The Project Fairy Tale folks were supposed to try to stick to Young Adult books, and I do have some YA Princess and the Pea that I'm going to try to read, but there really isn't a lot of YA Princess and the Pea stories. Frankly, there aren't a lot of Princess and the Pea novels at all. As near as I can tell, most retellings are picture books and are mostly just illustrated editions of the original story itself. I've seen a few that look to be variations, (a princess and a peanut allergy, or a princess and a packet of frozen peas, that sort of thing...)This is one of several adult romance novels that I found. I have somewhat gotten away from reading romance novels because so often the sex scenes are so outrageously over the top and stupid I can't stand it. I thought I'd give this one a try (for research), and I'm glad I did. A lot of why I liked this book is the humor -- the whole thing had me laughing out loud. It was a quick read that did not even try to take itself seriously (even in the bedroom), and I had fun the whole time I was reading it.There was some over the top stuff (especially the ending, the peril at the end was forced and unnecessary), and some of the tension was a little artificially drawn out.Was it silly? Sure, but sometimes a person needs a silly enjoyable read.Some of the reviews I read took issue with the way that Olivia, our main character, treated her betrothed, Rupert, who is mentally handicapped. I had actually read these reviews before starting, so I was paying attention, and I have to say that I think these reviewers didn't give the book enough of a chance. I thought their concerns were dealt with as the book progressed.As far as the Princess and the Pea elements go: I though it was pretty cleverly done here. Our heroine's sister is an aspiring duchess, not a princess, but she is being tested by the Duke's mother for their suitability as his potential mate. There is a pile of mattresses involved in the story, but no peas, and it wasn't the duke's mother that piled them up. This was part of the ending that was a little over the top, and by this point, I could have done without her shoehorning the mattresses in. I'd say that's a pretty minor quibble on my part, though.I had never read any books by Eloisa James before, and I will probably read more in the future, I enjoyed her voice and humor. If you like adult romance novels and are looking for something quick and fun, you might give this one a try.
