“The perfect read for a cozy night by the fire!”–Apple Book Reviews She’s discovered his secret. Now the trouble really begins… After three years of mourning–and turning her dear deceased husband’s gazette into the ton’s sauciest source of fashion and gossip–Hollis Honeycutt feels her life has been strangely bereft of late… Her sister is living abroad, and her best friend moved to the … friend moved to the country. What must a young widow of rank and reputation do? Why, transform her society gossip sheets into serious investigative news, starting with a rumored coup…and the rather dashing, mysterious gentleman whom Hollis suspects might be the villain of her first real story, and she is the only one who can write it.
Marek Brendan is investigating terrible rumors of treachery and treason that threaten his home country of Wesloria, but he must proceed with caution. No one can discover the truth. After all, who would ever believe he is Wesloria’s lost crown prince? Only Hollis Honeycutt’s cerulean-blue eyes seem to know more than she’s letting on–and worse, Marek can’t seem to resist her curious charms. But even as betrayal threatens a nation and a throne, nothing is quite so dangerous as the lovely young widow who’s determined to find the truth…and a prince of her own.
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This is the third novel in the Royal Wedding series and I was so excited to read it. This story involves Hollis, a widow who is feeling a little left behind since her sister and best friend have both married royalty and moved away. She meets Marek and finds herself plunged into a mystery involving treason of his country, Wesloria. Together they try to figure out what’s going on and in the process open up to one another. I like how they were opposites but really complimented each other. I would definitely recommend reading the books in order for this series. A wonderful story.
I have been enjoying this series, and I was glad to get a chance to learn more about Hollis. I already knew she was a widow and was trying to continue the gazette in her husband’s memory, but I had a lot of questions about her — most notably, what is the deal with Donovan, her butler. I was glad to see her get her HEA.
I could relate to Hollis. Everything is changing around her. Even though she is happy for her family and friends, she feels lost and redundant. Rather than give in to sadness, she is busying herself with all kinds of projects and puzzles. She is very intelligent and needs a way to use it, so it is not surprising that she is the only one who notices that Marek does not fit it with the rest of the crowd around the Weslorian king.
Marek’s story is very complicated, and he has isolated himself because of it. He has no idea what to make of Hollis and her friendliness, bless his heart. And then she asks him if he is plotting against his king. He is affronted, of course, but he begins to wonder if she knows something that he should know. Now we are off on a crazy ride through intrigue, bribery with cakes, and love.
I enjoyed these characters very much. Hollis is very funny and uses her intelligence to confuse her opponents. Marek is a sweetheart who desperately needs to be seen. They make a good couple, and they get an ending that, though surprising, is just right for them. This was a very good way to round out the series and wrap up the storylines that have run through it.
Wow, this was a lovely story!! Hollis was such an interesting character, forceful and strong and determined and everything I could hope for in a heroine. I love her chaotic house and her relationship with Donovan and business…she is fabulous! I also really enjoyed Marek, who always feels out of place and has a hard time hearing and is the only one to give credence to Hollis’ theory that there is a plot afoot. I loved this story although I would have enjoyed seeing a bit more between Marek and the king.
The story continues. I suggest you read the books in order. This time we get to know Hollis, the widowed sister of the Alucian Duchess of Tannymeane. Hollis is a drift, her sister and best friend has moved on, and she is still Editor to her deceased husband Gazette. Everything is changing, but Hollis is in a rut. Thrilled that her family and friends are in London to negotiate a peace treaty between Alucia and Wesloria, plus share the Christmas holidays. She has the opportunity to search for some news worthy stories for her paper at the many gatherings she will be attending. Hollis meets a mysterious man, Marek, who is a Weslorian. There are many twists and turns, plus a surprise ending. Not much of a holiday story, and I thought the first two books were a better read. The story ties in nicely with the first two books.
I just loved the character of Hollis, she was such a forthright and curious lady, not afraid to go after the information she required, but she also had a very caring side. Even though she had family and friends, there were times she felt alone. Marek Brendan also feels lonely at times and he has a secret that if told, would have a great effect on a number of people. Marek and Hollis meet at a reception, and eventually they develop deep feelings for each other but they live in different countries. There is a plot that they work together to solve, along with Hollis’s servant and friend, Donovan. This was a very entertaining read and the Christmas Day scene was one to treasure, it really made me tear up. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Princess by Christmas is the third charming book in Julia London’s A Royal Wedding series. I enjoyed the first two books, but I think this was by far the best. It had me both laughing and crying. I hate to see the series end!
Widowed Hollis Honeycutt has turned her deceased husband’s gazette into an extremely popular source of news, gossip and fashion. However, her sister has moved abroad, her best friend has moved to the country and her father is about to leave the family home and move to Sussex. With all the changes going on around her, she is beginning to feel lost and wants more, whatever that may be. When she hears rumors about a possible coup in the country of Wesloria, she decides to investigate and change the gazette into one with investigative news. She thinks handsome Marek Brendan may be behind the coup…little does she know he’s the lost crown prince of Wesloria! The two join forces to investigate the danger to the King of Wesloria and can’t help but be drawn to each other.
In the beginning of the book, I found Hollis to be somewhat flighty and annoying, though I don’t believe she was in the first two books. However, stick with it! You will be more than happy you did. Hollis loved her husband dearly but finally seemed to realize that she needed more than to live with memories of the past. She was smart and charming but lonely, and though Marek was irritated by her pursuit of him for her story, he was deeply drawn to her (even if he thought she was deranged!). Marek was quite the interesting hero. He was totally deaf in one ear since having scarlet fever as a child. Though he was the crown prince and wanted to know his father the King, he didn’t want to take away the rights granted to his stepsisters since he was believed to be dead. The interaction between Hollis and Marek had me laughing, but as I got toward the end of the book I couldn’t help but cry!
However much I liked these two, I have to give special props to my favorite character: Donovan. I originally thought he would be the hero in this book, but as I read I discovered why he could not. There was the truest sort of love between Hollis and Donovan; one could not ask for a better friend. I would LOVE to see at least a story showing Donovan finding his one and only. PLEASE?
I received an ARC of this book courtesy of the publisher and NetGalley. I received no compensation for my review, and all thoughts and opinions expressed were entirely my own.
A Princess by Christmas
A Royal Wedding Series #3
Julia London
https://www.facebook.com/JuliaLondon/
Release date 10/13/2020
Publisher HLQ Books
She’s discovered his secret. Now the trouble really begins…
After three years of mourning—and turning her dear deceased husband’s gazette into the ton’s sauciest source of fashion and gossip—Hollis Honeycutt feels her life has been strangely bereft of late… Her sister is living abroad, and her best friend moved to the country. What must a young widow of rank and reputation do? Why, transform her society gossip sheets into serious investigative news, starting with a rumored coup…and the rather dashing, mysterious gentleman whom Hollis suspects might be the villain of her first real story, and she is the only one who can write it.
Marek Brendan is investigating terrible rumors of treachery and treason that threaten his home country of Wesloria, but he must proceed with caution. No one can discover the truth. After all, who would ever believe he is Wesloria’s lost crown prince? Only Hollis Honeycutt’s cerulean-blue eyes seem to know more than she’s letting on—and worse, Marek can’t seem to resist her curious charms. But even as betrayal threatens a nation and a throne, nothing is quite so dangerous as the lovely young widow who’s determined to find the truth…and a prince of her own.
Will they be able to let go what hold them back …
What a surprising read this book was, as I was a bit disappointed by the previous book, I had low expectations for this one, and I was wrong.
I just loved it.
Sure it is more a mystery than a love story until the end, it is such a slow burn romance, it is often secondary in the grand plot, but I adored ever second of my reading.
I loved Marek, he is a man living in between, not knowing really whom he is. While he knows from where he comes from, he does not know where he belongs. While he is impeded by a deaf ear, he did not let it define him.
Hollis had it all until she lost her her husband and had to learn to live without him. She rebuilt herself in a successful business manager. But life seems to move on faster than she.
Now she wonders what will be left of her when everyone around her is changing or leaving.
Their relationship is at first an inconvenience, she is dubious about him when he wants to avoid any notice. Slowly she will slip in his affairs and win his trust, not a small matter.
During their time together, she comes to realize she has lived in stand by, she might have evolved, yet she is live with her late husband in the shadow. This short adventure sees her comIng out of her shell while Marek learns to ease up, to appreciate the happy moments he is granted.
With this last in the series, the author wraps all the lose ends of the previous books, plus a lovely epilogue to complete it.
5 stars
I was granted an advance copy by the publisher HLQ Books, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/722507515005089/?extid=0&d=n
A Princess by Christmas Julia London, book three in her A Royal Wedding series, tells the story of Hollis Honeycutt. She has mourned her deceased husband for three years, turned his gazette into a successful source of fashion and gossip, yet Hollis feels something is missing in her life. Her sister lives abroad, her best friend moved to the country, and now her father started talking about also moving away. She has no idea what to what to do. She considers adding serious, investigative news, starting with a rumored coup; she accidently overheard. Encountering a mysterious, yet dashing gentleman, who seems out of place, Hollis wonders if he might be involved in this coup. Marek Brendan is in London to assist with negotiating a peace treaty for his country of Wesloria. When Hollis confronts Marek with her belief that he is involved with coup, he sets her straight. Marek has a secret and he has to make sure no one discovers the truth. After all, no one would ever believe he is the lost crown prince of Wesloria; except maybe Hollis. Spending time together, searching for clues about who is behind this coup, Marek finds himself attracted to Hollis and falling for her. These two definitely burn up the sheets with their sizzling chemistry and it is probably a good thing electricity had not been invented yet as theirs could have lit up the city. As Marek discovers the “mastermind” out to destroy the King, thanks to Hollis’ help, he discovers he needs her and the happiness and love she inspires in his life. Hollis needs to decide if she is willing to leave London and move to Wesloria to start a new life with Marek.
Ms. London wrote an emotional story that is not to be missed. She provided a tale rich with sizzling chemistry, intelligent banter, and charming characters who provide Hollis and Marek a chance to discover a shared love, and possible future together. I highly recommend A Princess by Christmas to other readers.
I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.
Hollis Honeycutt has written her London gazette since the death of her husband – featuring fashion plates, marriage advice, and the latest gossip in and around Mayfair. But now she feels her gazette should have more meaning, cover topics of more consequence than the latest curl cream.
The opportunity presents itself when Hollis overhears rumours of a potential coup in the Kingdom of Wesloria, a coup linked to the highest level of government in London. During her investigation Hollis spies a man with no business lurking around peace talks, and determines to expose him for the traitor he most certainly must be. When Weslorian Marek Brendan was fifteen he was shocked to discover his heritage was not what he believed – he was whisked away from the Weslorian palace when he was born because there was fear that corrupt forces would try and kidnap him.
This is the third book in the series & could easily be read on its own. I think this is my favourite of the series so far. A well written entertaining read, which flowed effortlessly. I really liked both Marek & Hollis, talk about chalk & cheese! It did take me some time to completely warm to the pair, no wonder Marek was so quiet around the chattering Hollis. One of things I did love was how Marek helped Hollis heal which I found to be touching & heart warming.
My honest review is for a special copy I voluntarily read
This was a fun read. Emotion, secrets, intrigue and romance combine into a entertaining blend that had me eager to keep reading. The characters I had to warm up to but I did grow to like Hollis and Marek. I felt it was a bit over-the-top but still a good book. Of my own volition I am posting a forthright review.
3.5 stars
When owner of Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion & Domesticity for Ladies, widow Hollis Honeycutt, overhears a rumor concerning the peace accord between the counties of Alucia and Wesloria – she is immediately intrigued. Hollis’ sister Eliza is married to Prince Sebastian, the heir to the throne of Alucia. She is sure there is more to the story and won’t stop digging. She is pondering how to get information from the Weslorian delegation, when purely by chance she meets Marek Brendan, an advisor to the Minister of Trade for Wesloria.
Marek has secrets which make his life very solitary, he is a loner and straddles two worlds. He is deaf in one ear and so when he meets Hollis, he has a hard time understanding her and isn’t sure what to make of her! He tries to keep her at arm’s length, but she isn’t having it, she pulls him in to her investigation and by extension; her life. At first, he thinks she is crazy, but soon realizes she may be on to something – something that could not only destroy peace between Alucia and Wesloria, but could be a plot to assassinate his King!
This book was not at all what I was expecting, the romance is a very slow burn and almost secondary to the mystery. Hollis truly loved her first husband and has felt like life is beginning to pass her by, slowly she lets go of her mourning and opens her heart to the possibility of loving again. Marek is a subdued character, he is clearly overwhelmed by Hollis at first, but they soon discover a shared love of Shakespeare and as they work together, she discovers his secret and he begins to realize that she is what has been missing in his life. The book is the final installment in the series and it does nicely wrap up several ongoing plot points from the previous books. I felt the book did drag a bit, there are still title errors and mistakes (that may – fingers crossed – be corrected prior to publication) and the romance is on the back burner until almost the end of the book – but it was a nice read and the ending was very romantic and the epilogue was very sweet. While I would suggest reading the series in order, this could be read as a standalone title without a problem.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by the publisher.*
Hollis Honeycutt is a young widow of respectable background, but prone to get in trouble mostly due to her curious nature. When the Alucian and Weslorian delegations descend to London to hold the negotiations of a peace treaty, she’ll meet the mysterious Marek Brendan, a Weslorian advisor to the Trade Minister.
With her sister and best friend married and living away and the news that her father will be moving out of London, Hollis starts feeling lonesome and questions her place in the world. Unable to let go of the ties to her previous life, she finds herself at a crossroads and desperate to feel useful and that’s how she ends up building an unexpected friendship with the enigmatic Weslorian.
Of course, nothing is as it seems and, in the development of the political intrigue behind the treaty, Hollis and Marek will form an unlikely alliance and discover they each might be the piece the other one needs to be complete.
This book is my favorite of the trilogy. I really liked the characters and their story and was marveled by the tough decisions the main characters had to make to finally find what they both wanted. The secondary characters provided a great backdrop as in the previous books, but I found Hollis obnoxiously delightful and with a tremendously big heart.
A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding, #3) by Julia London
I have loved this series.. This is Hollis and Marek’s story …we get to catch up with other family member from the first two books ..even if I think you should read all three books but this book can be read as a stand-alone. There is mystery, angst, intrigue, laughter, tears, love and lots of feelings to keep you interested and get us to a very HEA.
I am new to Julia London’s writing. I am also new to this series having downloaded the book without fully being aware that it was the third in a series I felt like I was missing something. Kind of like you walked into a room right in the mif\ddle of someone telling a story.
Now with that said there were things sI did enjoy about the story. I loved that the author gave me intrigue, romance, and just enough sprinkle of holiday cheer to make it a great holiday read.
I enjoyed the character of Hollis. She is strong, smart, and educated. She is also very open about her feelings. Our hero Marek is rather closed off due to his past but I love seeing him open up to Hollis.
I also love how I got to see Hollis go from someone in mourning and feeling left out to a woman who bloomed with love.
Though I would highly recommend reading the books prior to this so you can be more fully involved in the story it was a lovely read for the holidays.
Review originally published at Romancing Romances.
I received an eARC at no cost from the publisher, and I am leaving a voluntary and honest review. Thank you.
2.5*
First of all, I have to admit it took me quite a bit of time to read this book (and if you follow me on Instagram, you might have seen a few stories about me being bored with the current book). However, I kept reading, and around the 75%, 80% mark, the book did improve.
I usually really enjoy Julia London’s writing and stories, but this series has been amiss with me (I’ve started the first one I don’t know how long ago, but since it wasn’t an ARC, I’ve put it aside to read at a different time).
I didn’t really like the heroine, Mrs Hollis Honeycutt, and I didn’t like that the author kept perpetuating this “oh corsets are bad, they squeeze you up, bla blab la” situation. If you’re interesting in knowing more about the subject, and why it’s wrong to keep saying this, check out Abby Cox, Bernadette Banner, and others on YouTube. It really annoyed me that even though we were given a curvy heroine, she was always complaining about the tight dresses, not wanting to wear a corset, and her family just kept harassing her about her extra weight. It just seemed unnecessary, and too much, too many times.
I wasn’t a fan of the heroine’s family, either. It just didn’t feel right how they treat Hollis, and how she sometimes behaved.
I actually liked Marek, even though it was hard to know him – but that was part of his charm. I felt the whole white hair/deaf situation (me trying not to spoil things!) was left unfinished, and in truth the title made me think something different would have happened.
I liked the main plot point, but boy did it drag on! It took a looong time for something to happen, which is one of the reasons why this book was just too boring for me.
At the end, it picked up the pace a bit, but that didn’t make up for everything before.
There really isn’t much more to say about the book, it wasn’t bad, it just was… boring.
We find ourselves in London, England in1847 at the start of the story. What is going on? Who is Hollis Honeycutt? Where do we find her and why? Who is Eliza Tricklebank? Why does Hollis want to see her? WHo are Donovan and Beckett? The snippets from iHoneycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies are fun to read! Who are Percy and Marek? I could not help but groan at Hollis during her chattering with a guest and what she says at the costume ball. Why is Marek even in London? What surprising bit of information do we learn about him? Who figures it out? Oh my, I did not expect some of the things that happened! However, I did have some thoughts creep in as I read and some of them were correct, while others were not. Enjoy the read! I did!
RECEIVED THIS BOOK AS A GIFT from Netgalley FOR A FAIR/HONEST REVIEW and REVIEWER FOR Bloggin’ With M. Brennan.
A princess by Christmas is the third book in A Royal Wedding series. I read the other books and I’ll be honest that I had a hit or miss experience but was so looking forward to this story and wasn’t disappointed at all. You don’t need to read the others as it can be read as a stand-alone but it’s nice to know a bit more of certain characters that make appearances.
A opinionated widow that won’t allow to be left aside in finding the truth and a hero that wants to protect his inheritance are a perfect match for this story. I really enjoyed their mix characters and interactions, all the what’s to come next and why not moments as well as the side characters.
Finding themselves in complicated situations adds more to the realisation of what ifs and the love story blooms within the pages.
It’s a great read that many lovers of historical romance will enjoy.
Ok so this is book 3 in the Royal Wedding series but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. In this one we get Hollis Honeycutt and Marek Brendan’s story. Hollis is a widow in charge of her late husband’s gazette. She has been feeling like something is missing so she decides to turn the gazette into a investigative journal, with the first story being about a rumored coup. And she suspects Marek is the villain involved in it. Marek is investigating treason that threatens his country. But he has to be careful as no one can suspect that he is the crown prince of his country while he does so. But he believes Hollis knows more than she is letting on, and that she is on to him about who and what he is doing.
Ok so I have to say normally I really like this author’s books. But I had a really hard time getting into this one. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, which really did surprise me. Honestly, I felt like this one was just kinda boring. There wasn’t really a lot of romance (in my opinion) until towards the end. And other parts just felt slow and drawn out more than needed to be. It wasn’t bad, the writing itself is still good. It just didn’t draw me and wasn’t to my liking, although others may love it.
I requested an ARC of this book, and all opinions are my own.
This is the third installment in Julia London’s ‘A Royal Wedding’ series. As with the previous two, I found the book entertaining, but not as captivating as her other works. The characters in this series are kind of all over the place – some show real growth while others don’t really change over the course of the series. It makes for uneven reading.
I also didn’t find this story as intriguing as the previous two, although I did like the way things turned out. Not quite what you would expect, but still satisfying.
I am not sure if this is the last in the series, or if there will be more. Either way, if you are a fan of Julia London, it is well worth reading all three.