I read Paper Princess a few years ago and loved it so much more than expected. Being reminded of it on bookstagram I decided to pick up the next book, Broken Prince, but sadly the magic that spellbound me in the first book was gone. Maybe I’ve outgrown this series or maybe the first book was simply so much better, but whatever the reason this was not what I had hoped for and I will probably not read any more books in this series.

This time the story was mostly told from Reed’s perspective (although there were alternating POVs also with Ella’s take on the events after a while). What pulled me in to the story and got me hooked in the first book was the strong heroine and the twists, turns, angst, drama and the insane chemistry and hate-lust going on. With Reed as the main character, and with Ella running away, I missed most of those things. Even though Reed has grown a lot and changed for the better, I’ve still not completely rooted for him the way I had for Ella. The story also felt slow and quite repetitive with Brooke back to the family to scheme and cause trouble and the Royal boys fighting with each other and their father.
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But at the end, luckily some of the old glory from the first book returned. I loved “Avenger Ella” and how she turned into her old fierce self from the first book again, and all the fast-pasted action during the last 100 pages. And what a cliffhanger! Even though I strongly felt that this book was not my cup of tea anymore, that cliffhanger might haunt me enough to continue this series after all…

Rating:
2.5 scandalous stars rounding up to 3 for the last 100 pages

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​Author info:
Erin Watt 

This is a book outside my normal genre. I don’t like too much erotica or too explicit content, and there are also other trigger warnings such as physical and sexual abuse, bullying, toxic and even cruel relationships, attempted rape, alcohol and drug use, addiction, a lot of slut shaming and stereotype gender roles. Nevertheless, I really enjoyed Paper Princess! So much more than I could ever have guessed!

What pulled me in to this story and got me hooked was the strong heroine, Ella Harper, and the twists, turns, angst, drama and the insane chemistry and hate-lust going on.

Seventeen-year-old Ella has been forced to make things on her own ever since her mother died of cancer. Then, out of nowhere, a man she’s never met, Callum Royal, claims to be her legal guardian and takes her home to live with him and his five sons. The Royal boys are rich, privileged and entitled. They’re also amoral and can be mean and brutal. Especially the leader of their pack, Reed, who was downright despicable and intolerable most of the time. But nevertheless, the boys were all utterly fascinating, and I really enjoyed how Ella handled them, never giving in to them. She managed to stay true to herself and always speak her mind. Her character was so well-developed throughout the story. I immediately rooted for her and how she was yearning for love and acceptance, but hiding her feelings behind a hard exterior. She was strong and tough, but not over the top. And the sexual tension between Reed and Ella was off the charts. All the power plays between Ella and Reed slowly developed into one of the most passionate hate to love relationships I’ve ever read.

One of my favorite characters, next to Ella, was Easton Royal. Poor broken Easton. He was so sweet, that you just wanted to cuddle with him and heal his broken heart, but he also had such a great sense of humor. And I like how he was the first to become a friend to Ella, when she most needed one.

All in all, Paper Princess is a fun, feisty, addicting and entertaining soap opera. There is so much drama, revenge, betrayal, love, friendship and jaw dropping moments than you will feel like you are on a roller-coaster. There is a lot of sex but I enjoyed the sexual undertones as well as the romance. But for the rating, I cannot give it full pot, since it goes against my values to romanticize sexist and abusive relationships. No matter how entertaining the rest of the story is, that kind of behavior is never acceptable. 

Rating:
3.5 stars rounding up to 4

Get your own copy:
Bookshop.org
Amazon
Book Depository

​Author info:
Erin Watt