The Princess Goes West

Her tiny kingdom bankrupt, pampered Princess Marlena of Hartz-Coburg is forced to travel to the American West to solicit funds. When her sudden illness threatens her plan, the princess's ever-efficient factotum arranges for a temporary replacement, a saloon singer whose uncanny resemblance to the princess fools everyone--including tough-as-nails Texas Ranger Virgil Black, who apprehends the wrong woman on a charge of theft. Ignoring the princess's vigorous protests of innocence, Black sets off with her on horseback for the grueling ride to the El Paso jail. Virgil's strong, silent self-control is a perfect foil for Marlena's royal temper tantrums, and the heat they generate combusts into some wildly impulsive lovemaking. Funny without becoming silly, this skillful blend of fairy-tale fantasy and Western grit is a real treat. --Ellen Edwards