Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt

Princess for Hire by Lindsey Leavitt
"When an immaculately dressed woman steps out of an iridescent bubble and asks you if you'd like to become a substitute princess, do you

a) run
b) faint
c) say Yes!

For Desi Bascomb, who's been longing for a bit of glamour in her Idaho life, the choice is a definite C--that is, once she can stop pinching herself. As her new agent Meredith explains, Desi has a rare magical ability: when she applies the ancient Egyptian formula "Royal Rouge," she can transform temporarily into the exact lookalike of any princess who needs her subbing services. Dream come true, right?

Well, Desi soon discovers that subbing involves a lot more than wearing a tiara and waving at cameras. Like, what do you do when a bullying older sister puts you on a heinous crash diet? Or when the tribal villagers gather to watch you perform a ceremonial dance you don't know? Or when a princess's conflicted sweetheart shows up to break things off--and you know she would want you to change his mind?"- summary from Amazon

First off, I just wanna mention how I think it's cool that this book is set in Idaho, and I know, it's not often you see "cool" and "Idaho" in the same sentence. But I have a soft spot for Idaho as I've been there a few times. It's just so quaint and pretty and full of cows; I love it. Not many books are set in Idaho so it was nice to see.

Anyway, I really liked this debut from Leavitt as it was original and unique. Reading about Desi's adventures in subbing for princesses was interesting and was nice to see an exotic selection of locations and situations. The story is full of humor and sets up this wonderful world of princess subbing and how it all works, including how the company is run and the hierarchy of positions. It's easy to get pulled into the storyline. I barely put the book down while reading the last 150 pages this past weekend.

Desi was an interesting character and I loved her voice and personality. I thought it was a fun touch to have her idolize old Hollywood stars, like Ingrid Bergman and Paul Newman, as well as the old movies they starred in. It sets her apart from most other female protagonists.

Overall, a really fun, cute debut and I can't wait for the next installment!

FTC: Received book from publisher. Amazon link is Associate link; any profit goes toward funding contests.