“I’m asking you to be my husband.”

Her kingdom depends on it!

After tragedy strikes, queen-to-be Lise is all alone. To claim her crown, she must wed.

And the man she must turn to is the self-made billionaire who made Lise believe in love before he shattered her heart—Rafe De Villiers.

For Rafe, Lise’s on-paper proposal should feel like a victory.

He’ll finally silence those who only see his humble roots.

Yet suddenly, winning back Lise’s trust seems more important. And he’ll have to secure it if passion is going to be part of their future…

Titles in the Behind the Palace Doors series include — The Marriage That Made Her Queen —♥— Engaged to London’s Wildest Billionaire —♥— Crowned for the King’s Secret —♥—

This is an adult 18+ story that may contain language, possible violence, and/or sexual situations geared to an adult audience.

Title:  The Marriage That Made Her Queen
Series:  Behind the Palace Doors #1
Author:  Kali Anthony
Genre:  Contemporary Romance
Published:  September 27, 2022
Publisher:  Harlequin Presents
My Rating:  4.5 stars

The Marriage That Made Her Queen begins the Behind the Palace Doors series with a sizzling romance on several levels – emotional and sensuous consequences for a couple who are, once again, brought together by circumstances seemingly beyond their control.  Her’s of desperation, his of acceptance in a world he believes has wronged him.  Two far different reasons for a marriage that neither expected, two very real reasons to guard their hearts… but that’s hard to do when the attraction burns as brightly as ever before, and the heart knows what it wants.

There was a time when Lise would have trusted Rafe with everything she is, including her heart.  Yet, he broke that heart and left behind a woman who now must save a country through marriage to a man who she cannot, should not trust again.  Rafe has grown into a self-made billionaire through hard work, determination, and never taking his eye off of the prize.  But it’s a hollow victory when he believes that he isn’t seen for who he is today but by his more humble beginnings.  He walks among the rich and famous without a care, but one woman will change every perception he ever had about his own worth… especially when he must acknowledge that letting her go years ago was his biggest mistake, and winning her heart again will be his biggest challenge.

I enjoyed The Marriage That Made Her Queen very much, although it took me a bit to really like Lise and see her side of events.  There is heartbroken, and then there is vengeful heartache, there were moments when I saw both of those in Lise.  Rafe won my heart early on, so I have to say that this is a Hero driven romance for me.  Yes, he has arrogance, but he also has the ability to tone down that arrogance into understanding and kindness.  They each bring some serious baggage to this relationship, and it was intriguing to watch them battle their own demons while letting each other see their true selves.  Trust is such a fragile thing and so hard to regain.  Watching them fall in love again was an emotional journey, even if there were times when I wanted to take each aside for a stern conversation (yes, they both frustrated me in different ways at times).

Rafe and Lise started the Behind the Palace Doors series off strongly, and now to see where this series takes us with Engaged to London’s Wildest Billionaire up next.  If you love a well-written, emotional romance with bickering couples, trust issues, and an attraction too strong to ignore, then you’ll love Rafe and Lise.

I own a Kindle edition of this title.

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