Falling for Charming

Royal Wedding Invitations #1

by Sophie Weston

Hope Kennard left Hasebury Hall—her ancestral home in Wiltshire—to travel the world in search of new and exciting adventures. Her new motto: No scandal, no betrayal, no family baggage and definitely no regrets! Freedom suits her, right up until she ends up in the sun-kissed island principality of San Michele and meets mysterious forest ranger Jonas Reval. He’s as secretive as she is skittish but he’s also everything she’s ever wanted in a man.

Jonas knows all about duty and the burdens of marrying to meet family expectations. But he can be himself around Hope and he sets about wooing her without taking advantage of all the considerable resources at his disposal. It’s just him, and her, what’s more it works. Right up until Hope discovers that one pesky little detail he’s sort of forgotten to mention: He’s not just a part-time forest ranger and integral member of the family law firm. He’s charming, lying Prince Jonas Reval of San Michele.

And the fantasy Hope’s been spinning comes tumbling down…

*Previously titled The Prince's Bride

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Contemporary Romance, Chick Lit, Royalty, Audiobook, Amazon

260 pages, Kindle Edition

First published October 13, 2017

About the author

Jenny Haddon was born in London, England, where she always returns after the travels that she loves. When she was small, her mother couldn't bear reading aloud, so her mother taught her to read at an appallingly precocious age. She wrote her first book with her own illustrations at the age of four but was in her 20s before she produced her first romance as Sophie Weston.

She studied English Language and Literature at university. Choosing a career was a major problem. It was not so much that she didn't know what she wanted to do, as that she wanted to do everything. So she filed and photocopied and experimented. She worked as consultant at the Bank of England and all the time she drew on her experiences to create her Mills & Boon books. She edited press releases for a Latin American embassy in London (The Latin Afffair); lectured in the Arabian Gulf (The Sheikh's Bride); waitressed in Paris (Midnight Wedding); and made herself hated by getting under people's feet asking stupid questions under the grand title of consultant all over the world (The Millionaire's Daughter). She also is an active member of the UK's Romantic Novelists' Association's Committee, and was its twenty-three Chairman (2005-2007).

Jenny has one house, three cats, and about a million books. She writes compulsively, Scottish dances poorly, grows more plants than she has room for, and makes a mean meringue.

Reviews

[Carrie · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jonas Revel is a Prince that wants nothing more than to just live his life without jumping through all the hoops of royal life. Jonas does his best to have as little to do with royal events and lead his life more normally even going as far as to volunteer for the park rangers. It's out in the woods that Jonas first meets Hope.

Hope Kennard has been running from her past for quite awhile choosing to travel and see the world to hide from the scandal that her father caused. Now Hope has taken a job house and pet sitting in San Michele where she runs into Jonas when she gets a little turned around in the woods. Hope and Jonas hit it off but both have a few secrets of their own they need to confront to make it work between them.

The Prince's Bride by Sophie Weston is the first book in the new contemporary romance Royal Wedding Invitations series. Each book in this series is going to be by a different author and contain a different couple that revolve around this royal family in San Michele.

This opening book of the series opened up with Hope and Jonas and set the royal stage for the following stories. For me I loved Jonas right away in this one as he was rushed about with his royal duties but it took a while for me to warm up to Hope, she just seemed a little off for some reason to me. But once the story got going it really became a nice opening to what I hope will be a great series.

I received an advance copy from the publisher via NetGalley.

For more reviews please visit https://carriesbookreviews.wordpress....

[Wendy'sThoughts · Rating 3 out of 5]

3 Perfect Cover Stars
* * *
Oh, this had all the yummy's that catch my eye:

Perfect Cover- Check
Bride in the concept- Check
A Reluctant Prince who falls for a "Commoner"- Check and Check-
And part of a series which will have the stories told around the same location and royal family...
Check, Check,Check

An arc was provided by the author/publisher via NetGalley for an honest review.

For more Reviews, Free E-books and Giveaways

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*Previously titled The Prince's Bride

[Helen · Rating 4 out of 5]

Can Hope Kennard learn to trust after what she has been through? Hope is now travelling, learning new things and enjoying life but when she meets handsome forest ranger Jonas there are niggles of unease in her brain does she trust her insticts or let them free?

Jonas is on holidays from his life doing what he loves spending time in the forrest of his country when he meets a gorgeous woman Hope and yes can it be love at first sight but will keeping things to himself help or not.

Love can be an uphill battle when trust is involved and things are not bought out into the open, Hope has always disliked being in the limelight after what happened with her father and when she finds out who Jonas is this turns things around big time. Jonas never gives up, he loves Hope and does what he can to convince her and love wins out.

I did enjoy this one the first in a series and I look forward to the others I do love royal weddings.

[K.J. Charles]

A very sweet contemporary m/f romance with Hope--daughter of a convicted fraudster, highly reluctant to trust people--and Jonas, junior prince of a fictional Euro-principality, who doesn't disclose the royalty thing to her while they fall in love. Oops. This is a classic sweet romance in every way--limited but real angst, people who mess up but are basically decent and loving, a strong emotional connection, a plot that bounds along. Weston is an excellent writer, with a light touch, fluent style, and just a smidge of bite. It's not doing anything groundbreaking but it's not trying to: this is a light, feelgood romance, which was exactly what I needed.

[Marsha Keeper Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reviewed at Keeper Bookshelf

When your life had been turned upside down, your youthful memories not of a happy family but of a father’s incarceration – well, a lie is never an easy thing to be told, not even those little white lies that flow so naturally in civilized society. Hope has no tolerance for lies of any sort. Having seen the results of her father’s lies, how his misleading destroyed so much for so many people… no, lies will never be acceptable. So when Hope meets a real life Prince who is going about his normal, real life – without the pomp and circumstance his sister-in-law insists on- well, Jonas didn’t tell the complete truth, granted an omission is also a lie but he didn’t understand the importance of that difference to Hope at their first meeting. It would matter, and it would come back to bite him far too soon, before explanations could be made. He’d told her the truth that he was in fact a practicing lawyer, that he did volunteer work with the forest Rangers… he neglected to mention that he was also known as His Serene Highness, Prince Jonas of San Michele.

Most of us could understand the desire of a prince who has just met a lovely, interesting woman who does not recognize him to allow friendship or more to develop between them before revealing his true identity, titles included. We might not like it, but I believe we’d understand why at least. Hope’s trust in Jonas was shattered when she discovered who he also is and their story is Jonas coming to understand just how important the absolute truth is to Hope… and Hope coming to realize that while he did omit something vital, Jonas has also gone to great lengths to make up for that and prove his honest love for her. I enjoyed their story. If I was more on the team Jonas side well that didn’t mean I couldn’t see Hope’s point but her ridged mindset at times made her not so likable for me. With several interesting and intriguing secondary characters being introduced in this first world building story, now I’m hooked on looking for the other stories to come in this series. I would recommend The Prince’s Bride for any Romance reader and suspect that you’ll easily get caught up in the rest of the series as well.

*I received an e-ARC of this novel from the publisher via NetGalley. That does not change what I think of this story. It is my choice to leave a review giving my personal opinion about this book.*

[Linniegayl · Rating 4 out of 5]

So after reading entries #2 and #3 in this series I've finally read the first (each entry by a different author). In this one, we're introduced to the prince and the woman he falls in love with, and it's their engagement and wedding that the others in the series focus on. I wasn't certain I'd like this one, as Jonas (the prince) essentially lets Hope (the heroine) believe he's a forest ranger for weeks. Of course, there's the impending reveal when Hope (a woman with major trust issues) learns he's a prince. However, I liked that this crisis wasn't immediately resolved, and they had to basically redevelop their relationship.

overall, I'd give this a C+/B-, so rounding up to four stars here. On to #4, the final book in the series.

[Caro · Rating 3 out of 5]

A sweet and romantic book. Great for the anytime lazy-day read. Good characters, personalities, some spunk, stubbornness, a little steaminess, ups and downs and a good sweet HEA. I really did like the ending and is definitely sweep-off-your-feet romantic. I liked getting the know the characters and felt connected and understandable while still wanting the smack a few heads. This was written well and had the story flowing so you were either admonishing or rooting for the characters. Whichever at the moment. Enjoy

[Emily (Mrs B's Books) · Rating 3 out of 5]

**Copy Provided by Netgalley and Tule Publishing for an honest review**

This is a sweet read that motors along fairly quickly, but is also fairly predictable.

Hope is currently living abroad in San Michele and has escaped her life back home in England. She has travelled well and has picked up lots of skills and is getting better at learning languages, however she is currently dog sitting for a wealthy family.

Jonas keeps secrets that eventually lead to a breakdown of trust and Hope's broken trust issues.

The ending is good, the friends that Hope has are lovely, but somehow it felt a little flat for me. Will be iterating to see how the next authors follow on with the story.

[Brandy · Rating 3 out of 5]

I liked Jonas a heck of a lot more than I liked Hope. Dude messed up and was trying and she just shut down. I really felt like she needed a good therapist. Still, a fun story, if lacking in intrigue or major plot twists.

[Katie · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5ish. Picked out this audio on a whim because it looked light and fluffy. Indeed a bit of both with a little bit of ridiculous and over-the-top mixed in. But entertaining enough none-the-less.

[Emily · Rating 3 out of 5]

2.5* rounding up since I read book 2 of the series as a freebie first and may be a bit tainted.

I started out thinking I liked this story better, but as it went on I found myself liking it less. The flow of the plot just felt like it had fits and starts. Then the ending felt rushed, not giving adequate time to Hope’s struggles with the Crown Princess.

I expected there to be inconsistencies in style since the four books in the series are written by different authors. Surprisingly, I didn’t notice that too much. They actually had very similar tones. What kept distracting me were inconsistencies in characters, timing, locations, etc. between the two books.

Plus, I wanted to understand more about this royal family to explain some of the oddities. Why are they all lawyers, for example? A third brother exists in this book, but doesn’t in the second. In the second book, the prince’s father is too ill to attend functions, but is present in this book. In the second book, I got the impression that the crown princess is Jonas’ sister, therefore the heir and someone with authority, not his sister-in-law.

In general, I found the last quarter of the book confusing plus it didn’t add anything to the romantic story - tension wasn’t built up well and the rushed resolution felt empty. It almost seemed like the book should have ended with Hope’s acceptance of the proposal, but the last few chapters had to be added on to help jive things with later books. But the tensions between the royal couple in book 2 weren’t necessary to that story, IMO, and could have been cut.

I bought the other books and am curious how they all come together or if the inconsistencies become worse.

[Bette Hansen · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet magical story that reads like a fairy tale. Hope and Jonas are both people trying to live life on their terms and outside the shadow of their family. He's a royal and she's the daughter of a scandalized father. There is no way these two should work but the heart doesn't always listen to reason when it comes to matter of love.

This is a wonderfully written book with some great characters. It's a recommended read.

[Jayne · Rating 2 out of 5]

The summary for this book sounded like a fun time, but I was disappointed by how things played out. The characters weren’t developed as well as I would have liked, and their big drama felt like a small issue that could’ve been easily avoided with a simple conversation.

[Nextbookaroundthecorner · Rating 4 out of 5]

Full review also on my blog on October 20th: https://nextbookaroundthecorner.wordp...
If I had to rate this book to my Disney-oh-meter it would be off the charts... Since the movie 'The Prince and Me' (yesssss, it is from 2004, I know I'm getting old...) is one of my favorite movies, the cover and the blurb immediately attracted me. And what do you know... the story has a lot of similarities with my favorite movie. He: the prince who doesn't want to be a prince and she: the girl who has no time for romance in her life. And then they accidentally meet and fall in love.

And then: she discovers what he has been hiding from her. Is love enough when you become part of the royal family and thus the focus of every paparazzi in the world?

Jonas and Hope are wonderful characters, brought to live by Sophie Weston. And although the story is a bit predictable, it really had my inner Disney princess doing a happy dance. So definitely four out of five stars from me and a special thank you to Netgalley for providing the ARC.

And yay, this book is the first of a series of four books! Can't wait to start on the next ones in the series.

[Summer · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 Stars. If you’re familiar with romances then you know they tend to include a third act break up. I appreciated that this one shakes up that structure just a little, shifting the timing of the breakup so it doesn’t just come down to a last minute conversation that solves all their issues, here, there’s time spent on trying to rebuild after a breakup, trying to get back on track.

Also, I was fond of any moment involving the little girl and her devoted dog, they’re not in this much, understandably the focus is on Hope and Jonas, but I did adore these two and wouldn’t have minded if they’d featured more prominently.

Keeping Jonas’s royal identity a secret for as long as this story does probably would have felt more plausible had Jonas been away from the people/area who know him, there were a few too many instances where I questioned how one person or another wouldn’t have revealed it to Hope.

With Jonas holding a portion of his life back from Hope and their early bonding sessions in the forest mentioned more so than shown, it took me a little while to feel the connection between them but eventually I did like them together, their chemistry gradually grew on me.

[Shelagh · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prince’s Bride makes for perfect escapist reading if you happen to be a lover of light, sweet romances. While we do get inside the bedroom door, we are only given enough to demonstrate the growing relationship between Prince Jonas and Hope Kennard.
Royal romances always seem to have a bit of a fairytale feel to them—the glamorous and pampered lifestyle so many of us dream of—so it was rather refreshing to read one in which our hero spent much of his time working as a lawyer or volunteering happily as a forest ranger, only reluctantly taking on the trappings of royalty when it was unavoidable.
Hope, his heroine, is a bit of a jack of all trades, ably managing her dog and house sitting job while also demonstrating her versatility by helping with a forest rescue and settling into a completely different sphere of work later in the book.
These two are well matched yet as a reader you can’t help wondering how they will ever overcome their differences to reach their happy ever after. I enjoyed watching them work it all out.

[Eileen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed The Prince’s Bride by Sophia Weston, book one in Royal Wedding Invitations series. Jonas Reval might be a member of San Michele’s royalty but he feels most at home when he is working in the outdoors rather than in his family high-power law firm. Hope Kennard grew up amid lies, scandal, and financial ruin. After the death of her father, Hope leaves England to travel the world, searching for peace and a purpose. Her travel has her taking a house and dog-sitting job in San Michele where she unexpectedly meets the handsome Jonas. Hope has a feeling that Jonas is keeping secrets from her, but she has a few of her own. Can these two stop running from themselves long enough to find love with each other?

I really loved enjoyed this book and had trouble putting this book down, reading this book in one day. Ms. Weston drew me in and did not let go until I read the last page. I recommend this book to other readers and cannot wait for the next book in this amazing series.

I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book.

[Miri · Rating 2 out of 5]

Hope Kennard is a young British woman who travels around the world to find herself. While doing that, she works in different jobs. After some troubles at her last job, Hope has come to San Michele to dog-sit for a family on vacation. While being in the forest with the dog, she meets Jonas, a volunteer ranger, whom she is immediately attracted to. What she doesn't know is that Jonas is actually the prince of San Michele and just on a 'vacation' from is serene duties. They fall in love but after a while, Hope's past fears catch up with her as Jonas's cover is blown.

It is a cute story - but honestly reminded me too much of the movie "the Prince and I". Yes, Hope had some troubles with the fact that Jonas is a prince, but even though she has a shady past, none of the royals seemed to mind. No one even objected the marriage, even though I would have guessed that the king comes around with a royal fiancée or something.

It was a nice read but didn't quite catch me.

[Paula · Rating 4 out of 5]

When someone does not feel validated or appreciated it can cause secrets and barriers to go up in their relationships. Such is the case for Jonas Revel and Hope Kennard in The Prince's Bride by Sophie Weston. I liked how these two wanted to live life on their own but it is obvious that they needed more love in their lives. The romance is built upon a friendship of sorts. That fit exactly with the characters who still had personal issues to work though. The romance forces them to do that.

The Prince's Bride is an entertaining read with some angst. Characters made mistakes making them normal like the rest of us. The plot is focused on the romance and the characters ability to work through their individual issues. Not too long of a story with a pleasing conclusion.

An ARC of the book was given to me by the publisher through Net Galley.

[Madison · Rating 3 out of 5]

I was in the need for a book that was cute, sweet, and could whisk me away to some made up county with some made up royals. This did exactly that!

It follows Hope, a globetrotter trying to get away from her families scandalous past, and Jonas a prince 5th in line to the throne who would much rather spend his time as a wilderness ranged.

This was an instalove story which I'm usually not a huge fan of because I need a little more to grasp on to to really get behind a relationship. But after the original instant attraction (and some mishaps along the way) these characters did really get to know each other, which I liked.

I feel like this book could have been a little shorter, I found myself just kind of skimming toward the end because everything was being drug out too lons. And I thought that some of the story was much too surface level for me, I needed to see more of what was going on around these two. And for a book that claims to be part of a royal weddings series, I needed WAY more royal shenanigans.

Overall, a cute story, but not my absolute favorite

[Lina · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m not sure I would call this a royal romance really. Sure, Jonas is a prince but you don’t get to see much of a royal treatment or life in it. It’s more a book about Hope and her huge issues of trust and commitment to other people. In all honesty, Hope annoys me. She is hellbent on people being evil even if they by accident (or for particular reasons) they have left out information she deems important (or pretty much not important too really) And she refuses to listen when Jonas tries to explain why he never mentioned he was a prince. Communication is key but she doesn’t seem to understand or care about that. She should seriously go and talk to a professional about her issues.

Yeah, I had issues. I don’t think I will listen to the other books in the series. The narrator was okey though and that’s what gives the book a three star in the end.

[Sharon Redfern · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sweet love story about Hope and Jonas. Hope is a young woman whose life was upended when her father disgraced the family and caused their financial ruin. Since that time Hope has traveled all over and been very wary of any dishonesty in her relationships. Jonas meets Hope in his job as a forest ranger and just forgets to mention he is the Prince of San Michele.
This story has a very low spice level and focuses on the romance and the story which I enjoyed. Both Hope and Jonas have parts of their life that they don't want to dwell on but Hope is pretty open about her family scandal very early on which I liked. Jonas isn't so honest and it comes back to bite him.
This is the first book in a series and I look forward to reading the rest.

[Janine · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hope Kennard had been traveling the world trying to get away from her past. Then she lands a job as a housekeeper on San Michele. One day while out walking the dog, she gets lost in the forest and a handsome forest ranger comes to her rescue. Little did Hope know, he was really Prince Jonas, a prince who is happiest working at the family law firm and volunteering as a forest ranger. When Hope learns the truth about Jonas, she gets upset. She doesn’t like secrets or lies. Hope and Jonas both have some issues to work through before they can get their happily ever after.

This is the first installment of the Royal Wedding Invitations series and can’t wait to read the rest of the books. The author did a great job building an interesting and entertaining love story.

[Ariane · Rating 1 out of 5]

I was not a fan thought not because the book was poorly written. I just really dislike stories about fake kingdoms and royalty. I am not able to hold my suspension of disbelief. I was at fault for choosing this book. I should have payed attention to the summary.

Although the characters were likeable, I couldn't get into the story. I thought that Hope made a mountain out a mole hill. Moreover, I didn't buy the love story. I didn't see why they loved each other. Finally, another thing that detracted from the story for me was the narrator. I could not stand Jonas' voice. It was painful to hear him draw out syllables and speak with a really exaggerated accent. Awful.

[Gail Dew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Falling for charming

Written in "English speak" instead of American though giving the book flavor, had a few obscure phrases not easily figured out. The biggest disappointment was the first love scene where the two characters come together. It was two lines long - basically they did it and did it some more. Not too romantic for a romance novel. It could have been very heart pounding having Jonas lead a shy somewhat inexperienced woman into lovemaking. It was a fun book to read except the lack of romantic scenes.

[BookSnuggle · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Prince's Bride (Royal Wedding Invitations Book 1) by Sophie Weston
This is Prince Jonas Reval and Hope Kennard's story.

Jonas and Hope meet but he keeps his true identity from her. Hope has been hurt in the past by secrets and lies. As time goes on their relationship is developing into more but will Jonas' secret ruin their chance at love?

I enjoyed this sweet romance but Jonas and Hope have a lot to work through.

I voluntarily reviewed an Advance Reader Copy of this book.

[Lisa Crenshaw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Started off well. I think the impending issue the couple always faces hit too soon in the book or just lasted too long. The guy was pretty much perfect and unrealistic with his need to win the girl. The girl was too caught up in one single act to listen or talk for half the book. It was a struggle to read to the end. I’d give 2.5 stars.

[Neil Plakcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm a sucker for prince charming stories, so I fell hard for Falling for Charming. The characters are quite believable in a modern day sense, each of them with their own backstory, and the structure of the book lead well to the romance, the inevitable difficulties, and the happy ever after ending. A perfect fun read.

[Sally Stackhouse · Rating 4 out of 5]

A well written sweet story.

Hope is still running from the fall out of her father’s sins. Jonas wants an ordinary life without the trapping that go with being part of the royal family. Can Hope learn to trust again? Can Jonas blend his life and love from his heart?

We follow their journey from their lovely first few weeks together to when it all falls apart.

An enjoyable read.