The Princess and the Single Dad - Jessica Gilmore (HR #4816 - Aug 2022)

Series: Princess Sister Swap (Book 2)

When a royal escape…
leads to off-limits love
 
Princess Arrosa is about to become the Crown Princess. Facing pressure to marry, she's escaped to Cornwall, courtesy of her half-sister, Clem. But Rosy never expected her much-needed getaway to become a summer romance… She certainly never meant to fall for former bad boy turned single dad Jack and his adorable daughters -- or he with her! They don't belong in each other's world, but can they let each other go?
 
I love a royalty-in-disguise story, and this was no exception. Princess Arrosa, aka Rosy, is at the end of her rope. She desperately needs a chance to escape the pressures of her royal duties, and her half-sister Clem gives her that chance. No one in the tiny Cornish village of Polhallow knows that Clem's "cousin" is a princess, and Rosy cherished her brief summer visits to Clem and her mother when she was growing up. So when Clem offers to go to Asturia and impersonate her so that Rosy can have a few weeks break, Rosy takes her up on it. She never expected to meet and fall for a local single father.
 
Jack grew up in Polhallow, the son of the local drunk and thief. By the time he was a teen, his father was gone, and his mother worked three jobs to support them. Looked down on by the villagers, as a teenager, Jack was determined to live down to their expectations. A too-close brush with the law changed the direction of his life, and he was determined to make something of his life. When his rebellious rich girlfriend got pregnant, he married her, moved to London, and spent the next few years working doubly hard to support his family. Lily never took to motherhood or being married, just spending Jack's money. As the book opens, Jack had been a widower for two years and moved from London back to Polhallow to get Tansy and Clover away from bad influences.
 
I enjoyed watching the relationship develop between Jack and Rosy. It started as friendship when Rosy offered to help Jack with the girls when he had to work. Tansy and Clover took to Rosy right away, and she to them. Neither Jack nor Rosy wanted to acknowledge the sparks that flared between them. Rosy knows she has only a few weeks of freedom before she must go back to her real life. Jack has been burned by instant attraction before and doesn't want to experience that disaster again. The more time they spend together, the stronger the attraction grows. I loved seeing them get to know each other and discover how much they have in common.
 
But the closer they grow, the more Rosy's secret weighs on her. She tells Jack the truth when she and Jack are on the verge of taking their attraction further. It doesn't go well, as Rosy's situation brings back bad memories of Jack's late wife. I understood his need to think about what she said, but I ached for Rosy and her feelings of rejection. I was happy when they finally sat down and talked things out. The impact on their relationship was significant, and I loved watching them fall harder for each other.
 
But reality intrudes too soon, and Rosy gets called back home early.  She and Jack are torn apart by her duty to her country and Jack's insecurities over the differences in their stations. Then the revelation of Clem's true relationship with Rosy wreaks havoc in Polhallow. I liked Rosy's solution to helping her friends deal with the fallout and her hope of reconnecting with Jack. I ached for her as he kept some distance between them, still intimidated by their differences. A slow breakdown of his walls was accelerated when a crisis showed Jack that his place was at Rosy's side. I loved seeing them come together and realize they could handle anything together. The epilogue was a terrific wrap-up for both Rosy and Clem. I haven't read Clem's story yet, but it looks like it will be just as good.
 
The secondary characters were terrific, too. I loved Tansy and Clover, who were portrayed realistically for their ages. I could feel Jack's worry about Tansy and her reactions to Lily's death. I liked how Rosy's influence helped her. I initially wasn't very fond of Rosy's parents, finding them cold and aloof. But by the end of the book, they had redeemed themselves, and it looks like their relationship with Rosy has improved. I also liked Clem and her love for Rosy. It is clear that the two have a close and loving relationship and are there for each other when needed.