stephani has been in love with raoul for far longer than she should have. he was married to her cousin cecilia after all. and since ceci's death steph has been by his side, supporting him in all things, and it's suddenly become too much. she wants marriage and babies and love. and right now all she does is work for the palace.

she knows and understands how heartbroken raoul is. but when the attraction that flares between them can no longer be denied, when for the first time she isn't fading into the background, the hope that they have a chance at something real is almost too much to bear.

and there is something between them. something beautiful and unexpected. she loves raoul with her whole heart. and even if it's not fair to ask him, she wants him to love her that way too. but raoul has had too much loss. his mother, his wife, and he doesn't know if he can stand to lose stephani too.

but when the unexpected pushes them out of their comfort zone, it's how they react and how they fight for a chance with each other in the crown prince's bride that will make all the difference. love and life after loss isn't easy. but second chances abound, and perhaps both raoul and stephani have found one.

this is a sweet, royal romance. both stephani and raoul are idiots at times, but when they do come through for each other, when they go all in, it's well worth it.

**the crown prince's bride will publish on january 9, 2018. i received an advance reader copy courtesy of netgalley/st. martin's press (sweve) in exchange for my honest review.

3.5 Stars

This was a cute, sweet read.
Raoul is a Crown Prince and widowed father of two. Stephanie is his long time assistant, his right hand, and his deceased wife's cousin. It turns out that Stephanie has also had a crush/been a little bit in love with him for a long time.
Having seen these characters previously (in the first book of this Duology), it wasn't difficult to slip right into this well written story. I genuinely liked both Raoul and Stephanie, but I have to admit some frustration with how he handled the situations around their budding romance. As I read, I found myself really rooting for Stephanie. I appreciated how she decided to take matters into her own hands and put herself first, even if it meant leaving behind what she loved.
My one real complaint - and the thing that kept this from being a full 4 star read for me was how the author handled the "big conflict/resolution" part of the story arc. I feel like she had something set up that would have allowed for Stephanie to really stand on her own and for Raoul to make a truly grand gesture, but didn't pursue that line of the story. The direction taken was ultimately sweet, but I felt like it was the easy road and a bit trite.
Overall, I enjoyed this story and was happy with the resolution. If you've read Diego and Rose's story then this is a book you'll want to pick up too.

Princes. They’re just like regular guys. Stephani Savannas, the executive assistant, and all-round live in help to Raoul Navarro, Prince of Marazur, is a kick-ass, get-things-done kind of gal. Her Achilles heel is that she is hopelessly in love with her boss, and he, a recent widower, is a long way from being ready to return that love. The good news is that Stephani is patient. The bad news is that Raoul is slow to learn! This was a quick, fun read.

This is the story of a widowed prince and his assistant who has been in love with him for years. Stephani's cousin was Raoul's wife and she's seriously conflicted over her feelings for him. She's supported him and his children through their bereavement and now he's started to come out the other side she's starting to think that she should get a job somewhere else so she can try and get over him. Raoul is clueless about Stephani's feelings and just emerging from a fog of grief. He's not sure he'll ever love again - or that it would be right to. This is was a fun read, although I'm not sure it successfully got over some of the hurdles to their relationship. In the end, everything is all tied up in a bow with some of the very real concerns not really dealt with. But I enjoyed reading - and it's a great time for a royal and commoner romance to come out - given all the excitement over Meghan and Harry's wedding!

I have adored the Donna Alward books I have read to date.

Unfortunately this one did not do it for me. I knew going in it was going to be over the top sweet, however as I read it just fell right over into Hallmark movie, uber cheesy schtick.

I couldn't connect with either of the characters (in fact, move the time I just wanted to slap some sense into either on of them - or a lot of the time both at the same time!)

For me, this was one of those books that you read, it goes in and right out of your head. There was nothing that made it memorable to me.

The Crown Prince's Bride was a miss for me, however I am looking forward to seeing what Ms Alward brings us next

3.5 stars

The Crown Prince's Bride by Donna Alward is an enjoyable read.

The storyline is well written, it was easy to follow and my interest was held until the end.
This was a story about a man coming out of the darkness after losing his much loved wife and learning to love again.

Overall, The Crown Prince's Bride is a quick, heartfelt romance and a lovely way to spend your Sunday afternoon.

*Pre-Order your copy here*
Amazon - https://www.amazon.com/Crown-Princes-...

*Thank you to the publisher via Netgalley for the advance copy.*

The Crown Prince's Bride by Donna Alward
My rating: 4 of 5 stars

Stephane and Raoul’s have a long history. Stephane is his office manager and his late wife's cousin. Raoul has been Stephane's secret love for years. This is a nice tale where two people who have known each other for years suddenly find love but the path is not easy. In the end there is a nice HEA.

I received a free copy of the book in return for an honest review.

The Crown Prince’s Bride by Donna Alward Amazon 1/9
When crown prince, Raoul’s wife and Stephani’s cousin is killed, Raoul’s world was shattered. Stephani continues to work for Raoul as usual, and deny her feelings, but eventually she decides something has got to change. While Raoul wants to open up to love again in his life, he is afraid after losing his mother and wife. When life throws them a curveball will Raoul be able to face his fears so they can have their happily ever after? While this is the next book in the two book series, this can be a standalone.

I enjoyed this ARC that I voluntarily read from Net Galley. I do wish that I’d read book 1 first but it really didn’t matter much. Raoul & Stephani had a great working relationship but with Raoul to be the next king that might just be all the relationship they have. That’s unfortunate for Stephani because she’s loved Raoul for years, even when he was married to her late cousin. Things start to change for them slowly & Raoul starts to see her a little differently but he’s not ready yet for another relationship & definitely not to love someone ever again. Stephani’s life is about to change drastically & she’s not sure if Raoul is going to be part of it. Recommend to read but read book 1 first.

The Crown Prince's Bride is the second book in the Prince Doulogy by Donna Alward. I love the sweet romance we get from Alward. They always make me feel warm and content. Sincerity is another huge trait I find when reading her work.

The Crown Prince's Bride is about family and life long love. Finding love again after it has already been lost once can be extremely difficult and for some not at all possible. Alward touches many stages of grief in this book as well as many faces of love. It was a wonderful short read.

Favorite Quotes:

My Russian and German are more of a danger than an asset. I could ruin diplomatic relations in two sentences.

…she was thirty-two, for heaven’s sake. The proverbial clock had started ticking and she couldn’t get it to shut up.

I need to do things at my own pace. On my own timeline. Everyone pushing doesn’t actually speed up the process.


My Review:

As one of the main characters was mired in the grieving process while the other was secretly pining nearby, this story was quite angsty yet observant and insightfully written. Stephani was a sweet, underappreciated, and thoughtful character and I adored her; although I wanted to give Raoul a few chops to the back of his head with my Kindle. I greatly enjoyed the amusing wry humor as well as the continuation of Diego and Rose’s story with their wedding and sister drama, what special day is complete without someone tossing in a monkey wrench?

After reading the first book in Donna Alward’s Royal Duology, I was looking forward to reading The Crown Prince’s Bride to see widower and single dad, Raoul find his HEA with his assistant, Stephani.

“I think this falls under the umbrella of ‘this is a me problem’...”

I’m kind of struggling with what to say on this because whilst it wasn’t by any means a struggle to read, I just didn’t love it as I have so many of Donna’s books. Don’t get me wrong, Raoul and Steph were lovely and I empathised with their grief following the death of his wife and her cousin, Cecilia, but the shine on their blossoming feelings was dulled as her ghost (metaphorically speaking) hovered around too much.

“She didn’t want to be a replacement. She wanted to be loved for herself.”

It may not be a favourite from the author but it was still enjoyable enough and I look forward to reading more from her in 2018.

I have been anxiously anticipating this book and I wasn't disappointed. Although it is about royalty in a small country it is still about a man and a woman, and it is beautifully done, The importance of family, loyalty and being able to love again after great loss is expert and touching. I think Donna Alward is brilliant!

Fluff. Don't take this seriously and you'll have a good time. You don't need to have read the first book, where Raoul and Stephani introduced, to enjoy this one, although you might occasionally want to tell both of them to grow up! Raoul's beloved wife is gone; her cousin Stepani has been right under his nose as his assistant for years. You know this is going to be a tale of finding love after loss and Alward does it well. Thanks to Netgalley for the ARC. It's a fast engaging read perfect for a cold afternoon.

Great read. Fast paced. Well written. Strong characters.

FINAL DECISION: Lovely, lovely story of two adults working through their relationship. I loved how these two talked and addressed the difficulties of their relationship as adults. Sweet and sexy read.

THE STORY: Stephani loves her job as the assistant to the Crown Prince of Marazur. But she also has a secret -- she has been in love with Raoul for years. Stephani was able to live with her unrequited love when Raoul was married to Stephani's cousin. Now that Raoul is a widower, however, Stephani realizes that she cannot spend the rest of her life pining for Raoul. Raoul doesn't want to spend the rest of his life alone, but falling in love again seems impossible. But a chance kiss with his assistant is something that he cannot stop thinking about.

OPINION: I loved this book which is a friends to lovers story and the story of how someone can learn to love again after loss. The story is about mature people making mature decisions and (apart from one dramatic plot twist) is mostly about these two talking through their problems.

In a characterization that gives one relief about who is running the governments of the world, Raoul is a mature, serious heir and father. Indeed, his problem is that he is too responsible and too concerned about things being figured out and right. Although he is attracted to Stephani, he worries a lot about every move they make in their relationship.

Stephani is also a mature adult who has a career that she is good at (her job as Raoul's assistant isn't just an excuse for these two to be in close contact). The book takes seriously both of these characters concerns about getting involved in a relationship.

I liked these characters and their exploration of their relationship. My one complaint is that I wish we had gotten more with Stephani and Raoul's children. Most of the story is getting the kids of out of the way in order to progress their relationship, but I wish we could have seen more of them together rather than being told how good Stephani's relationship is with his kids.

Enjoyable without getting too dark and serious, this book also satisfies a romantic heart.

WORTH MENTIONING: The romance is on the sweeter side as most of the sex scenes occur behind closed doors (and between chapters).

CONNECTED BOOKS: THE CROWN PRINCE'S BRIDE is the second book in the Princes of Marazur series. The books operates as a standalone but because of the overlapping characters it reads better after the first book.

STAR RATING: I give this book 4 stars.

NOTE: I received an ARC of this book via Netgalley in order to be able to write a review. I was not required to write a review or to write a positive review. All opinions contained herein are my own.

Review to be posted on January 9th 2018.

The Crown Prince's Bride is the second book in the Royal Duology Book Series and is somewhat lacking. After reading the first book, I was excited to read this one with hopes that the story would continue. I found The Crown Prince's Bride does not hold up to the first novel. The plot line was thought out but did not deliver. The characters are lacking the depth and emotional connection that you expect from Alward. Hopefully the next book in the Royal Duology Book Series will be a better read.

Love this series. Raoul and Stephani make the perfect pair and show that love knows no boundaries. This was a quick read and I can't wait for the next one.

This book was just so-so for me. I liked it, but it didn’t leave me thinking about it after I was done.