A princess befriending a common gardener is bad enough. Falling in love with him is absolutely forbidden.

Ariella is royalty, a princess of Dalthia, but palace rules and the strictures of society leave her restless and longing for more. When she meets Gavin, a palace gardener who both catches her eye and challenges her authority, she feels drawn to him, but how can she befriend a commoner under the watchful eye of her royal family?

When her budding relationship with Gavin is discovered, her idyllic days spent in the gardens come to an end—and Gavin suffers the consequences. But being separated from Gavin isn’t just the loss of a friend, it’s the loss of her soulmate, the boy who knows her and understands her better than anyone. Even if their relationship wasn’t forbidden, finding her way back to his arms is more than unlikely; it seems impossible, especially when Gavin returns—betrothed to someone else.

Having him so close and yet entirely out of reach is an agony Ella has never known, but one she must learn to endure. Torn between duty and her heart, Ella can only hope she can find a way to break free of social constraints and earn a second chance with Gavin. Then maybe she’ll find the happiness that’s been so elusive. Maybe she’ll find a way to be just Ella.

"I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me."

Just Ella is the first book in the Dalthia series. Each book can be listened to as a stand-alone since each has a different main character. Just Ella is a clean and wholesome story of growing up and finding love even when it flies in the face of family expectation and duty to country. Filled with sweet, toe-curling romance and unexpected action and adventure, you’ll be rooting for the princess and the commoner to find their way to each other. Not quite historical, but not quite fantasy, this inspirational fairy tale without the fairies gives a nod to the medieval, a wink to the renaissance and blows a kiss to teens, tweens, young adults and women who love stories set in kingdoms and castles. Writing for teen and tween girls, young adults, and women alike, Larsen's books can be shared from mother to daughter to grandmother. Any book of hers would be a great gift idea for the book-loving women in your life. Whether she’s writing a historical fantasy series about princesses, or a romantic suspense thriller full of action and adventure, all of her novels have a guaranteed happy ending and plenty of swoon-worthy kisses.