Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

Once upon a Prince 
By Rachel Hauck
Reviewed by Martha Artyomenko
Book Description:
Once Upon a Prince, the first novel in the Royal Wedding series by bestselling author Rachel Hauck, treats you to a modern-day fairy tale.
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 an ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation.
My Review:
Susanna went on with her life, sort of, while waiting for her long time love to propose, be done with his military tours. 12 years. It seemed a little extreme, but she believed she loved him. When he dumps her on the beach and a royal prince shows up, it seemed like a storybook romance. This one was filled with the legalities, trials and manipulations that you might find more in real life than in a fairy tale.
Along with the rest of the world, I have loved Princess Diana, and now Prince William and Katherine. This book sort of feeds into that storyline, making a royal more human, in spite of his station. He is a man among men, honorable, loyal and kind, who wouldn’t like him?
This story talks much about the question of love. In the first part, Susanna questions why Adam couldn’t have just married her on principle that he had sort of promised it to her and she waited, loving him and giving him her devotion for 12 years. Then, Nate questions why he can’t marry the woman that the country has picked out for him, even though he cares nothing for her in a romantic sense.
Is it important to love and care for someone before you marry them? Why or why not, this book asks? What do you think?
I personally really enjoyed this book, even though the story line is a familiar one. It is one that tugs at the heart of any girl, the dream to be rescued and loved by royalty. But one that is highly improbable to say the least. It doesn’t matter how unrealistic though, we all love the story and I believe that goes back to the beginning!
This book was given to me for review by Book Sneeze. The comments and statements contained here are my own.