I frankly think most of the better-known real life stories about such "moonlightings" are unproven myths, so I'm going to keep it straight to fiction:

 

1. Arthur Conan Doyle: A Scandal in Bohemia and The Illustrious Client

Representatives of the British government and nobility ordinarily don't have a problem showing up in Holmes's rooms in their own person, but when it comes to royalty, things are different: The King of Bohemia initially shows up pretending to be a certain Count Von Kramm (OK, still nobility, but from a hereditary king's perspective, almost as lowly as a commoner); and while we never actually learn the identity of the "illustrious client" sending an emissary to Holmes in the other story, Watson implies at the end that the client in question was none other than King Edward VII.

 

2. Terry Pratchett: Wyrd Sisters

A switcheroo turning a prince into an actor and, eventually, the Duke's fool into the new ruler.  Also one of the funniest books in the entire Discworld series (and a brilliant spoof on Shakespeare's Macbeth and Hamlet).

 

3. J.R.R. Tolkien: The Lord of the Rings

Aragorn, rightful heir to the throne of Gondor, bides his time as a ranger for the better part of the trilogy.

 

4. Mark Twain: The Prince and the Pauper

Henry VIII's son, Prince Edward VI, and a young boy named Tom Canty switch places for a while, and the experience of being exposed to Tom's miserable life and the brutality of his alcoholic father has (as Twain would have it) a salutary effect on Edward's understanding of class issues and sense of justice, once he is crowned king.

 

5. C.S. Lewis: The Horse and His Boy

The titular "Boy" is Shasta, who has grown up as a fisherman's son, but after escaping from his ruffian adoptive father and numerous subsequent adventures is eventually revealed as the son and heir to the king of one of Narnia's neighboring countries.

 

6. Jennifer Estep: Kill the Queen

Evil princess massacres her mother (the queen) and her entire court; thus her "poor cousin" (who is actually next in line for the throne) hides with a band of gladiators, learns to fight, and eventually faces down the evil princess to take her throne for herself.

 

7. William Shakespeare: As You Like It, Pericles, The Winter's Tale, and Cymbeline

In As You Like It, Rosalind, the exiled daughter of the regining duke (Duke Senior) masquerades as a page for the better part of the play.

In Pericles, the titular Prince of Tyre's daughter Marina is kidnapped and sold to the owners of a brothel (where she manages to keep her virginity by lecturing the customers on their sinful ways ... sigh.  Really, Will?)

In The Winter's Tale, the Sicilian royal couple's daughter Perdita is raised by a shepherd who has found her bundled up as a baby after she had been abducted from the palace.

In Cymbeline, the eponymous king's daughter Imogen also disguises as a page at one point.

 

Honorary mentions:

1. Dorothy L. Sayers: Have His Carcase

A commoner is bamboozled into falsely believing himself a member of the House of Romanov.

2. Alexandre Dumas: The Man in the Iron Mask; and Anthony Hope: The Prisoner of Zenda

The rightful heir to the throne is kidnapped and replaced by a doppelgänger (but the kidnapped royal is not passed off as a commoner).

3. Roman Holiday (movie)

I'm not much into romance, but Audrey Hepburn and Gregory Peck are such a treat they just have to make an appearance on this list.

 

(Task: Towards the end of the 17^th century, there was a Russian apprentice carpenter and shipwright going by the name Peter Mikhailov in the Dutch town of Zaandam (and later in Amsterdam), who eventually turned out to be none other than Tsar Peter the Great, whose great interest in the craft would become pivotal to his programs for the build-up of the Russian navy and naval commerce.

So: Tell us about a favorite book, either nonfiction history (demonstrably true facts, please, no conspiracy theories or unproven conjecture) or fiction – all genres, not limited to historical fiction –, dealing with a member of royalty “moonlighting” as a commoner.)

 

Three moonlighting characters:

 

1. Dr. John Watson:  The good doctor actually has a full-time practice as an MD -- which doesn't stop him from routinely going sleuthing with London's self-declared "only consulting detectivie", however.

 

Since "moonlighting" is built into the character profile of pretty much every amateur detective (and if not into theirs, at the very least into that of their sidekicks), I could probably just go on listing cozy mysteries ... but just to keep it varied, I'll add instead:

 

2. Jack Walser: Journalist by trade, who joins Sophie Fevvers's circus and moonlights there as a clown in order to be able to finish Sophie's biography (and just generally be close to her) in Angela Carter's Nights at the Circus.

 

3. Rincewind: Discworld's most hapless wizard, who is pressed into moonlighting as Twoflower's (and his luggage's) tourist guide in Terry Pratchett's The Colour of Magic.

 

Moonlighting Bride's protagonist Jan is a new bride who seems to have it made: she has a good job and a lifestyle with many perks, and now she's snagged the man of her dreams. Or is it the man of her nightmares?

 

Jan isn't used to the basics of daily living, whether it's budgeting and living within her means or worrying about groceries and bills. Her high standard of living has involved a relatively carefree lifestyle with few money worries, until Rob. Suddenly these are concerns - as is their wildly different financial lifestyles.

 

It's surprising to note that a moneyed woman in modern times would be so oblique as to not have realized this gaping difference in their lifestyles before marrying, but on the way back from the honeymoon this becomes quickly evident.

 

Don't most couples at least discuss basic money matters before they jump into marital bliss?  One wonders that Jan (as well as Rob) has been so captivated by love and lust that the subject never came up, even concerning credit card use.

 

Be that as it may, it quickly becomes evident why Rob wasn't committed to discussing money matters. And Jan had plenty of warning signs, but chose to ignore them.

 

While the first few paragraphs of idyllic bliss lead readers to believe they will be pursing a light read, in reality Moonlighting Bride tackles all kinds of serious and thought-provoking issues as Jan's life begins to unravel and the carefree, flighty existence she has led turns into a tense situation.

 

Lest readers think this is an entirely serious social commentary, it should be mentioned that Moonlighting Bride holds more than a small degree of tongue-in-cheek humor that permeates situations and leads to laughs and fun, as when Jan insists that she hasn't gained any weight.

 

Light moments permeate the story line and provide much comic relief.

 

Determined to make her new marriage work, Jan begins a juggling act between leading the kind of lifestyle she's used to and making her new husband happy. It's an impossible dream already; but when she discovers new truths about the consequences of the one time she abandoned caution to impulse, she is tasked with a new objective: survival.

 

Expect a lot of shopping in Moonlighting Bride, and concerns over a high-maintenance lifestyle - but that's just one of the facets of a read that moves between a light leisure choice and one embedded with deeper issues of domestic violence and money management.

 

One of the pleasures of Moonlighting Bride is that nothing is what it appears to be. Readers move forward anticipating a certain progression of events, but just when the story line seems to oblige, it takes a complete turn and moves in the opposite direction. While the tone is light and airy at points, it's also a serious investigation of the progression of two personalities after their union, and provides an inviting story that offers no pat personalities or solutions.

 

The result is an engrossing read with more than light comment on marriage, fortunes, and the collision of two powerful lifestyles.

I love a good cozy mystery, Bree definitely has potential for stepping in it Jessica Fletcher style! The only thing that bothered me in this book it that it could figure out if it wanted to be a romance too.

Loads of great characters here, with just enough story building to keep you in the loop. I see plenty of potential for more mysteries in this sleepy resort town.

The dynamic with her BFF Meg is perfect. Reminds me of my BFF and I, always pals but telling it like it is, possible getting in mud fights!

The mystery wasn't overly taxing, it had enough twists and angles to keep me on my toes. I was guessing right until the dead giveaway, then it was obvious who the murderer was, if not the motive.

The whole book comes from Bree's POV, which isn't a bad narrative. I love her quirkiness and her menagerie of pets! She gets some lovin throughout the book, but the bedroom door is barely cracked open.

I listened to the audiobook narrated by Sara Mackie, who is excellent. She has just the right touch of snark in her read to really sell the character. Great pace throughout the book and terrific energy. I could have used a hint more bass with the men, but that is just me being picky!

I am eager to see what happens next for this cozy mystery series! Fun story kept be giggling!

Disclosure - I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts, ratings and opinions are my own.

Financial Accounting Information: An Int... Meh but nice to see a vampire book that acknowledges all the murders that pile up over the years. This is not a sparkly vampire but he is a lawyer. :)