A Proper Romance.
Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more … far more severe than she’d imagined.
I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me.
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I discovered this wonderful book when the author posted on Facebook or in an email that there were chapters of it on YouTube. I thought what did I have to lose? I’d listen to it while doing my morning routine and if I didn’t like it I could stop listening. Well, that never happened. After the first few chapters I was taken in by the story of Ariella and the palace gardener Gavin, and I eagerly awaited the notification that another chapter was available to listen to on YouTube. If you look up the author on YouTube you can listen to the entire book.
Ariella (Ella) is one of several sisters who’s parents have their life planned out for them. They’ll marry princes from nearby countries, etc. Of course, there’s always “the one rebel” child. Ariella doesn’t set out to be a rebel, she’s just tired of lessons by governesses, and sitting around doing needlework, learning to paint and other boring royal activities. Her father seems to have already okayed her marriage to a prince of a nearby country, and although it won’t happen anytime soon, Ella isn’t happy about it. She doesn’t care for this prince.
One day while sitting in a tree instead of studying Ella discovers Gavin, one of the gardeners. He takes care of the maze, a part of the palace gardens. Ella forms a friendship with Gavin and it’s so sweet. Ella talks Gavin into letting her see what a regular life is like by going to a dance in the village, which Ella loves, but then life happens and it all comes to a crashing end, and Gavin is no longer a palace gardener. Time passes but Ella’s feelings for Gavin do not and when after many, many months Gavin is back to being a palace gardener Ella is thrilled.
I loved Ella and Gavin’s story. It’s a fairytale–princess falls for gardener–but I needed to know how they would get together. There were several times I was sure it wasn’t going to happen. It takes place over a few years and you can see that Ella grows up. I loved her easy friendship with Gavin and how she took the blame when they were caught by the palace guards. I loved when she would visit the village and play with the children. I especially like the part towards the end when Ella did the right thing, and finally stood up to her parents and told them about her kidnapping. I loved that Gavin is the one who convinced her to do it, even though the reason she hadn’t done it before was to protect him. Gavin is a great guy.
This is definitely a clean romance with a little adventure.
By far one of the best romance novels I’ve ever read. Pulls you in with great, likable characters and keeps you going with a sweet and exciting love story–plus a good plot to give it even more substance. Full of those tender moments you want to go back and read again, plus exciting moments, clever humor, and some suspense as well. I love how all the obstacles in Ella and Gavin’s relationship are believable, not just lame miscommunication issues like so many romance novels try to rely on. Also none of the cheesiness of many romances! It’s sweet, fun, clean, and well written…and one of those books you just can’t put down. I’d recommend it for teens and grown women alike. Loved it!!