while mourning her dads passing, was determined to pull herself up by her bootstraps and figure out a plan. I loved her grit and will to survive, even when faced with having to work for her passage under the ships ruthless captain. The very same man that she once loved and was willing to run away with. She’s not completely defenseless, though, because she’s been trained to fight and can wield deadly kukri. It was very cool to see Sarani in a dress and knocking men down after pulling out her cleverly concealed weapons. Pockets in dresses are amazing, right?!

Being stuck on a ship made for many close encounters between Sarani and Rhystan. Sarani being Sarani, she wasn’t going to be intimidated by the Duke of Embry. She gave him hell at every turn, and I loved watching them try to one-up each other. There were so many hilarious scenes where Sarani would purposely sabotage a duty and no matter what punishment Rhys gave to her she would keep her cool and just do the chore. Her calm demeanor, even going so far as to throw him a smile after shoveling pig crap, really got under Rhys’ skin. I was amused by the tension and loved the sparks between them.

Even though the story is set in the present, we got very insightful flash backs to Princess Sarani’s time growing up in India and her budding romance with the Rhystan. While she lived in a time fraught with violence and British occupation, we got a beautiful peek into her culture and heritage. I learned about eastern poetry, myths, and her traditions, which, while they weren’t on every page, felt like a good mix of history and romance.

What I didn’t Love
Overall, the Princess Stakes was a great story, but I thought their concocted fake engagement plan was doomed from the start. Sarani’s plan was to simply change her name to Sara and use her mom’s maiden name to blend into British Society. Rhystan convinces her that to truly be safe from her father’s murderers she’ll need to enter into society as his fiancé because no one would question a Duke. The fact that the British ton is notoriously close nit and would instantly try to sniff out who the new Lady in town was that captured an eligible Duke didn’t seem to make either of them worry. Neither did the fact that Rhys’ mother wasn’t going to be satisfied with his match to Lady Sara, and would be instantly wary of his sudden engagement. Add in the fact that Sarani’s mother running away with a maharaja was England's biggest scandal - AND she’s using her mother’s maiden name! There was no way this could end in anything except scandal and the downfall of the Embry name. Rhystan’s whole reason for returning to England was to see his sister married to a respectable peer, which wouldn’t be possible if he brought home an Indian Princess. Once they got settled into their charade, they started to see all the holes in their plan, but as a reader I was very distracted by their naivety.

Final Thoughts/Recommendation
The Princess Stakes took me on a voyage across an ocean filled with adventure, assassins, passion, and a second chance at love. If you like a heroine that can rock a ballgown AND kick butt using a wickedly sharp kukri then THE PRINCESS STAKES is the historical romance for you!

Review will be posted on FUNKNFICTION.COM on June 24th

I was very nervous to start this book. This is the reworked ARC of an apparently problematic book (that I didn’t read, just read a bunch of reviews about) where the author actually took a lot of feedback, worked with sensitivity readers, changed some personality traits and past experiences of our main characters, and made it better. A lot better, given other reviews I read.

I was nervous, but ended up being pleasantly…. not surprised, but maybe, reassured. That being said, I am a white American woman, so definitely look to own-voices reviewers, and reviewers of color in general. The book deals with heavy topics, through they aren’t the main plot, and I can see the effort the author out into changing the first version. The unexamined colonizer isn’t a savior anymore, the princess is part of the anti-British rebellion in India, and Sarani embraces her dual heritage without as much self-loathing (again, just based on reviews I read from 9 months ago).

Sarani and Rhystan have a lot of chemistry, and combined with their romantic past and antagonistic present sets them up for a lot of sexual tension. This was fun, but I read about their mouths running dry, or else watering at the sight of each other so often I was concerned they might have glandular problems.

Despite their sexual tension, they didn’t seem very in love. I would have loved to see their romantic feelings play out a little more. They spend all their time trying to sleep with each other instead of rekindling their past feelings. The sex scenes were pretty steamy though, so that’s good. Just balanced a little too far that way for my taste, I like the emotional bond and mutual adoration and respect to accompany my steam.

Overall, I was prepared to be disappointed, or even DNF, and I was neither. After so many authors are reacting to negative or critical feedback by lashing out and not listening, Amalie Howard did it right. I am very interested to see what more reviewers have to say when this comes out in a few days.

I received this ARC from NetGalley, thank you, and it did not affect my review in any way.

A truly captivating regency romance where love lost gets a second chance. Rhystan and Sarani have to navigate lost feelings of betrayal, mistrust and hurt to find their way back to each other. The Princess Stakes is a journey of danger, passion and an undeniable love that slowly but surely burns hotter the second time around.