Monday, December 2, 2019

About the Book

Book: Heart Of A Royal

Author: Hannah Currie

Genre: Young Adult/Royalty

Brought to the palace as a newborn, the royal life bestowed upon Mackenna Sparrow was never meant to last forever. With Princess Alina engaged to be married, Mackenna’s presence as companion is no longer required and, like it or not, she must return to the birthright which should have been hers – that of a commoner. But not everyone at the palace wants her gone. When the truths she’s based her life on start crumbling as fast as her future, will she find the courage to trust, both herself and the prince she’s fallen in love with?

About the Author

Aussie author, Hannah Currie, loves God, family, people (in small numbers, let’s not go crazy here!) and writing. She and her husband live with their three adorable kids in sunny Queensland, where it really is beautiful one day and perfect the next. Except, maybe, during heatwaves. They’re not so fun. She loves to connect with readers at www.hannahcurrie.com.

More from Hannah

For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by royalty. Real ones like Queen Elizabeth II, who is such an incredible woman and a total hero of mine (not to mention, as a proud Australian and member of the Commonwealth, my monarch) but also the not-so-real ones. Those found in fairytales. Romances. Narnia.

I’m one of those people who blocks out an entire day to watch a royal wedding, sighs like a hopeless romantic through cheesy princess movies, reads just about any novel I find with a crown on the front and loves a full-spread photo souvenir magazine. I may have even written a short story starring a princess for an English assignment at school. More than once. [Side note, if you’re going to write a story about a princess who is totally adorable but can’t spell, don’t use a misspelled word as the title. It takes a lot of explaining to make sure the teacher knows you did it on purpose and doesn’t mark you down for it… sorry Ninth Grade English teacher!].

The glamor draws me in, the beautiful clothes, the history and romance of it all, but it’s the expectations they have on them which hold me there. Every title comes with a million expectations, whether or not they’re realistic. We expect royals, both real and fictional, to behave in a certain way. To be honourable (assuming they’re the good guys). To care for their people and put them first. To always be there. Yes, even to be beautiful.

But what happens when they’re not? When they’re shy? Fight anxiety? Hate the spotlight? Are blemished in some way? What happens when what’s best for the people isn’t what’s best for them? Or when they make a mistake? Something which, for anyone else, would be easily fixed or glossed over but for a royal, gets written into the history books forever. Purely because of their title.

Kenna, the main character in Heart of a Royal, never meant to be a princess. She wasn’t born into royalty, neither did she choose it. And yet, due to circumstances far beyond her control, there she is. Living in a palace. Part of that life.

Very few of us are royalty but I think we all know how heavy expectations can be and the pain of being thrust into situations beyond our control. And yet, even in those moments and seasons, just like Kenna, we have choices. They might seem small, maybe even insignificant in the grand scheme of things, but they’re there. Who we put our trust in. What we do with the circumstances we’ve been given. Where we go from there.

Heart of a Royal is as much my story as it is Kenna’s. No, I’m not a princess (thankfully!) but I have struggled through finding hope and purpose when life flies out of control and the expectations prove too much. And here’s what I’ve found – God is good. There is hope and God is good. I hope, through Kenna’s story, you are reminded of that too.

This book is so enchanting, so beautifully written and so engrossing I didn't want it to end. As I read the book I thought of Lady Dianna and how unsure she was as she became the most photographed woman in the world. Her life changed so drastically the moment she said I do. As little girls many of us dream about marrying a prince and living in a palace. Those dreams sometimes come true but at a cost.

Kenna is a wonderful character who has grown up in a castle where she was given the name Lady Mackenna. Many people hoped one day that she would become queen. In one moment her life was almost perfect and then in the blink of a eye she was exiled from the palace. I disliked the King and how callous he was in his treatment to Kenna. The king was bitter over losing his wife and for some reason had it in for Kenna.

Oh Ben be still my heart. The Prince was everything I hoped for in this story. He is handsome, kind, thoughtful and has a big secret. It was easy for me to see how much he loved Kenna, but she kept denying it in her head. The author has written a book so romantic and entertaining that I kept hoping the story would never end. It was easy to picture the ball and the lovely gown Lady Mackenna wore. Her grace and Ben's charm were nothing short of a fairy tale romance.

I loved reading how an unexpected event draws Ben and Kenna closer together despite his father's demands to stop seeing each other. I liked Ben's ability to follow his heart and not be threatened by his father. Towards the end of the story, the author throws in a wonderful glimpse of God and how much He loves everyone. The ending is touching and the story shows how faith has guided several people in the story. I was captivated by the devotion Ben and others had to something that could possibly get them killed. It is a beautiful story written with such grace, vivid descriptions and the unconditional love of the one true King.

I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.