Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck. Zondervan, 2013. 320p. (9780310315476) Series: Royal Wedding, #1

This was such a fun story in the spirit of Grace Kelley, Kate Middleton and any other “commoner” who falls in love with a real prince.

Goodreads Summary:

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.

My Review:

If you’re in the mood for a contemporary princess tale then this is a good one to pick up. The author does a great job describing the emotions that Susanna experiences when her boyfriend of twelve years (!) breaks up the relationship.

Nathaniel meets her in a moment of crisis and they become friends, but he doesn’t tell her who he really is. Which leads to an awkward moment and confusion later.

The events that occur when and after Susanna goes to the coronation reminded me a lot of the movie Princess Diaries and especially Princess Diaries II. Which I didn’t like so much, but then there are only so many ways for events to transpire and for a conclusion to be reached.

I really liked the interaction between family members. They were funny, they had their flaws, they had character, they tried to live out their Christian faith. It made the story seem more realistic.

In America the story takes place on St. Simon's Island and I think the photo below (that the author uploaded to pinterest) must be Lover's Oak or at least the inspiration for Lover's Oak. What a lovely spot!

St. Simon's Island (picture from Rachel Hauck's pinterest board)

And even though the European places and families are all made up, the names are European sounding enough to make one think those places could actually exist.

It’s the beginning of a series! Wonder who the next ones will be about since the prince only has one brother? I do have a guess for one of the books, but shan’t share it since it’s kinda a spoiler. :-)

Worth re-reading if you're in the mood for some light hearted fun (since you'll already know how events transpire).

Go read it! Find it at a library near you; Buy it from Amazon; Buy it from ChristianBooks.com (Releases May 7, 2013)

Disclosure: I received this ebook for free from the publisher through NetGalley. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. I am disclosing this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission.

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