Someday My Prince

A bestselling author of historical romances, Dodd goes back to 19th-century European kingdoms Bertinierre and Sereminia (setting of The Runaway Princess) in this awkward fairy tale. Widowed Princess Laurentia needs a husband to ensure the succession to Bertinierre's throne, and suitors pour in from far and wide, including the mercenary fighter Dominic, illegitimate son of the last king of Baminia and the handsomest man in four kingdoms. Hired as Laurentia's bodyguard, while secretly in the pay of Bertinierre's chief foe, Dominic falls in love with the feisty princess and soon disavows his dirty dealings. The hot sex scenes and tantalizing romantic tension don't disappoint, but the story seems written in haste, with villains so transparent the reader will wonder at the collective royal IQ (perhaps the the result of too much inbreeding?). (July)