Christmas. Disney. Romance. No greater magic.When Sophie’s eight-year-old niece, Ariel, asks Santa Claus for a single wish to honor her mom’s memory, Sophie knows she must grant it. Unfortunately for Sophie, Ariel’s wish is to ride her mom’s favorite ride on Christmas day, and it’s at the last place on earth Sophie wants to visit—Walt Disney World. It will be the first Christmas without her … will be the first Christmas without her sister, and reliving childhood memories of her best friend is not how she wants to spend her holiday. Sophie’s only desire is to spend Christmas on the slopes with her reliable and stable beau, Darren, who has reluctantly agreed to postpone their trip until the day after Christmas.
But when Sophie runs into a charming stranger, who offers up his extensive Disney knowledge, he instantly becomes her hero. A wave of relief washes over Sophie—he may just be the one to give Ariel the magical experience she desires. And, even though Sophie doesn’t realize it, he may be exactly what she needs too.
Can a bit of Christmas magic help this ruggedly-attractive stranger win Sophie’s heart when she believes it already belongs to Darren? And will Sophie continue to allow her painful past to haunt her, or will she let it go?
A heart-warming holiday romance set in ”The Most Magical Place On Earth”.
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Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) by Alex Bailey is a story that is beautiful and heartbreaking at the same time and I absolutely enjoyed reading it. Making one little girls dream come true is the one thing Sophie is dreading. Pulling up her big girl panties is going to be harder than anything she has to do. That is until she comes face to face with a stranger that turns her world upside down.The story caught me from the very start of the book. I fell in love with the characters due to Alex’s attention to detail and writing skills and could picture it clearly in my mind. This heartwarming story will linger even after you have finished it. There was a lot of love weaved into this story and there are so many emotions that you will find yourself laughing and in tears the next, so grab a good drink and a box of tissues. I highly recommend that you partake in this wonderfully written story. It is a great start to the series and I can’t wait to see what is next.
If you love a good holiday story with happily ever after at its core, you’ve found the book for you. I loved this book and it had me grinning like an idiot like a good Hallmark movie. If you are a hopeful romantic, this is definitely a book you need to pick up. Wonderful characters. Easy pace and plot development. Just a wonderful read and perfect for the holidays.
Once Upon a Romance(A Dream Come True Book 1)
By Alex Bailey
Rated 5 stars!
First off I LOVE the cover! Very holiday and Disney-ish. A Perfect Mesh! It drew me to this and after reading the synopsis I grabbed it. The story just appealed to me. A WDW fan and the love of family. Both are Win-Wins for me. One of my favorite things is how the magic of Christmas mixes with the magic of Disney.
The characters were well thought out and grew over the story. I enjoyed how grumpy and grouchy Sophie was at the beginning. She off-set Ariel’s nice attitude. Ariel was a sweetheart and a little matchmaker. The families and that one “special guy” were full of fun and happiness as well. Even the crazy characters they run across on their trip were lots of fun. They were all a great addition to the story.
I loved all the Disney themed comments, actions and fun. The rides and the lines as well as their days planned throughout each park. I really felt like I took this adventure along with them. So Fun!
This book will appeal to Disney fans and all of those who believe in a little magic. A wonderful story of learning to get over loss while opening yourself up to new possibilities. There are so many reasons to love this book.
P.S.
I enjoyed reading the acknowledgments and was surprised at all the different Disney websites that were listed. I plan to keep them for reference for my next trip.
Thanks!
Sometimes, as we’re growing up, we build walls around our heart to protect ourselves. Sometimes those walls can keep us from letting in the love we all deserve. In Sophie’s case, she’s grown up feeling like the outsider in a family who are all huge Disney fans. Since her family spent almost every vacation at Disney World, and Sophie never understood the magic they felt, it’s been a tough situation that’s kept her wondering why she’s the one who’s different.
After the death of her sister, Sophie’s heartbroken and grieving over her loss. However, when her niece’s biggest wish is to spend Christmas at Disney World, Sophie knows she has to do everything she can to make that wish come true. Forced to revisit a place that’s pure delight for most, Sophie once again feels her inability to understand their attitude. Her boyfriend, Darren, reflects her feelings. He’s not a Disney person either. He’s also not able to be very supportive of Sophie’s deep commitment to her niece’s needs. He’s very disappointed when Sophie has to opt out of their planned ski vacation.
On her own in Disney World with her niece, Ariel, Sophie is emotionally challenged. Luckily, she meets a man named Ray who’s also known as Professor Disney. Ray is Darren’s opposite. He’s a people person who couldn’t be nicer to Sophie and her niece. Without being pushy, he’s a shining example of kindness and lighthearted fun. As Sophie slowly learns to trust Ray, she learns more about herself and how to trust that she can be a part of the magic too.
“Once Upon a Romance” is filled with Christmas delight and Disney magic. Five stars for this sweet, gently-unfolding story of self-discovery and unexpected romance!
Awesome Awesome book
Sophie has the ultimate challenge this Christmas, making her niece Ariel’s Christmas wish come true. She wants to experience the ride at Disney World her late mother loved so much. Sofie’s still grieving the death of her beloved sister Natalie, and is afraid the trip will be bring up too many painful memories. It also means she will have to delay a holiday trip to Colorado with her boyfriend, Darren, who doesn’t take the postponement of the trip well. She doesn’t want to disappoint Ariel, but can she set aside her grief and also avoid disappointing Darren?
Through a chance encounter, Sophie and Ariel meet Professor Disney, aka Ray, who turns their Disney Christmas visit into a delightful excursion. As they enjoy the rides, exhibits and food experiences at the park–the pains of the past slowly ease as the happiness of the present takes hold. Sparks of attraction start to fly too, leading Sophie to question her strained relationship with Darren.
As their families arrive at Christmas, Sophie and Ray face their prospects for the future–will it be together, or does Santa have other plans? Author Bailey delivers a heart warming Christmas tale sure to make you smile. Her detailed descriptions of the Disney attractions make you feel like you’re right there with the characters. A great read to get you into the holiday spirit!
Once Upon a Romance is a delightful holiday read for any time of the year. With Bailey’s lovely descriptive writing, I felt as though I’d taken a trip to Walt Disney World without ever leaving my elliptical. The strong character development pulled me into the story from the start. I fell in love with Ariel and pulled for Sophie to ditch Darren from the start. Sorry Darren. And Ray…I loved him! This is a magical, feel good story that will leave you wanting to hop on the next plane to Disney. I’m looking forward to reading more by this talented author.
This was a charming Christmas love story with some Disney magic. The setting of WDW was delightful and so much different from most stories. Alex Bailey was a new author to me and now one to keep on my list for future reads.
Once Upon a Romance
(A Dream Come True Book 1)
Alex Bailey
4 out of 5 stars
There are few things more magical than Christmas or Disney in my opinion, so when you combine the two with romance as well, you’re in for a really good time.
Once Upon a Romance is the first book I’ve read by Alex Bailey but it didn’t disappoint, let’s just say I was pleased to learn this is the first book in a series!
I feel like a great book has imagery and characters that make you feel like you’re part of the story within the pages. How awesome is it to have a story that transports you to Disney? I felt that Alex Bailey’s writing was strong throughout the entire book, evoking several emotions along the way. There was a great balance of seriousness with the loss of a mother and sibling to fun, lightheartedness.
When I stumbled across Once Upon a Romance I was immediately attracted to eye catching cover art and I am pleased to say the actual storyline is just as captivating. I am looking forward to seeing what more Alex Bailey and the Dream Come True Series.
Once Upon a Romance (A Dream Come True Book 1) was a light hearted, sweet read, that gets you in the holiday feels.
My first read by this author, I was caught by the shiny christmas hallmark like read. I was sucked in right away and, even though I knew how this story was going to go, I loved every cheesy minute of it.
I liked the relationship between Sophie and Ariel, it was more then just aunt and niece. Sophie is mothering and puts Ariel first, even if her boyfriend doesn’t get it. She was a great character and I won’t hold her hate of Disneyland against her.. too much. Ariel is a sweet, smart kid, but I will say that some of the things she was saying, seems a little to, advance for her age. I do get that some kids are more advance, I just wasn’t getting that feeling from Ariel, so her speech patterns and dialogue weren’t matching. Other than that she was a great child character and really added that extra magical layer to this fairy tail like read.
As for the actual story, it’s a sweet romance, and with the magicalness of the setting it has all the things I love about these type of good feel books. Sweet tender romance, heart gripping feels, beautiful setting, attention to detail and, a sweet hot man, that is too good to be true but, you can’t help but root for. Even if his love interest is already taken.
Overall I can’t stress enough how good and just, awesome this book is. It will put you in the holiday mood while making you want to go to Disneyland in the same breath. This book is a super high recommendation from me and, it gets my cheesy, Christmas movie stamp of approval.
Happy Reading.
-E.A. Walsh
Couldn’t put it down, I read it in one sitting.
All Walt Disney fans are going to LOVE this book! I always wanted to visit a Disney park, but have never gotten the chance. But reading Once Upon A Romance, I was able to live vicariously through the characters and enjoy their Christmas vacation as if I was right there with them, with the wonderfully detailed descriptions of the sights, sounds and scents of the amazing world they were in.
And even if you’re not a Disney fan, you’ll love the gentle romance, the holiday magic, and the entertaining and sparkling writing talent of Alex Bailey.
Can’t wait to read Once Upon an Engagement!
This was a pretty good read though I didn’t know half of what the author referenced about Disney. I, or my family, have never been there. Never had the urge to visit. I felt as if I’d been there just by reading this story. From the beginning, I wasn’t fond of Darren, hoping that Sophia would find someone else.
It deserves a 5 for moving me to tears because as I’ve motioned in my previous reviews if a book or film moves me to tears and empathize with the characters, it is a great book.
Well done and i look forward to reading the author’s books once again if I do come across anything that piques my interest.
My full review can be found here: http://lllilybooks.com/blog/book-review-once-upon-a-romance.html
I gave this book a middle of the road rating because I was not that interested in the subject. This book is set on a love of Disney world. So if you love Disney (Not at all) and you visit Disney World every chance you can (never been) you will enjoy the book. The book was very predictable . But many happy ever after books are. I personally found it a slow read but I was not interested in the subject. It would be a quick read for a Disney fan.
Very entertaining.
I received a free copy of this book. I loved reading this clean romance. It has great characters and a fun story line. I would love to read more by Alex Bailey.
3.5 Stars
Once Upon a Romance by Alex Bailey is the First book in the “A Dream Come True’ series. This is the story of Sophie O’Connor. Sophie’s help to take care of her niece, Ariel after her mother’s death. Ariel would like to to do a Christmas at Disney just as her mom would have wanted. Ariel makes a wish that helps with the Christmas Spirit.