Book Review: Thorne Princess by L.J. Shen

by Julia Con

This is a review of the book “Thorne Princess” by USA Today bestselling author L.J. Shen. Here’s what you’ll find below:

a summary of the book
what genre it is
if it’s a standalone
what age limit it has
spice level
if it has a happy ending
content warnings
strengths/what I like
weaknesses/what I dislike
and some guidelines to help you decide if you want to read the book

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Table of Contents

What is the plot of Thorn Princess?

“Thorne Princess” centers around Hallie Thorne, who is the youngest daughter of (fictional) former USA president Anthony Thorne. As a former “first child”, Hallie is very popular with the tabloids – for all the wrong reasons. She is caught in a wardrobe malfunction that reveals too much, her red hair speaks of trouble, her body is covered with tattoos. And she allegedly keeps company with notorious bad boys.

In an attempt to keep her out of the spotlight and out of trouble, her parents hire Ransom Lockwood, a live-in bodyguard. Ransom is reluctant to take the job because babysitting isn’t exactly what he does. He’s a former counterintelligence agent turned successful close protection officer. He’s the co-owner of Lockwood and Whitfield Protection Group.

Hallie is as impressed as he is by this new arrangement. They both dislike each other with a passion and don’t even try to hide it. Ransom is a mean a-hole, treating her like a stupid, spoiled brat. He often undermines her intelligence and morality, calling her nicknames like “brat” or “princess” (in a diminishing way). He takes measures to restrict her freedom, such as taking away her phone, not letting her attend certain events, forcing her to go to Texas to meet her parents, or prolonging her stay in Texas against her wishes.

On the other side, Hallie is just as stubborn and determined not to surrender. She gives as good as she gets, trying to make Ransom quit the job. She opposes every decision he makes for her, even calling him nicknames as well, such as “Random”.

But the more time they spend together, the more Ransom realizes Hallie is not what the media has portrayed her. Sure, she has a lot of flaws and she needs to work on things. But there’s more to her than meets the eye. She’s his ward though, and he isn’t in the habit of getting mixed up with the clients. Especially not when said client finds herself in a dangerous predicament caused by none other than Ransom.

What genre is Thorne Princess?

“Thorne Princess” is a contemporary romance that falls into the enemies-to-lovers trope. It’s also the grumpy bodyguard – sunshine heroine type of romance novel. If you want to find more enemies-to-lovers stories, check out this list of mafia romances. Not all of them are enemies to lovers, but those that are, I’m sure you’ll love them. There’s also another L.J. Shen book on that list.

Is Thorne Princess spicy?

The book has some spicy scenes involving the two main characters or the hero with other women (but not while with the heroine – no cheating). However, the scenes are not too long, and compared to other romance novels, they are not that descriptive. You can skim if you don’t want to read these parts.

What is the age rating for Thorne Princess?

Given that it’s a romance novel with explicit content, the book is meant for a mature audience, so 18+. Also see below for the content warnings!

Is Thorne Princess a standalone?

Yes, “Thorne Princess” is a standalone. Although there’s mention of characters from another novel written by L.J. Shen (“The Kiss Thief”), both of them are standalones and can be read and understood without reading the other one.

Is there a happy ending in Thorne Princess?

Yes, Hallie and Ransom do get their happy ending. They get together and stay together. And if you’d like more happy endings in your books, check out this list of 6 feel-good romance novels.

Are there any trigger warnings for Thorne Princess?

There are some content warnings some readers might want to know. Here’s a list below:

Hero has $ex on page with other women (not very descriptive though) and the heroine sees this (and enjoys it) -NOT cheating though
sexual assault (not descriptive and not the main topic)
some readers may find the relationship between Hallie and Ransom abusive (because of how bad they act towards each other, especially him towards her) and not ship their ending up together
heroine has dyslexia and her parents didn’t handle that well
hero has r**e fantasy/CNC – Consensual Non Consent (it’s not dark, however maybe some readers are not comfortable with this)
Even with all these warnings, “Thorne Princess” is NOT a dark romance novel. However, if you’re into it, check out this list of dark romance books.

Thorne Princess – Strengths

The banter between Hallie and Ransom. It gets funny a lot of the time and it’s a pleasant way to show a character’s personality.
There’s growth in both characters, but especially in Hallie. She heals some of her traumas and insecurities and becomes a better, more mature person.
The book addresses topics that are not so popular, such as learning disabilities. Hallie has dyslexia and learns how to live with it without shame. She also starts going to therapy.
The writing style is mature and has a lot of potential. Compared to a lot (or I should say most) of the contemporary romances being published these days, L.J. Shen’s writing is more developed. It’s not childish and the dialogue is on point. Speaking of which, you can delve more into what is wrong with some romance novels with this list of pros and cons.
The cover of the book. It’s lively and classy, without naked models on it.

Thorne Princess – Weaknesses

Not enough chemistry between Hallie and Ransom. Sure, the banter is funny and helps build tension, but chemistry is still lacking.
I would’ve wanted the author to exploit the plot more thoroughly. It has a lot of potential, but I feel there is room for more interesting scenarios.
Not a fan of the heroine watching the hero be intimate with other women and enjoy it. That’s a big no from me.
The steamy scenes were weird, to be honest. Not in their entirety, but overall I didn’t find them sexy or cute. There’s a scene where Ransom hurries her and it’s weird.
I’m also not a fan of overly modern characters or situations. Like the fact that Hallie was an influencer. But that is totally a personal preference.
Speaking of Hallie, I did not appreciate her immaturity at times. She opposes some things Ransom asks simply out of spite because otherwise, they are common sense. And yes, her parents did make mistakes with her, but occasionally, her attitude towards them showed her immaturity. However, she did evolve by the end of the book, so that’s a plus.

Is Thorne Princess by L.J. Shen Worth It?

Whether reading “Thorne Princess” is worth it or not is up to each reader. Some people like it while others not so much. Here are some guidelines to help you figure out if this book is for you:

Read if you like enemies-to-lovers romance books. Also, here’s a book review of Devious Lies, another enemies-to-lovers romance novel.
Read if you’re into the bodyguard trope
Give it a chance if you like stubborn heroines with red hair who learns to stand up for herself
Read if you like heroes who are mean and a-holes to heroine (and then change their minds about her)
Do Not read if are completely turned off by hero being intimate with other women while heroine sees him and enjoys it.
Maybe do not read if you don’t like heroes treating the heroine poorly (and no explicit groveling after – he does change his attitude and helps her with stuff, though.)
Also read the content warnings above!