Title: The Backup Princess
Author: Kate O'Keeffe
Genre: Romance
Rating:4 out of 5

When a Texas gal punches a prince instead of curtsying, you know this isn't your grandmother's fairy tale.

Taking the bull by the horns is child's play compared to ruling Malveaux. Yet here I am, a Texas girl turned princess, swapping tacos for a tiara.

Then I meet Europe’s most eligible bachelor, the irritatingly handsome Prince Alexander, and accidentally deck him instead of curtsying.

Oops.

I’d feel bad if he wasn’t such a self-satisfied jerk.

Now, I'm racing against a royal clock that ticks with the urgency of a preening peacock, trying not to let down my newfound country or my own wild heart. Alexander? He's a walking contradiction, with a smirk that heats my blood and eyes that tell tales of a depth I didn't expect.

Decisions aren't exactly my rodeo, but this time, my choice could cost me my new crown—or lead to a love story that rewrites my happily ever after.

Will this Texas girl rise to the royal challenge, or is this one fairytale destined to end with the slipper never found?

This was a cute read! Maddie was funny and entertaining both as she learned how to be a princess and dealt with all her issues and insecurities. Alexander was an interesting character, with his playboy persona hiding his true personality from the world. I enjoyed this read a lot, and will be interested to read more in this series.

Kate O'Keeffe is a bestselling author. The Backup Princess is her newest novel.

(Galley courtesy of Wild Lime Books in exchange for an honest review.)

Thank you BetGalley and publisher for this book!

What a great romcom! I loved the slow burn. This one had me hooked from page one. I loved the love story and the secondary characters are so funny! I enjoyed the dual POV

4.5 Stars

When the heir to the throne of Malveaux is rumored to be abdicating, Maddie is plucked out of her quiet life in Texas to take her place as next in the line of succession. A misunderstanding during her introductory ball results in Prince Alexander of Ledonia ending up with a black eye. Pushed towards friendship due to the special relationship between their countries, Maddie and Alex are forced to spend more and more time together. As they get to know one another and leave their preconceived notions about each other behind, their feelings for each other become something they can't deny.

If you love The Princess Diaries movies, especially the sequel, I think you will enjoy The Backup Princess. The relationship between Maddie and Alex and their banter gives very similar vibes to Mia and Nicholas. The Backup Princess has a fairly quick pace, and as a result, their relationship does start to feel a bit insta-love. The side plots definitely take a back seat to the love story, and I wish we could've gotten to see more of Maddie's princess lessons and more of Alex's family. Overall, the love story is very sweet and this is a fantastic read for lovers of royal rom coms!

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for providing me with the eARC to review!

Kate O'Keeffe is such an amazing author and this book proves it. A girl who accidentally punches the prince. It gives off the same vibes as the princess diaries movies (my favourite!!). I loved this book so much. I have reread it and still am finding new things to love about it.

Thankyou NetGalley for this book!

A very fun read! I want to learn more about Maddie and Alexander and their story. I really liked the switching of POVs, that way we can get insight into both characters minds. I can't wait for the next "Royally Kissed" book!

What grabbed me - title, cover, and then the authors last name (my almost soon to be last name spelt different though, so naturally I had to give her a shot too!).

Such a cute read! Major Princess Diaries vibes, just if she knew she was a princess.

Absolutely loved the whole story, such a fun and light read. Perfect for between heavy reads or a day at the beach.

The novel is clean too, so I'd say even YA would enjoy this too.

Thank you NetGalley and Wild Lime Books (publisher) for my DRC in exchange for my honest review.

A cute nod to Princess Diaries 1&2. If you don’t imagine Queen Maria (Grandmama) as Julie Andrews, you’re missing out! TBD if I'll check back in on the rest of the series, it was an easy read but I found myself dragging to finish.

“I never dreamt I would fall in love with such a worthy man. But now that I’ve found him, and he’s moved Heaven and Earth to be with me, I know one thing for absolute certainty. I will never let go.”
-Maddie

From hate to love and a “meet ugly” instead of a “meet cute” a romance blossomed between Princess Madeline and Prince Alex.
When you read this book you will travel from Texas to a beautiful country named Malveaux.
Where Madeleine takes the title of Princess and learns about her mother’s heritage and country. While she’s getting to know her grandparents (the king and queen of Malveaux). She meets Prince Alexander from Ledonia. Her adventure begins and she takes her new role with bundles of nerves.
This book was so beautiful and so funny! I loved the warm fuzzy feelings I felt while reading Madeline’s story! It’s was such an enjoyable romcom!

I love a good prince/princess/royalty romance, and this book did not disappoint. Maddie was such a fun character, and I really loved interacting with her chapters. The book itself gave me Princess Diary vibes, which I absolutely love.

Thank you NetGalley and Wild Lime Books for my ARC in exchange for my honest review.

This book is definitely a fun read for any Princess Diaries fans. It was a cute and easy read but lacked a bit more of depth or conflict for my liking. Overall, I enjoyed it and am excited that other royal siblings will be getting their own stories as well!

I really really wanted to love this book. I have been waiting for this book to release since I saw the cover reveal. Sadly this book was not for me. I know others who have loved it and I definitely think if the topic is of interest to you, you should give it a try.

I had a hard time relating to the characters and never felt like I built a connection with them. I felt like there were lots of events in the book, but just never really felt like anything was happening. I have read others by this author that I loved, but I struggled with the writing style of this one for some reason.

I am not one to DNF a book and I am glad I didn’t because the last 10-15% of the book was my favorite part. I kinda wish this section had happened earlier and the angst of it could have been carried out longer with more detail.

"The Backup Princess" by Kate O'Keeffe is a delightful rom-com that puts a modern twist on the classic royal fairy tale.

From the moment Texas girl turned princess, Riley, accidentally decks Europe's most eligible bachelor, Prince Alexander, instead of curtsying, you know you're in for a wild ride. The dynamic between Riley and Alexander crackles with tension and humor, making their journey from enemies to lovers all the more satisfying to watch unfold.

O'Keeffe's writing is witty and engaging, with plenty of laugh-out-loud moments and swoon-worthy romance. The story is filled with charming characters, from the spunky Riley to the charmingly infuriating Alexander, and the chemistry between them is electric.

While the premise may seem familiar, O'Keeffe puts her own spin on it, infusing the story with humor, heart, and a healthy dose of royal drama. The pacing is brisk, keeping the story moving at a lively pace while still allowing for moments of emotional depth and reflection.

Overall, "The Backup Princess" is a charming and feel-good read that's perfect for fans of royal romances and enemies-to-lovers tropes. With its irresistible blend of humor, romance, and fairy tale magic, it's sure to leave readers smiling and swooning until the very end.

I really wanted to love this, based on the blurb. However, it failed to deliver. The claim that it was like The Princess Diaries was a bit of a reach, the only thing in common was that both main characters were from the USA.

The pacing was a struggle, the plot disjointed, and there was no character growth or development. Whole paragraphs felt repetitive, and the writing was rather simplistic and full of cliches.

Thank you to NetGalley for a copy of this ARC in return for my honest review.

I have a feeling Maddie was sitting there thinking "Me? A Princess? Shut up!" when she was uprooted from her normal life in Texas to be next in line for the throne in Malveaux. This was such a sweet & funny story about finding your true purpose and realizing it is not too late to grow into the person you truly are. Maddie and Alex gave us a little bit of everything! I recommend for anyone who loves a closed door romance, modern royality, and humor.
-Clean Romance
-Enemies/Dislikes to Lovers
-Banter
-Hallmark movie vibes
-Cheesy American/Texas Slang
-Reformed Bad Boy
-Slow Burn
*While I do not typically choose/read closed door romances, this did not impact my overall review.

Ohh nice
This was an interesting twist
My second book by this author. It was really cool what was done with the plot

Such a a clean rom-com that has the fun vibes of The Princess Diaries, but so much more and with an adorable love story. I loved watching the characters grow and develop. It was fun reading a happy book, but I loved that it was not completely predictable. Very cute!

I loved Maddie so much! She's such a relatable character and I loved her POV. I haven't read much of royal romance, but I'm warming up to the trope coz I love the baggage that comes with it (the way it adds on the characters' personality). None of the books I read so far had rules/laws this elaborate or an MC new to being royalty, so I really enjoyed how Maddie handled everything.

The story read like a fated relationship, and as Maddie says, she's finally near the life that's meant for her. Speaking of side characters, Alex's siblings were so much fun! Loved that they're just like regular siblings and Maddie's grandma is a sweetheart <3 She actually tries to learn Maddie's slang/way of speaking to make her more comfortable. I really enjoyed the contrast between Alex's family and Maddie's also with some wholesome scenes like the race.

I don't know if this was just me, but I felt like the MCs behaved like they were much younger-especially Maddie. I felt like they were teenagers, and though I didn't hate it, it definitely confused me. On a side note, I was happy coz the national bird of Maddie's kingdom is the peacock, which IRL is India's national bird. Ok so to conclude this looong review, I do recommend this read, coz it was great.

Now, I really really wanted this book to be for me but unfortunately it wasn't great but it wasn't bad either.

One thing I really enjoyed is that there wasn't a break up in the 3rd act. But... on the other hand... please for the love of everything good, give us some conflict/drama/ ANYTHING in the whole book. Otherwise it just reads bland.

The Backup Princess was attempting to give "The Princess Diaries" vibes, but I was just waiting to feel some form of connection to these characters. This unfortunately never happened. Right off the bat things pick up and you feel like you are left behind because it is written in a way that makes you feel like you should already know this information. I thought I was reading a book that was further into a series and that I was missing something. But I was surprised to see that it was the first book.

It is a very quick read and is the perfect book for a nice afternoon read. But keep in mind it is quite simple.

Also I would not recommend marketing a book as similar to the Princess Diaries when the only similarity is that an American is a European princess. I would just recommend reading the original as it has more creativity.

Thank you NetGalley for an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved it! This one is about a girl from Texas who meets a prince and punches him instead of bowing. This is a fun read that has major Princess Diaries vibe. This is a great Royal romance, the characters have great chemistry even when they want to kill each other. Very funny book.

I am a sucker for books about all things Royal. This book is very similar to the Princess Diaries and I enjoyed reading about Maddie learn about her country. BUT, there were a few things that rubbed me the wrong way. She acted surprised to be told she was a princess but then was like “oh yeah, I guess my mom was a princess” how does one forget that their mom was a princess. I also felt that while Maddie and Alex were very cute together everything was so rushed. They went from hating each other to being in love in a week. I wish there was more of a natural timeline to their relationship. It was a cute and easy read overall.

Thank you to Netgalley and Expresso books for this eARC