A Story to Sweep You Off Your Feet

Once Upon a Prince
by Rachel Hauck
Royal Wedding series, Book 1
Christian Fiction / Contemporary / Romance
Available May 2013
Zondervan
352 pages

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About the Book
Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess—just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s a ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.

It’s the ultimate choice. His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own?

My Thoughts
Rachel Hauck is a talented story-teller, and Once Upon a Prince is another wonderfully romantic story that readers are sure to love! All of the fairy tales I loved growing up featured princesses and princes who would sweep them off their feet, but it's been a while since I've read a book with a "royal" cast. It was so fun to imagine all of the unique challenges an ordinary American girl falling in love with a European prince—the heir to the throne!

I was completely enthralled with the book from the very beginning. The characters were personable and had real depth. Plus, a few quirky characters like Susanna's mom and Aurora really rounded out the cast. Of course it was fun to travel to Brighton and see the prince in action there as well. Hauck did a great job of presenting the "baggage" and personal concerns that Nathaniel and Susanna each faced in a compelling manner without being cheesy.

If you love all things royal or perhaps you're just looking for a story to sweep you off your feet, Once Upon a Prince is the book for you!  [4.5 stars]

I received a free copy of this book from Zondervan & LitFuse Publicity in exchange for my fair and honest review.

About the Author
Rachel Hauck is an award-winning, best selling author of critically acclaimed novels such as RITA nominated "The Wedding Dress" and RITA nominated "Love Starts with Elle," part of the Lowcountry series, the Nashvegas series and the Songbird Novels penned with multi-platinum recording artist, Sara Evans. Their novel "Softly and Tenderly,' was one of Booklists 2011 Top Ten Inspirationals. A graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism, she worked in the corporate software world before planting her backside in an uncomfortable chair to write full time in 2004. Rachel 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. Rachel writes from her two-story tower in an exceedingly more comfy chair. She is a huge Buckeyes football fan.

  Rachel Hauck Online

Website  |  Blog  |  Facebook  |  Twitter

The Story Behind the Story | Duchess

I love knowing what inspires stories that I enjoy reading. I thought it might be fun to dig a little deeper into The Story Behind the Story of some of the books I'm reading these days.

Today, Susan May Warren shares about her latest historical fiction release, Duchess! Here's The Story Behind the Story ...

There is nothing better than diving into a story like this one, surrounding yourself with research and ideas, the culmination of a storyline you’ve been working on for two years. I loved penning this novel because I knew that after the hard beginning of Heiress, with so much pain and so many mistakes made by Jinx, and the bittersweet middle story, Baroness, where Rosie walks so far away from her inheritance, Rosie’s redemption would be rich and profound. I loved watching her discover that she didn’t need the world’s applause she longed for—that she had it all inside, with the love of God. If you’ve read all three books, perhaps you noticed the themes: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.” Esme learned this in Heiress, as she discovered that wealth came from knowing your Savior. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted”. Lilly learned this in Baroness as she let go of her grief and recognized the comfort of her father, Oliver, and that she couldn’t outrun God’s love. “Blessed are the meek: for they shall inherit the earth.” Rosie learned this in Duchess, that inheriting everything she wanted—the applause of earth and heaven—was about surrender and trusting God’s love. The series is named “Daughters of Fortune” not only because of their circumstances, but because I hoped readers might see what a true fortune looks like. What a true inheritance is when a person puts their faith in the Lord.

Duchess, the conclusion to the Daughters of Fortune series, is now available from Summerside Press. 

* Originally posted on Susan May Warren's website. Re-posted with permission.

Character Meet & Greet | Darek Christiansen

It's time for a Character Meet & Greet, and I'm excited to welcome Darek Christiansen to i blog 4 books! Darek runs the Evergreen Resort in Deep Haven, Minneosta, and his story is featured in Take a Chance on Me by Susan May Warren.

Darek, thanks so much for stopping by! I know you're a busy guy, so we'll make this brief. Could you tell my friends a little about yourself and your story?

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Hello, yeah. Hi. So, I’m Darek Christiansen, and Susie told me I had to show up and introduce
myself. So here I am. Listen, it’s no mystery that I don’t want to be here. I really need to be getting home to Tiger, my five year old son. But apparently the resort needs a little public relations, so here I am.

I run the Evergreen Resort—a handful of cabins and an outfitting service for campers and canoeists located on a lake in the north shore of Minnesota. It’s a family operation— my parents inherited it from my grandparents. I never really wanted to take it over, but I had to do something to give my son a stable life after I lost my wife in a terrible car accident.

Unfortunately, the man who killed her lives in our town. Okay, he was actually my best friend, but that seems so long ago, it’s hard to imagine that Jensen and were ever anything but enemies.

Okay, so yes, I struggle with forgiveness. And the guilt that I never really wanted this life—I was going to be a HotShot, a fire manager, fighting wildland fires. But life doesn’t give you what you want—it gives you what you deserve.

Which means I’m not going to end up with the cute new Assistant County Prosecutor who just arrived in town. Even if she did buy me in the town fundraiser/bachelor auction. Because what she doesn’t know is that I’m the last man she should hang out with.

But deep inside, I’m hoping she’ll take a chance on me. Because what I really want (and don’t tell anyone) is to start over. To build a new life. I am just not sure how to get there.

I hope you’ll go on the journey with me in Susan May Warren’s newest novel about me, and my family, and life on a resort in the north shore of Minnesota.

Think you'd like to get to know Darek better? Read more of his story in Take a Chance on Me, available now from Tyndale House.

Win a “Date Night” Prize Pack from Deborah Raney and RSVP for her 5/30 Facebook Party!

Deborah is celebrating with a fun "Date Night" Giveaway (win a $200 Visa Cash Card!) and an Author Chat Party on Facebook! {5/30}

One winner will receive:

• A $200 Visa Cash Card (Use that to catch up with a loved one – your spouse, friend, sister, mom…whomever!)
• The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney

Enter today by clicking one of the icons below. But hurry, the giveaway ends on May 29th. Winner will be announced at the "The Face of the Earth" Facebook Author Chat Party on May 30th. Connect with Deborah for an evening of book chat, trivia, laughter, and more! Deborah will also be sharing a sneak peek of her next book and giving away books and fun gift certificates throughout the evening.

So grab your copy of The Face of the Earth and join Deborah on the evening of May 30th for a chance to connect and make some new friends. (If you haven't read the book, don't let that stop you from coming!)

Don't miss a moment of the fun; RSVP today. Tell your friends via FACEBOOK or TWITTER and increase your chances of winning. Hope to see you on the 30th!

It's Monday! What Are You Reading?

"It's Monday! What Are You Reading?" is a weekly meme hosted by Book Journey where we share what we're reading and our goals for the week.

What I Read Last Week ...

Last week was Bout of Books, so I read a ton! I finished SIX books! You can see what I read here. Really great week of reading. The Face of the Earth and The Cowboy Lawman were probably my favorites, although everything was at least 4 stars!

What I'm Reading Now ...

What I Hope to Read This Week ...

I know after reading so much last week, I'll probably slow down a bit this week. So keeping to realistic goals (ha!), I'm hoping to read one of these this week. And hopefully finish at least one of the books above.

That's what I'm hoping to read this week. What are you reading?

Bout of Books 7.0 | Wrap-Up

Bout of Books Read-A-Thon 7.0
May 13-19, 2013

Bout of Books has come to an end! My goal was to read 2000 pages this week. I didn't quite make the goal--life got in the way!--but I'm still pleased with what I read. I finished one book, started and finished five others, and began two more. Pretty good all the way around! Here's my final list of what I read this week ...


The Face of the Earth by Deborah Raney (325 pages)
The Cowboy Lawman by Brenda Minton (224 pages)
Defending the Duchess by Rachelle McCalla (224 pages)
A Muslim's Heart by Edward J. Hoskins (80 pages)
That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon (304 pages)
Clouds by Robin Jones Gunn (288 pages)
The Healer's Apprentice by Melanie Dickerson (11 pages) The Heiress's Homecoming by Regina Scott (30 pages)

Grand Total - 1484 pages!!!

Want to participate in the next Bout of Books?
Mark your calendar for August 19-25 and watch for announcements here.

Bout of Books 7.0 | Day 7 Update

Bout of Books Read-A-Thon 7.0

May 13-19, 2013

Here's what I read on Day 7! 
(You can also follow my progress on Twitter or Goodreads.)

My Goal

To read 2000 pages.

Day 7
 

That Certain Summer by Irene Hannon (72 pages - Finished!)
Clouds by Robin Jones Gunn (288 pages - Finished!) 
The Heiress's Homecoming by Regina Scott (30 pages)

Total Pages Read Today: 390
Total Pages Read This Week: 1484