Behind
the Scenes: A Most Unfortunate Prince
By
Kelli A. Wilkins
This
“Behind the Scenes” blog is part of a series examining my romance novels. In
each blog, I’ll talk about why I wrote the book, share my thoughts on the plot
and/or characters, and reveal what I loved most (or least) about writing the
book. Warning: Blogs may contain spoilers.
A
Most Unfortunate Prince picks up soon after A
Most Intriguing Temptation. King Maxwell is furious at Prince Allan and
blames him for the disastrous events at Emperor Salizar’s palace. As punishment,
the king banishes him. Allan is a spoiled, pampered prince who is used to
living the good life and getting his own way. Now he is being sent to the
worst/poorest area of the kingdom.
At first, Allan doesn’t seem to take his banishment
seriously. He is experienced in manipulating people and situations to his
advantage and figures he will be punished for a few weeks (or maybe a month),
and then his father will change his mind and welcome him home.
But deep down, Allan is concerned. A part of him knows he is responsible for nearly
getting himself, Dalton, and Elara killed. He starts to realize the severity of
the banishment and has no idea how he will survive on his own. He has lost favor
with his father and basically has been told to get out and grow up. The king
has cut off all his funds and only lets him take what he can carry. But to save
face, Allan jokingly tells Elara he’ll take the family silver with him to pawn
if he needs money.
So begins Allan’s trials and tribulations. As readers
can imagine, life is not going to be easy for this fallen prince. He is forced to
find work at the docks doing manual labor—something he has never done before.
Working at the docks for an abusive boss brings its own set of mental,
emotional, and physical challenges.
But life isn’t all bad for Allan. He meets a sweet and
savvy seamstress named Claudette and wants to impress her. In the past he could
seduce women with his wealth and prestige—but now he has to rely on his charm
and true personality. Claudette is a sensible, no-nonsense young woman who is
not taken in by Allan. In fact, their first meet is disastrous (and physically
painful) for him.
Claudette has overcome her own challenges and is used
to making her own way in the world. She doesn’t trust that Allan’s motives are sincere
and makes him work for her affection. In doing so, Allan learns many lessons about
himself, relationships, and what it means to be in love. He helps Claudette
stand up to her nasty boss, and together they create a good life for
themselves. It’s a simple life, but they’re happy.
But A Most
Unfortunate Prince isn’t all about Allan and Claudette’s romance. While
working at the docks, Allan uncovers a smuggling/illegal trade operation. In
the course of his investigation, he is subjected to mental and physical abuse
at the hands of his vile supervisor and other dockworkers.
Although the primary focus is Allan, Dalton and Elara appear
as secondary characters. Elara and Allan exchange letters, and when Claudette
finds letters from a mysterious woman with the initial “E” she becomes jealous.
She accuses Allan of having a secret life (and a wife). This causes all sorts
of problems in their relationship.
As a result of his investigation, Allan is attacked
and viciously beaten. When he is whisked away by strangers and taken to a manor
house to recover, Claudette’s suspicions grow. And when Claudette meets Dalton,
Elara, and King Maxwell, she is in for quite a shock. Learning Allan is a
prince throws their love into a tailspin.
After Claudette learns who Allan really is, she
questions everything about their relationship. She wonders why Allan never told
her his true identity, questions if he has only been toying with her for fun
while he’s slumming it in the poorest section of the kingdom, and is unsure if
she is truly worthy of being with him.
One of the things I liked best about writing the book
was showing Allan’s growth and transition from the drunken womanizer he was in A Most Intriguing Temptation, into a respectable
man. Claudette’s guidance and love has reformed him in a way no severe punishment
could have. I enjoyed writing ways for them to get to know each other and fall
in love, and I liked inventing clever ways for Allan to learn his lessons.
Spoiler
Alert: The one thing I hated most about writing this book
was killing off Alex, a secondary character. Alex isn’t in a lot of the book,
but he made a dramatic impact on Allan’s life. When Allan’s money ran out, he
was living on the street begging for food and nearly froze to death. Alex
rescued Allan and they became extremely close friends (and more).
I originally had no intention of creating Alex at all.
He was a secondary character who appeared out of nowhere and became an
important element of the story. Alex was a good friend to Allan and may have
unknowingly died for him. It broke my heart to kill him off, but it had to be
done for the sake of the story. (I still wish I could have found a way to keep
him alive.)
Later in the book, Allan is so overcome with grief and
guilt over Alex’s death that he nearly dies out in the cold on Alex’s grave. Claudette
finds him in the cemetery, distraught and broken, and brings him home. This was
a heart-wrenching, powerful scene to write and a major turning point in the
novel.
Dalton and Elara are mostly off-page for the book, but
they play a large role in the events at the end of the story. A very pregnant
Elara gives birth and needs Claudette’s help with the delivery. Allan consoles
a terribly worried Dalton and confesses a secret he has been keeping from
everyone.
I leave Dalton, Elara, Allan, and Claudette in good
places at the end of the book—and the trilogy. (I even wrote a special epilogue
to wrap up everything.) It’s a satisfying conclusion for the characters and the
readers.
The Royal
Desires series is my favorite. All three stories are sensual romances that
blend adventure and humor while taking readers on an emotional roller coaster
ride. Whether you read this book as a stand-alone story or as the last part of
the series, I think you will love reading A Most Unfortunate Prince as much as
I loved writing it.
Here’s the summary:
A Most Unfortunate
Prince
This time, it’s all about Allan… and he never expected
to fall in love!
Banished by the Royal Family, pampered Prince Allan is forced to abandon his
life of luxury. The former Royal Shipmaster General is sent to the worst part
of the kingdom and manages to find work at the docks. Lost in a commoner’s
world, Allan is miserable—until he has an unusual encounter with a saucy shop
girl named Claudette.
Allan must earn the respect of the woman he loves while keeping his true
identity a secret. In an effort to redeem himself in his father’s eyes, he
exposes a dangerous smuggling operation involving the Royal Fleet. But his
loyalty to duty comes with a deadly price.
Can he keep Claudette and his royal title? Or will he lose her forever when she
discovers his secret?
The Royal Desires Series
is available on Amazon & other platforms. Catch this hot historical/fantasy
trilogy from the start:
Book 1: A Most Unusual Princess:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01CBX43D8
All
other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/me00L9
Read reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-unusual-princess
Book 2: A Most
Intriguing Temptation:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B01D8P8604
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/47kkvj
Read reviews
here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-intriguing-temptation
Book 3: A Most
Unfortunate Prince:
Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Most-Unfortunate-Prince-Historical-Fantasy-ebook/dp/B01DMBYJ6E
All other platforms: https://books2read.com/u/3yPPM6
Read
reviews here: https://www.kelliwilkins.com/a-most-unfortunate-prince
I hope you enjoyed
this “Behind the Scenes” look at the making of this romance. I welcome
questions and comments from readers and other authors. Contact me via the form
on my site or on social media.
Happy Reading,
Kelli A. Wilkins
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Kelli A. Wilkins
is an award-winning author who has published more than 100 short stories, 20
romance novels, 7 non-fiction books, and 3 horror ebooks. Her romances span
many genres and settings, and she likes to scare readers with her horror
stories.
In
January 2021, Kelli released Journaling Every Week: 52 Topics to Get You Writing. This fun and innovative guide to
journaling is filled with hundreds of thought-provoking prompts designed to get
you writing about your feelings and emotions.
Her horror short, “A Witch’s Wishes” was published in the Nothing
Ever Happens in Fox Hollow anthology in December 2020. In October 2020,
Kelli had horror stories published in two anthologies. “The Uninvited” was
published in Halloween Horror Vol. 2. This tale about a children’s Halloween
party gone horribly wrong is one of her favorites. Her unsettling short story,
“What the Peeper Saw” appeared in Madame Gray’s Creep Show anthology.
In 2020 Kelli
published Love, Lies & Redemption, a western romance set in 1877
Nebraska. This novel blends a sensual love story with mystery and danger.
Kelli posts on her
Facebook author page: https://www.facebook.com/AuthorKelliWilkins and Twitter: www.Twitter.com/KWilkinsauthor.
Visit her website/blog
www.KelliWilkins.com for a full title list and to find all her social media
links.
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