Mommy Evening: The Royal Treatment by MJ Summers

Every now and then, I run across a book which I think all you Moms (and sometimes Dads too) out there might love to get lost in - why? Because I did. Let's face it, even Moms and Dads need a reading break.

Today's book is for all fairy tale, princess fans out there who realize the royal dream is probably not as perfect as it's made out to be.

The Royal Treatment 

by M.J. Summers 

Crown Jewels Romance #1 

McMillan

May 23rd 2017

Adult, Comedy, Romance

301 pages

Enough laughs to satisfy fans of Bridget Jones. Enough sparkly shoes and breathtaking ball gowns for fans of Cinderella…Twenty-eight-year-old Tessa Sharpe, a.k.a. The Royal Watchdog, hates everything about Prince Arthur. As far as she’s concerned, he’s an arrogant, lazy leech on the kingdom of Avonia. When he shocks the nation by giving her the keys to the castle in an attempt to boost his family’s dismal public approval ratings, Tessa has no choice but to accept and move in for two months. It’s lust at first sight, but there’s no way she can give in to her feelings—not if she wants to have a career or a shred of pride left when her time at the palace ends.
Ultra-private, ultra-hot Crown Prince Arthur has always gotten by on his charm. But that won’t be enough now that the Royal Family is about to be ousted from power once and for all. When Prince Arthur has to rely on the one woman in the kingdom who hates him most, he must learn that earning the love of a nation means first risking his heart…
Can two natural enemies find their forever in each other’s arms, or will they ruin each other to save themselves?
[PLEASE NOTE: The Crown Jewels Series is not a typical MJ Summers book. It’s a light romantic comedy, very heavy on the laughs with a low steam level (but lots of delicious sexual tension and some swearing).]

 MY TIDBITS

Review: Chasing Midnight by Courtney King Walker with Giveaway

CHASING MIDNIGHT

by Courtney King Walker

Cedar Fort, Inc.

YA Fantasy

256 pages

WISH LIST

1.      The biggest, fanciest house on Sea View Drive.

2.      Nike Flyknits.

3.      A ski-jump nose.

4.      My own car. A new BMW.

5.      Be a total pro at the piano.

6.      James Odera to like me. Be James Odera’s girlfriend.

7.      Get Spencer’s lungs fixed.

Mackenzie Love dreams of being a “lucky one”—someone who has the perfect life. Someone who doesn’t have to worry about money, a sick brother, or her high school status. So when a mysterious visitor offers to make all her wishes come true, Mackenzie jumps at the chance. But the royal lifestyle may cost more than Mackenzie is willing to pay in this modern twist on the classic Cinderella story.

Chasing Midnight: Goodreads | Amazon | Barnes & Noble

MY TIDBITS

I've been getting my thrill on fairy tale re-tellings lately, so I was all smiles when I got my hands on this one. My first thoughts: this is not as magical as I thought it might be. And that's a good thing. . .at least, as far as this tale is concerned.

The main character, Mackenzie, doesn't have a perfect life. Sure, she has people who love her and the bestie best friend ever, but her popularity is on the bottom and her family is battling issues, which would weigh anyone down. My favorite thing about her is that she has a good heart. Mackenzie would love nothing more than to change her life into luck. Not only in the sense of popularity and money, but she'd do anything to save the life of her sick brother.

There is a dash of magic, and it blends it nicely with the 'real' feel of the story--just a hint and never too much. The author does a fantastic job of taking Mackenzie on the trip of her dreams while still keeping the entire thing based in a 'normal' teenage setting. The dialogue and scenery comes to life and feels natural. It's no problem to fall into Mackenzie's world and feel as if you're right beside her as she battles her way through her magical problem.

The other characters are just as easy to sympathize with, and the problems between them reflect things teenagers can easily sympathize with. I appreciated the layers (good and bad) each character had, and the way the author was able to weave secrets behind every facade. Although the book maintains a nice sense of humor, there are several serious messages and lessons worked in as well. But this never feels preachy. As in every good fairy tale, the main character has a lesson to learn, and Mackenzie isn't any different.

Although there are several hints at the Cinderella theme, they are only lightly hit upon, leaving the plot and characters with a fresh and modern tone. There's never a boring moment, and it was never clear what problems she'd run into next...or how to solve them when she did figure out what was going on.

Summed up, this is a retelling with a very modern, high school feel. I can recommend this to YA readers, who like just a tiny touch of magic in a normal, high school setting. With a little romance. A little chaos. And a lot of heart.

And here she is. . .

COURTNEY KING WALKER!!!

Courtney King Walker grew up in the San Francisco Bay Area building rocket ships and rafts out of
cardboard, hoping to make it the moon or at least Niagara Falls. But a trip across the border to Tijuana was as exciting as it ever got, so she decided writing about adventure was the next best thing. She now lives in the Rocky Mountains with her husband and four children, and still dreams of flying to the moon. She is the author of the young adult novel, ON THE FRINGE, and middle grade novel MOLLY PEPPER AND THE NIGHT TRAIN. Her next YA novel, CHASING MIDNIGHT, will be published January 12, 2016 by Cedar Fort Publishing & Media.

Author Links: Website | Twitter | Goodreads

GIVEAWAY!!!

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Go ahead and follow the tour! So many other goodies to see.

Monday, Jan 11th – Lost in Ever After – Guest Post

Tuesday, Jan 12th – Release Day Launch!

Wednesday, Jan 13th – The Book Dragon – Top 10 & Review

Friday, Jan 15th – Worth Reading It? – Review

Monday, Jan 18th – 5 Girl Book Reviews – Review

Wednesday, Jan 20th – 21st Century Once Upon a Time – Author Interview & Review

Friday, Jan 22nd – Bookworm for Kids – Review

Monday, Jan 25th – Books are Love – Review

Wednesday, Jan 27th – Reader Girls – Guest Post

Friday, Jan 29th – A Book and a Latte – Top 10

Review: The Ugly Stepsister by Aya Ling

THE UGLY STEPSISTER

by Aya Ling

YA Fairy Tale Retelling

452 Pages

When Kat accidentally rips apart an old picture book, she’s magically transported into the world of Cinderella–as Katriona, one of the ugly stepsisters! Life turns upside down now that she’s a highborn lady and must learn how to survive the social season, including how to get through the door in a huge metal hoop skirt. To get back, she’ll have to complete the story, right to the end of happily ever after. But the odds are huge: the other stepsister is drop-dead gorgeous, the fairy godmother is nowhere to be found, and the prince, despite being insanely hot, openly dislikes balls. Can she ever return to the modern world?

MY TIDBITS

What a unique twist on Cinderella! Kat is actually a really sweet, very caring teenage girl, so when she gets stuck in a place where only playing out the role of the ugly stepsister will let her return home, she's got quiet the quest on her hands. I wondered right away how she was going to go against her own being and help Cinderella find her Prince Charming. The result is a bunch of unexpected twists and surprises.

It took me a few pages to get into this simply because the first chapters felt a little rough...as if it still needed a little work. But after that, I was grabbed up in Kat's world and couldn't let go. Kat is a wonderful character, full of heart and strength and good sense. . .even if she does some spontaneous things at times. It's easy to love her and cheer for her as she hit the realm where she's captive in unexpected and earth-shattering ways. 

The fairy tale world is easy to dive into, the descriptions bringing it to life. Although it takes part in a whole different reality, there's still bits of our modern world thrown in, making it that much more fun to be apart of. Of course, there's all the wonderful dresses and foods and parties and all those rich things a Cinderella would never have been able to take part in. I enjoyed getting lost in this high-society world.

The plot runs along nicely, never missing a beat. The author throws in all sorts of twists which added a lot of depth and dimension to the traditional story. There were times where the twists were extremely predictable (and it was hard to believe Kat couldn't see it), but many came out of nowhere and were nice surprises. I especially enjoyed the added bits of magic and could practically feel the fairy dust by the end as everything slid into place. The ending was not unexpected, and felt a little too familiar, but it was still fun to read.

I was a little disappointed at the end, but there's nothing really wrong with it--more a matter of personal taste. Maybe my disappointment came because I'd grown to like Kat that much.

Summed up, this is a great twist on Cinderella and while it adds a lot of new twists and original ideas to the story, there's also enough from the original tale to make the entire thing feel familiar.  I can only recommend it to fairy tale retelling fans who dream of happy ever afters.