When Passion Rules by Johanna Lindsey

First Published: 14 June 2011
Publisher: Gallery Books
Pages: 388
Format: Mass Market Paperback
Finished Date: 19 January 2012

Blurb from Goodreads

Forced to flee Napoleon’s rampaging army on the continent, orphaned Alana Farmer and her eccentric guardian make a new home for themselves in London. There, Alana enjoys every privilege a daughter of the nobility could hope for, plus an education fit for a queen. Now, on the eve of her debut into London Society, she learns the shocking secret of her birthright. Can it be true? Is she really the lost princess of the European kingdom of Lubinia? Persuaded by her guardian to return to their homeland to quell a bloody revolt, Alana finds herself in an isolated, mountainous country whose customs strike her as medieval!

With controversy and intrigue brewing around the beautiful newcomer, Christoph Becker, the captain of the palace guards, arrests Alana on suspicion that she is either a wily imposter or a seductive spy working for the shadowy figures determined to depose the king. No stranger himself to seduction, Christoph uses every means at his disposal to draw the truth from his alluring prisoner, even if he must lay his own life on the line to protect her from harm. Now, as a fiery passion flares between Alana and the man who has wrongly imprisoned her, the fate of a nation rests in their hands and on their hearts.

My Rating

My Review

This review is also posted on Always a Booklover.

I loved this book. The characters, the setting and the plot, it all came together really well to create a story that I couldn’t help but fall in love with. Having said that, I am reluctant to give this book 5 stars. Yes, the book was really good to read. But I cannot overlook a few things in the plot that sadly causes the book to drop to a 4 star rating.

But let’s start with the good points first, shall we? Right from the start, I loved Christoph. He had that charm, that charisma that was very appealing and made him a very likable man. Of course, the way he handled Nadia at the beginning made me like him instantly. As for Alana, I really do admire her. She’s a very good female protagonist and I really enjoyed reading about her. Even when she was being interrogated, she kept her cool.

I loved the whole plot of the story. It reminded me of a book the Ms. Lindsey wrote in the past, Once a Princess. The plots aren’t similar but the princess part is. I loved how the author kept a great secret from the readers, which was only revealed towards the end. I must admit, I really believed that a certain thing was true. That’s how convincing the writing was.

One of my favorite parts came at the beginning. I found it really humbling that a killer with no conscience could be brought down with just a baby’s smile. That sweet innocence in a smile, who could even think of harming a baby? Another part I liked was the proposal. It was seriously funny. And pretty sweet too.

As for the romance in this book, I felt that it was rather subtle. I mean, they just fell in love. For once, I cannot tell how or why it happened. All I know is that they suddenly did. The romance isn’t really obvious in the book, which is rather surprising. As in, the main part of the book focused on who Alana really was. And a lot of sexual tension.

One thing I could not relate to at all was her reaction after they made love. I was totally like, huh? I don’t want to say what, I just was totally confused by her reaction! Definitely not the way I expected her to act after it due to the way all women were brought up during that time.

I do wish she could have put to use her fighting skills though. She only threw one knife. Some parts were very abrupt. After I read it, all I could think was huh? Did that just happen? For example, the wedding. It took place so quickly, I was left reeling after it. It just didn’t seem possible. It’s quite a sad thing too. The whole story was really well elaborated, except that part, which left me wondering at such an abrupt ending.

Some of the reactions the characters had were not very realistic either. For example, when the king heard that they might be in love he straightaway decided to let Alana marry Christoph. It just struck me as weird. I mean, she’s a princess. He’s just a normal noble. Without a second thought, you just betroth them?

I’m so glad I finally read this book. I’ve wanted to read it ever since it came out last year, but never had the opportunity or the time to! This was a very enjoyable read and I could barely put down the book! Even when I was helping my mum to mop the floor, I was still reading, that’s how engrossed I was. So yes, I would certainly recommend you to pick up this book to read! It’s definitely worth your time.