Libby Shaw refuses to accept society’s dictates. She’s determined to become a member of Edinburgh’s all-male Royal College of Surgeons. Disguising herself as a man, she attends the surgical theater and fools everyone—except the one man who has never forgotten the shape of her exquisitely sensual lips.
…will make a prince say yes to her every desire
Forced to leave his home as a boy, famed portraitist Ziyaeddin is secretly the exiled prince of a distant realm. When he first met Libby, he memorized every detail of her face and drew her. But her perfect lips gave him trouble—the same lips he now longs to kiss. When Libby asks his help to hide her feminine identity from the world, Ziyaeddin agrees on one condition: she must sit for him to paint—as a woman. But what begins as a daring scheme could send them both hurtling toward danger…and an unparalleled love.
Katharine Ashe’s The Prince is an elegantly written historical novel. The mystery surrounding Ziyaeddin Mira and his friendship with Libby Shaw drew me into the story which features fabulous dialogue, unique characters and political intrigue.
I was fascinated that the author chose to have both main characters assume secret identities in the novel. Ibrahim Kent is a talented portrait artist who has many friends and social connections throughout Europe. The mystery surrounding Ibrahim’s true identity is revealed piece by piece in the story. As Prince Ziyaeddin Mira of Tabir, Ibrahim endured hardships and loss before he reinvented himself as an artist to separate himself from the political drama in his homeland. Libby Shaw is determined to be the first female doctor and is presented with an opportunity to study medicine at the Royal College of Surgeons. By day, Libby masquerades as Joe Smart while she attends medical lectures.
Libby and Ibrahim met at Haiknayes Castle and neither has forgotten their meeting. Ziyaeddin sees beauty in Libby’s body and desires to paint her. Libby recognizes that the handsome Ziyaeddin has unnerved her—and she’s not sure how to deal with her feelings. To avoid being caught masquerading as a man, Libby moves in with Ziyaeddin. Loved the poignant, honest conversations between the couple. Although the romance between the couple developed slowly, the sexual chemistry between Libby and Ziyaeddin sizzled during the course of the novel.
The Prince covers many topics in detail; politics, feminism, social conditions and medical training. The attention to detail and history is excellent. I skipped through pages which described the medical procedures and descriptions of Libby removing her whiskers and trousers because they were reiterated throughout the story. The woman disguised as a man storyline is my least favorite trope. I understand why the author chose this technique in the novel but, I feel that the disguise aspect of the story was repetitive and towards the end of the novel it was taken a bit too far. Libby was a unique character—extremely intelligent, determined and strong willed. Adding the OCD element to the storyline was unnecessary. I felt it clouded the reader’s perception of Libby instead of enhancing it.
In an unexpected plot twist, Ziyaeddin and Libby are tested at the end of the novel. Loved that the author portrayed Ziyaeddin as an honest man through the novel. He was tested and never wavered in his beliefs or in his love for Libby. Ms Ashe has created my favorite character-An honorable hero.
Katharine Ashe blends history, feminism and romance in The Prince. Ms. Ashe’s descriptive prose draws the reader into Libby and Ziyaeddin’s unique romance, The character’s passion and their poignant conversations kept me turning the pages.
Reviewed by Susan Gorman
ARC from Author
I purchased The Prince from Amazon.
