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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
emotional
funny
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
hopeful
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
The description that this is a sexy version of a Hallmark movie is extremely accurate. Big fan overall! I love Jenny Holiday’s books so far. I do wish the actual Christmas stuff was more prevalent (this is always a complaint of mine when the holiday book isn’t vomiting Christmas everywhere like I want), but it was picturesque in NYC and the fictitious country in the Alps, Eldovia. Excited that this will be a series too! Gimme it. I have a good feeling I know who book two might be about...
lighthearted
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
Strong character development:
No
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
There are numerous ways to describe a book like A Princess for Christmas: heartwarming, magical, and captivating are just a few that could come to mind. For me, the only one that fits is “cute”. To be more precise: “beyond cute”. Need a little more? If personified, this book is a Hallmark movie that decided to let loose, throwing inhibitions to the wind and had the time of its life! A Princess for Christmas takes the enchantment of a holiday romance and seasons it with the perfect mix of wit, emotional rawness, and unexpected cheek blushing dirty talk!
At first glance, the title and the cover would not have grabbed my attention. Even the summary gives way to more of a fairy tale rendition of a romantic comedy. The follow-up books in the series: Duke, Actually and So This is Christmas is what caused this book to jump onto my TBR list. Jenny Holiday intertwines Leo and Marie (as well as others characters) throughout the remaining two novels, creating a world of crossover introductions and backstories. Not realizing Duke, Actually was the second book in the series, I was already aware of how A Princess for Christmas ended; however, I was also introduced to Jenny’s writing style and couldn’t wait to go back and discover how it all began.
With a strong start, the reader is quickly introduced to Leo and the dilemma that he seems to face on a regular basis: being the sole guardian/sudo-parent of his eleven year old sister Gabby. Trying to find an acceptable mix of acting as a parent and still being a big brother, Leo takes Gabby to the United Nations for an impromptu architecture lesson, only to find himself, off duty mind you, picking up a Princess in dire need of help! Having been her unexpected knight in shining armor, Princess Marie offers Leo a small fortune to be her personal driver for the duration of visit. Building an unexpected friendship in a short amount of time, Princess Marie invites Leo and Gabby back to her country of Eldovia for the region's holiday celebration. Having lost so much, the smile and excitement in Gabby’s voice is enough to make Leo agree to this ridiculous, yet suspiciously enticing adventure.
The emotional significance of the story is what made it a page-turner. Jenny’s blended personality of Leo and Marie made them such relatable characters. Leo was down to earth, comfortable with who he was, and enjoyed the simple things in life; however, thrown into a situation well outside of his comfort zone, you witness the frantic mind of someone who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders and is terrified of letting those around him down.
Marie is Princess (and future Queen of Eldovia) but her upbringing made her want to be more than her birthright. Entitled, yet humbled – Marie wants to make a difference and is determined to go beyond being a messenger of her father. Struggling to be taken seriously, Marie constantly fights her insecurities and relentless expectations of knowing her place and being seen, not heard.
Together, Leo and Marie are from such separate backgrounds but even the valley of differences was filled with a plethora of similarities - trying to do the best they could with what they had, finding their place in the world, grief, loneliness, and sacrifice. Watching the two of them become closer and closer was so addicting and the more Leo learned about her, the more he fought how he was feeling, the more you wanted him to fall because you knew Marie would catch him.
On top of being a touching story, this book was downright hilarious! Outnumbered by the women in his life, Leo is a “sucker” for a damsel in distress and while the “prissiness” of the Princess was off putting, his counter to ruffle her feathers made for hilarious banter and very tender moments.
While this book resembles the format of your typical Hallmark movie, the delicious twists and turns of the story, the heated exchanges, and the down right laugh out loud moments is what makes it a must read.
At first glance, the title and the cover would not have grabbed my attention. Even the summary gives way to more of a fairy tale rendition of a romantic comedy. The follow-up books in the series: Duke, Actually and So This is Christmas is what caused this book to jump onto my TBR list. Jenny Holiday intertwines Leo and Marie (as well as others characters) throughout the remaining two novels, creating a world of crossover introductions and backstories. Not realizing Duke, Actually was the second book in the series, I was already aware of how A Princess for Christmas ended; however, I was also introduced to Jenny’s writing style and couldn’t wait to go back and discover how it all began.
With a strong start, the reader is quickly introduced to Leo and the dilemma that he seems to face on a regular basis: being the sole guardian/sudo-parent of his eleven year old sister Gabby. Trying to find an acceptable mix of acting as a parent and still being a big brother, Leo takes Gabby to the United Nations for an impromptu architecture lesson, only to find himself, off duty mind you, picking up a Princess in dire need of help! Having been her unexpected knight in shining armor, Princess Marie offers Leo a small fortune to be her personal driver for the duration of visit. Building an unexpected friendship in a short amount of time, Princess Marie invites Leo and Gabby back to her country of Eldovia for the region's holiday celebration. Having lost so much, the smile and excitement in Gabby’s voice is enough to make Leo agree to this ridiculous, yet suspiciously enticing adventure.
The emotional significance of the story is what made it a page-turner. Jenny’s blended personality of Leo and Marie made them such relatable characters. Leo was down to earth, comfortable with who he was, and enjoyed the simple things in life; however, thrown into a situation well outside of his comfort zone, you witness the frantic mind of someone who feels the weight of the world on his shoulders and is terrified of letting those around him down.
Marie is Princess (and future Queen of Eldovia) but her upbringing made her want to be more than her birthright. Entitled, yet humbled – Marie wants to make a difference and is determined to go beyond being a messenger of her father. Struggling to be taken seriously, Marie constantly fights her insecurities and relentless expectations of knowing her place and being seen, not heard.
Together, Leo and Marie are from such separate backgrounds but even the valley of differences was filled with a plethora of similarities - trying to do the best they could with what they had, finding their place in the world, grief, loneliness, and sacrifice. Watching the two of them become closer and closer was so addicting and the more Leo learned about her, the more he fought how he was feeling, the more you wanted him to fall because you knew Marie would catch him.
On top of being a touching story, this book was downright hilarious! Outnumbered by the women in his life, Leo is a “sucker” for a damsel in distress and while the “prissiness” of the Princess was off putting, his counter to ruffle her feathers made for hilarious banter and very tender moments.
While this book resembles the format of your typical Hallmark movie, the delicious twists and turns of the story, the heated exchanges, and the down right laugh out loud moments is what makes it a must read.
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
3.5* I think the first 35% of the book (aka the first 7 chapters) set in New York were too tourist-descriptive and it felt like the plot took ages to move forward. However, things got a whole lot more interesting the moment they traveled to Eldovia and it was proposed that they embarked “on a sexual affair”. Because of course. Hallmark movies + dirty talk = sign me tf up.
I ended up really enjoying this story and wanting to read more about this author. The main characters were well-developed and had realistic backstories. We learned about Leo’s life growing up, working with his father, discovering his love for architecture, then the whole dropping out of uni thing. On Marie’s side, we learned about her country, her closeness with her mom and how things changed after she passed. I liked that she wasn’t your typical superficial princess. She was all about winter sports and liked to be one with her community. She studied engineering in Oxford and was passionate about the refugees situation in Europe, really wanting Eldovia to get on board and help those in need.
In terms of side characters, I didn’t really care about the king. Sure he lost his wife and had all the right to still be grieving, but being sad doing excuse being an ass to everyone.
To me, Gabby was the star of the book. She was super clever and understanding for an 11 y/o. I liked her rambles, her love for books —specially folklore tales—, and how she got easily excited. I loved her relationship with Leo. How he was still adapting to the whole single parenting dynamic and constantly worried he wasn’t doing enough and being enough for Gabby, and his final conclusion that maybe it was okay that things weren’t so peachy perfect.
Max —the dog— was a real gem too and I wish we could have seen more of him.
Lastly, I’m glad Leo and Marie had people as supportive and as caring as Dani and Max —the duke— in their lives. Apparently they’ll have their own story next year and I cannot wait to see them grow from their slut and post-men life choices.
I also read in the acknowledgements the author mentioning a third book?? I wonder if it’ll be about Imogen and Kai? They also played important parts in Leo and Marie’s lives, and I’d like to see Kai being more open and proud of his art and Imogen being a successful boss lady.
I ended up really enjoying this story and wanting to read more about this author. The main characters were well-developed and had realistic backstories. We learned about Leo’s life growing up, working with his father, discovering his love for architecture, then the whole dropping out of uni thing. On Marie’s side, we learned about her country, her closeness with her mom and how things changed after she passed. I liked that she wasn’t your typical superficial princess. She was all about winter sports and liked to be one with her community. She studied engineering in Oxford and was passionate about the refugees situation in Europe, really wanting Eldovia to get on board and help those in need.
In terms of side characters, I didn’t really care about the king. Sure he lost his wife and had all the right to still be grieving, but being sad doing excuse being an ass to everyone.
To me, Gabby was the star of the book. She was super clever and understanding for an 11 y/o. I liked her rambles, her love for books —specially folklore tales—, and how she got easily excited. I loved her relationship with Leo. How he was still adapting to the whole single parenting dynamic and constantly worried he wasn’t doing enough and being enough for Gabby, and his final conclusion that maybe it was okay that things weren’t so peachy perfect.
Max —the dog— was a real gem too and I wish we could have seen more of him.
Lastly, I’m glad Leo and Marie had people as supportive and as caring as Dani and Max —the duke— in their lives. Apparently they’ll have their own story next year and I cannot wait to see them grow from their slut and post-men life choices.
I also read in the acknowledgements the author mentioning a third book?? I wonder if it’ll be about Imogen and Kai? They also played important parts in Leo and Marie’s lives, and I’d like to see Kai being more open and proud of his art and Imogen being a successful boss lady.
And I wrap my 2020 reading with this very light holiday book! This is not what I would normally read on an average day, but this is not even a normal year, haha! Overall, the book is a wholesome, cute and a very light holiday novel
However, I would rate it somewhere between 2.5 and 2.75
I began the book expecting it being a paper version of a light and cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie, which it was for the most part.
It got your grumpy male love interest and naive & kind princess in New York during Christmas and a happy ending..Very Hallmarky, very light reading which is much needed to end this exhausting year with.
However, what messed it up were WHOLE TWO CHAPTERS where nothing happened but the two main characters having sex! It didn't add or change anything to the plot except its attempt of making the book not a Hallmark movie material! I would've given it full 3 or 4 stars if it wasn't for these unnecessary and cringy CHAPTERS. I would've loved to read more about cultures, customs, and celebrations in Aldonia, or anything else really..But no! We had to have two full chapters of the main characters living a sexual fantasy. I thought these segments to be unnecessary fillers that lacked creativity and did not help the book in any way. I hoped the author took another route in filling in the story or having the protagonists have another adventure that showed us their rebellious and free spirited personalities without making it cheesy and cringy.
However, I would recommend it to someone who needs a light reading with a holiday theme
However, I would rate it somewhere between 2.5 and 2.75
I began the book expecting it being a paper version of a light and cheesy Hallmark Christmas movie, which it was for the most part.
It got your grumpy male love interest and naive & kind princess in New York during Christmas and a happy ending..Very Hallmarky, very light reading which is much needed to end this exhausting year with.
However, what messed it up were WHOLE TWO CHAPTERS where nothing happened but the two main characters having sex! It didn't add or change anything to the plot except its attempt of making the book not a Hallmark movie material! I would've given it full 3 or 4 stars if it wasn't for these unnecessary and cringy CHAPTERS. I would've loved to read more about cultures, customs, and celebrations in Aldonia, or anything else really..But no! We had to have two full chapters of the main characters living a sexual fantasy. I thought these segments to be unnecessary fillers that lacked creativity and did not help the book in any way. I hoped the author took another route in filling in the story or having the protagonists have another adventure that showed us their rebellious and free spirited personalities without making it cheesy and cringy.
However, I would recommend it to someone who needs a light reading with a holiday theme
3 1/2 stars.
Fun ish, fast read, not "amazing". But, it was a good read, wanted to get it read before it was too far past Christmas, ha.
I will read the next in the series, which appeals to me a bit more than this one did.
I'm in a weird mood. Ignore.
Fun ish, fast read, not "amazing". But, it was a good read, wanted to get it read before it was too far past Christmas, ha.
I will read the next in the series, which appeals to me a bit more than this one did.
I'm in a weird mood. Ignore.