It’s a variation of hope, in a way, which is the founding principle of all things Star Wars. The idea that every day, we have a choice. And we just have to continue to choose love and hope. At any point, we can walk away when things get hard. But choosing not to -- that’s what real love is about.

Before I continue, I would also like to deliver another praise to Beth Revis. For myself, Leia has always been a character I hold in such high esteem. Most who attempt to write her character struggle to find the perfect balance of who the late Carrie Fisher brought to life. Books by Claudia Gray such as Bloodline or Leia: Princess of Alderaan, captured her magnificently. Naturally, when I opened The Princess and the Scoundrel, I was nervous because a story with Leia at the forefront simply carries a massive amount of weight. Revis not only exceeded any expectations I had, but she blew me away with how she carried this special character. We see Leia’s grace and wondrous soul. There are flashes of her cunning and the fearless fighter within. She paints a beautiful picture of her elegance and selflessness. Doing all of this while having her character fixated on this enormous inner turmoil over the discovery of the identity of her father was a feat few could have achieved so seamlessly. Throughout the novel, this revelation makes Leia balk at the idea of studying the Force and honing her own skills alongside her twin brother Luke, even as he gently tries to convince her of her potential. We know Leia eventually begins Force training with Luke, but up until this novel we haven’t seen much of her feelings about her abilities and the legacy these two carry. Leia struggles with dealing with wealthy socialites on the ship who don’t care how much the Rebellion sacrificed for the galaxy. And I feel her anger when some dare to claim that the Emperor dying was just a rumor. Han is also a fun character to read. He is argumentative and impatient, and actually has a heated fight with his new wife. Even though they were married less than a week! Oh god. Leia manages to have the Halycon re-route to the ice moon of Madurs, as she feels an alliance with them would be beneficial due to the abundance of a rare fuel source on the planet. Fish out of Temporal Water: Han more or less thanks to the Carbonite freezing. From his perspective, only a few weeks rather than a full year have elapsed between Bespin and being thawed out in Jabba's Palace. Now that they all have time to breathe and slow down after Endor, Han's forced to grapple with losing a year of his life and how his friends have all changed (such as Luke going from the familiar young hotshot he last saw on Hoth to the now-seasoned Jedi who rescued him on Tatooine).Not So Above It All: Leia is shown to be just as uncomfortable in the superficial social setting of Halcyon as Han, though she weather is better by dipping into her diplomatic training. She also turns out to be similarly prone to chaotic impulsiveness as Han and Luke are when the need arises. One memorable scene has her and Han need to pretend their ship is malfunctioning while hiding their true intentions from the captain of the Halcyon. Han has to stop her from faking the malfunction by blowing the ship up at close range with a high explosive about half as big as she is, and only manages to convince her to use a smaller, much less suicidal explosive instead. When he calls her out on it, she jokes that she learned it from him. It was just a setting to explore. It was really fun to look at the plans and the different elements being designed, being able to decide which ones I could drop into the story or have them go beyond. When you’re actually there, you’ll see doors which read “CREW MEMBERS ONLY” so I was able to have Han walk through those doors. Hopefully when people are there this helps them think of it as a ship and not just a hotel. The Princess and the Scoundrel was known as "Misbehaving" during production. [3] The book was announced by StarWars.com on February 14, 2022. [4]

The wedding itself was fun. But then the story keeps going. Their love story keeps going. Past the wedding, past the big cinematic scenes of love. The love exists in all the tiny details, each day, as they build their lives together. Leia had no idea what would happen tomorrow or the next day or the next. But as she left Luke in the shadows and met Han on the bridge, she knew exactly what would happen tonight.Facing their most desperate hour, the soldiers of the Empire have dispersed across the galaxy clinging to power by taking over isolated and vulnerable planets. As the Halcyon travels from world to world it becomes clear that the war isn’t over yet. Still, it’s hard to see them already start to drift apart just hours after the most beautiful wedding since Leia’s parents Padme Amidala and Anakin Skywalker secretly wed in the lake country on Naboo. My father was good, Leia thought, but in her mind she pictured Bail Organa, not Darth Vader. Thinking of Bail made her think of Breha, her mother. Of her home. Of everything she had lost.