posted on March 25, 2020 by Christi Barth

Insights Into Ruling the Princess

My series Sexy Misadventures of Royals is about, you guessed it, princesses and a prince. Book two (totally stand-alone, I promise—anything else drives me bonkers!), out on 3/23, is Ruling The Princess. You might be thinking, what the heck? A princess is the one who does the ruling, right? That’s certainly what Princess Genevieve believes when the book opens.

Genevieve’s not in charge of the kingdom of Moncriano—her father’s still king, and her brother Christian is set to inherit the throne—but she’s used to making her own decisions. Having people carry out her…well, ‘orders’ sounds high maintenance. Hmmm…as does ‘commands’. ‘Wishes’ sounds like she has a fairy godmother (which would be awesome, but this book is strictly contemporary—no fairies or magic powers.) She decides, delegates, and things get done. Simple as that. Which includes summoning the Royal Auditor at the drop of a hat when he crosses a line…

Kelsey double-blinked at her sister. “Uh, you actually pulled rank and just summoned someone? That’s so…”

“Regal? Imperious?”

“Ballsy.”

“I declare it necessary. This…” Genevieve flipped to the end to squint at the signature, the harsh, spiky scrawl that was redolent with a smug—and mistaken—sense of power, “…Sir Theo Holst has a lot to answer for.”

“Yikes. Is it wrong that I’m excited to watch an old-fashioned, royal dressing-down? I’ve only seen this happen in movies.”

Isn’t doing what you want the true joy of being an adult? I mean, aside from being able to drink champagne, drive a car (whoops—I think my So Cal roots are showing with that comment) and vote, what defines us as a grown-up is our independence.

We make our own choices about how our life rolls forward (or sideways, or even upside-down, if we make a bad choice). We revel in it between ages sixteen to twenty-five. Then we start to take it for granted. Sure, there are days when circumstances force you to do something you don’t love—go to the dentist, or have dinner with your annoying in-laws—but the choice is still ultimately yours. Nobody can force you.

Genevieve toyed with the interlocking circles of her sapphire bracelet. It used to belong to Wallis Simpson, the woman who came close to toppling the British monarchy. Genny wore it as a reminder that passion had no place in the palace.

A princess did what her people needed. Her own desires were secondary. Giving in to them could so easily bring havoc to her own royal line.

But those were her decisions to make. Not Sir Theo’s.

So I loved the idea of taking away a princess’s autonomy. That would grate against any normal person (aka make me want to swear copiously), but to a royal with multiple palaces full of servants? It would absolutely infuriate her. And when writing an enemies-to-lovers book, you want the heroine all fired up.

“He thinks he can order me around? Me, a blood princess of four undiluted centuries of the House of Villani? Trust me when I say I’ll disabuse him of that notion.”

The thing is, though, that Sir Theo has been granted the authority over her budget. The prime minister and the king gave him two months to get it in shape, for a variety of political reasons. Genny has no choice in the matter. At all. For the good of her family and her kingdom, she has to relinquish control. Be, essentially, ruled by this man.

Her hands fisted around the wooden arms of the chair. “You presume to tell me what to do? How to spend my money?”

“I do, indeed. My demands were clear—or are you as bad at vocabulary as you are at finances?”

The princess popped out of the chair in a most un-royal fashion. Now she crowded up in front of him. Close enough Theo caught the sweet scent of her perfume—some tantalizing mix of nectarines, flowers and honey. It gave him the urge to bury his lips in her neck.

She heaved in a breath that brushed the tips of her breasts against his jacket lapels. “Your demands were clearly based in ignorance of the requirements of my station. Not to mention a lack of understanding about women in general.”

Personally? I…would not take this well. Even reasonable requests would chafe under these circumstances. I’d, well, act out. Find both obvious and sneaky ways to get around his rules. And I’d hold one heck of a grudge against the man who had the temerity to put his foot down and expect me to roll over. That’s just ordinary me reacting. Imagine how a princess reacts! Oh—you don’t have to imagine—just dive into Ruling The Princess!

Christi Barth

Christi Barth

Christi Barth earned a Masters degree in vocal performance and embarked upon a career on the stage. A love of romance then drew her to wedding planning. Ultimately she succumbed to her lifelong love of books and now writes award-winning contemporary romance, including the Naked Men and Aisle Bound series. Christi can always be found whipping up gourmet meals (for fun, honest!) or with her nose in a book. She lives in Maryland with the best husband in the world.

http://www.christibarth.com

2 thoughts on “Insights Into Ruling the Princess”

  1. flchen1 says:

    LOL! That is part of what makes an enemies-to-lovers story so much fun, Christi! While the antagonism might not be as much fun in real life, it can be very entertaining to watch the sparks fly on the page!

    1. Oh, I’m so glad you like that trope. It is tricky to pull off, because it can be so easy to slide into pure bitchiness, and then you aren’t rooting for either one of them!

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