Tracy’s review of The Princess in His Bed (Fiery Tales #2) by Lila Dipasqua

The Marquis’ New Clothes: To search his wardrobe for a missing ring, Aimee will have to get very close to the seductive Marquis de Nattes, and soon finds that his clothes-and hers-are utterly forgotten…

The Marqui de Nattes has wanted Aimee for years, but she was married to his friend and he was not about to do anything about his lust of her while she was married. Well, she’s been widowed for two years now and he wants to make his move. His friend Robert thinks he’s going to get nowhere fast but surprisingly Aimee seems to be making a move on him. He’s not sure he understands why she’s flirting with him but he’s not about to look a gift horse in the mouth!

Aimee has agreed to help her cousin who did something incredibly stupid. Her cousin stole a ring from the man who broke up with her. But the ring belongs to, in contemporary terms, the chief of police. She’s realized her mistake and wants to get the ring back but in a startled fit puts the ring into the jacket pocket of Nattes’ pocket so as not to be thought a thief. The problem Aimee is discovering is that Nattes is a total clothes horse and she’s got a LOT of jackets to go through in order to find the ring. In the meantime she also discovers that Nattes makes her blood boil and she might be finding more than a ring, she may be finding love.

This was a great take on the Emperor’s New Clothes. I very much enjoyed seeing Nattes and Aimee come to terms with each other although I have to say that all through the reading I just wanted to shake Aimee and say “Just tell him about the ring!” I think Nattes would have totally understood the situation and wouldn’t have looked down upon her for it – but then I guess we wouldn’t have had a story. lol It was a good one despite that issue and as with all Dipasqua’s fairy tales, very hot.

The Lovely Duckling: Joseph d’Alumbert will stop at nothing to peel away the inhibitions of Emilie de Sarron and reveal the beautiful swan inside…

Emilie de Sarron was caught in a fire when she was five years old. At her coming out ten years ago she was laughed at and ridiculed because of her scars and subsequently went into seclusion. Now she’s decided that it’s time to break out of the mold. She goes to her aunts house where she’s having a party of debauchery. Everyone is masked so she believes that she can finally experience passion and no one will know who she is.

There is one person who knows who she is though – Joseph d’Alumbert. In fact not only does Joseph know her but he has been corresponding with her for the past year. He knew she would be at this party and planned to come to protect her in some way – but what ends up happening is that he offers to show her the passion she craves in order to save her from the rakes that abound at the gathering. It starts as passion but after a year of pouring their thoughts out to each other it quickly moves into love. But there’s a big hitch here. Emilie thinks that she’s been corresponding with Joseph’s twin brother, Vincent, and for varied reasons Joseph can’t tell her the truth about her identity.

This was my favorite story, by far, of the three in this book. Actually it might be my favorite interpretation of the Ugly Duckling that I’ve read. I love that the author had the couple corresponding prior to the party. It would have been so easy and very provocative to have them just meet at the party and fall for each other but with that extra layer of emotional bond it made the story that much better.

Joseph’s intentions toward Emile when he first started writing was to check on her, see how she was doing – mostly out of guilt because of the part he played in her coming out debacle. But when he became her lover he truly cared for her and wanted to show her that she was beautiful outside as well as in. It was very touching and I loved reading the story.

The Princess and the Diamonds: Princess Gabrielle can’t sleep. There is something hard in her bed. Not just the stolen diamonds tucked under her mattress- but the handsome marquis on it.

Gabrielle, daughter of the King, is determined to save her brother from total ruin. He gambled his fortune away in a game of Basset – which had been a game banned by the King. So here is Gabrielle, dressed like a man so that no one knows who she is, playing a game that has been banned by her father to try to make up the fortune that her brother lost. Not only that but she’s stolen (with every intention of replacing them) diamonds from her father in order to play the game. The first night she is there Mathias, the Marquis de Montfort figures out that she’s a woman and decides to find out what she’s up to. Why is she clothed as a woman when Basset allows women to play? He is determined to find out.

Mathias has an ulterior motive for being at the Basset tables as well. He’s agreed to assist in the closing of the Basset gambling house and will bring down the man who runs it and those who regularly play at the house. When he meets Gabrielle though he doesn’t want her involved in any raid that might occur at the gambling house but he does want to be involved with her. While Gabrielle and Mathias begin an affair, Gabrielle keeps her identity to herself. When she finds out that Mathias is more or less working for her father she hatches a plan to make them both happy forever.

This was a very cute story as well – a fun take on the Princess and the Pea. I was a little surprised that Gabrielle, even after she fell in love with Mathias, still didn’t tell him who she was. Of course, it would have freaked him right out but still. lol Despite that I thought the story was well done and I enjoyed it.

Overall another great set of fairy tale adaptations that we quite enjoyable.

Rating: 4.25 out of 5

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This book is available from Berkley. You can buy it here or here in e-format.