From New York Times and USA Today bestselling author, Nicole Williams:A glass castle shatters as easily as a glass house—all it takes is one stone. Prince Edward has known this all of his life, and taken staunch measures to ensure he doesn’t give the public any reason to pick up their rocks. Or torches. Or pitchforks. As a twenty-two-year-old in line to ascend the throne, he lives more like a … lives more like a cloistered monk than his college-aged peers. Restraint is the tone of his life, resilience the theme.
That is, until he meets a young woman who couldn’t care less about his title—unless she’s poking fun at it. Charlotte Everly grew up a stone’s throw away from the royal family’s summer house, but her life was, and is, entirely different from the prince’s.
They clash at each turn, disagree on every topic, and bear a general contempt for one another. Until . . .
One night, accompanied by one proposal, leads to one lapse in judgment . . .
Results in a nationwide scandal neither of them will escape.
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It is no secret now that I am a big Nicole Williams fan and once again she delivers the swoon. This is not your normal fairy tale and it has some serious The Prince and Me vibes and if you haven’t seen that movie please go rectify that. Charlotte and Edward were both such great characters and you root for this forbidden romance.
Charlotte was such a feisty character and she just could not care about Edward’s Prince status, honestly she was a tad put off by it, which really just makes for a fun read. Edward though is not at all what you would expect. He isn’t the reckless Prince Charlotte thought, but rather someone who is very aware of his life and surroundings and lack of choices. And in the end it turns out that Edward and Charlotte had quite a bit in common, despite coming from very different worlds and that is when the chemistry started to crackle.
My favorite thing about this book though was Charlotte’s interactions with Edward’s friends. They all cracked me up because they were all spoiled and never wanted to do things for themselves and Charlotte was having none of that and it was highly amusing. But I also loved how they came to love her and she just became part of the gang. James in particular was HYSTERICAL and I just adored him to bits and pieces and he stole whatever scene he was in. One thing I was not prepared for though was that there was a “I need to practice kissing/etc with you for someone else” aspect to the story and like I was not prepared for that or in the headspace for that and it’s not always my favorite. I kinda like to know going in when this is a plot point because I just have different expectations and because I didn’t know it was coming I was like WHATTT for a bit. But it is done well and fits the story and kicks the pairing off, I just wasn’t entirely prepared for it… that’s on me though not the book. The ending to this book though was OH SO SWEET and it just puts a smile on your face. Nicole will put your heart through the wringer but she always fixes it in the end in the sweetest and best way.
All in all, Glass Castle Prince is such a quick and fun and swoony read. I loved escaping to this world for a while and would not mind visiting it again.
I had a hard time connecting with this book. I normally enjoy this author, but this one was not for me.
“I live in a glass castle where everyone and anyone throws stones based on hearsay and half-truths. I didn’t want the same for you.”
Charlotte grew up watching the royalty on the other side of the fence. Being the groundskeeper’s daughter of one of the royal estates, she has seen by far all the glamour, wealth, and hierarchy that surrounds this world. But her stay at the estate did not last long, as her parents decided to move in and take a “normal” job so she could grow up in the real world.
Years later, she returns to the place she called home, as a maid. During the winter, she will be responsible for taking care of and keeping the property in order, and being completely alone with her thoughts is exactly what she wanted, making it the ideal job at the moment. When she decides to postpone her plans for college for a year, she hopes that this period will help her find the answers she needs so that she can decide what is best for her life.
What she could not have predicted was that her quiet, lonely stay would be shaken by four boys. And to make matters worse, thinking that the house was being invaded, ends up hitting the head of one of them with a frying pan. The prince’s head.
Edward felt that isolating himself with his friends on the empty estate would be a good way to get away from his parents. But being attacked by a daring girl, who speaks exactly what she thinks and does not care at all about the fact that he is the prince was not in his plans. Charlotte may even try to get rid of him, but he’s not going anywhere. After all, he never escapes a challenge.
The two have much more in common than they realize. Both are feeling suffocated by their parents’ expectations. Charlotte has been prepared all her life to work hard, to strive in her studies, and to become a doctor, but she is wondering just how much the dream is really hers, not her parents’.
Edward will be the future king of Norland and for that to happen, he abdicated many things in his life, he didn’t live numerous experiences to preserve himself and not to take risks. All his steps are accompanied by the media, all his decisions made by the well-being of the crown, all his choices made by other people. The two are sinking and do not know how to get out of this nightmare.
As time goes by and they learn to live in harmony, which begins as a truce, becomes friendship until move on to something else. But in a world that lives by appearances and rules, will this couple have a chance, or will it be shattered for the sake of the nobility?
Charlotte and Edward are good characters, believable, with depth, layers and pertinent yearnings. Her spontaneity counterbalanced his detachment. The noble friends of the prince were a good addendum, it was funny to accompany these adult men getting a shock of reality.
A suitor too good to be true crosses Charlotte’s path, creating a slight tension in the plot. We also have a night of passion and an indiscreet photo that will provoke a real scandal on the front page of every newspaper. And with that, the king and the queen appear to disrupt the couple.
I’ve hated the queen, from her veiled bias to the way she interferes in her son life. Charlotte and Edward will not have an easy way, and with various deliberate interferences, maintaining that relationship will be harder than they imagined.
The book is a classic novel, with a young girl falling in love with a prince. Despite the mishaps, the happy ending is possible. The characters hold the plot, and the fact that the couple has depth, have doubts, are normal, contributes to improve the narrative.
“Once upon a time” gets a new face, but it still works, and well.
*ARC provided in exchange for an honest Review *
4.5 Stars
I am not usually a fan of royal romances but I’ll never turn down a story from Nicole Williams!!
This story isn’t labeled as New Adult but it very much had that kind of vibe to me, in the best of ways. It felt like a true coming of age, entering adulthood kind of romance and those are my favorite!! It was also a bit of a hate/love kind of relationship that provides the best kind of sexual tension!!
I liked the slow-burn aspect of the romance between Edward and Charlotte. I appreciate that there wasn’t a lot of angst but that it wasn’t lacking in emotion. The pacing was excellent and even the way it ended, in a way that can sometimes feel unnecessary and predictable, felt authentic to the story.
I highly recommend this book if your looking for a sweet, easy read.
What an amazing captivating 5 star story that had me reading non stop for hours on out.
What’s not to love about a prince destined to be king in the near futur who falls in love with the hired help.
I enjoyed this highly entertaining story with amazing character that were funny and just plain loveable. Charlotte didn’t take any crap from Edward. He was conflicted and wanted to do the right thing.
Beautifully written story with an amazing storyline that flowed well. I loved the plot twist.
Standalone told in Charlotte’s POV only with an HEA. I strongly recommend this story.
I don’t typically read royal books. They just aren’t my thing. However, I never pass up an opportunity to read a new book from Nicole Williams.
I can honestly say that I wasn’t expecting all of the sexual tension in this book. Nicole really made these characters work for that pivotal moment that you know will happen at some point. I just wanted them both to just get over themselves and get it on. The wait was totally worth it though.
Edward and Charolette’s story is definitely full of ups and downs… angst… tension… a little bit of fun… some heartbreak. I can honestly say that I enjoyed most of this book from start to finish.
I laughed some. I swooned some. My heart got a little tight in a couple of places. I can honestly say that I was entertained by this book.
The ending was a little too happy. Some of the character’s turnaround at the end felt too fast and forced. But I guess it’s never a true HEA without everyone ending on a happy note. I will take it.
“He’s the future king. I’m a girl whose dad used to tend the royal family’s summer house grounds.”
A modern fairytale with the likes of Cinderella that will leave you with hearts and stars in your eyes, Glass Castle Prince was an utterly cute and sexy new adult royal romance that will either have you laughing, swooning or clutching at your chest from all the emotions.
“I left because I thought I was falling in love with you. I only made it this far because I realized I already had.”
There were times when both Charlotte and Edward frustrated me, made me want to slap them both awake and just push them to go for it already, but that’s what made their collision all the more combustible, more intensely blinding, momentous and heart-thumping. I might’ve not even liked Edward that much right from the get go, but man did I swoon over him on the whole second half of the book. Those small deeds and little lines he dropped along the way… you’ll just feel how taken he truly was with Charlotte. Needless to say, my skin definitely tingled and I had all the butterflies in my tummy.
“I live in a glass castle where everyone and anyone throws stones based on hearsay and half-truths. I didn’t want the same for you.”
“Let them throw their stones. I don’t shatter so easily.”
“No. You certainly don’t. You’re my Iron Princess, Charlotte Everly.”
Glass Castle Prince is ultimately a light, fun and easy read—one that will give you all the fluttery feels and engulf you with heaps of happy endorphins long before you hit that last page—and I really enjoyed devouring it. Prince Edward and Charlotte together were just everything. Trust me, there will come a point in this book where you just won’t be able to put it down, and you know you’ll want that happily ever after. Here’s to hoping that Edward’s three manchild friends get their own stories down the road too… because they were just a blast—an amazing bonus in this book you’ll want to get to know more of.