Once Upon a Prince by Rachel Hauck

From the publisher: "Once Upon a Prince, the first novel in the Royal Wedding series by bestselling author Rachel Hauck, treats you to a modern-day fairy tale.

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess---just to marry the man she has loved for twelve years. But life isn’t going according to plan. When her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer breaks up instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life.

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expects to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island is the queen of his heart. A prince has duties, and his family’s tense political situation has chosen his bride for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he is blindsided by love.

Their lives are worlds apart. He’s a royal prince. She’s an ordinary girl. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation."

This was a fun book to read.  It was light-hearted and romantic--yet through out the book the characters had to surrender their own will to God and learn to trust in His plan not their own.

I enjoyed reading this book.  Yes, it was predictable but it was nice to read a happily-ever-after.  The character's lives may not be "realistic" but it is a fairy-tale.  In a fairy-tale beautiful magical things can happen to ordinary people.  And this is what Rachel Hauck wrote--a modern fairy-tale.  It is a beautiful story of love at the wrong times to the right people and everything working out. 

I look forward to seeing what else comes from her royal wedding series.

I received this book free from Booksneeze in exchange for my honest review. 

Though My Heart is Torn by Joanne Bischoff

From the publisher: "Settling into a simple life in the majestic Blue Ridge mountains, Lonnie and Gideon O’Riley have finally found happiness after the rocky start to their marriage. The roguish bluegrass musician has fallen in love with his gentle wife and the God she serves, and Lonnie rests secure in his tenderness for her and their young son. A heartless ruse interrupts their peace, bringing them back to Rocky Knob—and forces them to face the claims of Cassie Allan, a woman who says she is Gideon’s rightful wife.
 
As Gideon wades into the depths of his past choices, Lonnie is stunned by the revelations. She has no choice but to navigate this new path, knowing that surviving the devastating blow will take every ounce of strength  she has.
 
While Gideon’s guilt  and his bitterness towards Cassie threatens to burn up his fledgling faith, Lonnie wrestles to find the courage to trust the God who brought them together in the first place. Will their hard-earned love be able to conquer all?"

This is the second book in the Cadence of Grace series, the first book is Be Still My Soul and you should definitely read it before this book to really get into the story and understand all that Gideon and Lonnie have already been through together.

Joanne Bischof is a writer that will move your heart.  Gideon, Lonnie, and Cassie all are written in a way to endear them to you.  

Even though modern-day readers do not live the lives of these characters the reader will be able to relate to many aspects of this story.  I particularly resonated with the idea of working so hard at something I felt God wanted me to do, only to be asked to let it go.  It isn't easy to let go of things, even when it seems clear that it is the right path to walk on.  

Bischof weaves a story between Lonnie and Gideon and those in their lives- but it is a really a story of trying to continually lay everything at God's feet and trust and grow in Him.  

I don't want to give away much of the story, but it is a page-turner and I cannot wait to read the third and final book!!

I received this book free from Blogging for Books in exchange for my honest review.