The latest in the Royal Wedding series, A Princess by Christmas follows the widowed Hollis as she unknowingly befriends and falls for the secret, lost prince of Wesloria, right in time for Christmas! I loved the holiday vibes of this book and they have a lovely, slow burn romance. Hollis is entertaining, ebullient and utterly herself, which makes the introverted, grumpy Marek her perfect foil. They work together to uncover a plot involving dangerous political machinations. Also, Marek is partially deaf and I liked how that was handled.

I will say, this book does drag at times, especially in the earlier parts. I wasn't really invested until around 35% and I think this could have been tightened. I also think it's irritating that we supposedly don't know who Marek really is for such a long time when it's IN THE BACK COPY OF THE BOOK! It makes his perspective feel a bit disingenuous. On the other hand, I like that this uses the story of a side character to tackle homophobia and how LGBTQ people found ways to live and love even in this time period.. Ultimately I did end up liking this, but it was quite slow to start and had some pacing issues. A solidly festive pick though! I received an advance copy of this book for review via Netgalley. All opinions are my own.

Fans of the Royal Wedding Series will be entertained as inquisitive widow Hollis Honeycutt sees herself at a crossroad in life as she seems to be living in the past with everyone else thriving in the present with great promise for the future. In prior books, this character has always struck me as a mischievous and lively lady. She is a woman pushing the boundaries in a man’s world. In this story she comes across as more contemplative and that works as I’m not sure she would have noticed the mysterious Weslorian Mr. Marek Brendan otherwise.

Somehow this strange pair work together to solve the mystery and save the day and Weslorian monarch from harm. This story doesn’t seem like the end for Hollis, Marek, or even the series. I think the Weslorian people may want a little bit more of the story too! While it wasn’t my favorite to date, it definitely left me wondering where Ms. London will take the series or if this is the end.

A great addition to this series by London. The characters were delightful and the plot fantastic. I've really enjoyed this series.

This is the third book in Julia London's A Royal Wedding Series. I started with the second book. This is a great addition to the series. Hollis's sister, Eliza, and close friend, Caro, have both met and married princes from the same country (Alucia). They also both got to help solve a mystery during their courtship. So now it must be Hollis' turn to find her own prince.

Hollis, a widow, appears to be fulfilled by her life. She writes a popular gazette for women, and the rumor is that she must be having an affair with her attractive butler. What people don't realize is that Hollis is feeling stuck. It's been three years since she lost her husband, and she's feeling as if everyone is moving (literally and figuratively) but her. Hollis is an intelligent woman who wants to be considered an equal. When her sister is in town for a peace treaty, Hollis puts together some clues and thinks something nefarious might be going on. She connects with Marek, an advisor to Wesloria, who believes she might be on to something.

This is a sweet romance with some intrigue. I thought the story was going to go in a bit of a different direction based on the beginning, so was surprised at how it wrapped up.

Thanks to NetGalley and the author for an advance copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.

A Princess by Christmas by Julia London is book Three in A Royal Wedding Series. This is the story of Hollis Honeycutt and Marek Brendan. I did feel this was a standalone book for me. Marek is more than he lets on when he is working to investigate a case of possible treason. Marek is know as the advisor to the Minister of Trade for Wesloria but he hasn't revealed who he really is for his own reason. Hollis is a young widower who has been taken care of her late husband's newspaper. But in her present day her sister and best friend have started a new life with the men they have fallen in love with leaving Hollis alone with her paper. Thinking to spice up the paper with more news worthy stories leads her to suspect there is more to Marek then he presents to be. So let the games begin with their hunt and chase to their happy ending. Really enjoyed this book.

She’s discovered his secret.

Now the trouble really begins…

The latest book in the series it is filled with love and intrigue.
Hollis and Marek make up a tale to not be missed.

I read this book yesterday since I had some waiting to do.

I very much enjoyed this one. So fun to read just like all other books by Julia London that I have read in the past.

I do highly recommend it.

Thank you to NetGalley for an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm fairly new to romance so it's very possible it is on me, but I found that I was forever trying to remember who was who and from where. Unfortunately I got lost in the details and didn't 100% connect with the story. However, I have a few friends that will LOVE this!

A PRINCESS BY CHRISTMAS, book 3 in Julia London’s A Royal Wedding series, brings us Hollis Honeycutt’s story. Hollis watched both her sister and best friend find love and happiness, moving away in the process. Hollis lost her beloved husband three years ago and spent the time since taking his financial newspaper in a different direction and making it wildly successful as a women’s paper with advice and gossip. This was great, but Hollis wanted more. She wanted to be taken seriously so went looking for a serious story. When England hosted peace talks between Wesloria and her sister, Eliza’s new home country of Alucia. When Hollis overhears what sounds like a plot to overthrow the Weslorian king, she is intrigued and on alert. While attending one of the events, Marek Brendan catches her eye. Not only does he seem out of place, but he seems to be watching the Weslorian King more closely than he should be.
Marek came to London as part of the Weslorian delegation as the assistant to the Trade Minister, but when the talks start taking a turn in the opposite direction than he thinks they should and his King looks frail, Marek is determined to find out what is going on, but why does Hollis keep popping up, insisting she can help? Marek is a loner by choice and necessity, so he isn’t sure what to make of her or whether he can trust her.
I love Hollis. She lost her husband unexpectedly and early. Once she realizes that she has to go on, she does. She is strong and independent, but also loyal. She doesn’t need a man to live her life or tell her what to do, yet she has Donovan and lets the world think what it wants about their relationship. Her loyalty is amazing, not only to her family, but to those who depend on her. When she meets Marek who first accepts her help and then realizes how wonderfully unique she is, her eyes are opened to the fact it’s time to let go of the past and find her future because her life is missing something. Marek never thought there would be someone he could trust with his secrets, but now that he’s met Hollis, would she want to share his simple life?
Mystery, romance, family, and secrets: Julia London has packed this novel with so much to love. Her characters are quirky and loveable. The pages kept turning as I flew through it and I hated to see the end. Grab a cup of tea and cozy up to London’s latest.
Thanks to NetGalley and the Publisher for an advanced copy of this novel. All opinions are my own.
#aprincessforchristmas #aroyalwedding #julialondon #harlequin #HQN

Royal Wedding Book Three.

Hollis Honeycutt has taken over her late husband's gazette and turned it into a ladies' gossip rag, however she has tired of the inanity of the topics. Hollis wants to expand into more serious subject matter, no matter how many men tell her women shouldn't concern themselves with politics and intrigue. When Hollis overhears the whispers of a rebellion in Wesloria, she decides this will be her new topic of pursuit. She immediately locks onto the unknown man who seems out of place in the Queen's audience. Marek Brendan has had a bad feeling about the seemingly random mistakes that have been happening in Wesloria. He worries that the woman following him might be a spy, as unlikely as that seems. When the two find out they're on the same side, they decide they should team up, even if only to make sure the other doesn't get in their way.

If you've been waiting for Hollis's story, you will not be disappointed!

In this third and final installment in the Royal Wedding Series, we learn more about the widow Hollis Honeycutt. Her husband died four years ago and now she’s felt restless lately with her friends getting married and moving away. Now her father suddenly announced his retirement and upcoming move too.
A reunion between the three friends occurs when a summit between the countries of Alucia and Weslonia happens in London. There she sees Marek Brendan and observed his odd behavior. Marek is an advisor in the Weslorian delegation and has a special reason as to why he feels the need to protect his King. He’s torn between two worlds and not sure how to handle it.
It was such a pleasure to watch these two develop an unlikely friendship and wrestle with their feelings for each other. I loved each encounter as they learn what they themselves need to be happy and how to find happiness together. The banter between the women and the men in their close group made me laugh and made my heart happy. Ms London has said that this is the last book in this series and if it is then she ended it with a bang BUT I truly would love a book for Donovan. His friendship with Hollis added even more to her story. Do yourself a huge favor and buy this book! I loved it and hate to say goodbye to them all.

Hollis Honeycutt is a widow and the publisher of a woman’s magazine. She is starting to feel that everyone around her has moved on. Her sister Eliza has married Prince Sebastian and moved to Alucia, her best friend Caroline recently married Prince Leopold and now they are all home for the holidays and Hollis is starting to feel like a third wheel. When Hollis attends a tea at the Royal Palace, a handsome stranger catches her eye. Maybe the holidays will not be so bad after all. Now all Hollis must do is find this handsome man and find out what he is up to.

Marek Brendan is in London with the royal staff of the King of Wesloria as a consultant. All he wants to do is stay in the shadows and watch the people around the King as he has his suspicions that someone wants the King out of the way. If only a certain stunning yet annoying woman would leave him alone, things would work out much smoother.

Hollis is relentless in her pursual of Marek and the secrets he is harboring. She refuses to let him figure things out on her own and vows to help him at all costs. What will she do when she finds out the true reason Marek is with the King?

In this much anticipated third novel in the Royal Wedding series, Julia London has done it again! Another brilliant novel of suspense, family and second chances at love. I loved Hollis’s spunky and sassy personality and how she refuses to back down to the norm of what a woman should be and do. Add in a handsome stranger harboring secrets from a foreign land and I could not put this book down. I usually do not read historical romances but after Julia’s first book “The Princess Plan”, I was hooked on old world London and Julia London and sat in breathless anticipation for the next novel. Thank you so much to the author Julia London, Harlequin Publishing and NetGalley for an advanced copy of the book to review. It was fabulous! All opinions expressed for this review are unbiased and entirely my own.

Ok so this is book 3 in the Royal Wedding series but it can absolutely be read as a stand alone. In this one we get Hollis Honeycutt and Marek Brendan's story. Hollis is a widow in charge of her late husband's gazette. She has been feeling like something is missing so she decides to turn the gazette into a investigative journal, with the first story being about a rumored coup. And she suspects Marek is the villain involved in it. Marek is investigating treason that threatens his country. But he has to be careful as no one can suspect that he is the crown prince of his country while he does so. But he believes Hollis knows more than she is letting on, and that she is on to him about who and what he is doing.

Ok so I have to say normally I really like this author's books. But I had a really hard time getting into this one. I had a hard time connecting with the characters, which really did surprise me. Honestly, I felt like this one was just kinda boring. There wasn't really a lot of romance (in my opinion) until towards the end. And other parts just felt slow and drawn out more than needed to be. It wasn't bad, the writing itself is still good. It just didn't draw me and wasn't to my liking, although others may love it.

A Princess by Christmas picks up a year or so after the conclusion of the previous book, A Royal Kiss & Tell. Negotiations between Alucia and Wesloria are taking place in London, bringing home Hollis’s sister Eliza, her royal husband, and their eight-month-old girl, as well as their best friend, Caro and her princely husband. Hollis has been lonely and unsettled; trying to find her way in the world now that her support system is gone.

Hollis has been working to shift her Ladies’ Gazette from home and beauty tips to real political news, so with the arrival of the Alucians and Weslorians, she feels it is her opportunity to learn and report on the peace negotiations. This brings her into contact with a Weslorian man with a secret, and Hollis is determined to uncover more about the strange Mr. Marek Brendan.

Hollis is a self-reliant widow with a huge heart. In the previous two books, readers were made to believe she’s in love with her butler, Donovan. And in A Princess by Christmas, we learn more about their unique relationship. I absolutely love Donovan and the direction Ms. London took his storyline. Their friendship is one of the best things about the book, and created a few tender and heart-felt moments.

Even though the book is shared from both Marek and Hollis’s POVs, it feels like it is really Hollis’s story and Marek is a key player. We see inside Hollis and understand her heart. She is lonely and ready to move on, but she doesn’t know where to go. She has responsibilities to her staff, and isn’t sure she can leave or change. I admire how driven she is to uncover perceived secrets, yet is perceptive to the sensitivity of the truth. On the other hand, Marek is driven and focused on protecting his king and Wesloria. He understands the enormity of his secret and the impacts it would have on the nation.

The romance between the pair is very much a drawn-out journey. The pair doesn’t really connect until the midpoint of the story. But once they do, they realize how much they have in common and that the quirks of the other are enjoyable and familiar in ways. They are attracted to one another, but it takes an evening of too much absinthe to finally push the two together. Although it’s only a matter a days after that until the end of the book, their love doesn’t feel rushed. They are two people in the right place in life to fall in love.

I like that the pair works together to uncover the truths of what is happening with the Weslorian delegation. Similar to the previous two titles, the bulk of the action taken to correct the “wrongs” of the story take place off page. However, this time around, we see enough to know what happened off page.

Overall, I throughly enjoyed reading A Princess by Christmas and the entire A Royal Wedding series. The books are a delightful mix of historical romance with a dash of mystery and intrigue.

My Rating: B+ Liked It A Lot (4 stars)

I loved Hollis! I really wanted her to get with Beck, but I loved Marek so much! He was so wonderful with all his animals …!! I would really love a novella with Beck’s story …, um, Julia, pretty please? This was a great wrap up to the Princess trilogy. I think the relationship between the three girls was so unique! I think Hollis was my favorite after all … and I was really pulling for her to have the happy ever after I wanted her to have. I’m not sure she got that … but Julia has a way of making me believe her way was better after all! This was really a fun and different way to go about the genre. Sometimes you can only take the same season and the same balls so many times. These were such refreshing storylines ... For sure give these a whirl!

Now is the time for Hollis Honeycutt to step out and make changes to her life. She has grieved her husband and carried on with the Gazette he started and has made it a very successful publication. Her older sister has married a prince and lives far away in Alucia with her infant daughter and husband while her very dear friend, Caroline, has also met her own prince and has moved to the country. So, Hollis has been studying the history of Westloria in anticipation of the Westloria-Alucia peace summit being held in London. She meets a handsome stranger at a social event from Westloria and becomes very intrigued with Mr. Marek Brendan and he actually listens to her theories of rebellion and sabotage at the summit. Both parties are keeping secrets but learn to trust each other.

This was an enjoyable story and although it can be read as a standalone, I enjoyed reading all of the stories in the Royal Wedding series.

Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for an ARC; all opinions are my own.

This was a fun read. Emotion, secrets, intrigue and romance combine into a entertaining blend that had me eager to keep reading. The characters I had to warm up to but I did grow to like Hollis and Marek. I felt it was a bit over-the-top but still a good book.

I just loved the character of Hollis, she was such a forthright and curious lady, not afraid to go after the information she required, but she also had a very caring side. Even though she had family and friends, there were times she felt alone. Marek Brendan also feels lonely at times and he has a secret that if told, would have a great effect on a number of people. Marek and Hollis meet at a reception, and eventually they develop deep feelings for each other but they live in different countries. There is a plot that they work together to solve, along with Hollis’s servant and friend, Donovan. This was a very entertaining read and the Christmas Day scene was one to treasure, it really made me tear up. I received a copy and have voluntarily reviewed it. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

The peace talks between Alucia and Wesloria are set to begin in London. Rumors abound about a coup to get rid of the Weslorian king. Hollis Honeycutt is determined to find the truth. As the publisher of the Honeycutt Gazette, she is always tracking down gossip that society wants to keep hidden. Hollis is a fascinating character. She's a widow with a sparkling wit and a keen intelligence. When she meets a mysterious man at the palace, she decides to learn more about him. Marek Brendan is the strong silent type who has a devastating secret. He keeps his own council, but Hollis has a way of getting him to open up. I loved the chemistry between them. Definitely opposites attract. Marek is a loner. Is there a reason why he watch the Weslorian king so closely? Hollis pulled me into her story. She was so alive. I couldn't put down this book until I knew that she would get her HEA. It was wonderful to catch up with familiar characters from earlier books in this series. The Christmas season was the perfect setting for this romantic adventure. Julia London did a wonderful job writing Hollis. I related to her and her concerns. When she meets Marek, her world changes. I wanted her to face her future. I enjoyed A Princess By Christmas. This story has romance and political intrigue.
I received a copy of this book which I voluntarily read and reviewed. My comments are my honest opinion.

The final book in the Princess trilogy does not disappoint. This is Hollis Honeycutt’s story. She is the last of the trio left in London. Her sister and her best friend have returned for peace negotiations. Hollis overhears rumors of a potential overthrow of the government of Wesloria and decides she must investigate. She discovers Marek Brendan lurking around the peace negotiations and is convinced that he is the traitor. Marek is actually trying to stop the coup and her investigation is putting his at risk. They decide to join forces to stop the coup but when Marek tells her his suspicions will she believe him?
Well written and fast paced. I thoroughly enjoyed this book.