After enchanting millions of readers worldwide, little princess Mia Thermopolis, one of the most popular literary characters of all time, returns in a very different story. The heroine of the Princess Diaries series—which made it to the big screen in Disney blockbusters starring Anne Hathaway—is the author of Unchain My Heart. In a fun creative exercise, Meg Cabot writes her new work from the perspective of the young monarch, in a meta-novel full of adventure and passion. By delving into the history of her ancestors, Mia discovers she's not the only one capable of defying convention. In 13th-century England, Finnula is the youngest of six sisters and one brother. While the other women in the family are preoccupied with hunting husbands, gossiping about children, and finishing the household chores, Finnula scandalizes the village by parading around in tight leather pants. Besides driving the earl's men crazy, she never respects the boundaries of the nobleman's hunting reserve. Every now and then, a rabbit or deer from the feudal lord appears on the family table. But petty skirmishes with the local authorities are about to become the least of their problems. One of her sisters spent her entire dowry on trinkets and dresses. And now she has no money for her wedding. Which, it seems, can't be postponed for much longer... So they decide to raise the money by kidnapping a wealthy knight. The problem is that the lord, newly arrived from the Crusades, chosen by Finnula will prove different from what she expected, and the girl may end up having to give up the ransom. And her heart. Free My Heart is a fun story about defying convention and finding one's place in the world. And, to boot, finding true love. Meg Cabot shows why she's the queen of the genre, with amusing and sharp dialogue, filled with current references.