Writing of imaginary royals in a Regency setting is a tricky thing. Because their country is made-up, the author has the freedom to do just about anything with the characters. But when that made-up country is set in a real historical period amidst countries that did and do exist, then the possibility for ridiculousness increases exponentially. With her first two Princess books Ms. Dodd has skillfully skirted the line. And in The Barefoot Princess just about everything that takes place works beautifully – even though it starts out with the heroine kidnapping the hero and chaining him in a basement.

In my last review I bemoaned the unbelievable beginning of a Regency-set romance. In that case the heroine allowed a stranger to get to third base at their very first meeting, which struck me as very unlikely. So how is it a novel with a princess for a heroine who kidnaps an English peer worked for me? Motivation and back story. This particular princess, Amy of Beaumontagne, had to flee her country as a child. Since then she has been kicked out of the school that was supposed to protect her and traveled the highways and byways of England with her older sister. Both of them are con artists. When her sister made choices Amy disagreed with, Amy struck out on her own and eventually washed up on a small island off the Devon coast.

The isle of Summerwind falls under the aegis of Jermyn Edmondson, Marquess of Northcliff. As a result of Jermyn’s inattention, the properties have fallen into disrepair and poverty. His neglect is what prompts Amy’s plan to kidnap him and collect enough ransom to ease the lives of her friends on the island. There are two flaws in her plan. First of all, Jermyn’s uncle is strangely reluctant to pay up. Secondly, Amy is falling for Jermyn…and vice versa.

Initially Jermyn is furious about his plight. Who would ever believe that a young girl and her elderly companion could hold him chained in their basement? And that they have the gall to suggest he’s responsible for their poverty is beyond belief. True, Jermyn has left the running of his estates to his uncle, but he had good reason to avoid his home. And if it weren’t for the accident that nearly killed him, he wouldn’t have come anywhere near Devon. His frustration with his position wanes as he gets to know Amy and Miss Victorine. Though he is initially skeptical about the reasons for their troubles, Jermyn begins to believe when the ransom demands are met with silence. Why isn’t his uncle coming to the rescue? Why would he leave Jermyn in the hands of dangerous kidnappers?

Jermyn and Amy’s romance is perfectly paced. Their forced association makes the attraction they feel and the ways they act on that attraction fit who they are. Amy is unconventional when measured against the Regency norm, but given her background (forced from her country by revolution, abandoned to fend for herself shortly after that, and her own tomboyish leanings) I believed she might act in such a fashion. The obligatory acting on the sexual tension she feels with Jermyn stretches credibility a bit, but this is not a sheltered young girl. The author does lay that much groundwork.

The cast of characters doing their duty supporting the couple are wonderfully drawn. Miss Victorine is an interesting and funny aging spinster and the other islanders and their cohorts in the Earl’s household more then hold their own. Even the villain is well-done. He’s petty and conniving but certainly not cartoonish.

If I have a beef, it’s with Jermyn’s characterization and the excuses he offers for his bad behavior. All too typically, he distrusts women because of something that happened to his parents. He avoids his home because of those bad memories, and in one scene he throws a fit about something Amy tells him because it’s proof that she’s as irresponsible as his mother was. This after he’s long since realized his feelings for her. Really? Conflict is good in a novel, but this was an over-the-top reaction put there simply for plotting necessity, not from any real progression of character development.

This Princess book works because Ms. Dodd kept the details about her royal family as backdrop. Some authors go the route of trying to create a whole new world with less successful results (see Josie Litton’s Akora trilogy). And one more plaudit: thank you Ms. Dodd for including the interesting, but mercifully brief glimpse of the character who will be the hero of the next book and thank you for keeping the presence of the heroine and her hero from the previous book limited to the epilogue. Well done.