First-rate intrigue and romance with lots of red herrings.

We finally find out what happened to the last princess, the head of state for Holstein-Schweinwald-Huhnhof. The events after the deaths of her father and husband are detailed, along with more of the politics for the principality.

At first, Luisa's prospects for romance look dim indeed. Luisa is hiding as a man, working as a secretary for the Earl of Somerton. The Earl is married and his wife is living in his house.

The Duke of Olympia is still in the background, posing as her aunt, that Luisa visits on her days off.

The first half of the book is the slowly emerging romance between the Earl and Luisa, the second half is the intrigue-filled story of the Princess. At the very end, the two plots merge with the requisite happy ending.

Great plot, not-too-scary, wonderful characters, surprises everywhere, good dialogue, great supporting characters. ( )