Thirty years ago, the prince of a small European country promised to marry the daughter of a Scottish earl, and she bore him twins. Then he decided to marry another woman. When they separated, they each took one of their infant sons and told the boys falsehoods about the other parent to protect them from the truth.
Now, in 1831 Scotland, Ian MacEwen is in charge of protecting the people of Glen Abbey, but the area has fallen to poverty and neglect. He moonlights as a highwayman but never expected to rob the carriage of his identical twin brother, a brother he never knew he had. In a spur of the moment decision, he decides to trade places with Merrick to finally find the answers he’s been looking for. Once Ian and Ryo—Merrick’s trusted friend, servant, and carriage driver—return to London, Ian must pretend to be his brother and live a very pampered but confining life as the Crown Prince of Meridian.
Lady Claire Wentworth is in dire need of money to save her kidnapped brother Ben. When a carriage almost runs her over, she finds herself pitted against the most gorgeous man she’s ever seen. It’s too bad he’s also infuriatingly rude, questions her honor, and accuses her of thievery. Time and again Claire and Ian bump into each other around London in the most unseemly of circumstances, but things finally come to a head when he spots her a royal galla. She soon learns Ian (as Merrick) is a prince, and even more shocking, he’s chosen her to be his bride!
I sooooo love this book. Ian and Claire are two very determined, stubborn characters. Their banter and witty sarcasm and criticisms are hilarious. They have great chemistry, but I think they fell in love a little too easily since Ian is often busy looking for her brother and Claire is stuck at his house with his disapproving father.
Ian’s father, Julian, the king, is a troubled man who’s made a lot of mistakes, but he’s not as mean and horrible as he seems.
I love all the scenes that jump to Lady Fiona (the twins’ mom), Merrick, and Chloe (Merrick’s fiancée)—the characters from book one. This book and the first one, The Imposter’s Kiss, tie in together and occur almost simultaneously with both books being fully concluded in this one. The books are complete standalones, however, but you can understand all the characters and their motivations better if you read both stories.
There are a few inconsistencies between the two books, but nothing major. For some reason, in this book, it’s never said that Ian is an earl, Lord Lindale. I find that odd, but the fact that he’s nobility doesn’t factor into the story anyway. I just wouldn’t have known this if I hadn’t read the first book.
The epilogue is super sweet, told in both Julian’s and Fiona’s POV, and I would love to know more about what will happen to the parents and about the future of Meridian. I really wish that would’ve been elaborated more.
Anyway, this is a great story and I highly recommended it.
4.5 Stars

Disclaimer – I bought this book for my own enjoyment. I am not paid or compensated in any way, shape, or form for this honest review. I will not change or alter this review for any reason unless at my discretion.
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