Rogue Princess by B.R. Myers, Bill Myers

 Crown Princess Delia knows she must marry strategically to secure the future of her planet, but at 18 she still dreams of finding true love. In a moment of panic before her princely suitors arrive, Delia takes a spaceship to get away from it all.  She is surprised to find a young man, Aiden, the body guard of one of the visiting princes, also hiding out in the spaceship. Their attempt to get away fails, but it sparks an unexpected friendship.  Soon they are sneaking away and having adventures with pirates and traitors with each experience drawing them closer together.  Aiden becomes increasingly protective of the princess, especially when he suspects a plot to overthrow the kingdom. Can the two young lovers save the kingdom, and their hearts against unimaginable odds?

This is a swashbuckling sci-fi retelling of Cinderella with a little Beauty and the Beast and Rapunzel mixed in.  The target audience is teens, and there is a lot of hormones and teen wish fulfillment going on here. The plot is interesting, with an unexpected twist, but the world building/magic system is weak.  Whenever the author gets into a plot bind, she just invents a miraculous technological save from a mysterious long-gone scientist. That being said, I enjoyed the book and I think those
who like Cinder by Merissa Meyer, and The Selection series by Kiera Cass would like it, too. Aiden is a charming mix of suave and insecure, and Delia is both an awesome maiden warrior and a teen who is being manipulated by her mother. I read this because I liked A Dreadful Splendor by the same author, and I just put her other book, The Third Wife of Faraday House on hold. (2020, 304 p)