Xpresso Tours Presents: A Royal Christmas Quandary by Samantha Hastings; #BlogTour, #ReleaseBlitz, #NowAvailable, #OutNow, #TBR, #Live, #Giveaway

 

A Royal Christmas Quandary

Samantha Hastings

Published by: Swoon Reads

Publication date: October 6th 2020

Genres: Historical, Romance, Young Adult

 

Readers looking for a light, fun read full of holiday mischief will be delighted by Samantha Hastings’ A Royal Christmas Quandary, perfect for fans of A Christmas Prince.

When you spend Christmas in a castle, anything is possible.

1860. Lady Alexandrina Gailey is looking forward to a cozy holiday at Windsor Castle with her best friend, Princess Alice, and her long-time crush, Lord George Worthington. But Drina’s plans are all but dashed when Alice’s parents, Queen Victoria and Prince Albert, declare that Alice must choose one of two royal princes to become engaged to before Christmas.

There’s just one problem: George, a junior member of the Foreign Office, has accidentally misplaced one of the princes.

Together, Drina and George scour the town of Windsor for the missing prince, desperately hoping to deliver him to the royal dinner party with the queen none the wiser. They might just need a royal Christmas miracle to pull it off.

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Author Bio:

Samantha Hastings has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Reading (Berkshire, England), and the University of North Texas. She met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, and chasing her kids. She is the author of THE LAST WORD, THE INVENTION OF SOPHIE CARTER, and A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY.

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XPresso Tours Presents: The Invention of Sophie Carter by Samantha Hastings; #ReleaseBlitz, #BlogTour, #ComingSoon, #TBR, #Review, #Giveaway

The Invention of Sophie Carter

Samantha Hastings

(Swoon Reads)

Publication date: July 14th 2020

Genres: Historical Romance, Young Adult

Rating:  4 Stars

Disclosure of Material Connection:  I received this book for review from Xpresso Tours and the author.  I was not compensated nor was I required to write a positive review.  The opinions I have expressed are my own.  I am posting this in accordance with the Federal Trade Commission's 16 CFR, Part 255:  "Guides Concerning the Use of Endorsements and Testimonials in Advertising". 

Identical twin sisters take turns swapping places over the course of a summer in order to pursue their secret ambitions in Samantha Hastings’ Victorian YA romance.

1851. Bounced from one begrudging relative to another their whole lives, orphaned identical twins Sophie and Mariah Carter have always relied on each other for love and support, even though the sisters couldn’t be more different.

Brash Sophie wants to be an inventor, and demure Mariah wants to be an artist. Both long to visit London for the summer—Sophie to see the Queen’s Great Exhibition and Mariah to study the world’s finest collection of paintings. But when their cantankerous aunt answers their letter pleading for a place to stay, she insists she only has time and room to spare for one of them.

So, Mariah and Sophie hatch a clever scheme: They will travel to London together and take turns playing the part of “Sophie”.

At first the plan runs like clockwork. But as the girls avoid getting caught by increasingly narrow margins and two handsome gentlemen—both of whom think they’re falling in love with the real Sophie Carter—enter the equation, the sisters find they don’t have the situation quite as under control as they thought.

With all sorts of delightful Parent Trap-style identical twin hijinks, The Invention of Sophie Carter is the perfect light-and-sweet palate cleanser.

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My Thoughts:

Sophie Carter wants something more out of life at a time when women didn’t have many choices.  I found with this book that there’s more than one story going on here.  That means you get more for your money here.  In a way it’s hard to read a historical fiction book because women had some many challenges to face.  You may also feel lucky that we have so much to be thankful for. 

I enjoyed getting to see what gave Sophie pleasure and getting to experience it through her eyes.  We get to experience her adventures/trouble she gets into which may elicit a chuckle or two.  She’s a young woman who is not someone who's willing to conform to society just because it’s expected.  Instead she wants what she desires. 

For me, the romance was secondary to watching Sophie, and her sister, blossom.  It’s about willing to take the chance to be what you want to be.  You may be young but if you know what your life’s path is going to be than why not see where it takes you.  If you have someone to share that passion with just makes it better.  Make sure to read to the very end.  The author writes a note to her readers about some of the historical aspects – I found it interesting.  This book may be tagged as a young adult but I think that anyone from YA and up would enjoy reading it.  I’ve discovered a new author and look forward to discovering more of her work. 

Author Bio:

Samantha Hastings has degrees from Brigham Young University, the University of Reading (Berkshire, England), and the University of North Texas. She met her husband in a turkey sandwich line. They live in Salt Lake City, Utah, where she spends most of her time reading, eating popcorn, and chasing her kids. She is the author of THE LAST WORD, THE INVENTION OF SOPHIE CARTER, and A ROYAL CHRISTMAS QUANDARY.

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