Apple Pie

by Loretta Marchize

Crown Prince Andrew is tired. Tired of his role as Prince, tired of not having any choices, and tired of the pressure to marry. His father is ill, and Andrew knows he’ll be taking over the throne before too long. But economic failure is on the tongues of every person in Whittenberg and Earl Barton is leading parliament in circles trying to solve the problem.
Claiy Bowen came from America a year ago but still hasn’t found a job as a pastry chef. Andrew is easy to be around, but she thinks he’s selfish and denies any chance of a relationship between them. It doesn’t help that his mother is set on him marrying Lady Growbeth, not some foreigner.
Can Andrew learn to accept his fate as Crown Prince, and can Claiy learn to accept Andrew?

Genres: Christian Fiction

166 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2020

About the author

Hi! I'm Loretta! I'm an author and high school English Teacher.

I also spend a lot of time doing Christian ministry, and I'm an avid reader. (Obviously!)

I've written a lot over the years, and enjoyed every moment! I'm taking a little break from writing to focus on other life things. You can connect with me under my real name on Instagram: @lorettaellie

Reviews

[AnnaScott · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the few plot lines that I will immediately say yes to is modern day royalty. Movies, books, you name it, no matter how cliche or predictable the ending might be. I also knew this book would be good when her preface started with, "I wrote the first draft of this tiny novel in about one week in the middle of a three-week out-west car trip with my parents and two siblings. My pillow served as a desk, my sister as a brainstorm, and my mother as a spell checker. (My dad drove and my brother was just annoying.)" I feel like Loretta and I would get along splendidly.

All of that being said, this book was just what I was hoping for. A handsome prince, a sassy American, and some delicious pastries. If I'm quite honest, though, Prince Andrew's sister (Lottie) and advisor (James) were my favorites. There was just a level of sass with them that made me burst out laughing several times throughout this book.

My one complaint about this book is that it felt too short. I say that about most of the books I enjoy, but I really feel like the plot would have benefitted from being fleshed out a bit more. I would have especially loved to see more casual interactions between Andrew and Claiy. Beyond this, there was just a little bit of dialogue that could have been smoother, and some typos here and there. Loretta mentions how this book was written quickly (in the preface and in the acknowledgements), and so I am sure that this is the reason behind my complaints. If there had just been one more set of eyes going over it, though, I think it would have been perfect.

Overall, reading this book was a fun break from my homework this week.

I received a copy of this book from the author for the purpose of this review. All thoughts and opinions are entirely my own.

[Kay · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a lot of fun reading this book. It was an easy read but that doesn't mean it was boring. In fact I ended up reading this book in one sitting! It was super cute and fun. It was pretty predictable but that did not keep my from thoroughly enjoying this book.

[Angie Thompson · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm going to admit right off the bat that this is a hard review to write. I have a soft spot for modern-day prince/princess stories, so I was excited to read this one.

Unfortunately, I think it needed to be longer. I grew to like most of the characters by the end, but I felt like I needed to fall in love with them a lot earlier in the story. I felt like I was still getting to know them by the time the story ended. And speaking of falling in love...that felt fast. I mean really fast. Did they seriously see each other four times before Andrew was ready to give up the crown and elope with her?!? And she was ready to let him? O.O Maybe I wouldn't have minded how fast their relationship escalated if we could have seen more of the interaction between them? I needed some kind of chemistry, a spark, something to convince me that there was really something there as early as it was supposed to be. And then there were several times when a character just flatly changed their thinking about something without giving us any glimpse at the thought process that led up to it. Those moments left me very confused and not at all sure where this new revelation had come from.

Honestly, I think a lot of my confusion could have been cleared up if we had had more time--more time to get to know the characters, more time spent in their heads, more time developing the relationship. As it was, I felt disconnected from the story and the characters most of the time and never had a chance to get close to them the way I wanted to.

2.5 stars

[Virginia Henderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

****I received a complimentary copy and this is my honest review****
CONTAINS A SPOILER!

First of all...I want to say that I love the cover! It's simple, yet eye catching and looks professional. Well done!

I haven't read too many modern fairytales, so I'm probably not the best judge when it comes to this genre, but it was a fun clean read and I liked the Christian themes.

My favorite character was James. He was exactly what Andrew needed in a friend and advisor. I liked the fact that this was a very easy-going read that I enjoyed picking up. There was just enough conflict to make the plot interesting but not too much that it dragged on and on but it was kind of predictable. The one thing I didn't see coming was the King's sudden death but I think in the long run it was for the best. Good call.

My only real dislike was that some of the writing was kind of cheesy or unrealistic. For example, at one point Claiy answers her phone by saying, "Hello, this is Claiy Bowen speaking. How may I help you?" To me, that sounded too formal for a personal call but then again, that could be part of Claiy's personality.

I could tell that the author really enjoyed crafting her characters and forming the storyline along the way and that in itself speaks volumes.

[R.A. · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was an easy read which was great! If you like Hallmark-like stories, you'll love this one! When I say it's like a Hallmark movie, I don't mean it in a particular bad way. It just reminds me of one! I actually like reading books that are easy to read and have a simple storyline. :)

I didn't really like the main characters for about half of the book, but I did like them the other half! James was probably my favourite character...if you've read this, you'd probably know why.

The storyline is very cliché, but as I said, I didn't mind it too much! I think the main thing I would point out is that the royalty aspect needs to be more researched, but other than that, it's a fun read!

Oh, I also really like the cover. :)

Thanks, Loretta, for sending me a copy to review!!! :)

[Mia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Apple Pie is filled with conflict and resolution all throughout the book. The characters are well-developed, the story’s plot is understandable and it doesn’t make you confused. I would definitely recommend this book, and the others she has written (The Princess Chronicles and Evie’s Empire). I want to thank Loretta for letting me help edit the book, which I love doing by the way! In conclusion this is a great book and I hope to see others like it!