Book Review: Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck

Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck
Genre: Romance
Publisher: Harper Collins
Publication Date: February 4, 2014

Regina Beswick loves to work on old cars. She loves to fix them up, get them running again, and restore them to their gorgeous, vintage beauty. Regina tried being an accountant so she could hold down a ‘real’ job for a while but it just didn’t work for her. So now she’s settled into a grease monkey’s life and she’s quite content. Until one evening when a handsome, well-dressed man with a decidedly un-American accent shows up at her Tallahassee shop. That’s when things take a nose dive into the surreal. He informs Regina that she is a princess. For real. Not like a Disney cartoon. Like a real princess. And he wants her to leave America to take her rightful place as ruler of the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. No, really.

Regina isn’t sure she believes a word of it, but with her mother and grandmother both passed, her great grandma Alice’s inheritance falls to her. Some investigation digs up facts that seem to be supported by what Tanner has to say, but still… Should she pick up and leave everything she knows based on some story from a man she’s never seen before? This isn’t Regina. She’s definitely not someone who rushes off with no thought. She’s also not someone who has dreamed of living a fancy, royal life. She’s content in her coveralls or blue jeans.

Eventually, after a good amount of thought, prayer, and some research into her great-gram, Regina decides to make the journey. But it’s not going to be as easy as walking in and putting on a crown. Hessenberg has been under an entitlement that had it ruled by a different country for over a hundred years. The current feeling amongst the populace doesn’t completely support a return for the heir. And why is it that she’s starting to get butterflies in her stomach whenever Tanner enters the picture? Toss in the fact that he has his own past and history that he’s trying to deal with and this is anything but a fairy tale romance.

The second book in Hauck’s royal wedding series, Princess Ever After picks up shortly after the first book, Once Upon A Prince. We get some glimpses into those beloved characters and what their lives are like now, but this is definitely not their story. It belongs to Regina, Tanner, and her great grandmother. History is shared through letters and journals that her great grandma Alice kept, bringing events of more than a hundred years ago vividly to life.

I enjoyed this book as much as I did the first one. The delightful love story partnered with quirky, real characters was an absolute joy to read. With twists and turns that will leave the reader reeling in laughter and maybe even giving up a few tears, Rachel Hauck has created another beautiful book that is definitely worthy of the title royal weddings. I’m already lined up waiting for the next one!

I loved this book and you will too! If you’d like your own copy, it’s available here on Amazon. 

Review copy provided by the publisher. Thank you!