✨ Review ✨ Nobody's Princess (The Wild Wynchesters #3) by Erica Ridley

In the third book in this series, we follow the story of Graham Wynchester, the intelligencer of the family, as he tracks a series of codes to find what he thinks might be a princess in distress. Who he finds instead is Kunigunde de Heusch, a friend of the Balcovian princess (Balcovia is where the Wynchester's father figure grew up), who is scouting in secret (while hiding from her Royal Guardsman brothers) to secure intelligence before the Balcovian royal family makes a trip to London.

Kuni and Graham find they have a lot to learn from each other -- from sign language to leaping up trees -- they delight in each other's company. Kuni grapples with her destiny to become the first Royal Guardswoman in Balcovia, while also seeing a chance to do good in the world alongside the Wynchesters. Kuni connects with many of the Wynchesters deeply -- finding the chance at a family she had never really had.

⭐️⭐️⭐️💫
Genre: historical romance, regency, f/m
Location: London and nearby UK
Pub Date: out now!

This book was a lot of fun to read - I loved the way Kuni fit into the Wynchester family; and I loved how her and Graham complemented each other and challenged each other. The book dragged on a bit and was a bit repetitive as Kuni reflected on her dilemmas; I think a bit of editing to streamline would bring this a long way. Despite that though, it was definitely still a lot of fun!

I also appreciated that this book tackled topics of race in regency times, as well as the legacy of slavery in Europe. The political differences between the fictional Balcovia and the UK are explored here as well as issues of class exploitation in both locations, which reminded me a bit of other historical fiction works like those by Alyssa Cole and Evie Dunmore. I struggled a bit with this too and whether the Wynchester's solutions rested too much on idealism that two people could create vast systemic change in the UK re: labor and exploitation, but I still appreciated that she grappled with these hard topics.

Read this if you like:
⭕️ wild acrobatics and amazing feats of physical strength
⭕️ stories of found family
⭕️ daring animal rescues, factory subterfuge, and horseback escapes

Thanks to Forever and #netgalley for an advanced e-copy and physical copy of this book!

Thank you to the publisher and Netgalley for an early copy of this book. All thoughts are my own.

First things first, I LOVE the Wynchester family. The connection between the siblings is so wholesome and endearing. Erica Ridley has brought such a fun energy to these historical romance novels, and I adore her for that. Nobody's Princess was a great addition to the series. Graham was a sweetheart, and Kuni was such a fierce, but lovable protagonist. The plot moved quickly and the romance was lovely. I cannot wait to continue this series in the future!

Graham and Kuni work perfectly together, despite vastly different lives and dreams.

Graham Wynchester knows everything about everything and everybody. He is convinced that he is destined to meet and save a royal. But Kunigunde de Heusch (Kuni) is not royalty, and she doesn’t want or need his help. Kuni is in London to prove herself to her brothers and to further her plans of becoming a royal guard. These plans definitely do not include a handsome man and his intriguing family.

I want to be a Wild Wynchester! I just love this entire series so much. Graham and Kuni are very different people. Despite his serious role as spy and information gatherer, Graham has a bubbly, zesty kind of personality. He has a super positive outlook and he lives his life the way he wants to. Kuni is more serious in her approach to everything. She is desperate for acknowledgement of her achievements and abilities, and she believes the only way to get this is to become a Royal Guardsman. She has convinced herself that she has to do it all alone and has a very hard time letting anyone in.

My heart ached for Kuni and her longing to be part of something bigger than herself. The entire time Graham and Kuni tried and failed to find a way for them to be together, so in the end, it was a wonderful surprise. I loved Kuni’s creative swear words.

I enjoyed the fast pace, the crazy characters, and the obvious love the siblings have for each other. This is a marvellously fun series for anyone who likes historical romance, with steamy scenes and some mystery.

Thank you to Netgalley for providing me with a copy. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

this book is spicy in all the right places, loved the details describing the setting of the days of old, and of course the whole family clan!!

I seriously ADORE the Wynchesters and this third book in the series did not disappoint. This story features Graham, a man of color who goes through society doubly as an outcast - both because of his skin color and his lowly origins. He dreams of meeting a princess to help elevate/cement his worth and finds himself stumbling upon Kuni, an aspiring bodyguard from the far off country trying to prove herself.

I loved these characters and the found family Graham has with the Wynchesters. Even Kuni is unable to resist the Wynchester charm. The best part of these books for me are the diverse cast of characters and the way all the Wynchesters fight for social justice! In this book they band together to help improve the working conditions for women and child being exploited.

This book is perfect for fans of Alyssa Cole or Beverly Jenkins. Much thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for an early digital copy in exchange for my honest review!

A fun follow up to previous Wild Wynchester titles. I liked the leads a lot, and their dynamic and banter is fun. I love that they got to know each other through sharing skills - that that was how all of the Wynchesters got to know Kuni. It felt very natural and organic and I loved the family dynamic. I love the Wynchester siblings and I loved how not only did Kuni find romantic love in Graham, but the kind of bonds she wished for from her own distant family members.

After reading Ridley's previous two books in the series about the Wynchester siblings, I was so excited to read about Graham - information gathering and acrobatics extraordinaire. This book follows him and Kuni - an aspiring Balcovian Royal Guard visiting England on an intelligence gathering mission with the hopes of impressing the king enough to let her become the first Balcovian woman to be in the Royal Guard.

Overall, the book was an absolute blast. Ridley's books are always of a mix of over-the-top antics and adventure, mixed with a tenderness between the love interests and the Wynchester family - and this book exemplifies it. Graham's background as a circus performer very much so into play (I don't want to spoil anything too much but let's just say there's a quite hilarious scene involving a robbery and two trick horses), and it was fantastic to see his character and back story expanded on, and Kuni was such an interesting character to bring into the fold as someone completely outside both the story, and the country it takes place in.

This book didn't totally click for me in every aspect though, and I think the core of my struggle with it is that the conflict over why Kuni couldn't stay - she wanted to become a Balcovian guard - got a bit tedious after a while. I get it, obviously, life's passion and all that, but between that and royals-worship on behalf of Graham was just not something I could buy into - full disclosure, I say this as someone who is decidedly anti-monarchist and not exactly pro-military (do I love regency romance? Yes, but I prefer mine where I can kind of imagine the aristocracy as some sort of fantasy world, not real life). Like, I understood where Kuni was coming from, but the more she kept talking about her brothers and her what her job as a guard would entail, I just wasn't buying it, so it kind of made that aspect a drag.

Despite this, I still really loved reading their story and spending more time with the Wynchester siblings. I'm fairly certain I've said this before, but this is one fictional family I wish I could step into.

Thank you so much to Netgalley and Forever for giving me an e-ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Feminist historical romance. Let me repeat that, feminist historical romance with a favorite literary family in a series I love = 😍

I started this Wild Wynchester’s novel and within a couple of pages, had such a smile on my face. I adore this family ❤️ and strongly recommend this series.

* Note - this story does work as a standalone, but you might want to read the series in order to have a better understanding of the family dynamics.

A great bridgerton-esque romance with a slow burn that is WORTH it. I wasn't if I'd like the slow burn romance but the pay off is *chef's kiss*

I received an Advance Reader Copy from the publisher. This in no way impacted on my view.

When Graham Wynchester discovers a missing princess through a series of coded messages in the papers, he knows he needs to use all of his knowledge to find her. But when it turns out that the person he's looking for is neither a princess, nor missing, he's quite surprised to meet the captivating Kunigunde de Heusch. Kuni has trained to be a Royal Guardswoman all of her life. Her family come from a long list of Guardsmen, and she would be the first female member of the group. But she needs to convince both her brothers, and her king, that she is right to move from the princess's lady in waiting, to a guard, with the blessing of the princess herself. Arriving in London prior to the royal party, she hopes to see all of the sites, and test their defences, before giving her notes to guards, and proving her worth. When her path crosses that of Graham, she's angry at his influence, but finds herself loving being a part of the Wynchester family, albeit temporarily, and her feelings for Graham are muddling the waters. Will Kuni be able to prove she is nobody's princess, and she needs no help?

With each book in this series, I find myself more and more jealous of the Wynchester family. Though they aren't blood, they are closer than anything, and would do whatever it takes to help those they care about. Graham was always a bit on an enigma in the previous books, but I loved learning more about him, and how he came to become a member of the family. His backstory was tragic, and it shaped him to be the caring, and focused man he was today. He hated seeing others suffering, and felt like it was his duty to help Kuni, though she clear could look after herself. Kuni was such a strong character, and I loved her from the get go. She had a vision of what she wanted in life, and she wasn't about to let her gender be the reason she failed. She could do everything her brothers could, and more, and she was out to prove it. The mystery to be solved in this book wasn't exactly a mystery, but it was great to see how the family came together to solve some of the issues in the northern mills, and how they embraced Kuni's help. I hope there are more books in this series, because I'm not done with the family, and there's plenty for the remaining siblings to do!

The Wild Wynchesters are back and it’s Graham Wynchester at the center this time in Nobody’s Princess. Graham has a hunger for knowing everything, which is why he takes note of the gorgeous woman who seems to be gathering intelligence of her own around Mayfair. Kunigunde de Heusch is the companion of the Balcovian princess, but her true desire is to be a member of the Royal Guardsmen. Her time in England is her chance to prove herself the equal of her brothers, two of her country’s finest Royal Guardsmen. She’s taken aback by the charming, handsome Graham at first and the way he offers to help. Kuni doesn’t need anyone’s help, but she soon finds herself whisked away into the world of the Wynchesters. The more she learns about the unique family, the more she desires to become a part of it. But her lifelong dream isn’t something she can toss away, even for a family as welcoming as the Wynchesters and a man as tempting as Graham. The clock’s ticking until it’s time for Kuni to return to Balcovia, but it’s becoming harder for her to tear herself away.

Kuni is strong, smart, and stubborn. She has tried so hard to be a part of her family and has worked so hard to try for the chance at becoming a Royal Guardswoman – not just for herself but to be a role model for girls in Balcovia – that now the chance is almost within reach she cannot seem to see beyond it. And it’s clear from the start that although Kuni would be an amazing Guardswoman, she’d be an even better Wynchester. The quirky family welcomes Kuni immediately and she becomes involved in their quest to help people in need. Kuni is also entranced by Graham, the former circus performer turned intelligence gatherer. Graham has long been captivated by the idea of being acknowledged by royalty and Kuni is the closest he’s gotten to it. But fantasies aside, he’s drawn to the brave, determined woman. Their romance is an extremely slow burn but sweet.

I liked Nobody’s Princess but I’m sad to report it’s not my favorite Erica Ridley novel. The Wynchester family members have always been presented as unique, but fully-formed characters and in this story many of them felt reduced to one character trait. The family is such an important part of this book and the series that this brought down the book a bit. And though I enjoyed Kuni and Graham together, they were missing some of the spark I expect from Ridley’s couples. Things picked up near the end and the happily ever after was sweet, but it was slow going for the first part of the story. The book could be repetitive at times and it felt like much of the story was spent with the characters spinning their wheels until it was time to wrap things up – perhaps in a shorter format the story would have been stronger. As I said, I did like the ending and Graham with his good heart and dreams was a good match for Kuni who has a strong sense of purpose and a yearning heart. But this story never grabbed my attention the way the first two Wynchester books did and I just wanted a bit more. Still, I look forward to seeing more of Kuni and Graham as more Wynchester siblings find their happily ever afters.

I've loved the Wild Wynchester's but this book started out very slow and Graham felt like a caricature when the author focused on his obsession with princesses. I was hoping for more mystery around Balcovia and sense of place since Kuni comes from the same country as the family's patriarch. All the elements were put into place by the the author but it didn't come together smoothly. This family remains one of my favorites in Historical Romance.
This is an independent review where all thoughts are my own. Thank you to the publisher for the e-ARC via NetGalley.

Nobody’s Princess

I’ve fell in love with the Wynchesters when I picked up The Duke Heist last year. Nobody’s Princess did not disappoint. These are some of the most lovely characters and I love their mission, their relationships and their shenanigans.

At times Ridley’s writing reads a bit YA, but that is more an observation that a complaint. (For me) I read them as much younger people than noted in the story.

Kuni is my new favorite character and I love hers and Grahams story! I hope she and Graham can still have a large part in the next book!

Graham Wynchester has made it his business to know absolutely everything that happens in London. He uses his network of informants to provide intelligence his family uses in their various missions to help those in need. When he notices coded messages printed in the gossip rags, Graham is certain they mean a royal princess is in need of rescue. Only, the woman he’s searching for turns out to be not a princess and not in distress, and not wanting any help from him at all.

Kunigunde de Heusch has trained her entire life alongside her country’s royal guardsmen with the hope of continuing her family’s noble legacy and becoming the first royal guardswoman. She has only one month in London to elude her brothers and prove herself capable and independent. She needs help from no one, not even charming, handsome Graham, but she’s shocked when he seems to genuinely believe in her. This support makes it even harder for Kuni to resist her attraction to Graham even knowing that her future is miles away from London.

This book had quite a bit going for it, but it also fell rather short in several key areas for me, perhaps the most significant of these being the romance itself. Graham and Kuni really didn’t spend that much time together on page, and what little they did have together usually had at least one of the Wynchester siblings also present or they were engaging in some sort of heist or combat training antics together. I just never really felt any spark between them, and they both fell a bit flat, so of course their romance did as well. They initially had these insurmountable differences in what they wanted for the future so their romance had a sense of forbidden futility that I actually did like, but only because this is a romance so you know you’re guaranteed a HEA despite how bleak things may look. That said, I do think things worked out for them so quickly that the ending felt very rushed, especially after such a long build up and an incredibly slow burn. In fact, so much of the book was down to this build up and executed at such a slow pace that if I hadn’t had the narration to turn to, I’m not sure how long it would’ve taken me to finish it. On the note of how slow this one burns, I also felt that the intimacy, when we finally got it, felt a bit lackluster to me and was very much one-sided in favor of Kuni’s pleasure. I know this is usually a good thing and it’s an odd thing to note, but it kind of left me feeling like Kuni was just using Graham and wasn’t really taking his feelings into consideration, and based on his inner monologues later, Graham felt much the same way. Since I was already struggling with the romance aspect here, that didn’t help at all and left me pretty disappointed after such a long build up to get there.

Beyond these issues, perhaps my biggest gripe was Kuni herself. She came off as very entitled and arrogant from the get-go and even as she was humbled by her experiences in England, that never really seemed to change. She was independent to a fault, often winding up getting in her own way. This was a fault she was aware of as well, but she never seemed to do much to change it, even near the end when she was coming to realize that asking for or accepting help doesn’t make you weak. She’d never been able to really rely on her family so this did make since, but I would’ve loved to see more development and change from Kuni as she met and spent time with the Wynchesters and saw a different way to live. Unfortunately, she just came off as rigid for me and unable to see any sort of middle ground for herself and Graham. She seemed to constantly be reiterating her goals to become a guardswoman, both in her dialogues and in her inner monologues, and it just became annoyingly repetitive after a while and didn’t help me like her when I was already struggling. She also seemed to have little depth as a character beyond this single-minded determination to achieve this goal and to do absolutely everything on her own so that made her even more frustrating and I couldn’t really figure out how she jived with Graham’s need to be acknowledged. Kuni definitely had a need to be included too, but she didn’t show that to anyone enough to make this a helpful trait for her characterization. I think perhaps what bothered me the most was that she spent much of the book with this goal in mind, living her life for others and what she thought they wanted for her, rather than what she wanted for herself. This is something I struggle with so much in my own life and it made me frustrated for Kuni as much as it frustrates me for myself. I just wanted to see her follow her own heart, and though of course she does, it’s a romance after all, this was pretty late in coming and dealt with too quickly for me to get much enjoyment or appreciation out of it.

Though I loved the found family aspect of the Wynchester siblings’ dynamic, as always, it definitely did feel like the family was portrayed as being even more eccentric than in previous books; each sibling was more or less reduced to just their particular quirky trait and not much else. It seemed like Graham and Kuni’s characters received similar treatment and I was just left wanting more depth, especially from such a long story. I’m still puzzled as to how a book full of such ridiculousness and high energy can still feel like such a painfully slow burn, but I do think it’s all down to how little time Graham and Kuni had together on page. Even during a twelve-day road trip we still didn’t get any forced proximity and virtually no alone time between these two. This aspect, coupled with Kuni’s general attitude and need to do everything on her own kind of killed the romance and cheer for me in this one.

I really did like the fun irreverence of this unique spin on a Regency romance, and I’ll look forward to more installments in the series even though this one wasn’t my favorite.

This narrator did an excellent job, especially with characters with different accents, and I hope to see her narrating future books in the series as well.

I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book and its audiobook. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The author's usual humor and quirky characters are an integral part of the Wynchester Family, the ragtag members all adopted by Bean (Baron Vanderbean) from Balcovia. Sadly Bean had perished and his children have all grown up, their mission, helping others as Bean had them. This book centers on Graham. The reader learns his history and why he grew up to be the person he is. He is obsessed with royalty and has learned that a royal guest from Balcovia is in London. He seeks to protect her, but soon learns that Kunigunde de Heusch is not royalty and has her own mission in London. Her heart's desire is to become the first female Balcovian Royal Guard, but she has to dodge her two older brothers, who want to wrap her in cotton wool, while observing potential security risks for her princess, who will becoming for a visit soon.. Of course the Wynchesters embrace her, something that she is not used to, a loving family. Graham and Kuni fall in love, but she has her obligations and dreams in Balcovia, while he in London. Will their few short weeks be enough to last them a lifetime of dreams?

I read an ARC, provide by the author to her Review Crew. This is my unbiased and voluntary review.

As a lover of historical fiction who will never turn down a good historical romance about Black characters, I have held a level of anticipation for this novel as soon as I saw the book cover. In the main character, we find a heroine willing to stab and fight her way through any situation in order to prove herself the soldier she's always imagined herself becoming. It is in her mission to prove this ability to the kingdom she serves that she runs into the Wynchester family of England whose friendship - and romance through her paramour Graham Wynchester - that changes how she recognizes who she truly yearns to become.

I always enjoy romances that explore the truer nature of each individual of the main pair and Nobody's Princess delivers on this in such a heartfelt way that I found it endearing. While the narrative takes quite a few liberties to bring different aspects of actual and fantasized history together, I only found these choices temporarily distracting. Those looking for a historical romance about Black people with unlikely closeness to English aristocracy and an imagined European nation that did not engage in colonization and slavery, may want to pick this book up.

There must be something this year about sloth/spy/guard stories. Or I just seem to pick them up a lot. This book was fun and entertaining but I somehow felt like the romance took a backseat to the rest of the story. It reminded me a little of the old pulp fiction novels with off-the-walls action that didn't allow you time to think about how it all really works or ties together. And while I do enjoy historical facts in fiction, this one felt a bit like a history lesson in the lesser known facets of colonization, and lectures in romance are a pet peeve of mine. All in all a nice read but I didn't enjoy it as much as other titles by this author.

I received an advanced reader's copy of Nobody's Princess by Erica Ridley.

The third book in The Wild Wynchester's series is a great read. I've been enjoying seeing each sibling get their own book and revisiting the characters from the previous books.

Kunigunde de Heusch is an independent and strong character. I really liked that she was determined to overcome obstacles to become the first female Royal Guardswoman of Balcovia. Graham Winchester has been dreaming to help rescue a princess. He believes his opportunity appeared when the met Kunigunde. He discovers instead that she is not a princess and doesn't need rescuing. I liked that Graham supports Kunigunde and believes in her. He allows her to do things her way even when he has the answers she needs. I loved seeing how Graham opens up to her, sharing things that he's only shared with his siblings, and we get to see how their relationship develops.

This is a lovely addition to the series and I'm looking forward to reading the next book.

Graham gets his own story. He is climbing walls and flying thru the air. I like his energy. But he wants to be a royal. Then he sees his princess. She is visiting England and Graham falls for her. What a nice romance. But she will be going home soon and she is really only the princess companion. While in England she helps with a client with Graham and his siblings. What a fabulous feeling helping the down trodden. Graham is falling in love. Wonderful story!

The Wild Wynchester's strike again! This was a great addition to the series and I feel like Erica Ridley dealt with the diversity super well! I also love the missions they go on, and how they used everyone's skills to make it a success. Also GRAHAM and KUNI were perfect. I can't wait to get the next book in this series!

Thank you to netgalley and the publishers for providing me with an arc for an honest review.