Book Review: Once Upon a Royal Summer
I received this ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Author: Teri Wilson
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Hallmark Publishing
Publish Date: June 15, 2021
Format: eBook
★★★★☆
This book is perfect for those that like: Royalty Romances with Grumpy Princes, Forced Proximity in Dark Cozy Rides, and BEAUTY AND THE BEAST LIBRARY SCENES (!!!).
You might not like this book if you aren’t into: Theme Parks, Foods Served on a Stick, or Multiple Awkward Curtsies.
Purchase: IndieBound / Barnes & Noble / Amazon
Summary: Lacey found her dream job: playing a princess character at a popular fairytale theme park in sunny southern Florida. Her diamond tiara might not be real, but the smiles of the children she meets every day certainly are. It’s just too bad that her ex-boyfriend was never impressed with her career choice.
Henry, the crown prince of Bella-Moritz, is trying to fulfill his young daughter’s birthday wish: to be a normal girl with a normal life. That’s why they’re pretending to be ordinary tourists at an American amusement park. Henry lost his wife four years ago, and he’s been going through the motions ever since. But could a meeting with a make-believe princess lead to real love?
It's time for me to tell you what you should already know by now. Teri Wilson is going to write a book and I'm going to buy it and read it and then proceed to SWOON for days because she's ALWAYS THAT GOOD. It doesn't matter if she's bringing the heat or if it's on the less spicy side, she will make you feel things you didn't know you wanted to feel and then you will curse her sneaky, sneaky ways.
Case in point, Once Upon a Royal Summer, her latest from Hallmark Publishing. If you're new to them, these books are NOT like Teri's ::ahem:: other offerings but trust me when I say they are no less swoony and romantic. In this story, we are treated to super sweet Lacey, who loves her job as a theme park princess but at the same time is wondering what comes next. She meets a Grumpy dad and his adorable daughter (who turn out to be ACTUAL ROYALTY) while at work and naturally, Grumpy and her do NOT hit it off.
Y'all. The story could have just been them arguing throughout the park and then finding out he was really royalty and I would have been all in for its Forced Proximity with eventual Longing Looks because they can't admit their attraction in public. But of course, Mrs. Wilson doesn't stop there. She takes our two trying-to-deny-their-attraction love interests, gets them both to his country, and gives us a whole new reason to cheer for these two - her being a Fish Out of Water and him Trying to Open Up Again. I love, love, LOVE that Prince Henry just straight up asks Lacey to visit him in Bella-Moritz because he wants to see her again. No bizarre set-ups. No odd reasoning. He just likes her and wants her there. It also doesn't hurt that he asks her against the dreamiest background ever. ::sigh::
Of course, it's not all sunshine and roses once she gets there, best friend in tow. There's Prince Henry's disapproving mother, The Queen, an unfortunate chocolate incident, a looming deadline, and the worst case of garment bag mix-ups ever. Y'all. When I say that I gasped at that scene. The absolute panic that set in me, lol. I won't spoil the ending for you but it's nothing like I thought it would be and I mean that in the best way possible. Like I said earlier, you may think you know what you want, but Teri Wilson will take it and turn it around just enough to make it fresh and give you something you didn't know you needed. FREAKING SWOON.