Books for Christian Girls: "A Royal Christmas" by Melody Carlson

About this book:

  “Adelaide Smith is too busy for fairy tales. She's been working hard to put herself through law school and now that the end is in sight, she's determined to stay focused on her goals. Then she receives a letter notifying her that she has been found through a DNA registry to be a direct descendant of King Maximillian V, the ruler of a small Eastern European principality called Montovia. She's understandably skeptical. This is the stuff of cheesy made-for-TV movies, not real life.
   Although the pieces of this surprising family puzzle seem too good to be true, curiosity gets the best of her. At the king's invitation, Adelaide embarks on a Christmas break trip that is chock-full of surprises, including a charming village, an opulent palace, family mysteries, royal jealousies, a handsome young member of Parliament--and the chance at a real fairy tale romance with a happily-ever-after ending.”

Series: As of now, no. A stand-alone novella.

Spiritual Content- Prayers; Church going; Talks about God; 'H's are not capital when referring to God; Set around Christmas and mentions of the true reason for the holiday, a nativity, & hymns; Mentions of God, Jesus, His plans and timing, & peace; Mentions of prayers & praying; Mentions of churches, church going, services, & a priest; A mention of Heaven; A mention of a miracle; A mention of women’s church groups; A mention of a cross necklace;
             *Note: Mentions of Saint Nicholas, day of celebration around him, & Santa Claus; Mentions of the day before Saint Nicholas day is similar to Halloween with an evil “half-goat, half-demon” creature called “Krampus” that terrorizes children into behaving and is part of the pagan winter solstice rituals (said to have been the son of Hel and the underworld, parties will have devil costumes and lots of drinking, shown negatively, up to semi-detailed); A few mentions of someone who has passed away watching another’s event; A couple mentions of fictional myths/folklore (Loch Ness Monster & Big Foot); A mention of not being able to see another who has passed “in this world” again (both the person who has passed and Adelaide who thinks this are Christians).

Negative Content- Minor cussing including: a ‘heck’; A bit of Sarcasm; Adelaide goes to a Halloween-like party (people dress up as devils or with horns and drink a lot) and has a fake alcoholic drink to blend in; Grieving & Pain (up to semi-detailed); While it’s implied that Adelaide is given wine at dinner, we do not see her drink (besides mulled wine at events); Others socially drink (including the love interest) and talk about needing or having a drink or wine; Adelaide is grieving her mother after her tragic death *Spoiler* & father *End of Spoiler* (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of deaths & grieving (for a mother and a father); Mentions of illnesses (liver cancer), signs, & being near to death (up to semi-detailed); Mentions of a missing person, some thinking foul play was involved, an abduction, & a possible murder;  Mentions of an abduction & prank; Mention of scams; Mentions of alcohol, bars/pubs, drinking, social drinking at dinner and parties, & drunks; Mentions of eavesdropping; Mentions of a hunter & hunting; A few mentions of drunk driving & deaths (bluntly semi-detailed); A couple mentions of a possible drowning; A couple mentions of crimes; A couple mentions of drugs & addicts; A couple mentions of hatred; A couple mentions of rumors; A mention of a serial killer; A mention of World War II; A mention of a thief; A mention of smoking; A mention of the death of a pet cat;
             *Note: Mentions of some in Montovia having a “backward attitude towards women” and Adelaide being upset by those people thinking that being female is a shortcoming; Mentions of brand names (Splenda & Sugar In The Raw); Mentions of movies, TV shows, actresses, songs, & fictional characters (including Finding Nemo, Shrek, Downton Abbey, & Sharon Stone); Mentions of car brands; A few mentions of social media sites and apps (YouTube, FaceTime, & Zoom); A few mentions of the British royal family; A couple mentions of Hallmark & Masterpiece Theater; A couple mentions of Adelaide being worried about what her “animal activist friends” would say about a fur coat; A mention of Disney; A mention of the phrase “buzzkill”.

Sexual Content- Two almost kisses (one being up to semi-detailed); Dancing & Hand holding (barely-above-not-detailed); Noticing (barely-above-not-detailed); Adelaide’s mother never told her about her biological father (they weren’t married so  Adelaide was born out-of-wedlock/illegitimate, and the father didn’t know); Adelaide’s ex-boyfriend was insistent about them moving in together (she was waiting for a ring); Mentions of kisses & almost kisses; Mentions of dating, exes, & Adelaide’s mother being a “jerk magnet”; A few mentions of an affair & some thinking a woman might be having an affair; A few mentions of illegitimate children; A few mentions of crushes; A couple mentions of a woman being a head turner & getting attention; A mention of some wild dance moves making Adelaide blush; Some love, falling in love, & the emotions;
             *Note: Adelaide wears a dress with a “slightly plunging neckline” to fit in at a party where many are dressed provocatively; Mentions of dresses with plunging necklines & slits and other provocative clothing (barely-above-not-detailed); Mentions of Adelaide’s new stepbrother being interested in her as marrying her would be a quick way to get the throne; A couple mentions of Adelaide’s friend possibly being interested in a much older man (quickly shut down).

-Adelaide Smith, age 28/29
                                P.O.V. of Adelaide
                                                        176 pages

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My personal Rating-

This plot (trope?) is so common of a normal girl finding out she’s a Princess, but is also just so much fun. I will completely blame the Princess Diaries movies for my love of this kind of book.

This book was cheesy at times and not one that requires a lot of thinking, but that’s nice some days—especially around the busy holiday season.

I liked Adelaide, she’s strong and stands up for herself against a queen that doesn’t like her. It was nice to not see a young woman in this position cowering or being meek. I wasn’t a fan of her best friend, though.

I didn’t love the parts about Krampus. I’m glad that it was portrayed negatively, but it affected my enjoyment of the story at times and makes me mark this book for older girls. The author definitely showed it as wrong and as a comparison for the True Meaning of Christmas, but I disliked the evil of it being in this book.

Being a novella, it did feel a bit rushed at the end to me, but it was still a good ending and an overall fun story. I would have loved to see an epilogue though!

See y’all on Friday with a new review!