I went into this expecting a light, fun, sweet read. I definitely got that and I got something more, too. I really quite enjoyed this book.

Samantha was a heroine I loved. She's smart, not afraid to stand up for herself or her friends, and just a little bit insecure. She's more than a bit cautious, and loves so incredibly deeply. Plus she's responsible. We're shown these things. Not told them. I love that. Sam's a grad-student in Minnesota studying raptors (the birds, not the dinosaurs), when her life is suddenly turned upside down and she's informed she's the heir to a duchy in Lilaria (fictional country that carries some similarities with France, UK, and Monaco). 

Prince Alexander Patrick Fitzwilliam, the Duke of D’Lynsal and heir to the crown of Lilaria, is the other main-character in this story. What a refreshing hero. He's not over-bearing, not an ass, not stalkerish. Instead he's supportive, kind, funny, caring, loyal, devoted and incredibly attractive. Again, we're shown; not told. I can't tell you how sick I am of "heroes" that stalk the heroine, abuse her (emotionally and mentally if not necessarily physically) and we're supposed to fall head-over-heels for them. Give me a break. Luckily, for me, that's exactly what Alex did. I loved him more and more as the book went on.

The scenes between them were really the highlight of this book. They have a chemistry that's easy to see from the very beginning. The joking and conversations they have had me grinning and chuckling more than once. And when they finally did give in to their feelings - Damn, so incredibly smexy!! 

There's no drama in this book, no real obstacles, no unnecessary angst. They talked, respected each other, and cared for each other. This book was just so refreshing. I know I said that before, but I'm still seriously amazed at how much it did *not* include and, consequently, how much better the romance was than a lot of other stories I've read.

There was one moment in the book that seriously made me tear up, nearish the end, and the emotional depth of that was kind of quickly dealt with, I thought. Although, I thought the entire ending was a bit rushed. Of course, I didn't realize this was a trilogy until I came here to review it, so I'm probably going to get more of what I'm looking for in the next books. I hope. *ETA* Or not. The next book is about Cathy...Which is great, but it does leave me feeling that the ending of this one was rushed.

I'd definitely recommend this to anyone that enjoys sweet, fairy-tale like romances and is sick of the manufactured drama, characters that are idiots or assholes (and sometimes both), and some great secondary characters that aren't there for their "mean" factor.

Go, read, and enjoy!

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Well, hell. For $0.99, and Cory's awesome review, I couldn't pass this up.