Once Upon a Prince

Starred review from March 11, 2013
In the first of the Royal Wedding Series, Hauck (The Wedding Dress) spins a surprisingly believable royal-meets-commoner love story. With only a subtle nod to Cinderella, this modern and engaging tale follows the budding relationship of an American Southern girl and a pseudo-Brit prince. Struggling with disappointments both personal and professional, Susanna Truitt meets Prince Nathaniel, who is vacationing on her island home of St. Simons, Ga., to escape worries about his ailing father and roiling political events back home. Hopeful, yet aware of the potential obstacles they face, Nate and Susanna wrestle with the idea of God’s will: is Nate’s kingly destiny a human device or divinely purposed? Can Susanna surrender her need to plan her life and, instead, let God lead? A royal marriage would ask Susanna to trust him more deeply than she thought possible. Facing political scheming and seemingly immovable royal traditions, the couple discovers that their happily-ever-after will require courage and faith not found in fairy tales. Well-developed secondary characters are entertaining in their own right, adding a quirky touch (as do cameo-style appearances by real-life royals). Hauck fans will find a gem of a tale. Agent: Chip MacGregor, MacGregor Literary.

April 15, 2013

Susanna Truitt has to pull herself together after being dumped by her high school sweetheart. But her life takes a romantic turn when Prince Nathaniel, on holiday on St. Simon's Island, comes to her aid. His heart tells him he has found his queen, but his mind tells him he has duties that don't include a woman whose upbringing is so different from his. Susanna too is convinced that marriage to a prince could never work, but then she receives an invitation to Nathaniel's coronation. VERDICT Hauck (Sweet Caroline) has written a Princess Diaries for grown-ups that will please readers who enjoyed Jen Turano's A Change of Fortune.

Copyright 2013 Library Journal, LLC Used with permission.

Starred review from May 1, 2013
Susanna has been faithful to Adam for 12 years, through high school, college, and his four tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Now Adam wants to meet her at a romantic beach, and Susanna just knows it's to pop the question. But not so. Emotionally devastated, Susanna drives away, only to have a flat tire in the ironic location of the fabled Lover's Oak. To add to her stress, a rough-looking man won't leave her alone. Nathaniel stops to help. He hasn't had a serious girlfriend in 10 years, and it's love at first sight. There's a complication, however. Nathaniel is a royal prince, next in line to be the king of Brighton Kingdom. And since his father is dying, Nathaniel has little time to find a suitable bride and begin producing heirs. Hauck has created an enchanting novel featuring a charming hero and heroine as well as interesting secondary characters, such as a woman who leaves her job as a lobbyist to live in a tent in the woods. This modern fairy tale, told from a faith-based perspective, is the first book in the Royal Wedding series.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2013, American Library Association.)