Review: Princess Ever After by Rachel Hauck
Regina Beswick was born to be a princess. But she’s content to be a small-town girl, running a classic auto restoration shop, unaware a secret destiny awaits her. One that will leap from the pages of her grandmother’s hand-painted book of fairytales.
Tanner Burkhardt is the stoic Minister of Culture for the Grand Duchy of Hessenberg. When he is tasked to retrieve the long-lost princess, he must overcome his fear of failure in order to secure his nation’s future—and his own. Yet lurking in the political shadows is a fierce opponent with sinister plans to abolish the throne forever.
Overwhelmed with opposition, Regina must decide if she’s destined to restore old cars or an ancient nation. Together—with a little divine intervention—Regina and Tanner discover the truth of her heritage and the healing power of true love.
Ms. Hauck captured us with the story of Nathaniel and his princess in Once Upon a Prince. King Nathaniel struggled with how to deal with the semi-independent Duchy of Hessenberg, until near the end when a descendant was discovered.
Princess Ever After is the story of that princess. Regina is happy with her life, though she’s afraid her “when I have no one else to go with” date is about to propose and she doesn’t love him – not like that. She’s loving her car restoration company and has no desire to go back to the corporate life. She loves being her own boss and working with her wacky crew.
Along comes Tanner, upsetting her not-so-perfectly ordered world. He wants to sweep her away to become princess of her own country, the country her grandmother fled as a youth. Portions of her grandmother’s diary in the last days of Hessenberg being it’s own entity are used to fill in the blanks for the reader as Regina learns of her grandmother’s story.
As Regina learns her family history, Tanner is coping with secrets of his own. He’s falling in love with Regina, but his past returns to haunt him.
What decision will Regina make? Will she be able to overcome the opposition forces mounting against her from within her new country? But is there a place for her back home?
And how will Tanner’s secrets affect her feelings for him?
All in all, another solid offering from a solid writer. I’m looking forward to book 3 and look for the review of A March Bride, a novella featuring King Nathaniel and Susanna in the weeks leading up to their wedding, coming soon.
Overall rating: 8.75 out of 10 stars