Claire Montgomery is one member of the infamous Asher and Associates "dream team" public relations firm. For any scandal or negative press the team will spin a new web for the press. The only thing they ask is for complete honesty. Ha..yeah right! In a corporate and political media obsessed world--no one is honest. Everyone keeps secrets.

Killian Stone is the CEO of Stone Global Corporation. His older brother Trey has created a scandal for his family which makes the SGC stock drop. Killian needs to bring the big PR guns out. What he didn't expect was sweet Claire Montgomery to take his breathe away. From the moment their hands touched, it was electric. He knows he should stay away from her. She even told him to. But he can't. Neither can she. They have to keep their relationship hidden from her boss and her boss's daughter. How long can their secrets stay hidden? How long can a relationship remain hidden? It's just a fling right? ( )

I voluntarily read and reviewed a copy of this book provided by NetGalley. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

No Prince Charming is my first taste of Angle Payne and Victoria Blue's storytelling. No Prince is book one in the Secrets of Stone series, and published in March of 2018. I like that these two authors have come up with a modern day Cinderella, kind of, plot. There are just enough Cinderella notes to flavor the story without being a complete copy. I'm impressed with this fresh take.

Claire Montgomery is complicated and yet predictable. She works for her son-to-be step-mother and step sister. They're awful, as you would expect. Their PR company is hired to revamp the image of Stone Global. She's meek, taking all the grief the control freaks throw her way. She competent, smart, lovely inside and out, but really, really, needs to speak up for herself. The writing duo have written the step-sister, Margaux, as the one you love to hate. I adore a character that evokes such emotion.

Killian Stone needs a PR firm to repair the damage his brother has wrought. This guy is as close to Prince Charming as you can get in the 21st century. Handsome, strong, sexy, rich and besotted with Claire. Did I mention rich and handsome? He winds up chasing our Cinderella, but she's fast. The big obstacle for our couple will be secrets, so darn many secrets. Somehow Claire manages to stand up to Killian and not be walked all over. Of course, she runs away.

Our couples story is continued in book two, No More Masquerade. That's where I'm heading, I want to know what happens to Claire and Killian. There are loose ends that I hope are taken care of. Happy reading.

#AngelPayne #VictoriaBlue #NoPrinceCharming #SecretsOf Stone #NetGalley #WaterhousePress ( )

My review:

I loved this book. All the angst and denial. It was as if it was a page out of life. It was well written and kept me hooked from the beginning to the end. Brilliant. Just as you think that things will work out and Claire will give in she runs away again. I will even read the sequel. (And I hate reading sequels) I am looking forward to reading more books by this author! Please keep them coming!

Synopsis:

“Once upon a time, there was a girl who dressed up and went to a big party at the palace. When she was there, she met a prince. They danced and fell in love…”

Damn good line. Too bad I don’t believe a word of it anymore.

My name is Claire Montgomery...and I’m not a princess. I’m a fighter. I worked hard to earn my place on the emergency image repair team for one of the biggest public relations companies in the country. We’ve been called to the renowned Chicago headquarters of Stone Global Corporation, where it’s our job to clean up a heap of the Stone family’s filthiest laundry. Our success will be the biggest victory of my career. I’m on my game. I’m ready.

Why doesn’t “ready” include a contingency plan for Killian Stone?

My name is Killian Stone...and they call me the “Enigma of Magnificent Mile." That’s just the way I like it. Elite tycoons want into my bank account. Their wives and daughters want into my pants. They’ll all do anything for a piece of the enigma—until a crack in the castle is too huge for anyone to ignore. What they all don’t know is that I’m thrilled about the fissure. Their fascination with the scandal means nobody will look at the bigger secret of the Stone family. I’m safe.

Until Claire Montgomery walks through my doors.

Her honesty, her bravery, her humor…they pull me in, a prism against the gray walls of my tower. I’m captivated. For the very first time, I long to shed the enigma. To share my secret. But what the hell will that get me? Even if she fits the slipper I offer…I’m no Prince Charming. Amazon.com ( )

As a Book Reviewer I've got a policy of only reviewing books I've won through the various giveaways offered through FaceBook, and on sites such as GoodReads.com and LibraryThing.com. In between these books, I also review books which have been written by other members of the internet support group I belong to; which is why I'm happy to have won "No Prince Charming" by Angel Payne and Victoria Blue a few weeks ago.

I usually have some difficulty when it comes to reading books who's chapter headings are merely the names of the characters in the book for the chapters seem slightly disjointed as you read the entire. However, this is definitely not the case here. You can see how both Angel Blue and Victoria Blue, gave life to their characters Claire Montgomery and Killian Stone, each with their own distinctive POV; and then had seamlessly brought these components together to bring the story we now read.

Just as any woman would love to have Killian has their own Prince Charming; any guy would love to have Claire as their one and only Princess. But beware each one has a secret which can possibly destroy any relationship they should be in.

The writing of each of the authors in this book is tight and precise, especially when it came to creating the dichotomies between these two lovers - - remembers opposites do have the tendencies to be attractive to each other. As for the sexual interludes the story contains, for this reader, they run the gamut from being somewhat humorous to being HOT and STEAMY.

For the range of emotions this book elicits, I'm more than happy to give it 5 STARS !!! ( )