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Vanessa Kelly
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My Fair Princess (The Improper Princesses) Mass Market Paperback – August 30, 2016

by Vanessa Kelly (Author)
4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 944 ratings
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First, Vanessa Kelly brought readers The Renegade Royals. Now, in a delightfully witty new series, she introduces The Improper Princesses—three young women descended from royalty, each bound for her own thrilling adventure . . .

Despite being the illegitimate daughter of a prince, Gillian Dryden is happily ignorant of all social graces. After growing up wild in Italy, Gillian has been ordered home to England to find a suitable husband. And Charles Valentine Penley, the excessively proper, distractingly handsome Duke of Leverton, has agreed to help transform her from a willful tomboy to a blushing debutante.

Powerful and sophisticated, Charles can make or break reputations with a well-placed word. But his new protégée, with her habit of hunting bandits and punching earls, is a walking scandal. The ton is aghast . . . but Charles is thoroughly intrigued. Tasked with taking the hoyden in hand, he longs to take her in his arms instead. Can such an outrageous attraction possibly lead to a fairytale ending?
 
Praise for Vanessa Kelly’s Renegade Royals series

“Will definitely resonate with fans of Mary Jo Putney and Joanne Bourne.” —Booklist

“Kelly combines diverting dialogue, delightful surprises and finely tuned pacing to make this a winner.” —Publishers Weekly (starred review)
Previous page
  1. Book 1 of 3
    The Improper Princesses
  2. Print length
    368 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Publisher
    Zebra
  5. Publication date
    August 30, 2016
  6. Dimensions
    4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
  7. ISBN-10
    9781420141092
  8. ISBN-13
    978-1420141092
  9. See all details
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Editorial Reviews

Review

Kelly's Improper Princesses Regency series opens gallantly with well-thought-out characters, madcap adventures, and London's cunning, cagey elite...this is a fun ride with a colorful, adventurous heroine and a happily disconcerted, formerly perfect hero.
~Publishers Weekly

"When a scandal-ridden heroine meets the perfect duke, it's a recipe for catastrophe. Throw in sparkling dialogue and attraction that sizzle and My Fair Princess is my favorite book of 2016." ~Bronwen Evans, USA Today Bestselling Historical Author

"Kelly launches her new Improper Princesses series with another superbly crafted Regency historical romance that puts a clever spin on My Fair Lady while at the same time delivering the usual elegant writing, tempered with a deliciously dry wit and artfully nuanced characters readers have come to expect from her."~Booklist

"Readers of My Fair Princess will find it hard not to smile along with Charles and Gillian as they navigate the trappings of the ton and their path towards love. A true gem of a book!" ~4.5 stars, Polished Bookworm

About the Author

Vanessa Kelly is the award-winning and USA Today bestselling author of The Improper Princesses series, the Clan Kendrick, The Renegade Royals and The Stanton Family series, in addition to other historical romances. Named by Booklist as one of the “Stars of Historical Romance,”  her books have been translated into nine languages and published internationally. In graduate school, Vanessa specialized in the study of eighteenth-century British fiction and is known for developing vibrant Regency settings, appealing characters, and witty story lines that captivate readers. She lives with her husband in Ottawa. Visit her online at www.vanessakellyauthor.com or join the Clan Kendrick Facebook Group at www.facebook.com/groups/ClanKendrick.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ 1420141090
  • Publisher ‏ : ‎ Zebra (August 30, 2016)
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • Mass Market Paperback ‏ : ‎ 368 pages
  • ISBN-10 ‏ : ‎ 9781420141092
  • ISBN-13 ‏ : ‎ 978-1420141092
  • Item Weight ‏ : ‎ 6.1 ounces
  • Dimensions ‏ : ‎ 4.2 x 1 x 6.8 inches
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 4.4 out of 5 stars 944 ratings

About the author

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Vanessa Kelly

Vanessa Kelly

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Vanessa Kelly is a bestselling author of historical mystery and historical romance. She has won multiple awards, including the prestigious Maggie Medallion for best historical romance. She is a USA Today, Barnes & Noble, BookScan, and Amazon bestseller several times over. To date, her books have been published in eleven languages. After receiving her MA in English literature from Rutgers University, Vanessa spent several years in the Ph.D program at the University of Toronto, studying women authors of the 18th Century. She worked as a researcher for many years, and currently resides in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
4.4 out of 5
944 global ratings

Top reviews from the United States

Roslynn
5.0 out of 5 stars A tomboyish princess and the perfect stiff duke falling in love
Reviewed in the United States on November 1, 2016
Verified Purchase
Even though I received this book free from a goodreads giveaway I seriously loved the book so much that I had to purchase it for my kindle fire. This is just a wonderful story from Ms. Vanessa Kelly that I am a little shocked that I have not read any of her stories before which I will definitely remedy soon since she is just a really good author. The story is just so captivating, the dialogue is witty plus the characters are not only engaging but are very three dimensional. I also couldn’t help but like the cover too.
When we first meet Gillian Dryden she is attempting to exact revenge on the bandits who killed her stepfather unfortunately Gillian is shot but manages to survive the wound. Gillian’s grandmother and mother fears for her safety and takes her to England to learn social graces and find an English husband enlisting the help of the very proper Charles Valentine Penley Duke of Leverton. Charles is one who will definitely mold Gillian into the perfect English lady that is if he can keep her out of trouble. Can Charles keep his attraction from Gillian or is this relationship going to cause even more scandal to them both.
I seriously just loved Gillian what an amazing heroine! Gillian shoots bandits, hits earls, audacious, charming and is just a fun loving caring person. I know that if Gillian really existed we would definitely have gotten along. Okay Gillian did get a little unnerving close to the end and there was a few times when I wanted to shake her or just tell her that Charles really loved her just didn’t know how to express his feelings. I still couldn’t help but like her anyway. Charles at first might have been so stiff upper lipped really a total bore and just so perfect I times wanted to hit him at times. I couldn’t help but like Charles even though in the beginning I couldn’t stand him I slowly fell for him and ended up cheering for them both. I do hope that Ms. Kelly writes Sarah, Honoria and Jack’s story someday but I do know that this is a book that I will keep and will definitely reread it again.
6 people found this helpful
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Texanne
4.0 out of 5 stars A LOVELY HAPPY ENDING WITH A HECK OF A HERO
Reviewed in the United States on March 24, 2019
Verified Purchase
Gillian is the illegitimate daughter of one of the Royal Dukes. He has never recognized her in any way. Her mother and her mother's family ran away to Sicily in order to avoid the gossip. Gillian grew up doing what she pleased and running her own life. When her step-father was murdered by bandits, she devoted several years to hunting them down and killing them.

When she and her mother and grandmother return to England, her grandmother requests the help of a distant cousin.

Charles is the Duke of Leverton. He is considered to be a perfect gentleman. His nickname in the ton is Perfect Penley. So, he should be able to teach Gillian how to behave in society. And if he is sponsoring her introduction to the ton, she should be treated with respect. Things do not go as expected.

The plot was interesting.

I was a fan of Charles. He was misused by a woman when he was young and since then his life has been one of “doing the right thing”. He definitely colored within the lines at all times. He has spent the time being a good steward of his properties and the people who depend upon his success.

He is intelligent, able to laugh at himself and filled with love and kindness for most people in his life.

Gillian acted like a spoiled brat. She treated her mother, grandmother and Charles with little consideration. At times, she went out of her way to appear to be outrageous. I realize I am in the minority, but by the end of the book I was really over Gillian.

Although she was intelligent, she acted as though there was no one who deserved to be respected. No other opinions were to be heeded. We are to believe she had been capable of taking care of herself since she was a child. But, no matter who attempted to help her see the big picture, she was not interested.

I liked the book. I enjoy Ms Kelly's writing. But, Gillian was simply not someone I would want to see on a regular basis.

There is a lovely happy ending. Charles was the hero I expected him to be. He may not have been perfect, but he was pretty darn close.
3 people found this helpful
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Carlene Michalk
5.0 out of 5 stars I didn’t want it to end!
Reviewed in the United States on March 5, 2018
Verified Purchase
This is my second time reading a book from this author. I loved her other book in the series, and recently just purchased this one thanks to posts on Facebook.

Gillian, I loved her so much. I loved her personality and basically, she made me smile a couple times with her sassiness and snark. She’s the type of woman that just cannot fit in in the typical world of aristocratic England.

Charles, he was quite fun as well. I really love how Gillian got under his shell and got to know the real him. I did find him quite swoon worthy. Charles thinks he has his work cut out for him with a woman like Gillian. Which he must learn how to get through to her.

Was fun watching the two characters interact and grow with each other. I was smiling through half of it and, the story gave me lots of chuckles and laugh. It’s full of humor and heart which I love in a book. All of the characters were very likable in their own way. Even Charles with his sister was quite entertaining.

The ending had me smile. I am very happy that I read another book by this author and this one is definitely not the last. This book was a lot of fun to read, and I really wish it didn’t have to end. I cannot wait to see what the author has in store with her other books. I cannot wait to explore!
One person found this helpful
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Top reviews from other countries

Jean and Wyn Gordon
5.0 out of 5 stars Five Stars
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on October 15, 2017
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great
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Kindle Customer
5.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable read
Reviewed in Canada on December 5, 2016
Verified Purchase
I loved the book it was adventursom romantic and a great story line. I lived the main character was self sufficient strong Abd didn't have to change or be beaten down to comfort. Keep writing great books.
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marie
3.0 out of 5 stars Georgian romance
Reviewed in France on November 10, 2016
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Although it has some good points, this book is nowhere near as good as Georgette Heyer's books, contrary to what I expected when I picked it....
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Tessa
5.0 out of 5 stars The hoyden princess
Reviewed in Australia on February 19, 2017
Verified Purchase
Gillian Dryden is the bastard daughter of one of the royal princes and, as such, was taken into exile to Sicily by her mother. Their she grew up with far more freedom than the usual English debutante. Rather than know how to paint or sew or even how to sing or play, she knows how to track and shoot!
Charles, the Duke of Levington, is asked to help teach her how to behave in the ton; after all he isn't called Perfect for nothing.
This is a delightfully different slant on the English heroine of the Regency Period.
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L. Trim
4.0 out of 5 stars Poor editing
Reviewed in the United Kingdom on January 19, 2024
Verified Purchase
The story itself was interesting and enjoyable, but 7 years after publication apparently the author had not noticed that snuck and gotten were used along with other American cant! Let's face it, the novel was set in the early 19th century, so why not try and keep the language relevant to the time! If a book is written placed in a country other than your own, try to be authentic.
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