Unexpectedly, I loved it. Retelling of fairy tales is popular right now. A number of authors have taken a shot at coming up with their own version of a modern tale and I’ve read quite a few of them in the last year or so. There is a certain sameness after awhile, especially when you’ve read so many of them close together.

This version of a modern Prince and Princess tale was really, really, good. There were some universal elements that would never, or at least rarely, change in this type of story. Europe, small kingdom, travel to America to find ….

I think the difference is in the details. A house is just a house until the finishing touches turn it into so much more. This story became so much more with well thought out character development, complex interactions and relationships, and intricate plot twists and turns. There were many didn’t-see-that-coming moments. Often they were magical. There were many players, and situations, so much going on and yet it all worked. Every one of the elements was needed.

When I stop and think about the huge cast of characters, it’s amazing how seamlessly it all came together. That was quite a feat on the part of the author and her supportive team.

I loved this story. It’s a good job it didn’t start at night for me or there would have been no sleeping.

To Save a King (True Blue Royal Book 2)

After growing up in small-town Hearts Bend, Tennessee, Gemma Stone set off to Hollywood to make her mark in the world.

But her ambition turned into a journey of a “thousand” bad decisions and after twelve years of seeking fame and fortune, Gemma returns home with a limp and a dark secret.

Now she runs a rescue ranch and is raising her friends’ orphaned daughter. She’s keenly aware these defenseless ones are also rescuing her. She just wants to stay hidden in the safe world she’s created.

HRH Crown Prince John has learned a royal title cannot shield him from heartbreak. As heir to the revered House of Blue and married to the love of his life, he believed his future reign would strengthen the royal dynasty of Lauchtenland. Then tragedy changed everything. Can anything save him from his grief?

When he travels to Hearts Bend on a mission for his mother, Queen Catherine, he’s drawn into the local life and cajoled into a three-legged race with the beautiful Gemma Stone during the 4th of July festivities.

While the event has a disastrous result, Prince John and Gemma form a quick friendship—one of two wounded souls finding comfort in one other. However, love is absolutely not an option. John desperately wants to hold onto the memories of his wife, and Gemma refuses to trust her heart to any man. Even a prince.

Then Prince John is called home for an emergency. How can he leave the woman who lifted him from his sorrows? But can Gemma join him on a royal stage and risk her secret coming to light?

With a touch of divine help, Prince John and Gemma just might find the kind of love that saves and ultimately write their very own fairy tale.

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I think this one will be my favorite of the month. It will take quite a story to knock it out of first place.

Happy Reading