HQN
Nov 2019
Romance / Mystery
9781848458024 |
The
Princess Plan
A Royal Wedding Book
by
Julia London
Review & Interview by Elise Cooper
The
Princess Plan
by Julia London is a good murder mystery, along with
a royal romance. This first in the series delves into
the Victorian Age culture and expectations.
The fairy tale influence comes across according to London,
“I was enthralled by “Cinderella”
and the “Princess and the Pea.” Another
good one is the “Prince and the Pauper,”
with the prince disguised as a commoner, and the prince
is tired of having to marry for duty. I also put a little
of “Pygmalion” where a commoner is changed
into someone princess-like. For those readers who wondered,
I did not take the heroine’s name from this play,
but picked it out because I just like the name.”
The story opens with Prince Sebastian, the future king
of Alucia, coming to England to secure a trade deal
and find a bride that will bring influence to this small
kingdom. Able to secure an invitation of a masquerade
ball held in the prince’s honor, English citizens,
Eliza Tricklebank, her sister Hollis, and friend Lady
Caroline, are hoping to meet him. But the only one who
literally runs into him is Eliza. Feeling satisfied
that her wish came true, she returns home and writes
about the ball with Hollis for their unapologetic gossip
gazette.
But after finding details of a scandal, the sisters
decide to write about that as well, posting how the
personal secretary of the visiting prince was found
murdered. This prompts Prince Sebastian to don civilian
clothes in search of Eliza, deciding to play detective.
Visiting her, he is shocked that she throws him out
after being rude. Yet, subsequent run-ins highlight
her honesty, wit, intelligence, independence, humor,
and wisdom leading Sebastian to agree to work with her
to find the murderer.
London noted, “This is the first mystery I have
written; although I read a bunch of mysteries, thrillers,
and suspense, so it was not like shooting in the dark.
I did know who the killer was from the very beginning.
There was so much political drama, so I killed Sebastian’s
confidant. I found out writing a murder mystery is one
of the hardest things I have written. My hat is off
to all those mystery writers. It is really hard to maintain
that thread and plant those clues. With a pure romance,
it is sometimes hard to find out what motivates the
characters. But with the mystery, the characters were
able to be propelled to the next scene. I never had
to guess where this was going, and it allowed Eliza/Sebastian
to become acquainted with each other and draw close.”
The relationship blossoms as it grows from one of conflict
to appreciation to love. Unfortunately for both, they
have to get over the obstacle that a prince cannot marry
a commoner. As the hunt continues for the murderer,
readers turn the pages to find out if both can pursue
their true love of one another.
This first in the series is a home run. London blends
humor with great character development and a suspenseful
mystery. The only problem with this series is that readers
will have to wait for the next installment.
Elise
Cooper: How did you get the idea for the story?
Julia
London: I had done
the Scottish historical novels set in the 18th Century.
There were no modern amenities. This new series is set
in the Victorian era so there are a few more conveniences
that is able to move the story forward including a printing
press and trains. I also wanted to write the classic
and timeless story where a prince falls in love with
a commoner girl.
ELISE:
Was Alucia based on any country?
Julia:
I decided to have a lighter tone and I made up my own
country. It is based on Lebanon before the terrorism.
I wanted a small country with a mountain range and a
seafront. People are able to ski in the morning and
go to the beach in the afternoon. It is vaguely European
with a language that combines Latin, Estonian, and Italian
mashed together.
ELISE:
Do you like royalty?
Julia:
I have been interested in royalty since I was a little
girl. I grew up on a ranch in West Texas surrounded
by dirt. Growing up where I did royalty looked pretty
good.
ELISE:
The story seems based on a bunch of fairy tales?
Julia:
I was enthralled by “Cinderella” and the
“Princess and the Pea.” Another good one
is the “Prince and the Pauper,” with the
prince disguised as a commoner, and the prince is tired
of having to marry for duty. I also put a little of
“Pygmalion” where a commoner is changed
into someone princess-like. For those readers who wondered,
I did not take the heroine’s name from this play,
but picked it out because I just like the name.
ELISE:
What about the murder mystery?
Julia:
This is the first mystery I have written; although I
read a bunch of mysteries, thrillers and suspense so
it was not like shooting in the dark. I did know who
the killer was from the very beginning. There was so
much political drama so I killed Sebastian’s confidant.
I found out writing a murder mystery is one of the hardest
things I have written. My hat is off to all those mystery
writers. It is really hard to maintain that thread and
plant those clues. With a pure romance, it is sometimes
hard to find out what motivates the characters. But
with the mystery the characters were able to be propelled
to the next scene. I never had to guess where this was
going and it allowed Eliza/Sebastian to become acquainted
with each other and draw close.
ELISE:
I did not know there were gossip gazettes back then?
Julia:
In the early 1900s there were several in the UK and
America. I researched the history. This is where I decided
to put the tidbits before each chapter.
ELISE:
How would you describe Eliza?
Julia:
She is one of my all-time favorite characters. Eliza
went through a public break-up and has since decided
to live her life on her terms. She pursues her hobby
of repairing watches and clocks, while taking care of
her blind dad, and befriending her maid Poppy. She has
no illusions of what her life will be. I did not write
her having great dreams, but instead to have her make
the best of her life. I think she is confident, curious,
a loner, obedient, and forthright.
ELISE:
How would you describe Prince Sebastian?
Julia:
His strength is his sexiness. He is the duty-bound first
son. He is a loner and has trust issues. Sebastian has
not experienced true affection. As the revered heir
to the throne he sometimes comes across as arrogant.
ELISE:
How would you describe the relationship?
Julia:
He wants Eliza to be able to escape and to see how much
he adores her. Through Eliza he realizes that she sees
him as himself and not the Crown Prince. I think both
are secure in their own skin. As time goes on they see
all sides of each other and fall in love.
ELISE:
Can you give a heads up about your next book?
Julia:
It will be out in May and is titled A Royal Kiss
and Tell. The heroine is Lady Caroline and the
hero is Sebastian’s brother Leopold. It will open
with the wedding between Eliza and Sebastian. The last
book of the series is about Hollis who turns her journalism
into fact-finding.
www.julialondon.com/
Elise
and MyShelf.com would like to thank Julia
London for both the review and interview. |