Spotlight: A Royal Mistake by Jennifer Bonds
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(Royally Engaged, #3)
Publication date: August 2nd 2022
Genres: Adult, Comedy, Contemporary, Romance
Princess Philippa Stanley is over being the perfect royal.
The world’s got bigger problems than the color of her nail polish, but the tabloids insist on detailing her every royal faux pas. Like her bold new hairstyle and missing pantyhose. Freaking pantyhose. Things that don’t matter to anyone. Except her parents.
Their Majesties are desperate for her to settle down. So desperate they invite a dozen overzealous bachelors to compete for her hand in marriage. Now she’s living her own nightmare version of The Bachelorette: Royal Edition with suitors ambushing her at every turn.
No way is she participating in this farce of a courtship, but when her father makes her an offer she can’t refuse—take part in exchange for access to her trust fund—it’s the only way to get the money she needs to start her own charitable foundation.
Fine. She’ll play the game. There’s zero chance she’ll fall in love until she crashes into a sexy, down-to-earth philanthropist who can help her launch her charity and drive off the unwanted suitors. It’s like she’s met the perfect guy.
But what if he’s really the perfect lie?
What can you expect in A ROYAL MISTAKE?
✓ Awkward meet-cute
✓ Royal in disguise
✓ Virgin heroine
✓ Friends-to-Lovers
✓ Sexy, slow burn RomCom
Excerpt
“You’re a vision,” Henry said, slipping an arm around Pippa’s back just as his dance instructors had taught him. He hadn’t grown up in the palace, but he’d been groomed for high society, and he wouldn’t embarrass her with impropriety.
Not tonight, anyway.
“And you’re late.” She flashed him a reproachful look as a new waltz started. “I’d just about given up on you.”
“I had a bit of trouble with security.” He held her gaze as they moved around the dance floor. “It seems my invitation was not, shall we say, authentic.”
Pippa threw her head back and laughed, her smile as wide and brilliant as he’d ever seen it. His blood thrummed with excitement. It was the most glorious smile he’d ever seen, and he’d do whatever it took to earn it again.
“And yet, here you are,” she said, a note of admiration in her voice. “How did you get past security? Did you sneak in?”
Was it his imagination, or did she sound a bit too enthused by the idea?
“Noting that exciting, I’m afraid. Your brother put in a good word for me.” He winked at her. “I suppose I should just be glad Sarah wasn’t the one guarding the door. Something tells me she wouldn’t have budged an inch.”
“You’re probably right,” she agreed, a mischievous glint in her eye. “But I’m sure you would’ve figured it out. You don’t strike me as the type to give up easily.”
That was true enough. He sure as hell hadn’t given up on boarding school, even when he’d missed his family so badly it became a physical ache in his chest. He hadn’t given up on VDRI, not even after his first mission abroad had been a complete disaster. And he wouldn’t give up now. Not when he needed Liam’s partnership to keep the organization afloat. He prided himself on being the kind of man who pushed through, who found solutions where others saw only problems. Maybe that was why he’d been drawn to Pippa.
Over the last two and a half weeks, he’d come to see the potential her family refused to acknowledge.
And it wasn’t just because she was beautiful, although it sure as hell didn’t hurt.
She was sweet and funny and driven, three things he very much admired, even if this dance was as far as things would go. He tightened his grip on her hand as the pace of the dance increased, guiding her across the floor with practiced steps.
“You’re quite a skilled dancer,” she said, chest rising and falling in rapid succession.
“You sound surprised.”
“I am.” A sheepish smile tugged at the corner of her full lips. “I doubt ballroom dancing is a required skill in your line of work.”
“It’s a handy skill to have when you’re soliciting charitable donations from the high society crowd.” He grinned. “Besides, I have a number of skills you haven’t seen yet.”
“Is that so?” She looked up at him from under her lashes. Her dark eyes reflected the bright lights of the ballroom and her flushed cheeks hinted at more than just physical exertion. “And what if I wanted to see some of these skills up close and personal?”
Scheisse. Was she flirting with him? He should put an end to it now. It didn’t matter if they had sizzling chemistry. There was no future. She’d made it clear she wasn’t looking to settle down and he would not throw away his anonymity—throw away everything he’d worked for—just to find out if there could be something more between them. Besides, it would never work. He preferred privacy and solitude, and she lived in the spotlight. They might have common interests, but that wasn’t enough. Not by a long shot.
“Hmm?” Pippa pressed, that mischievous glint back in her eye.
“I imagine we could come to an arrangement.”
“We already have an arrangement,” she said innocently. “Perhaps it’s time we consider amending it.”
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About the Author
Jennifer Bonds is the USA Today bestselling author of sizzling contemporary romance with sassy heroines, sexy alphas, and a whole lot of mischief. She’s a sucker for enemies-to-lovers stories, laugh-out-loud banter, and over-the-top grand gestures. Jennifer lives in Pennsylvania, where her overactive imagination and weakness for reality TV keep life interesting. She's lucky enough to live with her own real-life hero, two adorable (and sometimes crazy) children, and one rambunctious K9. Loves Buffy, Mexican food, a solid Netflix binge, the Winchester brothers, cupcakes, and all things zombie. Sings off-key.
Connect:
https://twitter.com/jbondswrites
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https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/13650425.Jennifer_Bonds
