Once Upon a Royal Christmas
by Robin Bielman Publication Date: October 20, 2016 Genres: Adult, Contemporary Romance, Holiday
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Synopsis: Colliding with a prince while walking four dogs isn’t how Rowan Palotay pictured meeting royalty, but then lately her life hasn’t gone according to plan. With one teensy tiny mistake, her job as a news reporter took a turn for the worse and now she’s lucky to have a small pet column in the local newspaper. Christmas is supposed to be a time of joy and magic, but she feels like she’s forever stuck on the naughty list.Prince Theodore Chenery is in Marietta shortly after the death of his mother to meet his grandparents for the first time. When an accidental run-in—literally—with Rowan leads to an unexpected friendship, he finds himself enchanted with the outspoken, feisty country girl. She’s unlike anyone he’s ever met and her special brand of kindness and honesty make it harder and harder to keep temptation away.
Giving into the passion and deep-rooted emotions between them, Theo and Rowan discover what matters most. But when their relationship makes worldwide news, Theo must decide whether or not to follow his heart or his royal duty.
When not attached to her laptop, USA Today Bestselling Author Robin Bielman can almost always be found with her nose in a book. A California girl, the beach is her favorite place for fun and inspiration. Her fondness for swoon-worthy heroes who flirt and stumble upon the girl they can’t live without jumpstarts all of her story ideas.
She is a 2014 RITA Finalist, loves to frequent coffee shops, and plays a mean game of sock tug of war with her cute, but often naughty dog, Harry. She cherishes her family and friends and loves to connect with readers. Get the scoop on Robin, her books, and sign up for her newsletter on her website at http://robinbielman.com.
Excerpt:
“You okay?” the
prince asked.
“I’m fine,” Rowan said, pressing her
shoulders back and raising her chin. “I’ve been hit with hundreds of
snowballs.”
“I’m not surprised.”
“Excuse me?”
“You strike me as good target
practice.”
She had no idea what to make of that
comment. What a rude thing to say to someone who’d— “I just saved you from getting nailed by two snowballs
and that’s what you say to me? Kind of insulting, don’t you think?”
“I didn’t—”
“You don’t even know me.”
“I—”
“And for your information”—she
almost said “bucko” but caught herself—“it’s an honor to have been hit by so
many snowballs growing up here. You don’t get snow where you’re from, so you
wouldn’t know.” He came from a small state along the Mediterranean coastline
known for its beaches and yacht-lined harbor, and where the sun reigned supreme
year round.
“May I speak now?”
“If you must.”
That earned her another arch of his
brows. She’d probably be arrested for speaking so disrespectfully to him if
they were in Montanique. But this was her home turf and he didn’t get to say
whatever he pleased. Manners went both ways no matter who you were.
“I meant it would be fun aiming for
you.”
She crossed her arms over her chest.
That still sounded kind of harsh. Even though she was fun. “As opposed to aiming for…?”
“Anyone
else.”
“I’m still not sure what—”
“It was a compliment, Miss Palotay.”
She shifted her feet. Okay, so maybe
this meant he wasn’t holding this morning’s incident against her. “Call me
Rowan.”
“Call me Theo.”
“Really?” She’d called him that in
her head, but out loud was something entirely different.
“It’s what my friends call me.”
“Are we friends?”
“You are wanting in my pants.”
She threw her arms up in the air. He
wasn’t serious. “What? I do not.”
“You don’t want to take my pants to
be cleaned?” His calm, casual tone irked her. Rowan bet nothing ruffled this
man, or gave him pause. Confidence and poise rolled off him like a summer
breeze in the middle of winter.
“That’s not what you said. You said
I wanted in your pants.”
“You must have misheard me.” The
small, entirely too charming, curve of his lips told her she had not misheard
him at all, and he enjoyed teasing her.
Two could play that game. “That’s
too bad. I’m very good inside men’s pants.”
REVIEW
Once Upon a Royal Christmas was a quick and sweet holiday romance.
Prince Theo has come to Marietta to get to know his grandparents, and to bring the town a gift in honor of his deceased mother. Having never been to the small town, Theo is out of his element, but when he meets Rowan in a hilarious incident while she's out dog walking, he knows who he wants to help him learn all about Marietta. There's something about her that calls to him, something that is different than anyone else he's met.
Rowan's embarassed by her initial meeting with Prince Theo, but she can't help but want to get to know him further. When she's offered the job of interviewing him for the town paper, she knows its an important task, to prove herself to her boss after a past mistake, but she's also glad to have an excuse to get to know him more through her questions.
But as the two of them spend more time together and bond as friends, they find themselves craving more. But they also find themselves keeping that secret within because they don't want to ruin anything. Theo had agreed to an arranged marriage his father set up, but knew he didn't love the chosen bride, and knowing he could fall in love with Rowan. Rowan doesn't want to risk her job or get hurt by falling for the prince she believes she can't have.
Once Upon a Royal Christmas is full of holiday spirit and a deep love building between Theo and Rowan. More than that, both Theo and Rowan discover things about themselves while they are with each other and make decisions about their futures. I loved the interactions between these two, they were full of banter, made me chuckle, but also had a bit of swoon. The chemistry and sexual tension between them was written very well and shown through thier friendship making you just know they wer edestined for more. The family members and friends of both Theo and Rowan added to the story by building up their relationship, but also helping them realize their own feelings and come to decisions about how to handle things.
All in all, I really enjoyed this holiday read and it brought me a touch of the spirit of the season.
ABOUT ROBIN BIELMAN
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Hi Kris! Thanks so much for being part of my tour and for reading and reviewing the book! I'm so happy you enjoyed it!!
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