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3.59 AVERAGE
3.59 AVERAGE
For a novel set-up like a Hallmark-style Christmas movie, opening with an 11 year-old meeting a genuine princess, I was not expecting the amount of sex scenes that this book ended up having, nor the detail to them. It was almost as if there were two stories of different genres/ratings that had gotten muddled up together.
Inoffensive Hallmark story that lives up to the promise of a Christmas-themed romance.
I'm going to try and write this without being snarky as a book was written and published. Sarcasm aside, that an admirable accomplishment.
Grab your popcorn, here's how it goes. The Princess of Eldovia (Google it, no one knows) visits New York on business to sell her royal watches and ends up Frenching a cab driver from the Bronx. What's his appeal you ask? Well, he offered to drive the princess around all week for a hefty price (insert flashes of Pretty Woman), he was nice to his sister and an architecture school drop out. So, obviously these are grounds for romance. They travel to Eldovia for Christmas which could have been an enchanting setting but it was just okay for me. The steam was cringy and I am not a prude when it comes to sexy scenes. I believe I actually made an audible gagging sound which probably means I just didn't like the characters. Sorry to say this one was a dud for me.
I'm going to try and write this without being snarky as a book was written and published. Sarcasm aside, that an admirable accomplishment.
Grab your popcorn, here's how it goes. The Princess of Eldovia (Google it, no one knows) visits New York on business to sell her royal watches and ends up Frenching a cab driver from the Bronx. What's his appeal you ask? Well, he offered to drive the princess around all week for a hefty price (insert flashes of Pretty Woman), he was nice to his sister and an architecture school drop out. So, obviously these are grounds for romance. They travel to Eldovia for Christmas which could have been an enchanting setting but it was just okay for me. The steam was cringy and I am not a prude when it comes to sexy scenes. I believe I actually made an audible gagging sound which probably means I just didn't like the characters. Sorry to say this one was a dud for me.
lighthearted
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
No
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
Duke, Actually, the sequel turned out much, much better. If I had read A Princess for Christmas first, I probably wouldn't have continued the series. I accidentally flipped the sequence because I saw Duke, Actually on Libby and was looking for a Christmas novel. They're companion novels though, so it worked out and I still understood what was going on either way.
3.5 stars
PRETTY CUTE.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
I adored this on some levels, and others maybe not so much.
What I did love was the overall story. There was plenty of Hallmark vibes and I love a good princess story. There was a fun meet cute, and I felt the connection between Leo and Gabby immediately. I was surprised that even though this is a small timeline, that things didn’t feel forced between them. Not really insta-love or anything like that, a nice change!
The love scenes were out of place. It went from Hallmark to whoa whoa whoa steamy scenes, that were long and very open door. My general issue is when those scenes don’t match up with the vibe and tone of the rest of the novel.
Without that it was cute. Leo’s little sister Gabby and his friend Dani were wonderful additions. And y’all, there was a ball at the end. I’m a sucker for a good ball in a book and this was definitely hit the mark. Totally cheesy, totally perfect.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: a handful of very open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved one(s)
PRETTY CUTE.
BLOG || INSTAGRAM
I adored this on some levels, and others maybe not so much.
What I did love was the overall story. There was plenty of Hallmark vibes and I love a good princess story. There was a fun meet cute, and I felt the connection between Leo and Gabby immediately. I was surprised that even though this is a small timeline, that things didn’t feel forced between them. Not really insta-love or anything like that, a nice change!
The love scenes were out of place. It went from Hallmark to whoa whoa whoa steamy scenes, that were long and very open door. My general issue is when those scenes don’t match up with the vibe and tone of the rest of the novel.
Without that it was cute. Leo’s little sister Gabby and his friend Dani were wonderful additions. And y’all, there was a ball at the end. I’m a sucker for a good ball in a book and this was definitely hit the mark. Totally cheesy, totally perfect.
Overall audience notes:
- Contemporary romance
- Language: some strong
- Romance: a handful of very open door scenes
- Trigger/Content Warnings: loss of loved one(s)
emotional
hopeful
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
My first Jenny Holiday read and it was so much fun! Great holiday romance read with some steam thrown in there too! All the cozy Hallmark movie vibes. Just around halfway when I was thinking it was getting a little ho-hum, we get hit with a jolt of fire between Leo and his princess! Prim and proper princess with a frisky side - OK! Go for it, girl! Besides the romance, there is a sweet family dynamic between Leo and his little sister and their BFF neighbor. It may be a story of a commoner falling in love with a princess but it's also a story of two people coming together with some shared experiences of grief and loss. A wonderful cozy and atmospheric read for the season.
Leo Ricci never expected to be driving an actual princess around New York City. But when his sister Gabby insists he pull over for a damsel in distress, that's exactly what he ends up doing.
Leo and his sister have been managing as best they can since their parents passed away. Leo, dropped out of college and has been driving a taxi part time and working as the super in their apartment building the rest of the time to make ends meet and support his eleven-year-old sister. With the holidays looming, all he can hope for is a quiet Christmas together, with their friend and cousin Dani, in front of the cardboard fireplace they put up to mimic the one they used to have in the family home.
But their quiet plans for Christmas are upended when they meet Marie Accola, Princess of Eldovia!
Marie is only in New York for a few days to handle affairs of state in her father's place. But when her hired car dies en route to pick her up, leaving her stranded and dangerously close to missing her next appointment. Which is why she finds herself in an off duty cab driven by Leo Ricci. After hiring him to drive her the rest of the weekend, she finds herself warming to the NY native and even invites him and his sister to spend the holiday in Eldovia. Of course one thing leads to another and Marie finds herself falling for this completely innapropriate man. But at the very least, she's determined to enjoy her time with a man who makes her feel like a normal woman rather than royalty.
Jenny Holiday's latest is a steamier version of a Hallmark Christmas movie and I am so here for it! See, I can be brought over to the light and happy side—occasionally!
In true holiday movie style, Leo is an everyday man and Marie is a princess. The tongue-in-cheek homage to Hallmark movies is not only obvious, it's played up to the nth degree with Leo regularly comparing the happenings to the famously kitsch holiday movie fare.
Eldovia, a tiny kingdom in Europe, is a Christmas village in actual practice, even going so far as to celebrate with an annual Cocoa festival and ball every holiday. But both Leo and Marie enjoy the holiday season a little less these days thanks to personal loss. Leo's parents died in a car accident two Christmases ago and Marie's mother died just days before the holiday three years ago. Ever since, the holidays have had a little less magic for both of them.
Until this year! Yes, this year brings magic and romance for them both. And of course it's a romance that cannot be, since Marie is royalty and Leo is anything but. We even know from the outset that not only does Marie have to marry strategically, but she's also already engaged! What we don't find out until later is that her engagement is one that neither she or her betrothed in any way wants.
The book doesn't really offer any surprises, per se. But A Princess for Christmas is fun and charming. It's also, as I mentioned, much more steamy than any Hallmark movie you've watched lately :) Even more fun is the fact that it's not a one off: Jenny Holiday is planning three books in this vein—the second features Dani and there's a little excerpt at the end of this installment to tease you along!
Definitely a recommended read in these final days leading up to the holiday.
Leo and his sister have been managing as best they can since their parents passed away. Leo, dropped out of college and has been driving a taxi part time and working as the super in their apartment building the rest of the time to make ends meet and support his eleven-year-old sister. With the holidays looming, all he can hope for is a quiet Christmas together, with their friend and cousin Dani, in front of the cardboard fireplace they put up to mimic the one they used to have in the family home.
But their quiet plans for Christmas are upended when they meet Marie Accola, Princess of Eldovia!
Marie is only in New York for a few days to handle affairs of state in her father's place. But when her hired car dies en route to pick her up, leaving her stranded and dangerously close to missing her next appointment. Which is why she finds herself in an off duty cab driven by Leo Ricci. After hiring him to drive her the rest of the weekend, she finds herself warming to the NY native and even invites him and his sister to spend the holiday in Eldovia. Of course one thing leads to another and Marie finds herself falling for this completely innapropriate man. But at the very least, she's determined to enjoy her time with a man who makes her feel like a normal woman rather than royalty.
Jenny Holiday's latest is a steamier version of a Hallmark Christmas movie and I am so here for it! See, I can be brought over to the light and happy side—occasionally!
In true holiday movie style, Leo is an everyday man and Marie is a princess. The tongue-in-cheek homage to Hallmark movies is not only obvious, it's played up to the nth degree with Leo regularly comparing the happenings to the famously kitsch holiday movie fare.
Eldovia, a tiny kingdom in Europe, is a Christmas village in actual practice, even going so far as to celebrate with an annual Cocoa festival and ball every holiday. But both Leo and Marie enjoy the holiday season a little less these days thanks to personal loss. Leo's parents died in a car accident two Christmases ago and Marie's mother died just days before the holiday three years ago. Ever since, the holidays have had a little less magic for both of them.
Until this year! Yes, this year brings magic and romance for them both. And of course it's a romance that cannot be, since Marie is royalty and Leo is anything but. We even know from the outset that not only does Marie have to marry strategically, but she's also already engaged! What we don't find out until later is that her engagement is one that neither she or her betrothed in any way wants.
The book doesn't really offer any surprises, per se. But A Princess for Christmas is fun and charming. It's also, as I mentioned, much more steamy than any Hallmark movie you've watched lately :) Even more fun is the fact that it's not a one off: Jenny Holiday is planning three books in this vein—the second features Dani and there's a little excerpt at the end of this installment to tease you along!
Definitely a recommended read in these final days leading up to the holiday.