The Stolen Princess by Anne Gracie. Paperback Original. 2008.
When we first meet Gabriel Renfrew, he’s leaving a tavern and giving in to a massive case of the “blue devils” as Gracie refers to it. He’s brooding over his lonesome return from the war and mourning for all the friends that didn’t come home. I set myself up for a full-fledged PTSD storyline with at least one or two scenes of illogical guilt.
And then, oddly enough, our hero simply snaps out of it. For the rest of the novel, he’s fairly upbeat and mild-mannered, even cheerful. Not that I’m complaining. Anne Gracie does upbeat rather well.
Callie, or Princess Caroline of Zindaria, is a far more serious person, providing a nice balance to Gabe’s levity. She also has a few serious problems. To start, she’s running from a powerful man who’s trying to assassinate her 8-year-old son. And she’s escaping a life where she has always been treated like a brainless child. Oh, and her first husband was cruel and physically abusive. Let’s just say she has a few trust issues to work out.
Despite the really far-out plot, Gracie brings these characters and their story to life. Even minor characters seem to have their own lives, and their presence in the story feels natural. I loved some of the little incidental scenes– Callie’s son Nicky meeting Jim, the orphaned son of a ne’er-do-well– Miss Tibby mourning the loss of her cottage and her books.
Only a few things in the book did not work for me. (Spoilers under the cut)
The first problem is the reason why all of the characters go to London. I realized why the action had to move to London, but I really don’t understand the characters’ motivation for going there. The characters give a range of silly reasons for the trip, such as shopping or looking for employment for Tibby (which is already settled by the time they depart for London.) The real reason they have to go to London is that Gracie has painted herself into a corner in their original setting of Lulworth Cove. The villain has lost credibility with the local magistrate and is rendered almost powerless, and, having already had one of Gabe’s allies serendipitously drop in on his estate, it would stretch credibility even by romance standards to have the other three future heroes of the series as well as Gabe’s diplomat brother all come by for a visit.
My second problem with the story is that Gabe seems just a little bit too nonchalant, particularly when Callie is really hard on him. He’s all too willing to overlook her glossing over the words love and obey in their wedding vows, even though she’s publicly humiliated him by refusing to say either word at the altar. He doesn’t deserve that sort of cruelty, and she never has to atone for it. And while I’m glad he wasn’t the uber-brooder I was expecting from chapter one, he seems a little too drama-free for someone who was rejected by both parents, scorned by his older siblings, and handed over to a well-meaning but emotionally unavailable aunt before fighting Napoleon and watching his childhood friends die.
Last, I don’t quite get the easy acceptance both characters display in their decision to leave everyone they care about and go to Zindaria for Nicky’s sake. Sure, being prince is his birthright, but after being so unhappy there, it’s hard to believe that Callie and Nicky would want to return, even if there is a crown at stake. While I know that the characters are making the honorable decision in returning to Zindaria, I think the story would have benefitted by an epilogue showing them living happily there.
Maybe that scene will happen later in the series… I hope.
Overall Grade: A-
