Monday, April 28, 2014

{Romance Review} Once Upon a Prince (Royal Wedding #1) by Rachel Hauck

{Romance Review} Once Upon a Prince (Royal Wedding #1) by Rachel Hauck

Once Upon a Prince (Royal Wedding, #1)
Once Upon a Prince, the first novel in the Royal Wedding series by bestselling author Rachel Hauck, treats you to a modern-day fairy tale.

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess---just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn't going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon's Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family's tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna's aid under the fabled Lover's Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He's a royal prince. She's a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel's coronation. It's the ultimate choice. His kingdom or her heart? God's will or their own? (Blurb via Goodreads)
{Details} ebook, 352 pages. Published May 7th 2013 by Zondervan. Source: Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Many thanks to Zondervan and Rachel Hauck.

{Rating} 4/5 -- I really liked it!

{Review}
"What did he say?" (page 1, line 1)
I love a good fairy tale, this one comes complete with a Prince Charming, a not quite Cinderella, a good bit of scheming, balls, a coronation, and a happily ever after.

I adored Prince Nathaniel. He's such a good guy, honest, devoted, kind, generous. I felt for the weight on his shoulders. He has been thrust into a position he's not ready for, he's responsible for a country - for two countries, and he's fallen for a girl he can't have because his own happiness has to come last.

Susanna is a strong woman, a woman who has overcome an unhappy upbringing, who has dealt with the disappointments in her life both professionally and personally, and through all that she has kept her faith and keeps moving forward even as she struggles with the life she has versus the life she wants. 
I really enjoyed Susanna and Nathaniel's friendship and their romance, the slow beginning, their ease with each other - but life interferes. It's so hard to envision a happily ever after for them when there is so much against them - his family, the law, his obligation to his country, the ocean between them.
"Couldn't you leave well enough alone? Just dance with me, flirt with me, then send me on my way? No, you want to tell me you love me. To what end?" Vim and vigor took hold of her trembling limbs. "What am I supposed to do with that? Cart it home, tell it to my grandkids someday? 'Your grammy had the love of a prince?'" (location 2471)
I was engaged from the first sentence - it really took me a long time to stop hating Adam, the fiance - but I loved following Nathaniel and Susanna, watching them fall in love and try to find a way to a happy ending. And I loved the cover; it's gorgeous! I'm eager to read the next book in the series, Princess Ever After, and see what happens next.

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