Wednesday, October 13, 2021

Blog Tour + Review: A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale

Thank you to Trish Collins at TLC Book Tours for inviting me to be a part of the blog tour for A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale by Karen Schaler!  I was provided with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
 
A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale
Karen Schaler
Published October 5, 2021
From "A holiday publishing darling" (Entertainment Weekly) and Emmy Award-winning writer of Netflix's hit rom-com A Christmas Prince comes this heartwarming, feel-good Christmas romance about the power of believing in yourself to find your happily ever after...

A charming Christmas village, a storybook castle, a royal ball, and a gorgeous prince are the last things New York City reporter Kaylie Karlyle expects to find on her holiday freelance assignment to Europe. But when the family she's interviewing turns out to be the royal family of Tolvania, Kaylie has a meltdown when the quirky queen wants her to write a Christmas fairy tale for the spunky, young princess. Kaylie must battle the princess's father, who doesn't trust the media, and her own insecurities about writing anything beyond the news.

To spark inspiration for the fairy tale, the queen recruits the prickly Prince Alexander to show Kaylie the family's most spectacular royal holiday traditions. And sparks definitely fly when the only thing Kaylie and the prince agree on is that they're both more "bah humbug" than "ho, ho, ho."

But somewhere between sleigh rides and snow angels, merrymaking and mistletoe, upside-down Christmas trees, and a legendary Christmas crown, Kaylie and the prince open their hearts to Christmas and start believing in themselves and each other. It's a real-life fairy tale in the making until Kaylie discovers a secret about a royal Christmas heirloom that jeopardizes everyone's happily ever after. Can the magic of the season save this holiday happy ending? - from Goodreads
Just before Christmas, investigative reporter Kaylie is given the opportunity to travel to Europe and write a feature story about one family's Christmas traditions.  When she arrives, she's stunned to find out that the family is actually the royal family of a small country, and the queen also wants her to write a fairy tale for her granddaughter, the princess.  As the prince shows her around, Kaylie begins to realize things about her life, love, and the Christmas season.

I've only started reading holiday-themed books in the last couple years, so coupled with the royalty tie-in (which is something I can never resist!), I was really excited to read this book, and Karen Schaler has delivered a sweet and heartfelt Christmas story.

Kaylie has a picture in her head of how she wants her life to go - concentrate on her career now and the rest will fall into place later.  Her family isn't big on celebrating Christmas, so she always offers to work the holiday, and this year she is off to Tolvania to interview the royal family.  I loved Kaylie's commitment to her career, but it was also nice to see her start to consider other options as she gets to know the royal family and their traditions.  Prince Alex is her guide, and I admired the way he protected his family.  They suffered a tragic loss a few years ago and seem to have lost their Christmas spirit.  He's also, understandably, wary of the press, and sometimes Kaylie's actions made him wonder about her motives.

This book had so much Christmas spirit!  I loved learning about all the traditions of the small country.  Upside down Christmas trees, a Christmas crown, cookies, and singing - there were just so many!  Reading this story would definitely get someone into the spirit of the season.

Although a bit slow-moving and predictable (maybe even a little cheesy) at times, this book really encompasses what I enjoy about holiday-themed books - it's sweet, charming, and uplifting, and the light royal romance is a nice addition!

4 stars
 
Goodreads:



Purchase Links: Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Thriftbooks

Author Links: WebsiteFacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube
 



22 comments:

  1. I wouldn't mind that this book is a bit cheesy because I feel like christmas books should be that way a little 😄

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  2. I've also realized reading holiday books can be fun lol. Glad this was an enjoyable one for you!

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  3. i have a soft spot for cheesy holiday books! thanks for sharing! and i'm glad you enjoyed it

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  4. Yes for Christmas spirit! I am trying to read more and more holiday books. I need the boost. I have to check this one out.

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  5. I love reading holiday- themed books and have been into it more and more the last few years. In fact I'm trying to line some up now for this holiday season!

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    1. Me, too! I just ordered some and I'm excited!

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  6. Holiday cheese can totally be a good thing IMO!

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  7. I am so ready for some good holiday romances! And even cheesy is welcomed this time of year. LOL

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    1. LOL, yes, it's one of the few places where it's justified!

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  8. I do love a good holiday story, too! This sounds perfect and I am thrilled that you enjoyed it so much! :)

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  9. This sounds like a really sweet read. I am not ready for Christmas stories quite yet. Still too early for me.

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    1. Haha, other than this one, I'm trying to hold off for a little bit!

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  10. This sounds like a Hallmark Christmas movie and I'm such a sucker for those. I'm pulling together a holiday TBR right now so I have a feeling this one will be on my list. :)

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  11. Ooh this definitely sounds like a nice Holiday read! Added to my TBR, thanks for the review! :)

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I'm so glad you stopped by, and I would love to hear your thoughts! Comments are always greatly appreciated!