PRINCESS EVER AFTER by Rachel Hauck

Regina Beswick is just a normal southern, small-town girl or so she thinks. She left her job with a big firm to invest, with a friend, in a small business of restoring old cars. Everything in her life seems great until Tanner Burkhardt shows up. He's the Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg and is sent to tell Regina who she really is and bring her home to Hessenberg. The entail between Brighton and Hessenberg is almost up and they need Regina sworn-in as Princess or Hessenberg loses its independence from Brighton Kingdom forever. But things don't go very smoothly as someone in their midst doesn't want Regina to take the oath. Regina must decide whether she will restore old cars or restore an old nation. As Tanner and Regina work together and learn more about her ancestors, the more they discover their strong feelings for each other.

What would it be like to be going about your life and all of a sudden you discover you're a long lost princess? This story deals with that situation in a humorous and touching way. It's the second book in the Royal Weddings Series and a really fun story. In the first book you learn about Hessenberg and who the heir is. This story picks up at that point. I loved Regina. She was very down-to-earth and had a great sense of humor. So many times I found myself laughing out loud. Tanner was a great guy. So caring and understanding despite the emotional pain he was dealing with. Together they made the pages come to life. Actually, all the characters felt alive enough to walk right off the page. I love a story with living breathing characters. Along the way, you learn of Hessenberg's history through the grandmother's voice, which I thought was well done. There was a few 'divine' moments that didn't really feel realistic to me but it did add a certain magic to the story. The idea of stepping out of our comfort zone and trusting the Lord completely for direction, was well done. It's a scary thing but the Lord's way is always best. It was also great fun to see Nathaniel and Susanna again. If you enjoy a fun, take-me-away kind of story, then kick your shoes off, put your feet up and enjoy your trip to Hessenberg to meet a "Princess Ever After".

*This complimentary copy was provided by Zondervan through NetGalley in exchange for an honest review*

Series: Royal Wedding Series
Paperback: 368 pages
Publisher: Zondervan (February 4, 2014)
ISBN-10: 0310315506
ISBN-13: 978-0310315506

For more information about this book or other books by Rachel Hauck, I encourage you to visit her website at http://rachelhauck.com/