Royally Romanced by Marie Donovan

http://amzn.to/29bbGtsThe Tale of the Dressmaker and the Prince

Once upon a time, there lived an Italian prince named Georgio Di Leone. He was a stressed-out prince...and a very protective one. So, when his little sister announces she's getting married, he flies--first-class, of course--to the enchanted kingdom of New York City, where he meets Renata Pavoni, a wedding-dress maker who is all vintage pinup girl with twenty-first-century sex appeal.

Once they ride off together in his limousine, they indulge in some serious makeout action. But as things with her hot royal start to heat up, Renata wonders...can she find a "sexily ever after" with a real prince?


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I'm not usually into the whole royalty thing but this book sounded interesting and I thought I would give it a go. Unfortunately, I found that it really wasn't my cup of tea.

Renata wasn't a bad character but I simply couldn't relate to her or root for her in any way. She was too brash and was written to epitomise every New Yorker stereotype and cliché you've ever heard. Georgio was fine but nothing overly special or someone that I would particularly swoon over. The pair's chemistry was only okay so it was surprising that the plentiful sex scenes were so scorchingly hot!

Having said that, at times this book read like random sex scenes with filler in between. Nothing exciting seemed to happen and it was hard to suspend belief that any of the things that did happen were likely. I'm sad to say that this was quite a forgettable romance. I won't be picking up the next two books in the series (Royally Seduced and Royally Claimed) and I'm sorry to say that I just can't recommend it. 2 stars.


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224 pages






Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After by Elizabeth Kantor

http://amzn.to/297RlVvHave you stopped believing in happily ever after? Women today are settling for less than we want when it comes to men, relationships, sex, and marriage. But we don't have to, argues Elizabeth Kantor. Jane Austen can show us how to find the love we really want. 

In The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After, Kantor reveals how the examples of Jane Austen heroines such as Elizabeth Bennett, Elinor Dashwood, and Anne Elliot can help us navigate the modern-day minefields of dating, love, relationships, and sex. 

By following in their footsteps-and steering clear of the sad endings suffered by characters such as Maria Bertram and Charlotte Lucas-modern women can discover the path to lifelong love and true happiness. 

Charged with honesty and humor, Kantor's book includes testimonies from modern women, pop culture parallels, the author's personal experiences and, of course, a thorough examination of Austen's beloved novels. 

Featuring characters and situations from all of Jane Austen's books (including unfinished novels, and stories not published in her lifetime), The Jane Austen Guide to Happily Ever After tackles the dating and relationship dilemmas that we face today, and equips modern women to approach our love lives with fresh insights distilled from the novels: 

* Don't be a tragic heroine 
* Pursue Elizabeth Bennet's "rational happiness" -learn what it is, and how you can find it 
* Don't let cynicism steal your happy ending 
* Why it's a mistake to look for your "soul mate" 
* Jane Austen's skeleton keys to a man's potential 
* How you should deal with men who are "afraid of commitment" (from Jane Austen's 8 case studies) 
* Learn how to arrange your own marriage-by falling in love the Jane Austen way.


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At first glance, I expected this to be a fun and frothy book comparing dating in modern time to Jane Austen's - much like typical stocking filler fare. I was surprised and pleased to find this much more than I expected.

At a little over 360 pages and larger than a typical paperback, it feels fairly substantial (in a good way) and very good value for the price.

The premise of the book is that Jane Austen and her contemporaries have much to teach us with regards to love, romance, relationships and men. The author aims to teach the reader what to do in order to get yourself into a better position to have all of the aforementioned. Unfortunately she doesn't tell us where to find the good men!

I enjoyed the book and found it intelligent, refreshing and thought provoking. The writing was quite sharp and thankfully not disparaging to either sex. I think that some people may find the author's writing style a little bit harsh so I would suggest that this book may be like marmite depending on your frame of mind and own personality.

The book was also well researched and would make an interesting read for those interested in the Regency, with or without the love and dating aspect. This book is still fun but it's a lot more in depth than I expected.


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386 pages


* I received this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. *



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