From USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday comes a modern fairy tale just in time for Christmas about a tough New Yorker from the other side of the tracks who falls for a princess from the other side of the world.
A PRINCESS FOR CHRISTMAS by JENNY HOLIDAY
Series: Standalone
Publication date: October 13, 2020
Published by: Avon
Genre: contemporary romance
SYNOPSIS
Leo Ricci's already handling all he can, between taking care of his little sister Gabby, driving a cab, and being the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby spots a "princess" in a gown outside of the UN trying to hail a cab, she begs her brother to stop and help. Before he knows it, he's got a real-life damsel in distress in the backseat of his car.
Princess Marie of Eldovia shouldn't be hailing a cab, or even be out and about. But after her mother’s death, her father has plunged into a devastating depression and the fate of her small Alpine country has fallen on Marie’s shoulders. She’s taken aback by the gruff but devastatingly handsome driver who shows her more kindness than she’s seen in a long time.
When Marie asks Leo to be her driver for the rest of her trip, he agrees, thinking he’ll squire a rich miss around for a while and make more money than he has in months. He doesn’t expect to like and start longing for the unpredictable Marie. And when he and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas, he discovers the princess who is all wrong for him is also the woman who is his perfect match.
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Praise for A Princess for Christmas:
“The novel is charming and self-aware and successfully plays with the conventions of the ‘commoner falling in love with royalty’ script…Sizzling chemistry and witty banter elevate a common Christmas romance premise into a royally entertaining fairy tale.” –Kirkus
“Opposites attract in this thoroughly charming Christmas romance…The snappy prose, charming atmosphere, and Hallmark movie–style plot combine to create a delightful romance, underpinned by strong supporting characters. This Christmas treat, with its intoxicating blend of heat and sweet, is a winner.” –Publishers Weekly
Read an Excerpt here!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Jenny Holiday started writing in fourth grade, when her awesome hippie teacher, between sessions of Pete Seeger singing and anti-nuclear power plant letter writing, gave the kids notebooks and told them to write stories. Most of Jenny’s featured poltergeist, alien invasions, or serial killers who managed to murder everyone except her and her mom. She showed early promise as a romance writer, though, because nearly every story had a happy ending: fictional Jenny woke up to find that the story had been a dream, and that her best friend, father, and sister had not, in fact, been axe-murdered.
From then on, she was always writing, often in her diary, where she liked to decorate her declarations of existential angst with nail polish teardrops. Eventually she channelled her penchant for scribbling into a more useful format. After picking up a PhD in urban geography, she became a professional writer, spending many years promoting research at a major university, which allowed her to become an armchair astronomer/historian/particle physicist, depending on the day. Eventually, she decided to try her hand again at happy endings—minus the bloodbaths.
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A Princess for Christmas by Jenny HolidayMy rating: 4 of 5 stars
A Princess for Christmas was a very cute and light holiday read for when you get into the Hallmark movie/rom-com mode. I know I may get a lot of slack for this, but personally I have never been into those sugary sweet made for tv movies. The cheese factor was always a little over the top for me, but I know I'm in the minority there. Usually with this kind of storyline, the hero is the royal falling in love with a commoner, and the woman living "happily ever after" with her fairy tale prince. However, the author reversed the roles in this case which was an interesting twist from the norm.
Princess Marie of Eldovia visits New York to make a speech at the UN, and while she's there, she meets Leo Ricci and his sister Gabby. As you can imagine, these two are opposites in just about every way. They come from backgrounds that are lightyears apart, She's prim and proper, he's blunt and casual. He's grumpy, she's determined to be optimistic. She's had a privileged life, he's middle class and knows what it's like to really struggle. On the other hand, they have one big thing in common that helps them understand each other at a level a lot of others can't. They both recently lost parents and still struggle with grief and acceptance. I've been told that this tragic history is a common trope for Hallmark Christmas movies. So while there were original aspects to the story, it wasn't without its cliches.
Marie was a strong heroine. She picks up the pieces after losing her mother to cancer and steps into her father's duties-all without his support or comfort. From the stories she tells about him throughout the book, he's always been a difficult person to adjust to, but ever since losing his wife he's been flat-out unbearable. I have to say that he never did grow on me much. Not only was he selfishly uncaring about the grief his daughter was going through, he tried to manage her personal life, and was so rude to Leo and Gabby when they were his guests it makes you grit your teeth in disgust. The pure snobbery he displayed had a vicious edge to it that was bad enough towards an adult, but to treat a child like that? Yeah, I just couldn't bring myself to look past the nastiness. It was all a bit sudden in the end-too little, too late.
The story is a simple one. Marie hires Leo to be her driver while she's staying in New York and during the few days they spend together, she's able to loosen up and feel some form of happiness. Marie is far from a snob like her father is, and she revels in doing touristy, simple things with him. She has a huge load of responsibility on her shoulders, expectations about her personal life that she's not ready to accept yet, and a public image to uphold. When it's time for her to go back home, she's not quite prepared to say goodbye to the new friends she's made and invites them to her home for the holidays. The invitation is the first sign that she is pushing boundaries on family expectations and finding the strength to stand up for the things that are important to her. Duty towards her country is still top priority, but she's not willing to sacrifice her happiness for an archaic arranged marriage.
The story progresses pretty quickly from strangers to love, but this is kind of standard fare for a holiday romance. Once Leo and his sister arrive at Eldovia, the two fall into a sexual relationship and kind of tiptoe around their feelings. It all feels kind of impossible. The odds are highly stacked against them-her father, their backgrounds, the culture differences, financial differences...it's pretty substantial. But one thing I can say about these two characters is that they're honest. And they appreciate that quality in each other. There's no miscommunication, misunderstandings, or over-the-top unnecessary drama. Once they search their own heart, they won't let anything or anyone stand in the way of a future together. And yes, there is the standard big romantic gesture scene in the end as they resolve their conflict as you would expect with this genre. It was nice to get a peek into their future with the epilogue so we could see how they dealt with the challenges they faced.
There was definitely some hints that Max and Dani had something brewing between the two of them, so I'll be keeping my eye out for information on a possible book for them. Overall, this is a great read if you're looking for something light with a moderate amount of steam and a strong dose of humor. There were points I was laughing out loud-especially at Leo's bumbling, panicked attempts at parenting his sister. His internal dialogue was absolutely hilarious. Even if you're not a huge holiday romance fan like me, this could be the sweet story you've been looking for. I'm looking forward to discovering more books from this author in the future.
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