This was such a cute book. I loved it so much. I read it so quickly, literally all in one sitting. I felt every single emotion possible while reading, and I did not want it to end.

Charis Michaels is one of my very favorite historical romance authors right now. Her books are filled with straight up swoony romance and are just fun to read. I love that we tackle heavier topics in romances these days but sometimes reading for simple fairy tale joy is just the right thing.

This is the final installment in a series of royals in hiding. The discovery of the D'Orleans youngest sibling and her love story is fast paced, swash buckling and super romantic. Neither of these characters were looking for each other and didn't really want to find each other. But they are pretty close to perfect Read this if you are into:

found family
she saves him
kissing. just for kissing
community
lots of fun

I received an ARC of Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels through NetGalley. Although I usually read clean romance books, I was intrigued by the concept behind the Hidden Royals series, which involves exiled members of a royal family who live in hiding until they fall in love. This is the third and final book in the series, and it made me want to read the other two. The story reminded me a lot of Anastasia, which is one of my favorite movies. Even though there were three brief passages that I needed to skip over, it was surprisingly sweet, adventurous, and relaxing, with charmingly flawed characters and an enticing plot.

When Captain Luke Bannock saves a prized member of the royal court from a vicious nobleman, he is offered a reward of his choosing. He selects the hand of the princess that his enemy wishes to marry as a form of revenge. Little did he know that Princess Danielle was raised by surrogate parents who never told her of her royal roots. When he realizes that her life is already full of secrets, he finds himself unable to reveal his true intentions for marrying her. Meanwhile, Dani is blindsided by her betrothal, her history, and her secret family that she never knew she had. All she wants from Luke is answers that he is reluctant to provide.

Although the book had high stakes revolving around Luke's intent to rescue his surrogate father being held prisoner by his enemy, it was a surprisingly cozy read. Dani's quest for answers was fulfilled in gradual chunks, during which her feelings toward Luke grew to a crescendo. Before learning about her identity as a lost princess, Dani had a simple goal of helping the people in her small village by running a local estate. As luck would have it, that very estate was provided for Luke as part of his reward. Her goals change very little upon learning about her royal lineage other than helping Luke with his own quest.

The main theme of Capturing the Princess is what it means to be a family. Both Dani and Luke were raised by parental figures that they loved like real parents and would do anything for. When Dani learned that she had a brother and sister who were also in exile, she was eager to get to know them as well. Luke was a brooding, adventuresome type who had very little interest in romance until he met Dani. Suddenly, starting a family with her didn't seem so bad. Although I wish the book had included more details about the rescue mission at the end, it was interesting to read about Luke's adventures from Dani's perspective through the letters she received from him. The story led up to a thrilling and satisfying climax.

Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels is a delightful, adventurous romance that will captivate fans of royalty-themed tales. With its charmingly flawed characters, gradual-burn romance, and an enticing plot, this book is a must-read for anyone looking for a sweet, relaxing read. The story's exploration of family, identity, and loyalty adds depth to the narrative, making it a satisfying conclusion to the Hidden Royals series. While it can be read as a standalone, it's clear that Michaels has crafted a rich, immersive world that will leave readers eager to explore the rest of the series.

I love me a romance. Plus, I love the cover. The writing is good, and the romance is believable. I really appreciated how the dialogue flowed.

At long last, the last princess is revealed! The third book in the Hidden Royals series, CLAIMING THE PRINCESS features Dani, a princess who doesn’t know her past, and Luke, a smuggler and war hero and revenge-seeker who needs a princess to help rescue a friend. However, they both find so much more. Extremely swoony with tons of yearning and great kissing scenes, CLAIMING THE PRINCESS is a really fast read to finish out a great series.

4.5 stars, 4🌶️.

Thanks to the publisher and netgalley for this ARC.

This book was a lot of fun! The romance was very well written and the on page chemistry was top tier! I would highly recommend.

I think this was my favorite of the series. I devoured it, and now I am sad I finished it because I want to read it again. I loved Luke's steadfastness, and I loved Dani's optimism and overt kindness. They worked well together, and their chemistry was so steamy. I liked the idea that Danielle had no idea about her birth family, it gave her and Luke some common ground, which I feel deepened their relationship. The story itself was well-paced, and I stayed on the edge of my seat, it's probably why I read it so quickly, I had to know how it would all work out. This series has been fun, but this book was the most fun. I highly recommend this book and series. Disclaimer: I received an advanced reader copy from NetGalley for an honest review.

The characters kissed with their whole bodies and honestly that should be the entire review because kissing scenes, true up-against-the-wall kissing scenes are so rare nowadays. It felt so refreshing to just see them mackin on each other for pages on end. Healed the soul honestly.

Overall, this was a lovely conclusion to a lovely series. The characterization was so fun and the hidden agenda worked well in a way that added drama but not annoyance. Their separation maybe dragged on a bit long by the end, but I did love the epistolary element; I think it worked SO well.

I loved seeing her siblings but did Gabriel even speak a word lol? He met Dani off page which I felt was a bit of a disservice to their relationship. I wonder if that scene got cut in revisions. I can see why but also give me the emotions!!! Also I just love him.

**Spoiler**
I’m happy with how the villain was dealt with—love a Cobra Kai “no mercy” moment—and hell yeah Fernsby!!! I would’ve liked some closure with his relationship though???

If you haven’t already, I highly recommend this series. All of the relationships are very different and just the right amount of wacky. It’s definitely a unique series with wonderful characters and excellent writing. I really hope I see another histrom release from Charis in the coming year.

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️.5/5 🌶️🌶️.75*/5

*Lots of aforementioned kissing and two full scenes. I loved the wedding night scene!!!


I received an eARC from the publisher. All opinions are honest and my own.

I loved this book! Romance, political intrigue, adventure! It has it all!

The story follows Danielle, a small-town girl in England whose main priority is getting her beloved town hall back up and running.

Meanwhile, newly dubbed Cornish hero Captain Luke Bannock is granted a boon from the Prince after rescuing his royal cousin. With his mind set on revenge and the rescue of his father, Luke requests the hand of an exiled princess—one his enemy desperately wants. His plan? Marry her, claim the dowry, use it as leverage to free his father, then annul the marriage and return to sea.

Simple, right?

Except when he arrives in the quiet town where she was raised, he makes a shocking discovery—Danielle has no idea she’s a princess. She doesn’t even know she’s French! Confused and blindsided by the sudden marriage, she’s just as wary of Luke as he is of her. But as they spend time together, Luke quickly finds himself captivated by her tenacity and wit, while Danielle starts to imagine a future with him—one where she becomes the mistress of their new home and helps breathe life back into the town.

But secrets loom. Luke is torn between duty and desire, struggling with the truth of why he’s really there. Danielle, still unaware of the real reason she was chosen as his bride, is left frustrated by the lack of answers from him or her surrogate parents.

This book was SO much fun—romantic, exciting, and full of heartwarming twists! The banter was fantastic, the romance felt natural, and the steam? Absolutely worth the wait!

This is book #3 in the Hidden Heirs series, but I think it can be read as a standalone. If you love historical romance, hidden identity tropes, or just some top-tier banter, you need to pick this up!

I received this ARC from NetGalley, Claiming the Princess by Charis Michaels will be released October 28, 2025!

This one was a bit convoluted, but I enjoyed this conclusion to this series! I did find certain parts hard to suspend disbelief over, but I enjoyed the characters and the town. A lot of it (Dani's nemesis, in particular) felt a bit contrived, and Dani's parents not talking to her honestly didn't ring true to me. Why are they so insecure about the love of a daughter who is nothing but loyal to them? Also, Dani's a smart girl. I understand why being a princess would not be the first thing you'd jump to if you were trying to figure out what your whole deal was, but she has to have some idea. Like, she lives in a village but she had fancy tutors, that's a red flag that you're not just a normal girl. I don't see this very driven, self-assured young lady just taking her parents' silence without a fight.

I also didn't really care for the correspondence between them, it felt like a lot of the courtship there happened without us seeing it, and I didn't really buy that Luke suddenly changed his mind. I wanted more from his perspective about what changed for him.

ARC REVIEW:

This is honestly not my typical vibe but I figured I would give it a shot and I was pleasantly surprised! A solid 3.5 for me and could have been higher if I did not read it as a standalone. I came into the series in the last book (3/3) and I followed along perfectly fine but I think I would have been more attached to the characters had I followed the families story from the start. Definitely a bit wordy/drawn out in certain parts where I felt that it was either 2-3 pages of just repetition in the guise of clarification (specifically on topics that I found really did not need any kind of clarification at all). Overall I enjoyed the read and I would definitely check out her other series in the future.

Captain Brannicknis a hero and the king is prepared to give him a reward. What he asks is marriage to a forgotten French Princess. That is granted as well as a neglected estate. Dani is unaware that she is French royalty. She has been with her surrogate parents since she was two. Meeting Captain Brannock and hearing of her ancestry is quite the surprise for Dani. That the captain plans in using her for revenge is another matter. A great read as Dani and the captan fund their way to an HEA.

I received an ARC from Netgalley

I really enjoyed this book. The main characters, Dani and the captain, are great and fun to read about. I'm giving it three stars because it's quite wordy, but some people might enjoy that. Overall, I think it fits well within its genre and plot. If you love historical, regency, or royal romance, you'll love this book

Luke Bannock may be a hero, but he, definitely, has motive behind his desire to claim Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans. He cannot seem to win for losing every time he tries to do right by her. Absolutely, he has baggage, from his birth situation to the loss of his friends and ship. I loved how he ‘grew’ throughout the book and was able to see his mistakes, trying to ‘right’ them.

Dani is just plain adorable. She has a heart of gold, accompanied by the courage and love taught her by her foster parents. I loved that she was sure to include them and make sure they knew she was not leaving them behind but ‘joining’ her two families. Dani’s pure heart was a great foil to Luke’s troubled one. And, she gave him the benefit of the doubt even when he hurt her.

I loved the change of writing style toward the end of the book. (I do not want to spoil it – you just have to read the book to find out). The Hidden Royals has been a fantastic series full of history, a bit of court intrigue, a bit of mystery and a bit of revenge with a whole lot of love. It is sad to see it end. Just a thought – Amelia and Fernsby need their own book, even if it is a novella!

Alternative title: "A Proper Miss' Guide to Smugglers"
I really enjoyed the first book in this series, and was excited by the opportunity to read the latest installment early through NetGalley. This was such a fun read. Dani as a main character is independent, intelligent, and driven. She knows her own worth, and grows throughout the story to expect that the people in her life treat her accordingly. Luke is broken and pretending that he's not in a truly heartbreaking way. Their flaws and attributes were complimentary, and I appreciated the parallels and opposites in their backgrounds and personalities.
The plotting surprised me at several turns, and I was equally disappointed and excited to see the twists that happened throughout the book. The final 10-20% kept me absolutely riveted when the shenanigans I had been hoping for were finally delivered.
If you're a fan of historical romance, the happenings of a small town, secret royalty, or grand rescue missions this book will be a great addition to your reading list.

Thank you NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

I have mixed feelings about this book. I really liked the plot line (although predictable) and the 2 main characters, however the story dragged a bit and was very wordy. There were many narrative paragraphs between dialogue, so much so that I forgot what a person said and what the other was responding to. There are several areas that could be cut down significantly and it wouldn’t negatively affect the book at all. For example, the entirety of chapter 2 should have been cut down to 3 or so paragraphs. Another time was when the 2 MCs finally got down to business, it was excruciatingly long build up compared to the payoff. The scene would have been good if the build up didn’t go in for pages.

I thought the Dani’s adoptive parents were complete dimwits. How could they have raised a character like Dani and be that stupid? It didn’t seem to match. Their logic made little sense and the fact that they couldn’t just spit it out was over the top.

I think if there was another round of edits that could car treated on unnecessary words, the story would be more gripping and wouldn’t drag.

I haven’t really been into historical romances as of late, but Claiming the Princess really hit the spot for me. Danielle and Luke were a perfect match and I loved watching them fall for each other.

Captain Luke Bannock, former smuggler turned privateer, never intended to become a war-hero. He simply wants to rescue his surrogate father and avenge his dead crew mates. As his reward of valor, Luke requests a marriage with the French princess living in exile. He plans on using her to confront his nemesis; however, the princess is not what Luke expected. He soon finds himself loath to include her in his revenge plot. Can Luke find another way to rescue his surrogate father without using Danielle?

Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans never knew her royal French heritage. Her simple village life gets disrupted by the sudden news of her arranged marriage to a war hero. Danielle knows nothing about the handsome sea captain, but she senses there is more to Bannock than what he has told her. And he offers Dani a way to save her beloved Kent village. However, she soon learns Luke’s true reasons for marrying her. Can Danielle forgive Luke for all his lies? Will she help him rescue his surrogate father?

I have always been a sucker for the wounded / tortured hero types. So, it was inevitable that I would love Luke! He is haunted by the gruesome deaths of his crew and the kidnapping of his surrogate father. I like how Luke felt uncomfortable being labeled a “hero”. He believed he did not deserve that title. What I love the most about Luke is that he often wrestled with his guilty conscience. He hated lying or misleading the truth to Dani, but he felt that he had no other choice. Desperate men do desperate and risky things.

Danielle is a good fit for Luke. Both were raised by surrogates from a young age. This allows the two to easily identify with the other. I admire Danielle’s dedication to her hometown. She hates how it is becoming a ghost town due to a businessman’s greed. Dani knows, for it to thrive once again, she needs to find a way to bring back jobs for the townspeople. What I love the most about Danielle is how the news of her royal blood did not diminish her love for her adoptive family. She refused to push them out of her life but to share them with her missing sister and brother.

CLAIMING THE PRINCESS is the third and final book in Charis Michaels’ historical romance series, HIDDEN ROYALS. I started this series in the middle with THE PRINCE’S BRIDE. It made me want to read the next installment because I became invested in the d’Orlean siblings. I seriously need to read SAY YES TO THE PRINCESS, book one. Elise, Killian, and Gabriel - characters from the prior books – play important roles later in the story. I practically devoured this book in two days, even forgoing precious sleep.

There are only two things that kept me from giving this delightful book five stars. Bannock and his mother. Danielle alleged there was a valid reason his mother never was a part of his childhood. I sensed a story there. I even expected it to be touched on, but it never happened. If it was not going to be explored, then why bring it up? Heck, I would have been happy with it being covered in the epilogue.

My other small nitpick – I wish we knew what became of Amelia and Fernsby courtship. Did they wed? Did he get praised for his part at the end? Their courtship was a very minor detail in the story.

Charis Michaels has delivered an absolute gem with Claiming the Princess—a book that reminds us why we fell in love with romance in the first place. In a time of chaos and uncertainty, this novel is exactly what we need: a breathtaking escape into passion, longing, and the undeniable power of love.

Princess Danielle Allard d’Orleans—Dani—grew up believing she was just a simple village girl, living a quiet life in Kent. But when the truth of her royal blood shatters her world, she’s thrust into an arranged marriage with a man she’s never met. Enter Captain Luke Bannock—a hardened war hero who never sought a wife but chooses Dani’s hand as his reward, not out of love, but for revenge. Yet from the moment they meet, their marriage of duty transforms into something neither of them expected—an undeniable, burning connection that neither battle nor betrayal can break.

Dani’s journey of self-discovery and Luke’s slow unraveling from vengeance into love make this novel utterly divine. The chemistry between them is intoxicating, a slow burn that ignites into an all-consuming passion. Michaels doesn’t just write romance—she crafts an experience, one that sweeps you off your feet and reminds you why love stories matter.

This isn’t just a book; it’s a gift to the heart. It revives everything we adore about historical romance—the yearning, the tension, the exquisite surrender to love. Claiming the Princess is the kind of story that stays with you, leaving you breathless and believing in the power of love. An absolute must-read!