Plain-Jane Princess

by Karen Templeton

Book Overview

Plain-Jane Princess by Karen Templeton released on Jul 25, 2001 is available now for purchase.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0373271662
• ISBN13: 9780373271665
• Release Date: August 2001
• Publisher: Silhouette Books
• Length: 250 Pages
• Weight: 0.05 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.3" x 6.7"

Customer Reviews

This was great!

This book really spoke to me. I loved it!

Enjoyable heartwarming story that will make you smile

Princess Sophie is such a fun & loving person you'll laugh at some of things she does in order to live as a normal person. You'll be cheering for Steven and Princess Sophie to figure out a way to make things work. This story is well written and makes you believe the characters are real people. I didn't want the story to end! I highly recommend this book! This is a book you'll want to keep in your romance book collection to read over & over! Enjoy! :)

Karen's Plain Jane Princess is far from plain!

Steve Koleski, bachelor electrician, guardian angel to five young orphans, closet photographer and all around hunk, is not having an easy time, to say the least. He goes through housekeepers like water through a sieve and is dealing with the legal and emotional upheaval of trying to keep his inherited, unstable family together. When fate brings Lisa Stone into their lives, Steve is ready to drop to his knees in thanks and relief -- until he finds out his new housekeeper can't even cook. Who is he to question this turn of events when he and the children thrive in this woman's loving care? Princess Sophie of Carpathia, aka Lisa Stone, is on the run -- from her life. For at least two weeks she is determined to live the life of a so-called ordinary person before returning to her duties and responsibilities back in Carpathia. Sophie doesn't consider the fact that she will fall hard for Steve and his beloved children. How long can she keep her secret from them? As long as she dares. PLAIN-JANE PRINCESS is anything but plain! Ms. Templeton's inimitable style shines in her creation of larger-than-life characters that talk TO the reader by way of both sparkling dialogue and inner musings. In this return to the small town of Spruce Lake, Michigan, we are treated to visits with old friends and introductions to new ones. The intriguing ending hints at Sophie's brother, Prince Alek's, story, and I can't wait to see where that leads. I'm hoping Ms. Templeton also has a story in the works for Steve's sister, Mala. I highly recommend PLAIN-JANE PRINCESS as a must-read in a new series called How To Marry a Monarch. An all around delightful, enchanting and poignant tale, this story showcases Ms. Templeton's talent as an arresting storyteller whose star is on a fast rise to the top.

A Story To Hug to Your Heart

All Princess Sophie of Carpathia wanted was some time living like a normal person before she returned to her country, married the man who'd proposed (but whom she didn't love) and resumed her duties as one of the royal family. Well, she got her wish and landed smack dab in the middle of Steve Koleski's life. Steve, electrician (and darned good photographer) and guardian of his best friend's 5 kids doesn't know who the woman with the strange hair and clothes is, but he does know that after running through a handful of housekeepers in a matter of weeks, he wasn't about to look a gift in the mouth. So, when Sophie (now aka Lisa Stone) offers her service for two weeks, he hesitates but not for long. A person would have to be blind not to see the rapport she had with kids. So, Steve gets his housekeeper and Lisa gets her two-week in the real world. Little did either know that both would get the lesson of a lifetime in the game of love or that along the way both would learn what is really important in life-and sometimes it's not what we think it is. Sophie must decide whether or not to accept the proposal of a man she likes but doesn't love and Steve must make the painful decision over whether to pursue his dream of photography or stay and take over the family business. I read the book during a time when a medical problem had me wanting a comfort read, and Plain-Jane Princess gave me exactly what I needed. I loved the hero, Steve and the banter between him and Sophie/Lisa is priceless at times. The author's knack for internal dialogue is amazing, especially for Steve. *His* dialogue, both external and internal had me laughing many times throughout the book. He's an honest, caring man with a wicked sense of humor (much comes through in internal dialogue, which for me in a lot of cases is much funnier). Plain-Jane Princess more than deserved its 4½ Top Pick Rating from Romantic Times Magazine. If this book isn't nominated for awards, there is no justice in this world. Ms. Templeton, you've outdone yourself. Thank you for giving readers a story that will stay with them long after the last page is read.

Absolutely memorable! -- Very highly recommended

The life of a princess might be glamorous, but it doesn't allow for the need to connect to others -- the need to touch and to be touched. At twenty-nine, Princess Sophie of Carpathia contemplates a marriage of convenience as she finds a way to escape duty for two weeks. With a tawdry make over -- this plain princess dresses in startlingly blue contacts, tacky shoes, too much perfume and heavy pancake cosmetics -- Sophie walks right past her bodyguard to climb into a taxi and return to a happy site of her youth in the United States.Sophie immediately meets Steven Koleski, the godfather and now inheritor of five children. She can't offer him forever, but she does offer him two weeks when his housekeeper flees the house, leaving him at risk of being forced to surrender the children to foster care. With ten years of experience working with traumatized children and an orphan herself, Sophie knows what those children are going through, and knows she can help. For the first time in her life, she has an opportunity to really make a difference in someone else's life.Steven lost his wife when he refused to place his five godchildren in foster care. She wasn't prepared for the insanity of raising someone else's damaged children. He wasn't prepared to give them up. Four housekeepers later, he's desperate, and accepts Sophie's offer despite the fact he knows nothing about her. Something about Sophie inspires his trust, and allows him to connect on a deeper level than where she comes from. And soon he finds himself wishing she didn't insist upon returning her mysterious past.Karen Templeton begins a new miniseries called How to Marry a Monarch with PLAIN-JANE PRINCESS. A Romantic Times Top Pick, PLAIN-JANE PRINECESS is one of those rare reading delights that allows the characters live and breath with amazing conviction. Given that the hero has five children, this quite a remarkable accomplishment! Templeton not only captures a surly teen attitude with flair, but she also dramatically delivers the youngest child's propensity for falling asleep in strange places. With a beautifully created romance, depth of characterization and a generous dose of humor, PLAIN-JANE PRINCESS comes very highly recommended.