Book Review: The Royal We

The Royal We (Royal We, #1) by Heather Cocks, Jessica Morgan
Published by Grand Central Publishing on April 7, 2015
Pages: 454
Goodreads
four-stars

"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."
American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face.
Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become.
Which is how she gets into trouble.
Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing.

Hey!
I’m back again with yet another book review. I’m still planning on writing a real post here on how life is once it calms down because in reality my life went from holiday crazy to real crazy in about a month just when I was adjusting to 2018 *sigh* I will be coming back to post on here in the interim of me getting my computer fixed or at least that is the plan.

This book review is going to be for the Creating & Co Book Club readathon called the Enchantathon. Unfortunately this is the only official book that I read for that readathon. I did manage to also start The Night Circus by Erin Morganstern , but I still have yet to finish that. That is another review that will be coming soon. As you can probably tell this review is going to be about The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan.

In this book we meet Rebecca Porter, an american student from Cambridge that does a study abroad exchange with Oxford. It is on her first day in London that she meets the Prince if England Sir Nicholas, who also happens to be a student at Oxford. It takes a while for Rebecca and Nicholas to fall madly in love, but along the way we also manage to fall in love with their friends and the complicated lives that they lead. I love that this story is told from the near end and recounted backward up to the moment and is openly compared to the unauthorized biography of Rebecca Porter.

While the book is a complete work of fiction, one can’t help but compare it to the real life love story of Prince William and Kate Middleton’s story. It was truly so beautiful and lovely to see those two fall in love and soon we will be getting another royal wedding with Prince Harry marrying Megan Markle. Overall I really did love this book and would really like a sequel about Freddie, the younger brother. The ending of the book was an elopement to save face from the scandal that their friend was about to bring upon them *not quite spoiler* It was truly a lovely story, but I would like to find out more about what happens next.

Let me know if you have read this book and what you thought. I also added a Currently Reading section in my sidebar instead of the usual books I’ve read. If you have any recommendations for books I should read this year, let me know 🙂 I’ll see you soon with another post.

Safe Haven

5 / 11 / 1311 / 5 / 19

Safe Haven by Nicholas Sparks
Published by Grand Central Publishing on December 18, 2012
Pages: 365
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-stars

In a small North Carolina town, a mysterious and beautiful woman running from her past slowly falls for a kind-hearted store owner . . . until dark secrets begin to threaten her new life.When a mysterious young woman named Katie appears in the small North Carolina town of Southport, her sudden arrival raises questions about her past. Beautiful yet self-effacing, Katie seems determined to avoid forming personal ties until a series of events draws her into two reluctant relationships: one with Alex, a widowed store owner with a kind heart and two young children; and another with her plainspoken single neighbor, Jo. Despite her reservations, Katie slowly begins to let down her guard, putting down roots in the close-knit community and becoming increasingly attached to Alex and his family.

But even as Katie begins to fall in love, she struggles with the dark secret that still haunts and terrifies her . . . a past that set her on a fearful, shattering journey across the country, to the sheltered oasis of Southport. With Jo's empathetic and stubborn support, Katie eventually realizes that she must choose between a life of transient safety and one of riskier rewards . . . and that in the darkest hour, love is the only true safe haven.

I swear that I really need to write more book review posts because every time I need to write one I need to look up to see the format that I used. I’ve also been thinking about reformatting the review posts but I have not made a full decision yet.

I apologize for the lack of posts recently this month has been crazy and I can’t even begin to describe what my life has been like lately. Perhaps I will tell you soon though. Right now, we are going to be taking about Nicholas Sparks Safe Haven. I received this book for free in my February Pop Sugar Box, but this review is not sponsored and I’m not being compensated for writing this review.

This book is not your normal Nicholas Sparks novel where it is a typical love story that comes complete with a little bow. You will think that you know the story and then the end of the story will leave your mind completely bewildered at the series of events that have occurred throughout the book. I highly recommend this book.
See you in the next post!

Dear John

12 / 28 / 1211 / 5 / 19

Dear John by Nicholas Sparks
Published by Grand Central Publishing on December 1, 2009
Pages: 335
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
four-stars

An angry rebel, John dropped out of school and enlisted in the Army, not knowing what else to do with his life--until he meets the girl of his dreams, Savannah. Their mutual attraction quickly grows into the kind of love that leaves Savannah waiting for John to finish his tour of duty, and John wanting to settle down with the woman who has captured his heart.

But 9/11 changes everything. John feels it is his duty to re-enlist. And sadly, the long separation finds Savannah falling in love with someone else.

Dear John, the letter read... and with those two words, a heart was broken and two lives were changed forever. Returning home, John must come to grips with the fact that Savannah, now married, is still his true love—and face the hardest decision of his life.

I actually finished this book a few weeks ago, but my life has been getting in the way of me blogging. If you haven’t read my last post please do so, it explains at least some things that have been going on. I used to be a HUGE fan of Nicholas Sparks back in 2001 right after A Walk to Remember came out. I read all of his books up to that point and a few after, but lately he had fallen off my radar. When I saw this book in the used bookstore I knew I had to take the chance on him again. I have not seen the movie yet, so my views haven’t been swayed yet. Although it can’t be a completely horrible movie if Channing Tatum is in it.

I won’t give you the ending because that would be telling too much of the story. I will say that like many Nicholas Sparks novels this one will leave you in tears and break your heart. It will also show you the meaning of humility, compassion, and real love. If you have not already read this book I definitely recommend reading it and if you have seen the movie at least give the book a chance.

Don’t worry I have a few more book reviews to get to you before the end of the year I hope so stayed tuned!

Hollywood is like High school with money

9 / 2 / 1111 / 5 / 19

Hollywood is Like High School With Money by Zoey Dean
Published by Grand Central Publishing on July 23, 2009
Pages: 288
Format: Paperback
Goodreads
three-stars

Twenty-four-year old Taylor Henning has just landed her dream job as an assistant at a major movie studio. But when her catty coworkers trick her into almost getting fired, she realizes that the old saying "Hollywood is like school with money" just may be true. The thing is, Taylor wasn't exactly a social butterfly in high school-how is she supposed to do any better the second time around?

That's when she meets her boss's popular sixteen-year-old daughter Quinn, and has an epiphany: maybe this teenager can teach her how to use her queen bee tactics to succeed in the Hollywood popularity contest. Quinn comes up with a plan to teach Taylor one lesson a week-everything from "Fake it 'til you make it" to "It's *never* your fault"--and soon Taylor finds herself winning the war against rival assistant Kylie. Until, that is, she's directed to steal Kylie's boyfriend, and something happens that's not in the game plan: Taylor falls for the guy. Now she must do the impossible-- harness her inner mean girl while staying true to herself.

Taylor Henning landed her dream job as an assistant at Ingenuity, a major movie studio. Immediately her catty co-workers undermine her and she begins to realize the saying “Hollywood is like high school with money” is absolutely true. Taylor was not exactly a social butterfly in high school so, how is she suppose to do better now? Taylor meets her boss’s popular daughter, Quinn , and decides to strike a deal with her. Quinn takes Taylor under her wing and soon she is racking up victories against her co-workers. In the end, Taylor has to harness her inner mean, while finding a way to stay true to herself.

I saw the cover of the novel on a random jaunt through the bookstore and decided to pick it up. I had not read any of the author’s previous books, but was intrigued by the title. Zoey Dean is also the writer of Privileged and A-list had no trouble weaving together a story of the perils of living in Hollywood and the pitfalls of high school seamlessly together. Even the ending where Taylor manages to find a balance in her life and find happiness in Hollywood seem like the perfect ending. I recommend this book as a fun read. You’ll definitely be turning pages and relating to the story as it goes along.