By Beverly Bartlett

Isabella Cordage has taken Bisbania’s royal family by storm: the one woman in Prince Raphael’s life not caught up in panting pursuit of the throne, she’s a refreshingly astute and vibrant figure in Rafie’s small social circle. A spunky Yale graduate with a “wiggle in her waltz” and a genuinely raucous affection for the horse track, Isabella soon earns for herself a most dangerous and tragic prize: the Prince’s true love.

Styled as a biography of Isabella, and told by a narrator whose personal agenda in telling the story is gradually exposed, the tale soon unfolds into a revelation of a long-guarded conspiracy. At its heart is Geoffrey the American auto mechanic, a friend from Isabella’s college days whose advice (snagged from Bruce Springsteen lyrics) becomes so dear to Isabella that she invites him and his wife to live with her in Bisbania.

One dreadful night, Prince Raphael’s private plane, piloted by Geoffrey with the Prince as the sole passenger, crashes into the sea. Only one body washes ashore.

Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle is a contemporary fairy tale with edge, a love story spurred by surprising secrets and peppered with hidden identities, ironic wit, and a wise assessment of what it means to be a royal, in the tabloids and in life. Relayed in a clever fresh voice that is part sensation, part memoir, and part mystery, Bartlett dishes the humor, tragedy and trials of the nobles of Bisbania, a glimpse into the grit and glamour of one extraordinary fairy tale Princess Izzy and the E Street Shuffle.