The Princess Stakes

Amalie Howard

Jun 2021 · Daring Dukes Book 1 · Sourcebooks, Inc.

About this ebook

"Vivid, sensual and beautifully written"—Lisa Kleypas, New York Times bestselling author

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.

"The PRINCESS STAKES came along just when I needed it most. There's star-crossed, swoony, steamy love, true to the genre—but there's also a subtle, searing focus on racism, colorism, and what it means to belong that is rare for a historical romance, which elevates it to a unique and truly resonant read."—Jodi Picoult, New York Times bestselling author

Ratings and reviews

I enjoyed The Princess Stakes. The heroine is a beautiful Indian princess named Sarani Rao. Her character is well developed and reflects the struggles a woman of her time might face with prejudice and intrigue. The hero Rhystan is the new Duke of Embry and also a sailing captain. He and Sarani have met before. Their relationship ended in heartbreak and confusion. Is it possible for them to find love again? There are quite a few very steamy scenes in this book, sometimes, a little too much for my taste. Overall, a very well written book by one of my favorite authors. I checked out this book from my local library.

I haven't completed it yet but if you are going to take a character from another ethnicity, try to rssearch first. The heroine is half Indian and a hindu raja's daughter at that and she is eating beef?!!! Hindus don't eat beef as cows are considered holy. Even killing one is a sin for which she could have been killed by the mob which was agitated over her English origins already and the author mentions it like it's an everyday occurence for the princess. Just don't write a person from another country if all you are going to do is change their name and skin colour. The characters so far are well written except there's nothing Indian in the princess except the title.

Better for the critics, while the romance still works This is the reworked version of The Duke's Princess Bride, which the author graciously revised to address the concerns from various critics who took issue with the race and culture depictions in the first story. The romance between Sarani and Rhystan is still the focus of the book, though I thought the history and cultural lessons more than set the necessary tone and attitude for the reader. It's always fun to read an enemies/second-chance story - there's no hate like the love-fueled hate of a heart not willing to face its true feelings, and the tension between these two is beautifully wrought. Their stormy relationship may not have a lot of surprises, but this author's writing style is eminently enjoyable as she brings every emotion into play. Even when we know we're going to get a satisfactory HEA, there's enough conflict in their relationship to make us wonder just how much personal growth each of them is going to have to experience before they're ready for their forever. I'm definitely the target audience for the romance, even though I'm probably not the target audience for the careful approach to the racial history and cultural sensitivity. Set in England and India in the turbulent 1860's, it works as both a swoon-worthy romance and a sensitive history lesson. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.

About the author

AMALIE HOWARD is the author of the Publishers Weekly bestseller, The Beast of Beswick, which Entertainment Weekly touted as “bursting with shrewd banter, inventively sexy interludes, and emotion with a capital E.” She is the co-author of the #1 bestsellers in regency romance and Scottish historical romance, My Hellion, My Heart and What A Scot Wants, and has also penned several award-winning young adult novels, critically acclaimed by Kirkus, Publishers Weekly, VOYA, School Library Journal, and Booklist, including Waterfell, The Almost Girl, and Alpha Goddess, a Kid’s INDIE NEXT selection. Of Indo-Caribbean descent, she has written articles on multicultural fiction for The Portland Book Review and Ravishly magazine. She currently resides in Colorado with her husband and three children. Visit her at www.amaliehoward.com.