Tag: prince albert

2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy Reading Challenge

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That’s that!  I have officially completed the 2017 Modern Mrs. Darcy reading challenge!

  1. a book you chose for the cover: Batter Up by Robyn Neeley
  2. a book with a reputation for being un-put-down-able: Infini by Krista & Becca Ritchie
  3. a book set somewhere you’ve never been but would like to visit: Seven Days of You by Cecilia Vinesse
  4. a book you’ve already read: Simon vs. the Homo Sapiens Agenda by Becky Albertalli
  5. a juicy memoir: Talking As Fast As I Can by Lauren Graham
  6. a book about books or reading: My Lady Jane by Cynthia Hand, Brodi Ashton, and Jodi Meadows
  7. a book in a genre you usually avoid: Damaged Like Us by Krista & Becca Ritchie
  8. a book you don’t want to admit you’re dying to read: The Gentleman’s Guide to Vice and Virtue by Mackenzi Lee
  9. a book in the backlist of a new favorite author: The Allure of Julian Lefray by R.S. Grey
  10. a book recommended by someone with great taste: Milk and Honey by Rupi Kaur
  11. a book you were excited to buy or borrow but haven’t read yet: Faithful by Alice Hoffman
  12. a book about a topic or subject you already love: Glamour by A.L. Jackson, Sophie Jordan, Aleatha Romig, Skye Warren, Lili St. Germain, Nora Flite, Sierra Simone, and Nicola Rendell
  13. a Newbery award winner or honor book: Brown Girl Dreaming by Jacqueline Woodson
  14. a book in translation: The Vegetarian by Han Kang
  15. a book that’s more than 600 pages: A Conjuring of Light by V.E. Schwab
  16. a book of poetry, a play, or an essay collection: Bad Feminist by Roxane Gay
  17. a book of any genre that addresses current events: The Hate U Give by Angie Thomas
  18. an immigrant story: Lucy and Linh by Alice Pung
  19. a book published before you were born: Beauty by Robin McKinley
  20. three books by the same author: Double Team, Prince Albert, and Prick by Sabrina Paige
  21. a book by an #ownvoices or #diversebooks author: If I Was Your Girl by Meredith Russo
  22. a book with an unreliable narrator or ambiguous ending: We Were Liars by E. Lockhart
  23. a book nominated for an award in 2017: The Passion of Dolssa by Julie Berry
  24. a Pulitzer Prize or National Book Award winner: A Visit from the Goon Squad by Jennifer Egan

Book review: Prince Albert by Sabrina Paige

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Goodreads   Amazon

Belle and Albie meet one night in Vegas.  They hit it off, get drunk, and do the most Vegas thing possible – get married by an Elvis impersonator.  They never really expect to see each other again, and in fact, plan to have the marriage annulled before they have to explain themselves to anyone, but family obligations get in the way and they end up putting the annulment off.

When Belle heads to Protrovia to meet her mother’s new fiance (the King!), she doesn’t expect anything too shocking.  She certainly doesn’t expect that Albie would be PRINCE ALBERT, the crown prince of Protrovia and her future stepbrother!  Now Belle and Albie have to keep their marriage hidden from their parents, their omnipresent bodyguards, and the media. Their relationship must be strictly hands-off, and they have to act like they barely know each other… which is easier said than done.

This book was included in my Kindle edition of Double Team by Sabrina Paige, a book I read earlier this year and, if I’m honest, really didn’t enjoy too much. I wasn’t expecting too much from this book, but I figured I might as well read it since:

1. it was there,
2. it was free, and
3. I’ve really enjoyed most of the stepbrother romances I’ve read.

This book really surprised me by being hot without being gross, being exciting without being too over-the-top, and being a twist on the usual step-sibling romance.  I really liked both Belle and Albie, and some of the side characters (like Albie’s little sister Alex and bodyguard Max) also stole my heart. It was such a 180 from Double Team that I didn’t even really know what to think while I was reading it!

Prince Albert has definitely redeemed Sabrina Paige in my eyes, and I will definitely be keeping an eye out for whatever she comes up with next.

Final rating: ★★★★☆

#mmdreading: three books by the same author

Top Ten Tuesday: Ten favorite romances

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Happy Top Ten Tuesday! In honor of Valentine’s Day, today is all about romance! Specifically, favorite romance tropes.  I have a few favorite tropes, so I’ll break it down by category.  I also want to say that it was so hard to choose just ten books overall, so please please please, if you want more examples, let me know!

Imagine not only living by someone your own age, but having that person be utterly adorable and having them feel the same about you.  Never happened to me, but it seems like it would be great.

Examples:

I love a book (and a guy) that can make me laugh. Sometimes I’m up for some serious heartache, and other times I just want something light.  It’s very, very rare that a rom-com will disappoint me.

Examples:

I don’t know if I’d go for my opposite in real life, but sometimes reading about people who are like night and day that actually end up falling in love is great.  It’s particularly great when one is a grumpy jerk and the other is a ray of sunshine.

Examples:

Is there anybody alive who hasn’t fallen in love with their best friend at some point? Whether anything came of it or not, I think we all have a soft spot for these stories.

Examples:

I swore I would never get into “those stepbrother books.”  Well, I did.  Oops.  It’s not so much the taboo for me, but they always have such good buildup before anything happens!  These authors make you work for it! There’s none of this sex-by-page-two nonsense with this trope.

Examples:

Honorable mentions (or, if this were called Top Twenty Tuesday):

  • rockstar romance
  • best friend’s brother
  • brother’s best friend
  • unexpected coworkers
  • roommates

What are your favorite tropes?