Hauck is the queen of romance, and royal romance at that. Once again she has given readers a story that they can not only relate to, but see themselves in. Though is may seem like a far-fetched storyline (probably because it is lol), Hauck makes it so realistic that you cannot help but think it could happen to you or someone you know! This modern day fairy tale is one that young adults and adults alike can find themselves enjoying.

I received a complimentary copy of this novel and was not required to write a favorable review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Once Upon a Prince certainly doesn't start off with a fairy tale feel as Susanna is dumped by her boyfriend Adam. They had been together since high school and now twelve years later she is expecting a proposal or at least that was "the plan". Susanna quickly finds out that when it comes to her life the more she plans the more things seem to fall to pieces. Thank goodness Nate is there to rescue her when her car has a flat tire the night Adam breaks up with her. Later he seemed to appear at the right moment when her father suffers a heart attack and she needs a ride to the hospital. For a girl who doesn't need/want saving she constantly finds herself at the mercy of Nate. When she quits her job he even hires her to redesign his father's garden at the cottage and she designs "A King's Garden. While Susanna's father is recovering Nate offers to help out at her family's business, The Rib Shack, where her mother puts him to work taking out trash and cleaning toilets.

When Susanna discovers Nate is really Nathaniel and he's a prince soon to be king she feels deceived. In his attempts to be honest with her he tries to explain an ancient Brighton law that would prevent he or anyone else in the royal family from marrying a foreigner. This revelation and the news Nate receives right after telling her this is a huge turning point in the novel. I won't talk say any more for fear of ruining the best part of the story so you'll have to read it yourself to find out what happens next!

The parts of the novel I found myself re-reading and taking a moment to think on were the ones in which Susanna ponders living her life according to God's will and examining her choices to see if she is giving him an opportunity to work in her life. In sharing this with Nate I believe it opened both their eyes and hearts to following God's plan for their lives and not being selfish but rather allowing their own desires to come second to those of the Lord.

With this being the first in the series I can't wait to see what the rest of the series holds!

I received this book free of charge from Litfuse Publicity Group in exchange for my honest review.

I love the modern day fairy tale feels . It was well written and I can’t help but to love the main characters.

The setting and history of the country is well described that you’ll think it existed or was it me getting fully absorbed by the story?

I rarely came across “clean” romance and I think I like this one.

Overall, this is a very good read!

Thank you to Litfuse Publicity for providing this book in exchange for my honest review.



I just love modern fairy tales! There was even a fairy godmother of sorts in here. Life doesn't always go according to how we plan it. Some times we have long periods of waiting that seem to accomplish nothing. Some times they are just what we need before our next big adventure comes.



Susanna is a fantastic character! She has so much grace and wisdom and practicality. Seriously, I have never been so thrilled to see a practical character. She makes it look honorable and desirable. She may not have much insight into her own life in the beginning but she has so much to offer others.



Nathaniel is honorable and fantastically responsible. I get so tired of characters in all mediums of entertainment that just shun their responsibilities and somehow it all turns out fine. Here is one that will do the right thing and think outside the box when confronted with an apparently unwinnable problem.



I love that this is book is a "book one." I am really looking forward to reading more in this series. I also really enjoyed the way she brought other royals (that are real) into the book. It added a fun element to it all. Add this one to your summer reading as well! You won't regret it.

originally posted 5/11/2013

Looking for a happily ever after romance, the kind a girl always dreams of? Then this is your book. In Rachel Hauck's always amazing writing skills, you will find love at first sight, romance, broken dreams, and mended hearts. Rachel can pen the best fairy tale you could dream up. Unlikely girl, meets prince charming and doesn't know it. Reeling from jilted love, will she be ready to trust and give her heart away again? Will he be able to move beyond the expectations and traditions of royalty for the sake of love?
I would highly recommend this book! And you don't want to miss the movie based off it either.
I was provided with a copy of this book courtesy of Zondervan Publishers and Netgalley

Hauck’s modern-day fairy tale will bring a smile to readers’ faces. Although the political details bog down the plot slightly, the heartwarming tale’s positive side outweighs its negatives. Fans of the Princess Diaries series will love this “ordinary girl meets prince” story.
After Susanna’s longtime sweetheart dumps her, her plans for the future are up in the air. She meets Nate, who is actually Prince Nathaniel of Brighton, and the two fall for each other. Yet Brighton law states that the future king must marry someone from his own country, so the two are resigned that they cannot be together. Or can they?

I’ve read a few other books by Rachel Hauck and I’ve always enjoyed her writing. Once Upon a Prince is an entertaining read– a modern-day fairy tale that’s romantic but not too cheesy, spiritual development in the hearts of the characters, but again, not too cheesy like so many Christian novels tend to be.

One of the fun things about this book was the kingdom that Ms. Hauck invented with such imagination, and all the royal ways of life and characters. I loved reading the Princess Diaries books and the movie The Prince and Me has always been a favorite girly indulgence and this book fits along in the same fun genre of stories where modern life and fairy-tale romance collide.

I’m definitely hooked on the series and look forward to reading the next books.

I am Hallmark Junkie and Rachel Hauck fan to the nines so when Once Upon A Prince was announced to be a movie this past spring on Hallmark I knew I needed to read this book. And read it I did, I fell in love with the story that was on these pages. It was better than movie like books always are, but the movie did a superb job.

I have always wanted to find my prince charming and stories like these give single readers like me hope that will happen. Until then I will find my way through this series and delight in the romance and love that is created in the pages.

I loved this entire series by Rachel Hauck. It left me longing to find the kingdom of Brighton and finding my own prince!

In the opening scene, Susanna Truitt is expecting a proposal from her boyfriend/fiance (of 12 years), instead he receives a rude awakening. Not only is she dumped, but she realizes that she would have said "no," if he did propose. While dealing with the loss of her hopes for the future and thoughts of time wasted, Nate Kenneth rescues her under the famed Lover's Oak. The two share strong feelings for each other, but there is no future for them because he is a prince--soon to be king! Nate returns to his country of Brighton, and Susanna tries to move on, when she receives an invitation to his coronation. She encourages him in his God-given destiny while struggling to surrender her own destiny to the Lord. He has a choice to make-duty to his country or his heart.

I read the net galley copy of this, so there were still some editing to be done. I loved the story! I read it quickly and enjoyed all of it. The personal growth and surrender of both main characters was honest and powerful. It conveyed a strong message of letting go and giving God control. The romance was sweet and God-centered, and the struggles were real. I don't know how many of us actually fall in love with real princes; however, the heart of the theme is universal! I cannot wait to get my hands on another of Rachel Hauck's books!! (I am thankful that I did receive this one free in exchange for my honest review.)

I love reading anything about princesses. Rachel Hauck's Once Upon a Prince was such a fun read about a normal girl meeting a prince and falling in love.

Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck is a sweet romance full of hopes and dreams. A fun true love story. Susanna gets dumped by her high school sweetheart after waiting for him for years to propose. She meets Nate, who helps her fix a flat tire while he is vacationing on St. Simons Island. They hit it off and he helps out at the family restaurant and she ends up designing the cottage garden where he is staying. They fall in love and the complications begin.

I fun read. I read this before watching the Hallmark movie. The book is always better but the movie was good too.

I received this book from NetGalley/Rachel Hauck. All opinions are my own.

Once Upon a Prince is the most romantic love story of the year! From a sun-kissed southern island to a regal European palace, not a single element of this story has been left bereft of Hauck's wash of love-colored paint. Susanna Truitt's situation, although funny as described, rings bleakly true, and too many of us will find something familiar in Prince Nathaniel's duty-bound story.

It is precisely that truth which makes the rest of this fantastic situation spellbinding. All of us, at one time or another, have dreamed of a royal wedding. We all want to be carried off into the sunset and live "happily ever after," yet we know that this isn't realistic.

Susanna's dreams, however, are in full color, especially after she visits Brighton Kingdom. The plot progression deepens the moral lesson and also ups the suspense factor. I couldn't wait to find out just how Susanna's lovelorn dilemma would reach resolution - I stayed up much too late to find out the answer. Hauck is a romantic master and, in my opinion, has the corner in this genre.

This is my favorite love story of 2013. My only hope is that Hauck writes the next one in this series quickly.

I received a free copy of Once Upon a Prince from LitFuse Publicity in exchange for an honest review.

I love this story. The relationship between Nate and Susanna is just like I picture Jesus wooing each of us would be like. I love when Aurora shows up....she is the "angel" in disguise. Susanna's family and friends are very believable. A true "royal princess ever after" story.

This is an absolutely wonderful book by Rachel Hauck. Please don’t base your opinion of the book based solely on the Hallmark movie. As sweet as that movie was, it misses the true heart of the story, which is finding God’s will for your life and being committed to do that, no matter if personal cost is involved. The characters of Nate and Susanna are both very believable. The “supporting cast” of characters are endearing.
This is a clean, sweet romance that will leave you cheering for Nate and Susanna to overcome heartache and fund their happily-ever-after. You’ll want to read all the books in Ms. Hauck’s “Prince” series after finishing this one.

I received a copy of this book for review. I was not required to give a positive review. This is my honest opinion about this book.

Rachel Hauck is totally one of ‘my people’. Seriously, last year with the launch of my favorite book for all of 2017, ‘The Writing Desk’, I had an opportunity to get to know her and she’s good people. That being said when I found out her book ‘Once Upon a Prince’ had been picked up for movie rights by Hallmark I was beyond the moon. Not that I have cable or the Hallmark channel, but that Rachel has such an amazing way with worlds and character development that I knew it would be more than amazing. I hadn’t even read that particular book yet, but I still just knew. Well, I did go back a couple of years and read the book, I mean come on, you are reading the review right now. That being said this book has whispers of ‘Princess Diaries’ with a shadow of Charles and Dianna and a whole truckload of faith-filled fairy-tale.

I gotta tell ya, I've never been a 'happily ever after' kinda girl. I'm barely a 'romance' kinda girl. I'm a realist. Perfectly happy ending wrapped up in sparkly bows is so far from reality that after one too many romance novels I definitely develop a twitch or twenty and have to step back. Give me a murder to solve! That being said, this book did not make me feel like I had bathed in pure maple syrup (the good thick stuff, not the imitation from the grocery store!). I think the big difference is that Rachel develops such amazing people. They aren't characters, they are people. They live and breath and take up space in this world. She does it with so much humor and grace. I mean poor Susanna may have had her heart broken but there was so much joy and mirth floating about surrounding her life that it wasn't soul crushing, at least for me and I think even for her. Cliche? Yes. Eternally endearing in such a way that cliche doesn't exist? Absolutely!

Reading 'Once Upon a Prince' reminds me all over again why the author is 'my people'. She writes a perfect fairy-tale happily ever after book and then goes back through and fizzyfies it. Seriously, 'I found the right ring but not the right girl'? You don't come back from that . . . unless Rachel has crafted your life. Because she's also going to give you smart-talking, sweetly sarcastic family and friends. She's going to drop the perfect guy into your lap and then never tell you the whole truth about him. She's going to send you across the ocean to lose yourself so you can find yourself, and possibly jacker some serious political stuffs. And then? She's going to make it snow in Georgia. Yes, because every over the top perfect faith-filled fairy-tale needs a perfectly oversized (and glittered) bow to tie it off. . .until the sequel. (I need to read a murder now - stat!)

I was provided a complimentary copy of this book by NetGalley. I was not compensated for this review and all thoughts and opinions expressed are my own. I was not required to write a positive review.

I loved this book! Rachel Hauck does a great job with this uplifting, fun story. The characters are lovable and you root for them throughout the story. It has a dash of "The Princess Diaries," mixed with a love story. Rachel has so many good books, it's hard to pick my favorite. This book has a movie that was made (loosely) on the book that premieres this weekend, April 7th, on Hallmark channel. I can't wait to draw my own conclusions as to how close it is to the book version. ;)

I'm basking in the warm fuzzy feelings you get when you've just finished a great book. You ever get that way? You love the characters, you love the setting and you love their story. You hate that the story had to come to an end...that's what I'm feeling right now. I loved this book. The characters have become my friends and I'm a little sad to have to say goodbye to them.

The good news....this is not the end of their story. This is the first book in the Royal Wedding Series. The next book in the Royal Wedding Series, Princess Ever After and The Third book in the series, How to Catch a Prince are already out... No waiting to find out what happens next!  We get a few glimpses into the goings on in Nathaniel's and Susanna's lives in the other two books.

If that still isn't enough of the adorable royals for you.....The Hallmark presentation of Once Upon A Prince is on the Hallmark channel this Saturday night. You read that right, Hallmark has made one of my favorite books into a movie, and it's on this Saturday night!!















I love Rachel Hauck's writing. If you haven't discovered her yet you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of this book and find out what I'm carrying on about. You will be glad you did.

Here's a link to Once Upon A Prince on amazon  if you would like to purchase the kindle or paperback version.  https://www.amazon.com/Once-Upon-Prince-Royal-Wedding/dp/0310315476/ref=sr_1_1?s=amazon-devices&ie=UTF8&qid=1522797735&sr=8-1&keywords=Once+Upon+A+Prince

Here's a link to a complete list of Rachel Hauck books http://www.rachelhauck.com/books-by-rachel-hauck/

Hope you fall in love her books like I have.

It was am enjoyable read, it was so easy to fall into and i finished it in one sitting.