Knowing and facing the truth are two of life's hardest tasks. The third is facing fears, especially when it comes to love and loss. One woman changed the course of many lives, but can that one woman be instrumental in bringing two grieving hearts a new beginning? The mystic of a fairytale is that we always remember the beauty and forget the heartache. The Crown Prince's Bride forces the facing of some painful truths in order to get to that great big rainbow at the end of the tunnel. Donna Alward brings her own brand of magic to an awesomely majestic romance. ( )

The tiny kingdom of Marazur has been through a challenging year, with the death of Crown Prince Raoul's wife, Cecilia, and a near-scandal involving his younger brother Diego and Rose, nanny to Raoul and Cecilia's children, Max and Emilia. Rose and Diego are now engaged, but Raoul is still broken-hearted, unable to imagine ever finding true love again, and equally unable to imagine spending the rest of his life alone.

Meanwhile, with his father's advancing years and declining health, Raoul is able to bury himself in the work of running the tiny kingdom. Helping him keep things running smoothly is his assistant, Stephani. She's been there all the time, mostly in the background, for nearly ten years. She's smart, capable, efficient--and beautiful and kind. And Cecilia's cousin.

At Diego and Rose's engagement party, after too much scotch, they exchange a kiss. Then they both try very, very hard to forget it.

At its base, this is just a fun, romantic, "she marries a prince" story, but the characters here are complex and interesting. They respond in real and convincing ways to the real complications of their situation. Raoul is a near-perfect prince, but he's got some real emotional scars affecting him, too.

This isn't a story where the first marriage has to be revealed as fatally flawed for the new romance to be justifiable. I was especially pleased by that. Real life is hard enough; I've never liked the idea that you can only find love once, and that if you don't find that one right person, you're out of luck.

It's an enjoyable, fun book. Recommended if you're looking for a satisfying romance.

I received a free electronic galley of this book from the publisher via NetGalley, and am reviewing it voluntarily. ( )

The Crown Prince’s Bride by Donna Alward
Royal Duology #2

Crown Prince Raoul: recently widowed, father of two, afraid to love and be hurt again…

Stephani: Raoul’s assistant, first cousin to deceased wife of Raoul, has been “in love” with Raoul for years…

The story begins right where book one of this two part story ended with a kiss between Raoul and Stephani. The story has interactions, events and a few things happening but it left me wanting more even with the HEA that eventually transpired. I am on the fence, much as Raoul was during most of the book, on this story. It was so-so and okay but not all that…at least in my opinion. If you are looking for an old fashioned love story that is somewhat predictable with a fairytale ending this book might be for you…just don’t expect fireworks or many emotions from either main character.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press – Swerve for the ARC – This is my honest review.

2-3 Stars ( )