Review: A Princess for Christmas

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Leo Ricci's already handling all he can, between taking care of his little sister Gabby, driving a cab, and being the super of his apartment building in the Bronx. But when Gabby spots a "princess" in a gown outside of the UN trying to hail a cab, she begs her brother to stop and help. Before he knows it, he's got a real-life damsel in distress in the backseat of his car. 

Princess Marie of Eldovia shouldn't be hailing a cab, or even be out and about. But after her mother’s death, her father has plunged into a devastating depression and the fate of her small Alpine country has fallen on Marie’s shoulders. She’s taken aback by the gruff but devastatingly handsome driver who shows her more kindness than she’s seen in a long time. 

When Marie asks Leo to be her driver for the rest of her trip, he agrees, thinking he’ll squire a rich miss around for a while and make more money than he has in months. He doesn’t expect to like and start longing for the unpredictable Marie. And when he and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas, he discovers the princess who is all wrong for him is also the woman who is his perfect match.

Genre: contemporary romance

Publication date: October 2020

Mature content: yes

Review: I loved the first part of A Princess for Christmas. Even if there are a few holes in the plot (such as Leo taking for granted that Marie is a princess, especially of a country he never heard about), this is the season to believe in fairy tales so I was ready to overlook any flaws and just go with the flow. 

But by the time Leo and Gabby arrive at Eldovia, the book actually turns into a Hallmark movie - on steroids. Everything is a bit over the top and unrealistic, even for a modern fairy tale. The constant references to Hallmark movies and even to known actresses with changed names that are too obvious to guess were probably meant to make me laugh but instead made me cringe. 

If it weren't for the sex scenes, the story probably would have worked well as a Princess Diaries kind of book. It had potential and could have been a great holidays read. But it's so overdone it looses part of its shine and, happy ending aside, it's just an OK book. 

Happy readings!

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