I enjoyed this third book of the trilogy, but it is easily read as a standalone story too. The main characters were engaging, but it does take a little while to warm up to them. The typical wit and charm of a Julia London historical but not my favorite trilogy by her.

Rating: 3.5 out of 5 Stars (Rounded up)

Overall: ⭐️⭐️⭐️
Plot/Storyline: 📖📖📖📖
Feels: 🦋🦋
Emotional Depth: 💔💔💔
Sexual Tension: ⚡⚡
Romance: 💞💞💞
Sensuality: 💋💋
Sex Scene Length: 🍑🍑
Steam Scale (Number of Sex Scenes): 🔥🔥 if you're generous
Humor: Yes! Some lovely humor and dialogue that had me smirking.

Should I read in order?
I would say yes – I read the second book in the series (and I found myself wishing I had read book 1) and now that it’s been awhile I found myself kind of lost in the beginning. There was a lot of information dumping and people talked about – this may come as redundant if you’ve recently read the whole series, but as it was I was wishing I read read this one sooner after finishing book 2. The Princess Plan starts off the series.

Basic plot:
Hollis has been a widow for 3 years and poured her efforts into Lady Honeycutt’s Gazette, which features fashion and gossip, though she’d love to have it take a more serious investigative theme. It seems her family and friends are all married and she is becoming ‘that relative’. Marek is in London visiting with others from Wesloria. Hollis latches onto him for information and also a bit of suspicion for his purpose in town. Soon they are finding each other at every function and working together to solve a dangerous mystery.

Give this a try if you want:
- Christmas time novel
- Victorian time period (1841)
- Lower steam – There are 2 scenes but they are on the short and flowery side
- Disability featured – our hero has hearing damage on his left side and is almost completely deaf when sound comes from that side
- A focus being on working together to resolve a problem in the story (kind of a mystery?)
- Lots of family members love – there’s plenty of scenes of Hollis with her family, including characters from the prior books and being and aunt to their children

My thoughts:
I struggled with this story. I had the same issues that I had with book 2, though they seemed more pronounced in this one (or it could be my issues with focusing now that I didn’t have a few years ago)

The characters really were lovely. Especially Hollis. I just adored her. She was this ball of sunshine and never let anyone get her down. She was happy, spunky, stubborn, but she used the most adorables ploys to get what she wanted. She cajoled and bribed and said the right things. She was just a pure delight to read, really.

Marek it look much, much longer to get to know. He was very private and standoffish with Hollis, trying to avoid her through the first half the of book. But when he does realize he’s falling, it was beautiful. I adored the ending and his declarations were so romantic to me. I had no qualms that these two were going to make it long term.

But – it took FOREVER for me to get to this point. The beginning I was so bogged down in details it was just too much. I started to be overwhelmed with the plot, the intrigue, the back story, and all the characters and I just wanted to get through it. I kept stopping this one and picking it up again and having the same problems with it.

It’s a fairly slow moving plot. It’s slow burn. I just found it….slow. And I don’t want to imply it’s a bad book because I do think this was totally me struggling to connect – but I ended up only really enjoying maybe about 15% of the book.

It was funny! There were a lot of super adorable, cute, and utterly sweet family moments and humor and that was just lovely.

I am thinking I wouldn’t try anything else from this series (I don’t know if that was the end of it, but I don’t plan on reading book 1). This is all I have tried from London so I will have to go back and try some of her older work sometime.

The third in the series had a lot going on in it with all the characters. And it could have easily become very confusing but the author didn’t lose her grasp on the various storylines. It was an enjoyable read and wonderful to know how it all ends for everyone. This story has some intrigue, some traitors and of course romance.

I did not get to read this one due to taking a degree. Also lockdown confused matters. I would look out for the title as it seems like a story I would enjoy.

I really enjoyed reading this book, it was a great romance with interesting characters and a great romance. The cover is what drew me in and I'm glad I was able to read this.

Another fabulous historical romance series by one of my favorite authors of all time has come to an end, and while it was bittersweet, the story itself was fun to read and sweet and romantic enough that I didn’t shed too many tears. The Royal Wedding Series is one that took me a little bit to get into, not going to lie, but once I became invested in the characters and their lives I began to really enjoy the story. Beginning with a fictional country in Europe and their royalty was a bit of a stretch but the descriptions of the country and its peoples were so rich and interesting that it was almost as if the country came to life for me. London has that unique ability to bring her readers into just about any world she wants them to accompany her to and this was no exception. The great thing about any new series is getting to see it blossom from beginning to end, the characters, the overall arcs, and the connections that form between each individual story line. I have loved every moment of this series, but this final story about Marek and Hollis was wonderful on its own as well as the way it fed into the other stories in the series. The end of the series was beautiful and heartfelt, and I am dying to see what is coming next for this author because I think I might have gotten a little hint of a spin-off at the tale-end of the story.

Hollis Honeycutt has been feeling a little bit despondent lately ever since her sister and best friend moved so far away with their new husbands, Princes of Alucia, and men that have captured their hearts. Hollis is determined to find her way in the world independently, but the more she experiences in the world, the more lonely she finds herself and the more she wants something more. When her sister returns for peace talks with Alucia’s neighboring country, all the girls are back in the city together and she has never been happier, but when she goes to the palace to visit her sister she encounters the stranger, a most intriguing man. Soon every time she is around the royal groups, the man is there again and again and Hollis is too intrigued not to learn more about him. Marek Brendan has traveled to England with the Weslorians in order to serve his king and country as advisor on the peace talks, but he never imagined he’d find himself in the sights of a seemingly-crazy English woman or the middle of royal intrigue. The more Marek and Hollis spend time together trying to solve the mystery around the peace talks, the closer they become and the more she learns about his long held secrets. Marek finds himself drawn to the sweet and loving, if slightly odd woman, but he knows that she isn’t for him and there can be no future the way things currently stand. Can they find a way to give each other what they have always wanted, perhaps the greatest Christmas gift of all, or will they end up having to go their separate ways in the end?

I have loved Hollis from the very beginning of the series, seeing her as a woman well before her time, living her life as a widow in a time when most women jumped straight to the protection of the next man. She is brave, independent, smart, and curious—sometimes to a fault—but she is also loyal to her friends and family, giving of herself even to her own detriment. I loved getting to know more about her and seeing her find more of her own confidence as she learned more about herself as a woman and an investigator. She began the hunt for Marek’s secret determined to unmask whatever his secret was, but she was smart and sweet enough to know that sometimes keeping a secret is the right thing to do for all. She was also so sweet with her family and you could see that she is a little bit lonely until she begins to open her heart again to Marek and allow herself to slowly offer her love, even knowing nothing may come of it. Marek has lived with one foot in two worlds most of his life, even before he realized it, and he is determined to keep his life solitary in order to keep anyone he cares about safe from danger. I loved seeing him finding his feet with Hollis and coming into his own as both a man and as a leader among his peers because of his skills and his knowledge. He refuses to give up when he is faced with a challenge, even when it could put him in physical and mortal danger. I loved his very dry wit, his intelligence, bravery, and his sweetness as well. Watching him come out of his shell with Hollis, opening himself to her and her friends and family, shows him that he really just needs to make a decision and chose a side once and for all, and in my opinion he definitely chose correctly. It was great to see them working together and their friendship growing as they learned more about one another and themselves, they truly were a perfectly matched pair.

While Hollis truly did become a Princess by Christmas, it isn’t the ending most of us expected and I loved seeing Marek and Hollis find what truly made them happy together and find their place in the world. In order to get a believable HEA for these characters, London truly had to make sure that both Marek and Hollis truly understand what would make them happy individually before they could find a way to be together forever. Hollis had to do a lot of soul searching in her short time with Marek, but she manages to learn enough that she knows she can’t be happy without this man by her side, in whatever form of life that takes. Marek similarly learns that if he doesn’t put himself out there in order to show Hollis how much he loves her, there is no way he will ever be able to have the true love and happiness for life that he needs. Both Hollis and Marek have a kind of quiet and subtle passion that drives them in their lives and when they clashed that heat was sweet and warm enough to burn for the rest of their years. I was thrilled to see all of our favorite characters from previous stories, including the main couples, and the way they are moving forward in their new lives. It was also interesting to meet a few new friends and see some unconventional perspectives that I suspect will come forward in maybe a future series, though of course I can only hope. As always the series ends with a lovely epilogue that lets us see how the couples from all three stories have continued their happiness and give us glimpses of their lives years down the road, which is my favorite part. London continues to be a magical touch with her historical series and I can promise that as soon as I learn whatever might be coming next I will be the first in line requesting my copy to read! MORE, MORE, MORE please.

Was not able to read before the publish date, my library has purchased several copies of this book and it seems to be doing well.

I have been enjoying this series, and I was glad to get a chance to learn more about Hollis. I already knew she was a widow and was trying to continue the gazette in her husband's memory, but I had a lot of questions about her -- most notably, what is the deal with Donovan, her butler. I was glad to see her get her HEA.
I could relate to Hollis. Everything is changing around her. Even though she is happy for her family and friends, she feels lost and redundant. Rather than give in to sadness, she is busying herself with all kinds of projects and puzzles. She is very intelligent and needs a way to use it, so it is not surprising that she is the only one who notices that Marek does not fit it with the rest of the crowd around the Weslorian king.
Marek's story is very complicated, and he has isolated himself because of it. He has no idea what to make of Hollis and her friendliness, bless his heart. And then she asks him if he is plotting against his king. He is affronted, of course, but he begins to wonder if she knows something that he should know. Now we are off on a crazy ride through intrigue, bribery with cakes, and love.
I enjoyed these characters very much. Hollis is very funny and uses her intelligence to confuse her opponents. Marek is a sweetheart who desperately needs to be seen. They make a good couple, and they get an ending that, though surprising, is just right for them. This was a very good way to round out the series and wrap up the storylines that have run through it.

I'm sorry to say that in my opinion this story isn't up to Ms. London's usual standards. I had a very hard time getting involved in the storyline and found the characters to be unlikable. The wonderful ending was my favorite part. I love an HEA.

A Princess by Christmas is book 3 in A Royal Wedding series, and if you haven't read the first two books, I'd strongly recommend reading them first because this book does not work well as a standalone - and that's coming from someone who has read the first 2 books. Unfortunately, I had to go back and look over my reviews of those first 2 because I didn't remember a ton about them, which means it's either been a very long time or they didn't stick with me. It was the latter. So, we're 3 books in and all 3 straddle the fence for me. They aren't bad, they even have some interesting and likable characters, but they aren't particularly memorable either. This one starts out quite slow, so it took a while to warm up to the story. For me, it just didn't grasp the magic of the season, not like I would expect in a holiday romance. In the end, this one was just okay. It's got potential, but it didn't live up to what it could have been.

This one made me kind of sad, because I really liked the first two books in this series. I wanted to love Hollis's story. I was so bored. I struggled to make it to 50%. There was zero chemistry between Hollis and Marek. I didn't care if they ended up together or not.

If you enjoy light, holiday historicals with mysterious characters and scandalous gossip this series is for you. Please note, this books is the third in a series, and I feel I could have gotten more enjoyment from first reading the beginning as the character is known to progress quite a bit throughout..
Overall, the romance between the two had just the right amount of subtle festive vibes with the main focus more on the actual character’s development which was fun, entertaining, and secretive. I gave this one a 4 out of 5 stars.

Julia London gives us a Victorian romance in A Princess by Christmas. Hollis Honeycutt has served her time as a faithful widow but now explores high society and her new foreign royal in laws. Hollis is pursuing a plot against a foreign royal and developing a relationship with a foreign gentleman in the official negotiating committee of a rival country. Hollis is at the top of her game and then romance hits. Read and enjoy the romantic romp.

A Princess by Christmas (A Royal Wedding #3). By Julia London. 2020. HQN (ARC eBook).

Now that her sister and best friend have found husbands and left London, widow Hollis Honeycut looks to her gossip publication to keep her busy. But she desires to transform it into a more serious publication that reports investigative news. And she has just the thing to investigate—treacherous rumors involving the country of Westloria leads Hollis to the mysterious and stoic Marek Brendan.

Suspecting a threat on the Weslorian King’s life, Marek has traveled to London as a trade adviser in order to keep an eye on the royal family as England and Wesloria work towards a peace treaty. But a determined Mrs. Honeycut curiously keeps crossing his path. The intriguing woman is a distraction Merak can’t afford, especially since he, himself, has a long-hidden personal secret that he does not wish to reveal.

A sweet opposites-attract romance with a dash of political intrigue. But with the title, A Princess by Christmas, I was expecting more Christmas spirit and a more ‘wrapped up’ resolution regarding Marek’s secret.

Hollis Honeycutt, left behind when her sister and their best friend married, still publishes her gazette and is always on the lookout for news. Overhearing a conversation about treachery in Wesloria, she immediately is suspicious of Marek, a Weslorian that always looks uncomfortable in Polite Society. He's partially deaf and had spent most of his time on a farm in Wesloria, but has a secret of his own that he's keeping. They're drawn to each other, and Hollis will continue to push for the truth, no matter what.

Princess by Christmas is the third of the Royal Wedding novels, after The Princess Plan and Royal Kiss and Tell. It helps to have read those first to know the story for Eliza and Caroline, but it's not necessary. Right off the bat, we know that Eliza married the Crown Prince and then Caroline married his brother with a bit of scandal behind them. The summaries of their stories catch you up to speed if you haven't read those books yet, but this is all Hollis' story. She is very observant and stubborn but also jumps to conclusions quickly. Her hunch that Marek is hiding a secret is correct, but she's wrong about what it is and can't let go of her need to go looking for something new to discover and publish.

I enjoyed the chapter headings of article snippets from her Gazette, each selection reflecting the contents and events. Hollis is drawn to Marek's quiet and his good looks, and he has a strong, loyal core that she appreciates. For his part, Marek had always been afraid to trust in people before. Hollis is engaging and charming and doesn't let him wallow in his fears. The two enjoy each others' company and can bounce ideas off each other. He enjoys her intelligence, and they are very well matched. It's in their discussions that they figure out what the overheard conversation is really about, and Marek has learned to trust enough to reach out for help. There isn't the same level of danger as there had been in the first two novels, but elements of it still exist for them. Hollis and Marek get their happily ever after, which isn't the hustle and bustle that you'd expect given Marek's secret.

This was a fun way to tie off the trilogy, now that all three of them are happily married and looking toward the future. All of the characters are taken care of now, not just the main heroines, so we can enjoy their happily ever afters as well.

The Review

A fantastic blend of Victorian-era scenery and social interactions amongst the characters blended with a holiday style romance narrative and political intrigue, this latest entry into the Royal Wedding series definitely is an attention-grabbing and entertaining read. The author beautifully brings to life the budding romance and emotion that all classic Victorian Romances hold, while also crafting a memorable reading experience.

The protagonists and the characters overall really helped bring this story to life, especially the historical setting and the Kingdoms involved in the narrative. The loss and loneliness that Hollis deals with when combined with her determination and passion despite the negative reactions others have to her writing make her a well-rounded character, while Marek’s passion to root out injustice while maintaining his life on his farm is a welcome journey for a young royal to take, making this a truly engaging plot and equally engaging characters to follow.

The Verdict

A heartfelt, emotional, stylistic, and lengthy read, author Julia London’s “A Princess by Christmas” is a must-read romance this holiday season. The story is breathtakingly beautiful and does a great job of drawing in readers with memorable characters and an inviting era of history, making this a must-read holiday romance. Be sure to grab your copy today!

I am new to Julia London's writing. I am also new to this series having downloaded the book without fully being aware that it was the third in a series I felt like I was missing something. Kind of like you walked into a room right in the mif\ddle of someone telling a story.

Now with that said there were things sI did enjoy about the story. I loved that the author gave me intrigue, romance, and just enough sprinkle of holiday cheer to make it a great holiday read.

I enjoyed the character of Hollis. She is strong, smart, and educated. She is also very open about her feelings. Our hero Marek is rather closed off due to his past but I love seeing him open up to Hollis.

I also love how I got to see Hollis go from someone in mourning and feeling left out to a woman who bloomed with love.

Though I would highly recommend reading the books prior to this so you can be more fully involved in the story it was a lovely read for the holidays.

I enjoyed escaping real life in this continuation of the series, but also feel like it had been a bit too long since I read the last title. If left me feeling a little off kilter. There were things about both characters that irked me - which is fine - we're all flawed! Overall, there was enough passion, danger, and intrigue to keep me engaged. Fast paced and sensual where needed, it was enjoyable - perhaps just not my favorite titlework as I've come to expect from this author.

This is the third book in this series, and if you haven’t read the previous two, I absolutely do not recommend that you pick this one up and start here. Far too much has happened in the previous two books that is lightly referenced here, and if you haven’t read them I think you’d find this extremely confusing.

As it happens, I have read the two previous books, so I was already familiar with Mrs Hollis Honeycutt, the widow who is the heroine of this book. Having inherited her husband’s gazette, she now writes and publishes it herself, including household tips and political gossip to intrigue her readers. With her sister married to the Crown Prince of Alucia, Hollis is invited to court when the foreign royals pay a visit to England, which is where she meets Marek Brendan, a lowly trade attache who nevertheless attracts her attention.

Marek is extremely complicated - I don’t think it spoilers anything to reveal that he’s actually lost royalty, having been kidnapped as a child. Marek is the only person who knows that, at least until Hollis figures it out. This is honestly where the book lost me. Perfectly fine if Marek chooses not to claim his birthright. But why title the book ‘A Princess By Christmas’ if the heroine is not, in fact, going to get to be a princess?

I wanted to like this so much. Marek is disabled (fully deaf in one ear, partially in the other) and there is some great LGBT representation in Donovan, Hollis’ close friend/employee, but I haven’t quite bought into Hollis and her gazette from the beginning. Mainly because I just don’t think you can write, publish and distribute any sort of weekly publication without a staff, of which Hollis has none. And yet the gazette was still somehow magically published when she was out of England on a trip to Alucia to celebrate her sister’s wedding.

I’m not sure if there’s more planned for this series, or if it ties in to any of the author’s other works - Beck, for example, definitely deserved his own book, and if the rushed side romance he got here is all we’re getting, I feel extremely let down - but if this is the finale of a trilogy, it ends in a weird spot, and the conclusion felt very rushed. The Alucia/Wesloria issue isn’t really resolved in any meaningful way, and I’m puzzled as to how it can be, since all the eligible princes are now married off and the two princesses are both too young - unless there’s a significant time skip before the next book, if there’s to be another in the series.

I’ve enjoyed this series, but if this is the last one, I’m afraid it fell a bit flat for me. Three stars.

Following her sister and dearest friend, Hollis is now bitten by the marriage bug. The difference for Hollis is that she has been married before and she's also loved her husband if not been in love with him. Her marriage seemed to have some secrets that are almost but not quite revealed.

This is a story which I'm not sure if it knew which direction it was going. At times I felt like it was two different stories and characters fighting for their voice. Did I care about Hollis or did I want to know more about Donovan? Truth be told, I am more interested in Donovan, Hollis's unconventional butler, than I am about Hollis. In the previous two books which do not have to be read in order to read this one, Hollis seemed to be the one with the level head. In this one, she is more of a shrew at times. Her railing against a society created by men for men is a bit too juvenile for me. I felt she went about it the wrong way and it didn't match her personality since she behaved differently with Marek's secret past.

I felt like this book should have been more about Secrets revealed at Christmas. The three main characters all have secrets. What surprised me about this book is how Marek and Hollis's story ended up. I was expecting something a bit more and it never happened. I wonder how the Wesloria King would have felt if he had known the secret. Still, this ending is a fitting one and worked well for Hollis, Donovan and Marek.

The romance part of this story is quite slow. Hollis does not endear herself to Marek. In fact, I kind of want to say each of the women in this series did not exactly charm their respective love interests. Instead, they were like ticks that wormed their way under the men's skin and stuck there. I find that odd and yet refreshingly accurate. How many times in real life do women really behave perfect in many of these romances? This realism adds a bit of tension and conflict between the lovers.

This historical romance is recommended to romance readers who enjoy opposites who attract tropes.