I loved this. Completely different twist on the illegitimate royal family love child trope! I thoroughly enjoyed the setting in Cairo and the cast of characters. I definitely spent a bit of time with Google after finishing this book, trying to figure out if there was any possible way there could be some truth in there….

Cleo is an orphan living a posh life with Serafina, her adopted mother. Cleo has always known she was orphaned, but as she aged, she realized that there were rumors about her real parents, people thought she was the daughter of the Prince of Wales. Cleo almost becomes obsessed with discovering her parentage, all while preparing for her London debut.

The book reads almost like one of those TV shows I think this would be a good streaming series There is drama, intrigue, confrontations, love, and the mystery of the parentage. I felt transported back to the time of the abdication, and WWII.

Thank you net galley for the advance reader copy of this novel. I read this (and several others) over my Spring Break. I enjoyed this novel and the writing style.

This was not a book for me. Unfortunately too much detail and not enough story line and plot for me . I wanted to really like it but itfell flat for me .

The Royal Windsor Secret features great characters and unexpected twists. It is full of glamour, glitz, and scandal. Cleo, nicknamed "the princess," grows up in Cairo, Egypt, at Shepheard’s Hotel, amidst rumors that she's the daughter of the Prince of Wales. In the 1930s, she travels to London with Lord and Lady Grayson to make her debut and seeks the truth about her birth. Along the way, she discovers her passion for jewelry design and navigates her feelings for her childhood friend, Brodie. It's a captivating story of identity, romance, and self-discovery set against the backdrop of high society in the 1930s.

Book Name: The Royal Windsor Secret
Author: Christine Wells

ARC
Thank you to NetGalley and William Morrow, William Morrow Paperbacks for an ARC of The Royal Windsor Secret by Christina Wells

Stars: 3.5
Spice: 0

Standalone
Slow Paced
FMC POV
Historical Fiction

- Slow but Engaging
- Hidden Parentage
- Egypt and Paris and England and Lisbon….
- Wished for More Connections to Real world Characters
- MMC was …. Boring
- Good Pal
- Palate Cleanser
- Fashion and Jewelry Sub-Plot was So Good.

The Royal Windsor Secret is an enthralling read that seamlessly combines history, mystery, and royal intrigue. With its well-researched setting, engaging plot, and captivating narrative, the book successfully captures the imagination of readers, transporting them into the secretive world of the monarchy. Fans of historical fiction will find themselves enthralled by the author's ability to blend fact and fiction, creating an immersive and thrilling reading experience. Despite minor shortcomings, this novel is a recommended choice for those who enjoy an absorbing blend of history and mystery.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me this book in exchange for my honest review opinion.

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The Royal Windsor Secret had me hooked from the start, even before the central mystery was revealed. Cleo Davenport, our main character, is instantly likable and I was drawn to her desire to buck convention as well as her inquisitive nature. This book sweeps from Egypt to London to Paris, as Cleo tries to track down the truth of her parentage. Wells paints each setting vividly with a strong level of historical detail that immerses the reader in the story.

There are several threads throughout the book: from Cleo’s relationships with her family and her best friend to her own career goals, to the mystery of her mother and father. Additionally, the story spans from the pre-war/inter-war years to the post-WWII era. This gave us the ability to see how Cleo’s life, and the lives around her, were changed by the war and put her story within the broader context of history. While the multiple storylines could at times get to be a little much in terms of authorial focus, the connection Wells created with Cleo made this an enjoyable read

This book dragged a bit for me, but I enjoyed the premise, the time period, and the possibilities. Although it is certainly possible that there are children born out of wedlock to assorted royal family members, it seems as though this book is a bit more on the fiction side than is actually historically based.

Christine Wells’ latest historical fiction novel is a fascinating book set across the first half of the twentieth century. Readers follow Cleo Davenport, her aunt Seraphina, close family friends, and Marguerite Miller from the Edwardian period through the chaos of the 1930s and the terror of World War II across Egypt, France, and England. Readers will become invested in Cleo’s search for the identities of her birth parents -- especially since it is rumored that her father is none other than the infamous Edward Prince of Wales. Readers follow Cleo’s life from her girlhood in Cairo to her military service in the ATS and to her glittering career as an elite jeweler in postwar Paris, and Wells’ characters and descriptions bring the vibrant decades to life. Wells’ minor characters, especially the Duke and Duchess of Windsor, Marguerite Miller, and Cleo’s friends and family, are all well-developed and fascinating, and their relationships to each other and to Cleo help drive the narrative forward. Wells’ descriptions are also incredibly vivid, and she brings wartime London, prewar Cairo, and postwar Paris to life in this enjoyable, fascinating historical fiction novel. The Royal Windsor Secret is a fantastic historical fiction novel that readers of the genre are sure to enjoy and devour.

I have no idea if this is based on history or just a good story, but I was hooked. I wanted to know who the father/mother was and couldn’t put it down until the truth unfolded. I was really satisfied with the big reveal!

I received an advance copy. All thoughts are my own.

This was a really good book. I loved the characters of Cleo and Brodie. You just kept rooting for them the entire book. I loved that Cleo was independent and pursued her dream of being a jewelry designer. And that Brodie did not give up on his dream of traveling to discover new animal species and recording those he found. The families the two met and interacted with felt like real characters. It was great to read about Edward and Wallis and find out more about them. Really recommend this to anyone who like historical fiction. Would be a great book for a book club - so much to discuss.

The Royal Windsor Secret is a historical novel about Cleo Davenport, rumored to be the daughter of the Prince of Wales. She travels back and forth from Britain to France in search of answers.

I wanted to read this novel because I love historical fiction and I'm also fascinated by the Royal Family. It was a fascinating story with an engaging lead character and beautiful attention to historic detail. I recommend The Royal Windsor Secret highly for fans of historical fiction!

I received this advance reader copy from NetGalley in exchange for a fair review. I was surprised by this novel, which was well written and interesting right from the beginning. It's both a mystery and a coming of age story in the last few years of debutants being presented into society in Britain -- which was not really the case after WWII. I recommend this novel for book clubs and those interested in the British Royal Family, or younger readers that could be intrigued by the youthful protagonist. Fun and interesting reading!

Part historical fiction, part romance, the author weaves the plot around Cleo, a young woman finding her way without knowing her parents. The story begins in Egypt, where Cleo lives with her Aunt Serafina, an Egyptologist. Cleo wants to find out who her parents are, and mistakenly gets caught in a web of lies. With dreams of becoming a jeweler, Cleo leaves Egypt for Paris with the Graysons, Serafina’s sister and brother in law, to study jewelry making. Brodie, a young man she has grown up with, also leaves with the Graysons, and their paths will cross many times. I like the historical narratives about Egypt’s road to independence from Britain, as well as the discussion of the disgraced King and Wallis Simpson, but there were parts that were a bit too contrived. Overall, a good read. Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC.

I love love love this book. I am not a fan of Royals in books or real life, and I stalled a bit before saying yes to this one. I’m so glad I did. Fantastic writing, unputdownable plotting, fascinating time and place.
At sixteen, Cleo Davenport knows she’s a foundling but there are rumors that make her wonder. She lives at the Shepheard’s Hotel in Cairo, raised by a Lady Archeologist and the kindly hotel staff. Left to daydream and wander about with her friend Brodie, no wonder she wants to know who she is, as this knowledge might tell who she will be. But when it’s time for her to make her debut in faraway London society, she hates to leave her childhood home. At least Brodie comes with her and Lord and Lady Grayson’s to pursue his own fortune. Why isn’t she allowed to pursue her own? Cleo is a great character, determined and self-confident, though she flounders a bit with what she wants to believe versus reality. Eventually she is able to attend art school and makes friends with a famous jewelry designer. But when she accidentally discovers the woman who claims to be her mother, the story really gets going.
Great details, immersive writing and storytelling that begins before the outbreak of World War II and into the 50s.
I do want to say more, but I don’t want to spoil it; suffice to say, if you love historical fiction circa 1930s and 40s, spies and Royals, with a touch of romance, you’ll love this one. Highly recommended.
Thank you Angela Melamud, Independent Book Publicist, and NetGalley for a copy of this book to review.

3.5

Cleo, an orphan growing up in Cairo's Shepheard's Hotel, is raised to be a proper young English girl. At the appropriate age she is brought to London by her aunt for her season of coming out with the other young women of British society. Yet Cleo longs to know who her real parents are and if the rumor could be true that she is the daughter of Prince Edward. She desires to be create jewelry and learn from the best jewelers of the day.

This story is more fiction that history but takes place in a historical time period. It is also interesting to wonder how many royals may have fathered children from the past but they never knew it. So many interesting things to ponder and rabbit trails to chase in this book.

My thanks to Net Galley and Harper Collins for an advanced copy of this e-book.

A supposed secret love child between the King of England and a very cunning jewel loving woman named Marguerite.Sign me up. I loved the settings of Cairo and Paris and loved the transformation made in Brodie. Not to be missed.

Cleo Davenport, 16, and Brodie, 17, have essentially grown up together. Cleo was left as an infant on the steps of the Shepheard’s Hotel and raised by a kind woman named Serafina. Brodie is also an orphan and lived with his uncle, a zookeeper.

Cleo and Brodie are now to be taken to England by her aunt, Lady Grayson. But they must first stop in Paris to outfit Cleo and then head to London for her to make her debut, and then on to the Riveria for relaxation.

Cleo has always been fascinated with the art of jewelry making and hopes to pursue that in her life. It is also rumored that she is the illegitimate daughter of the Prince of Wales. He had been King George VIII but abdicated the throne to marry twice-divorced Wallis Simpson. Cleo has some clues as to the identity of her mother and hopes to find the woman.

I wasn’t pleased with all of the time spent on Marguerite in this story. However, I think the author did a good job describing the Duke of Windsor and Wallis. He’s fascinated with her and she’s overbearing. The war timeline is well done. I felt sorry for Brodie for his hot and cold treatment by Cleo. So, for me, I think this book deserves 3 stars.

Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.

As with all her books Christine Wells draws an intimate portrait of a time gone by. Setting time and place so the reader feels like they are part of the story, involved, her novels always touch me and I take great pleasure in reading and learning from them. I can't wait to see what she comes up with next.
Cleo is a orphan who lives with a lady that took her in when her maid found Cleo on the doorstep of the hotel where she lived. Cleo has heard rumors all her life about who her real parents are, whispered conversations that stop abruptly when she enters the room. One rumor has it that the Prince of Wales, the next King of England is her father. Cleo has been called Princess by the staff at Shepheard's Hotel all her life and the Prince has been known to stay there. When she is sent to London to live when she is seventeen, in order to learn to be a proper lady and learn the ways of society, making her debut in front of the king, she is out of her depth. All Cleo wants to do is be free to design jewelry, she yearns for a career as a designer at Cartier, but she must find out who her parents are before she can move on with her life.
This book is about Cleo's quest to learn the truth of her birth. It takes her to Paris, London and back to Cairo, full circle before she finds out the devastating truth, one she can never share with anyone except her childhood friend and the love of her life, Brodie. She encounters a well known courtesan whose affair with the Prince of Wales was scandalous way before Wallis Simpson upset the monarchy and set it on it's ear.
This book grabbed me right from the first chapter and I read it in a day. The storyline is extremely interesting and with what we know of the Prince of Wales, he was most certainly capable of being Cleo's father as he was no stranger to scandalous behavior. Is there really a Cleo and did the Prince really father her with a well known courtesan from Paris? I guess we will never be completely sure if he did or did not, and maybe that is the way it should be, not knowing.
I give 5 stars to this book and can not wait for Christine's next one, I have loved them all so far, I know she will not disappoint. Thank you to William Morrow Publishing and Christine Wells for the free ARC, I am leaving my honest review voluntarily.