Once Upon a Prince

A modern day fairy tale current to the times

His Royal Highness Oscar St. Palgreen Concordia Mendoza IV (a long name to type) is a young prince of Montecelia who had to face his duty to rule due to the recent passing of King Marlon, his father. He did not expect things to happen so quickly. One moment Oscar was wild and free to prove to his worth to rule and understand his people's plight people and that the monarchy can live Son. He may not be up for the job YET, and he can "learn" how to empathize with his people. So, where would he go to find out how to live a "common life" while being "inconspicuous"? Why where else but in Central USA's Wisconson!

Amelia Newland is the sole entrepreneur of Royal Weddings Incorporated. She is currently at her wit's end with her business manager is currently on-leave. Amelia is failing to juggle her responsibilities in organizing the weddings AND the accounting side of the business. One of the mistakes cost her dearly, and she needs to hire someone to help her with it immediately.

The story from a narrative standpoint for both characters. It was not confusing even when conversations switched between Amelia and Oscar. The plot loosely reminds me of Knotting Hill (the movie), wherein someone famous person (royalty vs. movie star) wanting to "become normal." But in Once Upon a Prince, the purpose is a very noble one - to save the monarchy the royal family. The book has a clean and sweet plotline where honesty and slow-build ooze out in the pages. Oscar was able to tell Amelia his background and that the job is a temporary one. I am grateful for this honesty since it starts the working relationship to a good start, especially when the job is all about trust.

Amelia's family background is not something she likes to talk about, unlike Oscar's parents, who he adores and looks up as a role model. The juxtaposition of creating happy and beautiful weddings while she feels unworthy of such an ending is sad and disheartening. She did not turn bad or even "too-broken. On the contrary, she is resilient, hardworking, caring, and resourceful. She sought to take responsibility for her future, but Amelia's life's scars made her vulnerable, mostly when the discussion deals with Oscar's father. Good thing that she had wonderful women surrounding her to make things better, like family and friends.

Oscar is not the typical playboy prince. Instead, he is the total opposite; he is kind, polite, and very thoughtful. He shows empathy naturally, which is one of the best qualities a king would have. All of this is the product of his and his sister's upbringing. He has a good head on his shoulders and wants to be "right" for his people. He has the right elements to become king, but he needs to be more confident. He is worried about ruling after his father, who has set high standards for him. It comes down to honor his legacy or his heart. It was painful to have to be in his position.

It was a tough act of balancing my emotions for Amelia's plight and Oscar's family position. I felt my heart stealthy pulled in all directions. I realized too late how invested I was in these two unsuspecting people. Warning: do not let the "light, easy-breezy scenes" and cute cover deceive you. Expect an emotional rollercoaster to be twisted, wrung out, and finally molded back into a beautiful shape after.

Overall, the book is a good read for me. Honesty is the foundation of a healthy and everlasting relationship that Once Upon a Prince has in truckloads. The slow-build The main characters and their plight: threatening business and legacy are at the forefront of the story and balanced each other. Although time-pressed (due to the hectic wedding and imminent coronation schedules), the storyline did not unnerve me because I trusted my emotions with where the author will take me.

PS: Short rant - The situation of being undercut through ethical and unethical practices in Amelia's business industry was not pleasant to read through. The other party's approach was reaching apprehensible heights in the book. The worst part was Amelia's competitor's lack of decency in bragging in front of her face after calling him out for poaching her employees. I was frustrated and mad as I read through it to the point of wanting to strangle the owner!