A Royal Christmas Wedding by Rachel Hauck

Avery had met Prince Colin five years ago when she was in Brighton Kingdom to attend the wedding of her sister to Nathaniel, now king. She had been excited about their budding romance until he abruptly dropped her. That was four and a half years ago and she hasn't heard from him since. Avery and her mother are going to the kingdom to enjoy the country's Christmas celebration. Will she see Colin? Will she be able to control her heart?

Colin had never stopped loving the vivacious Avery, even when his father made him break off the romance. Now he has a beautiful and wealthy woman on his arm. His father thinks she is exactly the right woman for Colin's future. Colin's world is jolted when he sees Avery in Brighton Kingdom. Will he displease his father and pursue Avery?

Hauck has given us a well developed romance in this short novel. It helps that Avery and Colin knew each other before. Through memories and dialogue, both characters are quickly developed well. I really like the fire in Avery. She's a spitfire, even willing to toss cupcakes at Prince Colin when challenged by Colin's friend. I appreciate the character development through character actions rather than long descriptive passages.

I like the setting too. We've learned a bit about Brighton Kingdom from earlier novels and this one concentrates on the Christmas celebration. I like the idea of the centuries old tradition – when the tower bell mysteriously rings on its own, it seems God will have a hand in the romance between Avery and Colin.

This is the fourth in this series but this novel reads well on its own. There is enough back story included and action taking place that it is an enjoyable novel to read during the Christmas season.

I am taking part in a blog tour of this book. You can find links to other reviews and read a guest post by the author here.

My rating: 4/5 stars.

Rachel Hauck is a New York Times, USA Today and Wall Street Journal bestselling and award-winning author. She is a graduate of Ohio State University with a degree in Journalism. She worked in the corporate software world before beginning to write full time in 2004. She is a mentor and therapist at My Book Therapy and a conference speaker. She and her husband live in central Florida.

Zondervan, 240 pages. You can purchase a copy here.

I received a complimentary egalley of this book through Celebrate Lit. My comments are an independent and honest review.