God is Love: My Review for Rachel Hauck's "A Royal Christmas Wedding" book blog tour with Celebrate Lit

A Wedding Worth Waiting For
My review of A Royal Christmas Wedding (book) by Rachel Hauck

It’s every girl’s dream to marry a prince. Okay, maybe not every girl but it is quite common that the female heart wants to dream of their wedding day. It makes their imagination soar and heart sigh in bliss when they think of marrying their very own Prince Charming.

So when I found out that Rachel Hauck had written a book about a girl who marries a real (but fictional) prince, I knew that I had to read it and would be delighted to review it for the book’s blog tour coordinated by Celebrate Lit.

Naturally, a book is not complete without conflict and this story has plenty of it! The author cleverly places the conflict throughout the story. She begins with an epic throwback into her story's fictional history about a prince who fell to his death before he could declare his true love for the woman he felt destined to marry by ringing the Pembroke Chapel Bell.

This scene in history is tied into the modern day tale of Prince Colin of Brighton Kingdom, who after years of not talking to the one woman his heart loved, finds that he is still very much in love with her. All it takes is seeing Avery Truitt (the woman his heart loves) at a family reunion in the royal palace. Avery went to the reunion on guard because she was not sure if her heart could take seeing the man that she wanted to marry, again. But she went with her mother in support of her sister Rebecca who married a prince and is expecting a baby.

When Avery and Colin meet again, old feelings are stirred and the plot thickens. The reader discovers the truth as to why Prince Colin pushed Avery away years ago and it breaks Avery heart but also gives her hope.

The setting for this story is Cathedral City and when the story starts, the Christmas season is in full swing and makes every detail magical as the author paints a beautiful picture on every page with her words.

Throughout the story, the heroine (Avery) is presented with a decision: follow her heart and give love with the hero (Prince Colin) a second chance or return home to St. Simons and pursue her career dream of being a coach.

All I can say is that you need to read this book to discover how it ends. But I will clue you in…let’s just say that as I read this story, I was reminded of why the author is a New York Times bestselling novelist!

This holiday romance set in the fictional Brighton Kingdom in Europe is the perfect Christmas story just waiting for you to discover it.

So what are you waiting for? Go buy Rachel’s book, A Royal Christmas Wedding and discover the reasons why I’m giving it 5-stars!

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To purchase your copy, click here.

Genre: Christian Romance/Christmas

Release Date: October 18, 2016

Book Format: Paperback and Ebook

Book blurb: Avery Truitt aches for true love—the kind she once shared with Prince Colin. Can she dare to hope for happily ever after, or is a fairy-tale ending beyond reach?

College volleyball star Avery Truitt has not seen her former flame, Prince Colin of Brighton Kingdom, since he suddenly pushed her away five years ago. But now, the sadness of losing her father and the joy of her sister Susanna’s pregnancy have brought Avery back to Brighton just in time for Cathedral City’s enchanting Christmas season.

Avery knows she can’t avoid seeing Colin—now the Kingdom’s most eligible bachelor—whether or not her heart is ready to relive the pain. But seeing him again might bring her the closure she needs after all this time.

When Colin finds himself at the center of a centuries-old Brighton tradition, he must decide whether to follow the path laid out before him or follow his heart to the only woman for whom he would ring the Pembroke Chapel Bell.

Can Colin convince Avery to meet him at the chapel on Christmas morning—as tradition dictates—or will Avery run back to her St. Simons home and pursue a coaching career as planned?

In the fourth installment of the Royal Wedding Series, New York Times bestselling novelist, Rachel Hauck, weaves a charming story of holiday romance as two broken hearts seek the love they once knew.

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About the Author:

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal Bestselling, and award-winning author.

A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, Rachel worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in an uncomfortable chair to write full-time in 2004.

She serves on the Executive Board for American Christian Fiction Writers and leads worship at their annual conference. She is a mentor and book therapist at My Book Therapy, and conference speaker.

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NEWS for YOU (the reader): To celebrate her tour, Rachel is giving away a $25 Amazon gift card plus a copy of A Royal Christmas Wedding and a copy of The Wedding Shop. Click below to enter. Be sure to comment on this post to earn 9 extra entries in the giveaway! Giveaway code: aaeb. Select this link to enter the giveaway contest, https://promosimple.com/ps/aaeb

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Guest Post from Rachel Hauck about A Royal Christmas Wedding:

I don’t think we can ever get enough of royals or Christmas, do you? The two just seem to go together.

The Bible tells us eternity is written on our hearts. (Ecc. 3:11) I wonder if it’s also written on our hearts to be princesses in a grand, beautiful, perfect kingdom.

That being said, welcome to the A Royal Christmas Wedding blog tour. My deepest thanks to all the bloggers, reviewers, and readers for hosting and visiting this tour. I’m excited to share this story with you all.

The hero and heroine, Prince Colin and Avery Truitt, first met in Once Upon A Prince at King Nathaniel’s coronation.

I hadn’t planned to write a spinoff story with the two of them. In fact, I didn’t even know Prince Colin existed until Avery walked into the abbey for the coronation and glanced across the sanctuary into his eyes.

Here’s his introduction:

Lean, aristocratic with an outdoorsman ruddiness, he nearly made Susanna swoon when he winked at Avery.

I liked Colin immediately. So did Avery. As well as a lot of you.

When my publisher asked me to write their story, it would be two years before the book would release. Plenty of time, right?

But “time crunch” is the name of the game with most writers. Between life, rewrites, edits, and promotional activity, we often find ourselves hurrying toward a deadline. Well, at least I do.

In the fall of 2015 I was writing The Wedding Shop and A Royal Christmas Wedding at the same time.

I’d also dealt with a physical issue that left me shaky. Could I write two books in five months? Did I want to even make the attempt?

If I said no, publication dates would be pushed out, causing a year delay on A Royal Christmas Wedding. And I knew that was something I did not want to do.

Publishing is a long game. Books are contracted and due 12 to 18, even 24 months, before release dates. Time must be carved out for rewrites and editing, marketing and promotion. Review copies go out at least five months in advance.

So I agreed to write both books. I told my editor, “Diamonds come from pressure.”

Coming up with Avery and Prince Colin’s story wasn’t as easy as I’d planned. Since they met in Once Upon A Prince as teenagers, I struggled with how to advance their age and relationship, and how to present them as the book opened.

Where had their relationship gone “between the books?”

When I came up with the idea of the Pembroke Chapel bell, the story magic began to happen. One of the things I love in the royal wedding books is the fairytale aspect. Looking for something out of the ordinary.

Even though my writing time was tight, writing Avery and Colin’s story was a joy. Once again I wish I could visit Brighton, eat a puff, and royal watch for the Strattons!

I hope you found a few sweet spots in the story, all wrapped in Christmas holiday cheer, and enjoyed your time with me in Brighton Kingdom.

Merry Christmas!

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Book tour blog stops:

December 8: Book Reviews From an Avid Reader

December 8: New Horizon Reviews

December 8: inklings and notions

December 9: Reading Is My SuperPower

December 9: Redeemed Hope Dweller

December 9: Book by Book

December 10: His Grace is Sufficient

December 10: Blossoms and Blessings

December 10: Pause for Tales

December 11: Quiet Quilter

December 11: Ashley’s Bookshelf