‘PRINCESS EVER AFTER,’ BY RACHEL HAUCK
STORY: Regina Beswick lives a simple life as a born and bred southern Florida girl. Raised by her loving grandmother and widowed father, Reggie is a no-fuss kind of girl – she would rather rebuild a 70’s Dodge Challenger than worry about social functions that she may be arm candy for. Unbeknownst to Reggie, her family heritage has a secret in its past… a secret that Tanner Burkhart is about to share with her, and consequently turn her world upside down when she learns she isn’t the woman she thought she was – she’s a princess with a country to her name that is about to dissolve if Reggie doesn’t take her rightful place as its sovereign.
Princess Ever After, by Rachel Hauck | Book Review
Writing an entire series in reality but with a fairytale mindset may be a challenge, but it’s fun. Rachel Hauck is a great author to pull this off, and she does it with grace and class. All of the relationship arcs that blossom between characters and engage its reader is what puts the genuine tug of love, joy and friendship in this book. Tanner’s character is full of mystery and is a reality that piques my full interest.
BOOK REVIEW | ‘ONCE UPON A WINTER’S HEART,’ BY MELODY CARLSON
‘PRINCESS EVER AFTER,’ BY RACHEL HAUCK #reviewarchives Share on XOpposite of a princess in any way is Regina. Underneath the girl who’s unafraid of hard work is a class act; Reggie may not know all the ins and outs of proper royal behavior just the same, this does nothing to deter her abilities. She knows how to fight for the things that are important. This is something she inspires Tanner to improve upon and want, which opens the door to talk a little bit about this relationship. Those of you who weren’t a fan of Once Upon a Prince should know that this book isn’t nearly as “romantic” as Nathanial and Susannah’s (both of whom do make an appearance for those of you wondering); there is a more level-headed maturity to their friendship and it grows from that.
Reggie looks to Tanner to be her liaison as it were in navigating the murky waters of jumping into the Brighton lifestyle and of course, she intrigues Tanner from the moment he first lays eyes on her. Their declaration of love and eventually, more may be a bit too contrived for hard-core realists, however I adore it.
What Rachel does so splendidly with Princess Ever After is comingle two subjects (reality and fairytale) to exist in a space that never feels over-the-top unrealistic. The balance between the two worlds is nothing if not pleasant to experience. If memory serves me correctly, this sequel seemed to move at a much quicker clip than its predecessor though that minor quibble wasn’t enough to diminish the joy of the story – it’s another winner that is proudly earned a spot on that crammed “keeper” shelf.
A version of this review originally appeared on Fiction Addict
About the Book:
Author: Rachel Hauck
Publisher: Zondervan
Publication Date: February 2014
Find the Review elsewhere: Goodreads | Fiction Addict | Novel Crossing | WordPress
Add the Book: Goodreads
Series: The Royal Wedding – Book 2
Genre: Fiction; Contemporary, Romance
Rating: 4 out of 5
With thanks to the publisher (Katie at Zondervan) and Fiction Addict for providing a complimentary ARC copy of this book for reviewing purposes.
I enjoyed this one so much too! Just finished it yesterday :) Love her Royal series!
Hooray. Glad to see it getting great reviews – and me, too, Jamie! Wonder what Rachel's next will bring!? ;)
I think I need more Rachel in my life.
Indeed you do, Juju – loved reading your review of Wedding Dress and am all the more anxious to read that novel because of it. :)
I loved this book! Maybe even more than the first. :)
How fun, Kristin! I'm super anxious to see what book three will bring and really enjoy this series for their different reasons – both have a great grip on reality and fantasy, which is why I love it so. :)
I'm only on chapter 6, but very eager to read more of this book soon! I enjoyed your review. Love Rachel!
-Cassie
Same here – I very much like Rachel's style of writing and each of the novels I've read by her have been entertaining. Cannot wait for book 3 – and look forward to reading your review, Cassie. Happy reading. :)
I'll be reading this one next week for Litfuse's tour in two weeks. I read the first book and really enjoyed it. I love anything close to a fairy tale and I love Rachel Hauck, so this is a winning combination. I'm glad you enjoyed it!
Tressa @ Tressa's Wishful Endings
Oo! I'm glad you're a fan of these also, Tressa. I just recently started reading Rachel's books and am thrilled to have finally started her novels because they are WONDERFUL. Like you, I'm up for anything that hints at fairy-tales, so these are just my cup of tea. :)
Cannot wait for your review. :)
I'm such a sucker for "fairy tales", so I definitely wanna read this one. ;)
Me, too, Faith. I ADORE fairytale-esque novels. Cannot wait to read Rachel's third novel in this series, and I hope you enjoy the books if/when you read them. :)
I decided to pop over and read your review now that I've read Princess Ever After! I totally agree, the mix of fairytale and realism is brilliant. :D Glad you liked it too!
I think those two themes (fairytale mixing with realism) sums up this series well – Rachel has a brilliant handle on blending the two to co-exist in a very pleasant story. I did enjoy Princess Ever After and am now all, "where is book 3!?" ;)
I keep seeing this book on goodreads.com too so I think I am going to have to read it!
It's a charmer, Bonnie – as is the first in the series! Hope if/when you read it, you find it a good book. :)