Stevie‘s review of The Princess and the Prix (Princess Affair, Book 2) by Nell Stark
Contemporary Lesbian Romance published by Bold Strokes Books 16 Nov 15
I’m always wary of motor racing romances by authors I don’t know, but on the other hand I find it hard to resist a story in which the heroine is a driver. Throw in the fact that this is a lesbian princesses story (with the possibility of a royal wedding – not that I’m remotely interested in real life and/or heterosexual royal romances – go figure) and there was no way I was going to turn down the opportunity to read it. And did this novel live up to the anticipation?
For the most part it did. The on-track and trackside action owes a lot to the Hunt vs Lauda battles of the 1970s, with the twist that the contrasting drivers are on the same team – and the Hunt figure is a lesbian – and I find that story particularly fascinating, given everything that’s happened since. The story’s other heroine is indeed a princess, and a highly unconventional one at that. Although, given that this is the second in the series, some of the boundary breaking has already been done for her by other royals and their love-interests.
Princess Alix is a member of the Monaco Royal Family, but has mostly escaped ceremonial duties and been able to work on humanitarian projects in the developing world instead. Returning from a project in Uganda, however, she finds herself thrust into the limelight as the family’s representative at a British (same-sex) Royal Wedding, which none of her siblings seems keen to attend. Although initially reluctant, Alix quickly realises that this visit could be an opportunity to meet the Princess of Wales – renowned for her own humanitarian causes, and pick up ideas on how to further her own work.
Meanwhile, fast-living racing driver Thalia d’Angelis finds herself the centre of publicity for more welcome reasons when she is recruited by an up-and-coming Formula One team after their original choice of second driver has a change of plans. Thalia finds herself paired with a far more experienced, and happily settled, driver but is fully aware that her lifestyle and gender are as important for publicity as her ability to win races. A long-time friend of the royal-to-be, Thalia attends the wedding of the year, where she first meets Alix. The two don’t hit it off straight away, although they share a dance, but Alix learns that the wife of Thalia’s team owner may be able to help with her plans and so contrives to get involved with the preparations for the Monaco Grand Prix, in spite of having no love for racing.
Alix and Thalia start to discover more areas of common ground, in spite of their apparent differences, and quickly become close. Their relationship is highly volatile, not helped by their contrasting attitudes towards risk taking, and a series of accidents – not all involving Thalia – threaten to tear them apart just as they are both beginning to understand their feelings for each other.
This novel does a good job of capturing the feel of F1 for me, although in places the research details have been overtaken by subsequent events. I shed a few tears for Jules Bianchi (and for María de Villota) when the story asserted that no drivers had been killed in F1 since Senna, and again when a series of scenes in the book reminded me a little too closely of Jules’ accident. There are also a few places where US English crept in or where closer copy-editing might have come in handy: Thalia has an American mother, but all her racing has been in Europe, so I’d expect her to use ‘straight’ rather than ‘straightaway’ when thinking about track conditions. Likewise, there is some confusion and inconsistency on how aristocrats are addressed, which could have been smoothed out with a little research – and that research might also have cleared up the confusion I spotted over how much time pit stops take out of positions on track.
Those quibbles aside, I really enjoyed this book and am looking forward to picking up the previous novel in the series, as well as looking out for others by the same author. Well worth a look, especially for readers who are at all less picky than me.
Grade: B
Summary:
Her Serene Highness Pommelina Alix Louise Canella of Monaco has lived her life as the “ugly duckling” of her glamorous family. But graduate school has kept her too busy to pine for a relationship, and being ignored by the media allows her to devote time to humanitarian projects without interference. Prima donna Formula One racer Thalia d’Angelis knows she’s been hired as a publicity stunt, but that only fuels her desire to be the first woman on an F1 podium. She might be on the verge of making history, but her behavior off the track is as risky as her driving.
The approaching Monaco Grand Prix—the crown jewel of the Formula One circuit—brings them together, but will these opposite and headstrong stars collide, or are they destined to cross?
Read an excerpt.
Other books in this series:
