Once Upon a Royal Summer: A delightful royal romance from Hallmark Publishing (Once Upon a Royal Series)

This book started off with a young woman dressing as a princess in a theme park, bringing joy and excitement to many little girls dreaming to be a princess. While there, she comes upon a young father and daughter, only to discover later that he is royalty!

The book was very clean and bordered on very cheesy. There are many other Hallmark published books that I’ve really enjoyed, but I’m not sure if this one would rank very high in the “favorite” category. Then again, it could be the Megan Markle situation that has slightly soured my opinion on the dream of being a princess.

Nonetheless, despite the almost immature qualities of the main female lead, I did enjoy the book and was grateful to have had the opportunity to read this.

This was a fun and sweet book. Lacey is a theme park princess, Princess Sweet Pea, who loves her work, especially the smiles on the faces of the children she meets. When Lacey was a little girl, her mother became very ill, and Lacey spent a lot of time at the hospital with her. The theme park princesses used to visit the children, and Lacey grew up wanting to be one of those princesses. The only downside is that Lacey's boyfriend and his mother aren't impressed with her choice. That comes to an end when Lacey calls it quits on their relationship after one too many put-downs.

Henry is the crown prince of a tiny Mediterranean country. His wife died four years earlier, leaving him the single father of a little girl. Henry struggles to give Rose as normal a childhood as possible, frequently over the objections of his mother, the Queen. Finally, with a critical royal event coming up and Rose fighting her part in it, Henry decides the two of them need to get away for a few days. Rose's seventh birthday is in a few days, so Henry takes her to an American amusement park. The first day they arrive, they go to the park incognito, pretending to be an ordinary dad and daughter.

I loved Henry and his determination to give Rose as ordinary a life as possible. He remembers his childhood loneliness and wants something better for her. I enjoyed the scenes where he stood up to his mother and insisted on public school and again when he informed her of their trip.

I loved the first meeting between Lacey, Henry, and Rose. Henry took Rose to Princess Sweet Pea's tea party, and when Lacey made the rounds of the tables, she and Rose immediately bonded. Henry was a touch cynical and mocking and soon found himself called upon to dance with the princess. Lacey thought she'd show him up, and instead, he blew her away with his dancing skills, not to mention the electricity that zapped between them. Lacey thought she wouldn't see them again - until the following day when she discovered that Princess Sweet Pea would spend the next few days escorting them around the park!

The days at the park enhance the connection between Lacey and Rose, who bond over all things princessy. Rose is adorable in her enthusiasm and hero-worship of Lacey. There's a heartwarming scene where she sees Lacey interacting with a girl in a wheelchair and can't help reaching out herself. Meanwhile, Lacey and Henry discover how easy it is to open up to each other, and the sparks between them continue to grow. I loved how Henry shared his worry over Rose's new fear of riding her pony and the brilliant way that Lacey found to help. Henry didn't want to say goodbye to Lacey and impulsively invited her and her friend Ava to come to his country for the Flower Festival and Ball. His argument? "The royal ball?" she sputtered. "A real royal ball." Henry gave her a half-shrug. "We've danced in your castle. It seems only fair that we should dance in mine."

Lacey is equally excited and terrified to go to Bella-Moritz. She knows in her heart that there's no way a commoner and a prince can be anything more than friends, but that doesn't stop a tiny spark of hope. Henry and Rose are visibly happy to have Lacey there, though the Queen appears less so. Henry takes great delight in showing Lacey around, and it's easy to see where his heart lies. Lacey experiences a few awkward moments, especially around the Queen, but her enthusiasm remains high. Her innate kindness and ability to think of others lead her to a couple of terrific "Lacey to the rescue" moments. I ached for Lacey when a pre-ball disaster struck, leaving her heartbroken. Help came from an unexpected source, setting Lacey up for an incredible Cinderella-like moment. Henry's big moment was fantastic.

I enjoyed the secondary characters almost as much as the main characters. Rose was adorable. She wasn't too good, given her resistance to the pony thing, but her heart is just as big as her dad's. I loved how she connected with Lacey and the fun they had together. I also liked Henry's bodyguard, Ian. He is just as much friend as bodyguard, and he immediately notices the effect Lacey has on Henry. Lacey's best friend, Ava, was fun. I liked how well she knew Lacey and her support after Lacey's breakup. She was almost as excited as Lacey about their trip, and even more so once she laid eyes on Ian. Finally, the Queen was the biggest surprise. Her early appearances in the book made her seem stiff, cold, and autocratic, especially when it came to Rose's schooling. I worried a little at her first reaction to Lacey. But as the visit went on, I saw a different side to her. In the end, I thought that her heart was almost as big as Henry's.

Author Teri Wilson is a magical storyteller. Her contemporary romance tales have a special sparkle all their own. "Once Upon a Royal Summer" is a charming love story with a thoughtful royal single dad and a sincere pretend princess--and the irresistible little real-life princess who brings them together. Lacey Pope is a professional fairy tale star, and she takes her role as "Princess Sweet Pea" very seriously. Each performance she gives at the Once Upon A Time amusement park in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is filled with her heart and her dedication to the happiness of the children in attendance. As a young girl, Lacey had spent lonely hours in the hospital where her terminally-ill mother was a patient. Those dark days had been brightened by visits from in-character theme-park princesses who brought a bit of sunshine to the oncology ward. Grown-up Lacey's realization that her boyfriend Mark just doesn't get--and just doesn't approve--of her devotion to her job brings their relationship to an end. At one of her shows, she notices a dad and his adorable daughter sitting alone at a table meant for a group of ten--meaning they had reserved the whole table for just the two of them. While the little girl is a cutie-pie and completely into the performance, her dad is rather skeptical--but he does have amazing blue eyes and he can waltz like a fairy tale hero. Prince Henry of the kingdom of Bella-Moritz is trying to remain incognito while giving his daughter Rose a dream vacation. Being a widowed prince with a young child, Henry feels the pressures of his royal legacy and the sharp-eyed scrutiny of his mother, the Queen. Lacey becomes the theme-park guide for Henry and Rose during their visit, and they are both quite enchanted by "Princess Sweet Pea". Henry invites Lacey to visit his country and be his guest at the royal palace. Feeling an empathetic bond with Rose and an attraction to Henry, Lacey accepts, and her stay in Bella-Moritz is more compelling than she expected, and far more heart-tugging than she could have imagined. It's hard for her to resist Henry's "soulful blue eyes", but can he convince her to take a leap of faith and reach for a real-life fairy tale happily-ever-after? Author Teri Wilson writes Author Teri Wilson is a magical storyteller. Her contemporary romance tales have a special sparkle all their own. "Once Upon a Royal Summer" is a charming love story with a thoughtful royal single dad and a sincere pretend princess--and the irresistible little real-life princess who brings them together. Lacey Pope is a professional fairy tale star, and she takes her role as "Princess Sweet Pea" very seriously. Each performance she gives at the Once Upon A Time amusement park in Ft. Lauderdale, Florida is filled with her heart and her dedication to the happiness of the children in attendance. As a young girl, Lacey had spent lonely hours in the hospital where her terminally-ill mother was a patient. Those dark days had been brightened by visits from in-character theme-park princesses who brought a bit of sunshine to the oncology ward. Grown-up Lacey's realization that her boyfriend Mark just doesn't get--and just doesn't approve--of her devotion to her job brings their relationship to an end. At one of her shows, she notices a dad and his adorable daughter sitting alone at a table meant for a group of ten--meaning they had reserved the whole table for just the two of them. While the little girl is a cutie-pie and completely into the performance, her dad is rather skeptical--but he does have amazing blue eyes and he can waltz like a fairy tale hero. Prince Henry of the kingdom of Bella-Moritz is trying to remain incognito while giving his daughter Rose a dream vacation. Being a widowed prince with a young child, Henry feels the pressures of his royal legacy and the sharp-eyed scrutiny of his mother, the Queen. Lacey becomes the theme-park guide for Henry and Rose during their visit, and they are both quite enchanted by "Princess Sweet Pea". Henry invites Lacey to visit his country and be his guest at the royal palace. Feeling an empathetic bond with Rose and an attraction to Henry, Lacey accepts, and her stay in Bella-Moritz is more compelling than she expected, and far more heart-tugging than she could have imagined. It's hard for her to resist Henry's "soulful blue eyes", but can he convince her to take a leap of faith and reach for a real-life fairy tale happily-ever-after? Author Teri Wilson writes wonderful characters and amazingly-detailed story lines that are filed with heart and hope--just perfect for romance lovers like me.

Book Copy Gratis Hallmark Publishing--just perfect for romance lovers like me.

Book Copy Gratis Hallmark Publishing

This book made me so happy all the way through. It was such a charming contemporary fairytale! I loved it!

Absolutely love this book! I read it on my Kindle several times and then decided to order it in paperback! Would love more from this author!

Cute story. Fast read. Really enjoyed it!

Its a fairytale, Hallmark type story and I enjoyed it. It was delightfully entertaining.
Amusement park princess is given the task of taking a prince and his daughter on a park tour.
Not only is the little princess enamored with the amusement park princess; her father seems to not only enjoy giving his daughter a vacation of not so much royalty, but is a little more entertained by the amusement park princess.
Fun and easy.

Once Upon a Royal Summer is a fun, flirty, fantasy meets reality read that will entertain until the very last page. Lacey is living her dream by playing a princess in a popular fairy tale theme park and loving the interactions with all the people she meets until she meets a grumpy dad. When she feels he is mocking her, she tries to turn the tables on him by making him dance the waltz with her but she is the one surprised when he excels. Henry, who is a real crown prince, is trying to keep a low profile while treating his daughter to a birthday vacation that dreams are made of when he encounters Princess Sweet Pea. She is silly, delightful and brings a smile to his daughter's face that hasn't been there for a long time. The park CEO assigns Lacey to be the VIP escort for the prince and his daughter for their entire stay when she realizes that he is "grumpy dad", she is totally embarrassed by her previous treatment. The story that follows is a wonderful, full of heart adventure which truly does end in Happily Ever After.

Every little girl dreams of her happily after after with a handsome prince, a castle, a queen, a beautiful gown and of course romantic European accents. Lacey gets just that. She's living her dream of being a princess at a theme park and her happily ever after begins there.
I LOVED this book. It was charming, witty, hopeful, engaging and swoon worthy. I felt truly like I was in a fairytale as I read this book. Teri Wilson knows how to story tell in a way that all "little girls" can relate to. This is a MUST read Hallmark Publishing book and I pray it becomes a movie. Get your tiara ready and a cup of cocoa because you are about ready to to be charmed by Miss Teri's beautiful story!! This is a MUST READ.

What a wonderful plot! Great characters to associate with, I wanted more!!