Book Review: To Marry a Prince by Sophie Page

Bella Greenwood isn't a fairytale girl. If pushed, she'd probably tell you that her perfect wedding would involve a handful of close friends and family. But as she's never met anyone she'd like to marry, it's a moot point.

Until, in a midnight garden, Bella is helped out of an embarrassing situation by a tall, dark, handsome man with laughing eyes. And suddenly her life changes for ever, because the man is the world's most eligible bachelor: Prince Richard, heir to the throne.

Richard sweeps her off her feet, and before she knows it they're engaged, which is when Bella's problems really begin. Suddenly she's public property and as if it isn't enough to have her every move watched- while also learning to curtsy and negotiating the etiquette of how to address her future mother-in-law- she soon finds herself embroiled in bridesmaid politics, a right royal hen night, and a wedding dress controversy that causes a national scandal...

Can this ordinary girl survive the preparations for her very own royal wedding?

To Marry a Prince is a great book to get you in the mood for the upcoming Royal Wedding. Sophie Page has Bella and Richard as the main characters but they are clearly representing Prince William and Kate Middleton.
You don't have to be a devout royalist to enjoy this book. I am not a huge fan of the royal family but I still enjoyed this modern, romantic, fairytale.
I'm not sure how Sophie Page did her research but I felt that she painted a very honest and realistic picture of what it is like to grow up in the royal family. Prince Richard is a lovely character but you can feel the immense pressure he is under and the scrutiny that he endures from the public and his own family. Bella is  very normal and extremely independent and headstrong. She makes allowances for Richard but she is in no way a pushover.
I read To Marry a Prince very quickly and I found the writing to be very addictive. It is like getting a sneak peek behind the scenes at Buckingham Palace, you almost forget that it is a work of fiction.
Sophie Page has written a highly entertaining and relevant book. If you allow yourself to be taken off in the fairytale world of royal palaces and tiaras then you will enjoy this one.

Many thanks to Arrow for sending me this book to review, it is out now!

The Gift by Cecila Ahern

I missed this book when it came out at Christmas but finally got round to finishing it at the weekend. Although The Gift is set in the Christmas period, I still really enjoyed reading it over a sunny June weekend!

Basically the story revolves around the question of:

If you could wish for one gift this Christmas, what would it be?

Cecilia Ahern presents us with the character of Lou Suffern, he is a young, successful man with a wife and two kids who nearly always needs but fails to be in two places at the same time. One morning he meets Gabe who is homeless and begging outside of Lou's office building; he is intrigued by this man who looks remarkably similar to himself and so he finds him a job in the company's mail room. Lou starts to find Gabe's presence a little odd, how does he manage to be in two places at the same time? Christmas gets closer and Gabe seems to be interfering in Lou's life even more, trying to teach him the true value of time. Towards the end of the book Lou has begun to realise what is really important in life but then he has to learn the harshest lesson of all.

Once again Cecilia Ahern presents you with a slightly fairy-tale like story that is completely believable and absorbing. The book held my interest from the very beginning and there were many twists and turns that I would never have predicted. Lou Suffern is a fantastic character, you get a real feel for the scarily fast speed that he is living his life at and the many responsibilities that he is trying to juggle. Gabe is the true fairy-tale character of the story, we do not know who he is or where he has come from, yet his impact on the story is huge.
I would have liked to have read this book at Christmas but it was still lovely to read at this time of year. I felt that Cecilia Ahern really captured that time of year, with the hustle and bustle of Christmas shopping, the cold weather and the many social commitments that we all make. The book had a really lovely message that is relevant all year round, not just during the festive period. We do take people for granted sometimes and need a little nudge to take a step back and look at the bigger picture.
If you are a Cecilia Ahern fan like me then I am sure you will really enjoy this book and if you haven't read any of her books then here is a good place to start. I can highly recommend reading a book set in December during this heatwave, all the talk of snow and biting winds cooled me right down!

Brrrrrrrrrrrr it's too cold!!

It is so cold today; we took Alfie for a walk this morning and I will not be going back out again, it is freezing! I already have my pyjamas on and a big pot of tea brewing, I think this is the best way to spend Sundays! I am reading The Secret Countess by Eva Ibbotson at the moment and really enjoying it. Ibbotson is a new author that I came across on another blog and I personally think she is brilliant if you like that sort of thing. Ibbotson writes children's books and there is a slightly childlike quality to her adult novels also. They are very much damsel in distress stories with adult themes and emotions thrown in; there is a definite fairytale edge to them.