Showing posts with label Meg Cabot. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Meg Cabot. Show all posts

Wednesday, June 10, 2015

Royal Wedding by Meg Cabot (3.5 stars)

About Royal Wedding

• Print Length: 448 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (June 2, 2015)

From the #1 New York Times bestselling author of the Princess Diaries series, comes the very first adult installment, which follows Princess Mia and her Prince Charming as they plan their fairy tale wedding—but a few poisoned apples could turn this happily-ever-after into a royal nightmare.

For Princess Mia, the past five years since college graduation have been a whirlwind of activity, what with living in New York City, running her new teen community center, being madly in love, and attending royal engagements. And speaking of engagements. Mia’s gorgeous longtime boyfriend Michael managed to clear both their schedules just long enough for an exotic (and very private) Caribbean island interlude where he popped the question! Of course Mia didn’t need to consult her diary to know that her answer was a royal oui.

But now Mia has a scandal of majestic proportions to contend with: Her grandmother’s leaked “fake” wedding plans to the press that could cause even normally calm Michael to become a runaway groom. Worse, a scheming politico is trying to force Mia’s father from the throne, all because of a royal secret that could leave Genovia without a monarch.  Can Mia prove to everyone—especially herself—that she’s not only ready to wed, but ready to rule as well?

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Review

Please see the summary for a general overview of the book. I had so many feelings and thoughts while reading this one that I wanted to get right into my commentary.

First, I'll be honest. I hadn't read any of the previous books in this series, although I did see the movie. So glad I had a least that background, because it would have been hard to read this book with no backstory. I'm sure fans of the series will jump right in, but I had little to go on and was frustrated at first.

As I read on, I did start to get into the story. However, I found Princess Mia whiny and a bit of a brat. I wanted her to come across more mature (according to the summary there was a five-year gap since her last escapades) and regal. Yet, her voice still came across as very teen to me and definitely not someone ready to rule anything. A secret later comes out that changed the character. From that point on, Princess Mia grew on me.

I did love the character who came into Mia's life as a result of this secret (you'll find no spoilers here), and I found Mia's fiance, Michael, charming. He actually saved Mia for me when I was annoyed with her. After all, if someone like Michael was crazy about her, there had to be something I was missing.

A character who gets under my skin initially is not always a bad thing, especially because I came around to like her by the end. I truly believe it's better to feel passionate about a book (good or bad) than blasé about it. 

Toward the end, there's a twist that guarantees there will be another book in this series. I'm hoping this development will further mature Princess Mia.

If you are a fan of the series, you'll no doubt want this next chapter in Princess Mia's life. However, if you are new to the series, you might want to try a few of the earlier books first so you don't start this one cold like I did.

It's definitely a fun read for summer!

Rating: 3.5 stars

Meg Cabot About Meg Cabot 

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction, she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. More than 25 million copies of her novels for children and adults have sold worldwide. Meg lives in Key West, Florida, with her husband. 

Find out more about Meg at her website, follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.
Thanks to TLC for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own. 

Please visit other stops on the Royal Wedding blog tour page.

Thursday, October 10, 2013

The Bride Wore Size 12 by Meg Cabot (4 stars)

About The Bride Wore Size 12

• Paperback: 400 pages
• Publisher: William Morrow Paperbacks (September 24, 2013)


Heather Wells is used to having her cake and eating it too, but this time her cake just might be cooked. Her wedding cake, that is.

With her upcoming nuptials to PI Cooper Cartwright only weeks away, Heather’s already stressed. And when a pretty junior turns up dead, Heather’s sure things can’t get worse—until every student in the dorm where she works is a possible suspect, and Heather’s long-lost mother shows up.

Heather has no time for a tearful mother and bride reunion. She has a wedding to pull off and a murder to solve. Instead of wedding bells, she might be hearing wedding bullets, but she’s determined to bring the bad guys to justice if it’s the last thing she does . . . and this time, it just might be.

Review

Heather Wells is a busy woman. Working in a New York College dorm room, she has to deal with complaining parents, students breaking the rules, and a VIP student who is causing all kinds of issues. Plus, she's planning her wedding to a sexy private investigator, Cooper. As if that wasn't enough, a resident advisor is found murdered.

Thrust into a murder investigation, Heather is determined to discover who did it. But there are many obstacles along the way, and she finds herself in danger. Will she make it to the chapel on time?

The Bride Wore Size 12 is book five in the Heather Wells Mysteries series, but it's the first one I've read. Heather is a great character. She's witty and determined, as comfortable dealing with a frantic mom who wants her daughter reassigned to a new roommate as she is crafty enough to sift through some convoluted clues to solve a murder. There's something very real about her, not a cookie cut out of a female. And I loved her interactions with her female friends and co-workers.

What I felt I missed out on was Cooper and Heather's love story and a little more of Heather's back story. There were enough hints to piece some of this together, but I wanted more. I'm guessing books one through four would be quite helpful. Now I just need to go back and read the other books in the series. Something I intend to do.

But as far as fast-paced, intriguing murder mysteries go, this was a total score. And I loved how the author infused some witty and downright comical moments. It's light without being fluff.

Rating: 4 stars

About the Author

Meg Cabot was born in Bloomington, Indiana. In addition to her adult contemporary fiction she is the author of the bestselling young adult fiction series, The Princess Diaries. She lives in Key West, FL with her husband.

Find out more about Meg at her website, follow her blog, and connect with her on Facebook and Twitter.

Thanks to TLC Book Tours for my review copy.

Note: I received a complimentary copy for review purposes. A positive review was not requested or guaranteed; the opinions expressed are my own.

Please visit other stops on The Bride Wore Size 12 blog tour page.