He feels like mine—in all his tightly held angst, his guilt, his nearly impenetrable walls.

I don’t particularly recall as to why I started reading this in early 2023 and stopped. Perhaps I was not in the mood to receive the glory this book was in every sense. Either way, I am so very glad that, for whatever reason, I decided to pick this up again and restart from page one. If not, I would have ended up missing out on the installment that is by far my most favorite from the series!

In the second book in the Kindled series, Claire Kent returns to her quietly gripping post-apocalyptic world with Princess, a story that is as beautifully restrained as it is deeply emotional, and stands out for its nuance, longing, and the way it so effortlessly shows the soft center of a man who is seemingly made of stone.

The story follows Olivia Vincent, who was just seventeen when the world as she knew it ended. The daughter of a tech billionaire, she turns out to be among the lucky few who survived in an underground luxury bunker built and prepared for the imminent collapse of the world. But safety comes at a price; isolation, loss, and uncertainty become constant companions over the years.

The story picks up when Olivia is twenty-two, and is no longer the sheltered rich girl she once was. Her days are marked by routine, emotional numbness, and the lingering grief of losing her father. But the one steady presence in her life is Grant—the stoic, unreadable, maddeningly aloof head of security who has been watching out for her over the years.

Grant is everything I love in a hero; strong, silent, protective to a fault, and utterly devastating once the layers start to shed off. His sense of duty is absolute, often to the detriment of his own happiness. He sees Olivia as something to be protected, even from himself. It is this internal conflict; his deeply ingrained protector instinct versus the forbidden yearning he tries so hard to suppress, that becomes the emotional heart of the story. And when his restraint finally snaps, the result is as raw and powerful as one would expect.

Olivia is equally compelling. She may have been born into privilege, but in this new world, that means nothing. Her resilience, maturity, and capacity to love are what make her so well-matched with Grant. She wants more from him—from their connection—and she is not afraid to ask for it. What I loved most was how she continued to push forward, even when Grant pulled back, not in a naive way but with emotional clarity and strength. She is also the one who makes the first move, and even the second move, because with a man like Grant who sees Olivia is someone who is way above his pay grade, that makes every sense, especially in the context of their relationship,

The romance that unfolds is one that seeps through the pages, which starts off in the heated moments of passion that ignites a storm between the two, in the quiet moments, in withheld confessions, and especially in the ache and angst of what is not being said. When the payoff comes, it’s not just physical; though those scenes are explosive in the best possible way—it’s deeply emotional. Soul-deep and satisfying in a way that lingers long after you turn that last page.

Princess is easily my favorite in this series. Not only because of the slow burn and the masterfully written sexual tension, but because of Grant. His quiet devotion, the weight he carries, and the way he loves; makes him truly an unforgettable hero. Claire Kent writes alpha males with such authenticity; just strong men with soft hearts and a deep, primal need to protect what’s theirs. And Olivia? She has always been his.

Recommended for: Fans of age-gap romance, post-apocalyptic settings, strong silent heroes, heroines who come into their own, and slow-burns with explosive emotional (and physical) payoff.

Final Verdict: Grant is the gold standard of strong, silent heroes. Princess is a quietly stunning romance—intimate, powerful, and unforgettable. An absolute standout.

Favorite Quotes

“Are you okay?” he asks, falling down onto the bed beside me like he suddenly went boneless.
“Yeah. I… think so.” I check his face. I desperately need to know how he’s feeling right now, and it’s always so difficult to read him.
His body is limp. Tired like mine is. He reaches out and pulls me against him, wrapping his arms around me in a loose embrace.
I sigh and settle there. It feels better when he holds me. It feels like he needs me.
As much as I need him.

“Oh, princess, you don’t seem to understand that I’ve had years—years and years—of practice at holding myself back. Pretending I don’t want what I want.”
“W-what?”
He’s not flirting or trying to seduce me or teasing me out of my bad mood. He looks dead serious, so I have to believe he means what he says. “I spent years wanting you, knowing I could never have you. A week should be nothing compared to that.[..]”

Purchase Links: Amazon