3 Star Review: Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot #BookReview #3Star #Giveaway @megcabot

Title: Royal Wedding (Princess Diaries #11)
Author: Meg Cabot
Publisher: William Morrow
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Release Date: June 2nd 2015
Source: NightOwl Reviews
Purchase: Amazon

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding—but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia's gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn't need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother's leaked "fake" wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia's father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch. Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she's not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

I had a hard time with the latest installment to the 'Princess Diaries' series. Maybe it's because the last time I read the series it was over 6 years ago and Princess Mia was still maybe 16 years old and a bit immature. However, when you come back to it, it's still written in diary format, but Princess Mia is now 25, her father is being arrested, her stepfather has passed away, and her longtime boyfriend is about to propose, all the while she still acts like she's a teenager and not in her mid twenties.

While I liked the concept of coming back and revisiting Princess Mia and the gang, I really think this one should have been left the way it was.I may try to re-read this in the future, but as for now, I could not finish this one, but still give it 3 stars simply because it's the Princess Diaries.

Disclaimer: *I received a copy of this book for free to review, this in no way influenced my review, all opinions are 100% honest and my own.

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her award-winning adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of bestselling young adult fiction, including The Princess Diaries and the Mediator series. More than twenty-five million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband.

Find Meg: Website | Twitter | Facebook | Instagram | Pinterest | YouTube

**Giveaway is for 1 paperback copy of Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot.
**Giveaway open to US entrants only.

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Review: Heist Society by Ally Carter

Title: Heist Society

Author: Ally Carter

Publisher: Hyperion Book CH

Pages: Paperback, 291 pages
Genre: Young Adult, Contemporary, Chick-Lit

Release Date: May 17th 2011 (First published February 9th 2010)
Series: Heist Society

Source: Paperback

Amazon/The Book Depository

When Katarina Bishop was three, her parents took her to the Louvre...to case it. For her seventh birthday, Katarina and her Uncle Eddie traveled to Austria...to steal the crown jewels. When Kat turned fifteen, she planned a con of her own--scamming her way into the best boarding school in the country, determined to leave the family business behind. Unfortunately, leaving "the life" for a normal life proves harder than she'd expected.

Soon, Kat's friend and former co-conspirator, Hale, appears out of nowhere to bring her back into the world she tried so hard to escape. But he has good reason: a powerful mobster's art collection has been stolen, and he wants it returned. Only a master thief could have pulled this job, and Kat’s father isn’t just on the suspect list, he is the list. Caught between Interpol and a far more deadly enemy, Kat’s dad needs her help.

For Kat there is only one solution: track down the paintings and steal them back. So what if it’s a spectacularly impossible job? She’s got two weeks, a teenage crew, and hopefully just enough talent to pull off the biggest heist in her family’s (very crooked) history--and, with any luck, steal her life back along the way.

My Review:

I've been wanting to read this book since it hit the shelves in 2010. Thankfully, because of Ruby's giveaway at Ruby Reads, I not only get the chance to read it, but I actually get to own a copy!

Katarina Bishop is a determined 15 year old, so determined that she leaves the family business to attend a private school. When something happens and she is forced to leave school, she gets pulled back into the family ways.

Think of Oceans Eleven meets The Breakfast Club. The writer pulled me right into the story and made me feel like I knew what it would be like to be a thief. Fun, fast-paced and dangerous.

Kat and Hale have a wonderful chemestry between them. It's refreshing. They aren't just thrown together for the sake of the book. There are genuine feelings between them that have developed through their whole union as friends and partners. It's a delightful change from your everyday teen romance. But at the same time, you want to push them together to rid them of the ever so present tension.

Ending Thoughts:
This is a great first book to what I hope will be a great series. I can't wait to read Uncommon Criminals, the sequel to this book.

Star Rating:

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Review: The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley

Title: The Rose Garden

Author: Susanna Kearsley

Publisher: Sourcebooks Landmark

Pages: Paperback, 448
Genre:  Historical Romance, Chick-Lit, Fantasy

Release Date: October 1st 2011 (first published April 15th 2011)

Source: Goodreads First Reads and Publisher

  

Summary (from Goodreads)

Eva Ward is a modern woman thrown back three centuries to 1715 only to find that might be exactly where she belongs. There she finds true love with Daniel Butler, but the discord surrounding Hanoverian King George plunges the lovers into a world of intrigue, treason, and love. 

My Review:

I just want to start off by saying I won this book in the Goodreads First Reads giveaway and it was sent to me by the publisher.

This book was simply amazing! I didn't know if I would like it while I was reading the first chapter as I am not one for heartfelt weeping. The first chapter of the book talked about the characters loss of her sister. But as I moved into the second chapter I jumped right in feet first and didn't want to come up for air until the very end.

The writer has a way of bringing the reader into her story. I felt as though I was sitting there on the sidelines watching this whole amazing story unfold right in front of me from start to finish. There was so much detail into the writing that it made everything so believable. There was definitely a lot of research that went into this to discuss the past of 300 years ago. This is the first book that I have read by Kearsley and will definitely not be the last!

I did enjoy reading about the strength one sister had in overcoming her loss of another sister, the pain she had felt and the telling of her past with her family. I also enjoyed the time travel aspect of the story and her new found love for Daniel. This book also had a surprise twist at the end that I did not see coming. I love it when you think you got the story figured out and then you get surprised.

I don't want to brag too much on the story and give it away. I think that if anyone that has a love of romance, time travel and coming of age stories, definitely pick this book up.

Star Rating:  

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