Princess Contessa of Costenopolie knows everything a royal should about diplomacy, self-defense, politics... and shopping. She ought to. She had every reason to believe that she was groomed to rule. But her next lesson is in betrayal... The sudden arrival of her betrothed, a prince from the kingdom of Misdev, has forced Tess' parents to come clean: She's no princess. Their real daughter was raised in a nunnery for fear of assassins. Tess is nothing but a beggar's child bought off the streets as an infant and reared as a decoy. So what's a royal highness to do when she discovers she's a royal target? Ditch the Misdev soldiers occupying the palace, use magical abilities she didn't even know she had, restore the real princess to the throne, and save her own neck. But first, Tess has to deal with the scoundrel who's urging her to run away from it all, and the Misdev captain who's determined to thwart her plans...

One day Tess was the crown princess of Costenopolie, and the next she discovered she was a beggar's child, reared as a decoy to keep the real princess safe from assassins. But Tess' flair for politics, self-defense, and shopping—and her recently discovered magical powers thwarted the kingdom's enemies and restored the real princess to the throne. Now, she dons an ambassador's robe to help Costenopolie put its best foot forward—and to keep the newly crowned queen from tripping over her own... Assigned to chaperone Queen Contessa and her new husband on their honeymoon voyage, Tess spends more time playing referee between the temperamental pair. Before another battle royal can erupt, a storm forces the ship to drop anchor where another vessel is similarly stranded—and Tess finds her heart stranded between a roguish cardsharp and a disturbingly attractive army captain. But Tess' potential suitors are the least of her worries. The crew of the neighboring anchored ship reveal themselves to be pirates and abduct the royal couple for ransom—unaware that Tess' magic is the real treasure in their midst...