“A perfect combination of sweet and sexy moments makes A Princess for Christmas an unputdownable read!”–Mia Sosa, USA Today bestselling authorFrom USA Today bestselling author Jenny Holiday comes a modern fairy tale just in time for Christmas about a tough New Yorker from the other side of the tracks who falls for a princess from the other side of the world.Leo Ricci’s already handling all he … side of the world.
Leo Ricci’s already handling all he can, between taking care of his little sister Gabby, driving a cab, and being the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby spots a “princess” in a gown outside of the UN trying to hail a cab, she begs her brother to stop and help. Before he knows it, he’s got a real-life damsel in distress in the backseat of his car.
Princess Marie of Eldovia shouldn’t be hailing a cab, or even be out and about. But after her mother’s death, her father has plunged into a devastating depression and the fate of her small Alpine country has fallen on Marie’s shoulders. She’s taken aback by the gruff but devastatingly handsome driver who shows her more kindness than she’s seen in a long time.
When Marie asks Leo to be her driver for the rest of her trip, he agrees, thinking he’ll squire a rich miss around for a while and make more money than he has in months. He doesn’t expect to like and start longing for the unpredictable Marie. And when he and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas, he discovers the princess who is all wrong for him is also the woman who is his perfect match.
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Cab driver Leo, guardian of his younger sister, decides to make the rash decision to pick up a well-dressed woman outside the UN at his sister’s urging because “She looks like a princess!” Turns out, she is, in fact, a princess! Leo becomes her driver during her trip to the U.S. but the two begin to form a friendship, with perhaps a current of attraction running beneath the surface. But a princess can’t marry a cab driver… right?
I had a really hard time gathering my thoughts on this book. It’s basically a Hallmark Christmas movie but with sex and swearing–so a Jenny Holiday version of a Hallmark movie, which is exactly what she set out to do! So the author accomplished her goal. It had the adorable cutesy holiday and royal scenes straight out of A Christmas Prince or The Princess Switch. And then BAM halfway through the book it gets steamy. I don’t hate the juxtaposition of holiday wholesomeness and intimacy, I think I just could have used more integration of the two halves of the book–perhaps some more lustful language in the first half? This book was overall a HIGHLY enjoyable read, though–it has everything your could want: royal romance, holiday romance, New York classic scenes, castles, single (quasi) parent romance, steamy scenes. I really loved how self-aware the book was, with it’s references to Hallmark movies and fake-sounding countries (I burst out laughing when Leo said “This Hallmark movie is about to get a lot more interesting.”). It didn’t hide what it was trying to be. I think the shift from pure Hallmark to classic Jenny Holiday was a bit sudden for me, though. I still recommend this as a great holiday romance!
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review of this book!
4 stars – 7/10
Every Christmas, there’s a Hallmark movie where an ordinary girl meets a prince and by the end she’s in a ball gown and on her way to becoming a Princess of a small fictional country. This story is similar, except a Princess meets a guy from the Bronx. And this story definitely has parts not appropriate for family tv. The first part of the book takes place in New York City. I enjoyed reading about the sights of NYC and their adventures in the city. The second part of the book takes place in the fictional Alpine country of Eldovia. There is of course the expected Christmas festival and a royal ball, but there is also plenty of steam. Unfortunately, the rough language distracted me from the story pretty often. This is not a cute fluffy Christmas story. However, it is funny. It’s also somewhat predictable but it was still fun to get to the end I knew was coming. Leo’s 11 year old sister is a fun character because she’s still a child but trying to be grown up. I found the side characters really added to the story and made it feel a little more relatable. According to the acknowledgment, this is a series of 3 books and the ending introduces 2 characters that I’m assuming will be in the next book. If I’m correct, that should be a fun book!
I love Jenny Holiday’s books for their honest emotion, friendships, and character growth. This book had those things but at the same time, had a different feel from what I’ve come to expect from her books. The author’s stated intention was basically to present a Hallmark Christmas movie in book form and I’d say she succeeded admirably. The book is set at Christmas time with engaging, likable leads, a meet cute between a princess and a “commoner” in NYC, a sassy, intelligent, growing up too fast younger sister, back stories of grief for both characters, settings both in NYC and in an almost fairytale looking, tiny, Alps principality (think Liechtenstein), and it includes a happy, all problems solved, fairytale ending. True to real life? Not at all! But who cares when the journey to get there is so much fun. However, don’t make the mistake of thinking this book is G-rated as it definitely isn’t. There’s plenty of heat on the page between Leo, a New York cabdriver, and Marie, the princess of the aforementioned country. It’s basically Hallmark for adults. It’s the perfect escapism for our current times and will definitely get you into the holiday mood.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
If you love holiday books and Hallmark movies, this is the perfect book for you! Oh and it’s got more romantic times than your typical Hallmark movie. 😉
Princess Marie of Eldovia is in New York City for meetings and when she is late for a party and her car service falls through, she does what any good tourist in NYC does and tries to hail a cab. When a cab pulls up, it’s not only got a driver inside, but also a preteen and a dog!
Leo Ricci is a cab driver and building superintendent that had aspirations of being an architect, but when his parents were killed in a car accident, he was forced to drop out to care for his sister, Gabby, who is 14 years his junior. While he’s doing everything he can to make ends meet, he still wishes he could do and be more for his sister.
After Leo gets Marie to the party on time, she ends up hiring him to be her driver for the duration of her time in the City. And before you know it, Leo and Gabby are headed to Eldovia to spend Christmas where they will experience the Cocoa Ball, the Christmas festival and all of the other things this quaint town has to offer.
I loved how strong Marie was and how she was finding her footing and figuring out how to stand up for herself and what she wants out of her life. I also liked Leo a lot, as he was a stand-up guy who was trying to be the best he could be for both he and his sister. Gabby was wonderful and I liked how she was able to bring so many people together.
This was a great holiday novel and one that I would recommend. I am hoping there will be more where this one came from!
**I voluntarily read an early copy of this title courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher in exchange for an honest review**
So I didn’t absolutely fall in love with this, but I did enjoy it. I loved the premise! Who doesn’t love Hallmark movies?! And this is very much in the vein of that idea. Heck, it’s even referenced several times in this that this or that is straight out of a Hallmark movie. And if Hallmark was a little edgier this would fit in perfectly. There is a lot of language in this. Now, I’m not a prude by any means, and a well placed curse word can do wonders for fleshing out a character. But this just felt wrong for the theme. The romance was interesting! It was most definitely spicy and unique and a lot more detailed than a Hallmark movie. And that was what I assumed would happen, so no complaints about that. There is some dirty talk in this which really wasn’t that dirty, maybe for a princess. It certainly worked for her. I really liked Leo! I felt like he was real and present in every scene. Marie was sweet and sheltered and that was perfect for this plot. I felt sorry for both of them and just wanted that happily ever after. The epilogue was entertaining and I so wanted to see a wedding take place, but we didn’t get that and that has to take away a rating for not meeting that expectation. I’m sad and salty about this. But… this is a perfect holiday read!
Such a happy story-the perfect christmas fairytale. Lots of humor, heat, lovable characters and a wonderful HEA. When you are in need of a feel good, pick-me-up read this is your book! And, is it true that there will be more Jenny Holiday christmas stories? I certainly hope so! They will definitely go on my “must read” list.