Book review: MIDNIGHT PRINCE, by J. Saman

Once Upon Ever After #2

Rowan & Marcella

⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

Magnificent! This book absolutely shines, taking everything wonderful from the first two installments and raising the stakes in the best way. After following King Sebastian’s journey, we step into Prince Rowan’s story and go back into the suspense, the mystery, the menace of the curse, and it’s impossible not to fall right in.

Rowan has always been the charming prince in the background, but here he becomes a man longing for something real, something tender, something his brother found with Bellamy. And when he crosses paths with a mysterious woman who steals his breath—and leaves behind only a diamond earring—he’s caught and is a man on a mission.

Marcella is the heart of this book. Strong, abused, brave, and desperate for freedom, she’s a heroine who grabs you from the first moment. Watching her step into the palace as a simple maid, trying to build an honest life while carrying the weight of her past, is both heartbreaking and inspiring. Initially, she was carrying out a job to honor her slain brother, then she realized the truth and decided to honor that truth, not her owner’s. Her chemistry with Rowan is electric, full of longing, tension, and a sweetness that sneaks up on both of them.

What makes this story unforgettable is how seamlessly it blends romance with danger, secrets, and jaw‑dropping revelations. The last chapters brought new twists, new truths, and new emotional punches.  My jaw was touching the floor, I was so surprised. The suspense keeps you glued to the page, but the love story is what makes your heart ache in the best way.

Rowan’s devotion, Marcella’s courage, the royal family’s warmth, and the unraveling of long‑buried mysteries all come together in a tale that is passionate, tender, and thrilling. It’s a story about healing, choosing love over fear, and finding your place in a world that once tried to erase you.

A captivating, emotional, nail‑biting romance that left me smiling, swooning, and eager for the next chapter in this royal saga.

Purchase links

http://geni.us/MidnightPrince

About the author

J. Saman is a USA Today and Amazon top 40 bestselling author who writes sassy, swoony, and scorching contemporary romances. She is addicted to Diet Coke, sour candy, and indie rock. She swears way too much (especially after a glass of wine) and has a penchant for sarcasm (or so her husband and children like to tell her).

J. is an admitted lover of second chance romances, enemies to lovers, and the perfect amount of angst. She is best known for writing funny and emotional romances filled with smart, strong women, and sexy alphas who have a softer side—especially for their women.

Connect with J. Saman

Website: https://www.jsamanbooks.com/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/14923699.J_Saman

Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/stores/J.-Saman/author/B01FOIUR46

Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/jsamanbooks

Facebook Group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/jsamansradtasticreaders

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Book review: THE HEAD THAT WEARS THE CROWN, by Mariah Stewart

Delightful and entertaining, a different kind of book from what I usually read, but I savored the change in pace.  A woman from South Philly who had a very stately grandmother finds out that her grandmother was an Grand Duchess from an European country and that she’s inherited the title.  She’s invited to visit the country in hopes she will take over as ruler.  It seems like a fairy tale, and it is a wonderful story!

The pace is slow and perfect, developing the characters and describing the beautiful country of Saint Gilbert.  Annaliese’s ambitious projects fired my imagination, taking on a country that is in shambles but has so much potential.  It was a stressful job and I could feel the desire to help and the stress of wanting to do so much so fast.  I loved all the characters who are presented so perfectly.  Annalise is our heroine, a forty-something divorced woman, owner of a row house in South Philly, mother of two teenagers.  The reaction of Ralphie and Juliette when they learn they are prince and princess is priceless.  The sisters Ceil and Roe, one very supportive, the other a Debbie Downer, but lovable all the same.  And let’s not forget Captain Maximillian Belleme, captain of the castle guard and in charge of Annie’s safety.  He looks like a young George Clooney so say no more!

The story as Annie takes over and the changes brought forth by her ruling, her relation with Max as it develops very slowly and very subtly, the kids evolvement into their positions, the sisters as they take on responsibilities in the country, it’s all very entertaining and actually educational. 

Lovely, heartwarming, entertaining, a complete delight as I always expect from this author.

Purchase links

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/4bT0KQH

Amazon: https://bit.ly/3T1sD0n

About the author 

Mariah Stewart is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of romance, romantic suspense, and women’s fiction. Her current contemporary romance series, the Chesapeake Diaries, is set in the fictional town of St. Dennis on Maryland’s Eastern Shore of the Chesapeake Bay, about which #1 bestselling author Robyn Carr says “rich characterizations, a charming setting, and romances you’ll never forget will have you packing your bags for St. Dennis”. 

She’s also the author of nineteen bestselling romantic suspense novels, including the MERCY STREET, DEAD, TRUTH, and LAST series and the classic standalones, BROWN-EYED GIRL and VOICES CARRY. 

A native of Hightstown, New Jersey, she lives and gardens amidst the rolling hills of southern Chester County, PA, with her husband and a couple of rambunctious rescue dogs. She's the mother of two grown daughters – a psychologist and a prosecutor – and the grandmother of some of the cutest kids on the planet. In past lives, she's been a teacher and an insurance executive, but knows she's found the perfect job: sitting in her sunny office in old sweats and flip flops, making up stories and the characters who live in them, and getting paid for it. Life could not be sweeter.

Book review: THE ARISTOCRAT, by Penelope Ward

This book made my heart hurt so bad! It’s been some time since I read this author and had forgotten how she breaks your heart and puts it together again, after making you hurt and yearn for the characters’ happy ending.

A British aristocrat with many expectations of his title and inheritance, and an American girl, product of the foster system, determined to forge a future in law. It’s like a forbidden love but it was explosive and all-encompassing.  The book starts slowly as necessary so you get involved in these two characters and watch as they get closer and closer.  It starts out as fun and flirty, sweet and sexy, but ends up in lots of heartache before giving us the HEA .  

Leo brought his cousin with him on this vacation that is like a sabbatical, and he’s a riot. Sigmund is sarcastic and cutting, but at the same time, funny and kind.  Sig’s playboy stories with the women made me laugh and sometimes I liked him more than Leo because he was so entertaining.

I loved the banter, loved the angst, loved Sig, loved how the happy ending was long and entirely satisfying!  

After reading this story that is so romantic and full of passion, I can’t wait to read Sig’s book, The Surrogate!

Purchase links

Amazon: https://bit.ly/48gEEVi

Barnes & Noble: https://bit.ly/3OIxeD5

About the author 

Penelope Ward is a New York Times, USA Today and #1 Wall Street Journal bestselling author of contemporary romance.

She grew up in Boston with five older brothers and spent most of her twenties as a television news anchor. Penelope resides in Rhode Island with her husband, son, and beautiful daughter with autism.

 

With over two million books sold, she is a 21-time New York Times bestseller and the author of over thirty books. Her novels have been translated into over a dozen languages and can be found in bookstores around the world.