For Princess Jaya Rao, nothing is more important than family. That's why when she finds out she'll be attending the same elite boarding school as Grey Emerson, a member of the rival royal family behind a humiliating scandal involving her little sister, she schemes to get revenge on the young nobleman in order to even the score between their families. The plan? Make him fall in love with her and then break his heart the way his family has broken hers.
Grey Emerson doesn't connect with people easily. Due to a curse placed on his family by the Raos that his superstitious father unquestioningly, annoyingly believes in, Grey grew up internalising that he was doomed from the day he was born. Sequestered away at St. Rosetta's Academy, he's lived a quiet existence in relative solitude. That is, until Jaya Rao bursts into his life. Jaya is exuberant and elegant and unlike anyone Grey has ever met before, but he can't help feeling that she's hiding something behind her beautiful smile and charmingly awkward attempts at flirting. Despite his better instincts, though, he starts to fall for her.
Jaya's plan isn't totally going according to plan. For one, Grey is aggravatingly handsome. And for two, she's realising there's maybe more to him than his name and his family imply.
The stars are crossed for Jaya and Grey. But can they still find their fairy-tale ending?
Review: Whilst this was a slight departure for me, genre wise, I love this author so there was no way I was not going to read this one and I was drawn into this story line right from the off and the drama and intrigue kept me turning the pages until the very end!
I really liked the characters in this book, there wasn't too big of a cast of people to get to know so it felt easy to slot into the school environment with Jaya and Grey. I liked all of Jaya's girl group and they were all so different from one another, as well as Jaya's sister Isha that I found them easy to identify and felt like I was part of the group. Grey is also very different from anyone else and I loved the little nods that he had to his unhappiness and his past in the same way as we see in the Disney version of Beauty and the Beast.
There is genuinely a good amount of diversity in this novel and it never seems to be there for diversity's sake. These characters are just who they are, this is their lives and we pick up right where we find them. I love when books show me people who are different from myself but not in a 'this book is here to show you diversity for diversity's sake' kind of way. This is something that I feel like translates into all of Sandhya Menon's books and why I love her writing and her characters so much.
I really like the setting for this book, a boarding school right here in Colorado. I found it easy ti picture the comings and goings of the school day and I enjoyed getting to know their rules and traditions. You know this is a fancy boarding school becauaee they take a day out to go shopping in Aspen and also the fact that there is a good amount of royalty at this school-so fun.
Another thing that this author does so well is romance and I loved all of the romantic moments in this one. Whether it was a look or an out and out kiss these moments were all wonderful and made me feel all smushy inside.
I really enjoyed this novel and can't wait for more of this kind of romance from Sandhya Menon.
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