Synopsis:
A Proper Romance
Ariella was only looking for a distraction, something to break up the monotony of palace life. What she found was a young man willing to overlook her title and show her a new and vibrant way of life. But when her growing feelings for Gavin spiral out of control and clash with the expectations of her station, she will discover that the consequences of her curiosity are far more severe than she’d imagined.
I watched in helpless horror as two guards hauled Gavin to his feet and dragged him from the room. My voice was frozen, unable to protest as another guard took hold of my arm, leading me upstairs. From the confines of my room, I stared into the darkness beyond my window, hoping to catch one more glimpse of Gavin. He was gone, and I wondered if he would have been better off if he had never met me.
I write clean romance. Why? Because that’s what I love to read, but over the years I’ve discovered it’s quite a challenge to find good clean romance. I believe it’s a genre that many people are looking for and too few authors are writing. My first novel, Just Ella, took me many years to write because I wanted it to be more than just a cutesy love story. I wanted it to have depth, to feel genuine. Hopefully I succeeded, but you’ll have to be the judge.
Excerpt:
Now, wait just a minute. You can’t just plunge into a pool of water.”
“Why not?” I should have said something cleverer, but I felt a bit scatterbrained, all thoughts having fled when Gavin’s arm went around me.
He made a noise of exasperation. “Why not, she asks. Because, Princess, what’s going to happen when you show up for your lessons completely drenched? Or, what happens when we both show up on the palace grounds completely drenched? I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to have to explain that to anybody.”
Unfortunately, he had a point. “Don’t call me Princess.” He had been so relaxed today, so willing to be himself and let me be myself. I hated that he felt the need to remind me of my rank. I was tempted to be angry and walk away but I also wanted to see how long he would keep his arms around me. Simply out of curiosity, of course.
Review:
I am so in love! Just Ella reminds me of a clean cut fairy tale romance. Sighhhh.
Ella, our heroine, wants more than what her life as a princess has to offer. She wants to be free. Free to do the things she loves and to fall in love with someone of her own choosing. When she meets Gavin, her whole world turns upside down. Being with him has taught her that there really is more to life than castle politics. But more importantly he has taught her how to truly be herself.
"Never would have I ever imagined that loving someone could be so utterly painful."
I kept hearing the song Love Story by Taylor Swift. It's the perfect song for Ella and Gavin. Our beautiful couple.
I'm so happy I signed up for this blog tour because the book is so different than what I'm used to reading. It's the type of romance that's enchanting and magical. I adored it!
"I'm sorry, Princess, but protecting you is ingrained in me. I cannot not protect you."
Ella is a strong female lead. She's brave and loyal and so very kind to her kingdom. Everything a great princess should be, at least in my opinion. Even through her darkest moments, she remained strong. I admire that and look up to a character that's independent and not obsessing over the boy she loves.
Gavin is a beautiful, wonderful, honest, and well rounded man. He teaches our dear Ella so much about herself and trust me, you'll be swooning and loving him just as much as me.
Gavin," I whispered.
"Yes," he asked, his voice husky.
"Let me go," I pleaded in a whisper.
And I saw in his eyes that he understood.
His face crumbled slightly and he groaned, "I can't."
With all epic romances there has to be some downs. I'll be real with you, along with this beautiful story, there's tons of heartbreak. It made the story so much better in a way. The end result is what really matters.
I highly recommend this to those who love fairy tale like stories with strong females leads who face hardships but remain poised and classy throughout it all. And it's a romance with loveable characters, so what's not to love?
5 stars
Author Annette K. Larsen
I was born in Utah, but grew up in Flagstaff Arizona and St. Louis Missouri, the fifth of seven children. I attended college at Southern Virginia University and Brigham Young University where I studied English and Theater. I now live in Idaho with my husband and four children.
I have Charlotte Bronte to thank for the courage to write novels. After being bombarded with assigned reading about women who justified abandoning either their families or their principles in the name of love, I had the great fortune of reading Jane Eyre. And that was it: finally a heroine who understood that being moral and making the right choice was hard, and sometimes it hurt, but it was still worth it. After rereading it several years later, I realized that if I wanted more books to exist with the kinds of heroines I admired, then I might as well write a few myself. My books are about women who face hard choices, who face pain and rejection and often have to sacrifice what they want for what is right. The consequences are often difficult or unpleasant, but it the end, doing what’s right will always be worth it.
I believe there is no substitute for good writing or good chocolate. Fortunately, one often leads to the other.
BookBlast Giveaway
$50 Amazon Gift Card or Paypal Cash
Ends 10/31/13
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