Hello everyone!
This will be my last Christmas-related review as we move towards the new year, since afterwards in January I plan to get some other things out from under my belt.
First, however, I should probably see whether or not I can actually get my e-reader working again, but I'm pretty much afraid it's bitten it, kicked the bucket, and everything else that goes along those lines. Which means I may need a new one after almost four years of pretty much constant use, but it's a bummer because it went just before Christmas!
In any event, however, tonight's book has definitely been read before AND technically I could probably read everything on my computer as well, so I sort of refreshed my memory of it.
Of course it's another Christmas romance. Also, it has a kingdom, a would-be prince, and an American along the lines of Mia from Princess Diaries.
I'm talking about A Royal Christmas Princess by Scarlet Wilson.
As per usual, the links to my previous Christmas book reviewscan be found at the bottom of this page :-)
Now, of course, whenever I read a romance that includes a royal family somewhere along the way in a kingdom that honestly no one has ever heard before (because, hello, fiction), I giggle. I've seen/read so many of these by now that I'm pretty sure there has to be another track of land somewhere in the middle of Europe where every one of these is stuffed into.
Coronia is no different.
But let's start at the beginning, shall we?
Holly, our heroine - and of course she's named Holly because why not? - lives in Baltimore and is having a tough time of it. Her parents have passed away, the medical bills mounted up and ate away all her savings, and now she's facing a dilemma about whether or not to sell the family home, the only house she's ever known, or do something else drastic, but what could it be?
At this moment in time, she sees a newsflash on the television: the small kingdom of Coronia in Europe is looking for its long-lost princess. Their ruler, Alfred, is sick, and dying, so he wants to find the daughter he never knew he had before.
See, in his youth, Alfred had pretty much been the star of the show, dating models and actresses and royalty alike, but he only ever fell in love once: with an American woman who, in a very What A Girl Wants way, was sent back to America even though she was pregnant with the prince's child. This child, a daughter, is now all grown up - and shocked to see her baby picture on the television!
Determined to find out the truth behind all of this, thinking it's a mistake, Holly marches straight to the hotel where one Felix de Luca is holding court to find the missing princess.
Now, Felix is the next blood relative to Alfred and will take the throne of Coronia should the princess never be found, but he has other plans with his life - he lives and works in New York and doesn't feel any real desire to become the ruling monarch anywhere. This means he's more than happy when he bumps into Holly (literally) and sees the ring with the royal seal she's carrying with the photo, proving even before a DNA test that she's the princess they're looking for.
Not everyone is as excited or convinced as Felix, however; one royal advisor wants the crown to pass to Felix, since he's someone who actually knows Coronia and, so it's hoped, could be controlled enough to keep the country in its current state. A power-hungry reporter Cassie wants nothing more than to bag Felix herself, and potentially to rule Coronia one day, so obviously she teams up with the advisor without delay.
Meanwhile, Holly asks Felix for something that surprises him - time.
See, unlike what you'd think a girl would be like, jumping at the chance of becoming a princess, Holly wants to know the country she's supposed to rule first, and decide whether she's even fit for the role of its ruler.
Felix ends up agreeing (he tends to do that a lot in this book when it's about Holly, for obvious reasons) and off they go to Coronia!
As expected with this small kingdom, it's picture-perfect for Christmas, and Holly starts falling in love with the place almost as soon as she gets off the plane. Felix is more than happy to start showing her around without delay, since he's eager to get back to New York.
But then the thing we all know will happen, happens: through showing Holly around Coronia, telling her about its history, its people, what he hopes the future might bring, Felix begins to rediscover his love for his country - and his love for Holly.
It's fairly easy to fall in love with Holly, however, because the girl has a generally sweet nature and compassionate heart, and she will gladly step down from the throne if she feels she isn't fit to rule (something the advisor is VERY happy to exploit, trying to confuse her and overwhelm her with meetings and data and whatnot).
Plus, Cassie is all about trying to climb Felix like a totem pole, even making sure some photos from private outings circulate of Holly and Felix, though those give Cassie more bad rep than anything else since the people are SO a go for that kind of romance.
Alfred is, too; he practically begs Felix to help and look after Holly, and for Felix, it's not even about what he wants anymore.
It's about what Holly wants.
And Holly?
Holly wants to do the best by Coronia, to try and please her father, but also to see whether or not, maybe, just maybe, she's found her prince in real life.
And wouldn't you know it, all her wishes come true when she steps up to the plate, proves everyone she can and will do a good job as future ruler of the kingdom, and she and Felix decide to take the leap into the unknown and see whether or not they can make a relationship work. It's a match made during Christmas, however, and neither the advisor nor Cassie can really do anything about it once Felix also makes up his mind to stick around and give Holly the support she needs.
Isn't that basically all you could ask for from a Christmas-themed romance?
This was a pretty straight-forward book without too many tangles, but what I enjoyed most was the realistic and logical way the heroine and hero focused on their issues and actually talked them through. If it's one thing I can't stand is when someone goes running like their head was just dropped to the ground, but Ms Wilson delivered a nice, easy to read romance just perfect for the Christmas time!
xx
*image not mine
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