To Save a King - (True Blue Royal) by Rachel Hauck (Paperback)

Wonderful story of God's love and redeeming grace. I loved the characters of Gemma "Gemstone" and Prince John, their relationship grew out of friendship into best friends and unconditional love for each other. Both have issues in their pasts that they must forgive and allow healing to take place with God's love. I really liked how Rachel used the allegory of letting the light take away the darkness just like God does for us. The otherworldly characters that show up in her royal stories are wonderful. I would definitely recommend this book.

A man and a woman who have been hardened by the cruelties of life and poor decisions are drawn to each other in this modern-day fairy tale. Crown Prince John of Lauchtenland and Gemma Stone of Hearts Bend, Tennessee, spend a summer together building a lovely friendship, but there is much to be done in each of their hearts before they can commit to each other. What it takes to get them to that point makes a wonderful story by a favorite author, Rachel Hauck. For lovers of fairy tales, there is a handsome prince who sweeps Gemma off her feet. There is a beautiful young lady attending royal balls and wearing spectacular dresses. And as Hauck's readers have come to expect, there is an enchanting, spiritual element to this story, which gives the novel its substance. There is a connectedness in all of Hauck's novels, which I love, but the story does stand on its own. Fans of Hauck's writing will slip easily into her world as they read this book. New readers are invited to immerse themselves in this treasure of a story. I received an eARC of this book from the author, through Celebrate Lit, for review purposes. The thoughts expressed here are my own.

Oh my what a wonderful story this has been. I love the feel of a fairy tale mixed with realism. It is hard not to swoon over the Prince and his dashing good looks and proper manner. He is quite the catch I think but Gemma isn’t quite agreeable yet. I adored learning about the Royal Family and its protocol. It did remind me a bit of a certain royal couple who has been in the news lately. I couldn’t help thinking what it would be like to live a lifestyle that was constantly ordained by rules. Gemma stole my heart as she starts a rescue for animals. Her past is slowly catching up with her and I knew she was in for a hard road ahead. So many of us have made mistakes in our past that we can’t let go of. Gemma allows her past to keep secrets and fear that she is not good enough for anyone, As the author began to reveal Genma’s past, I began to know her inner struggles more. Oh Gemma how I want you to find happiness. Prince John is a very determined man. He is insisting that rules be changed but I don’t think the queen is going to agree. John is still grieving the loss of his bride and holds her memory very close to his heart. Now I won’t say how Gemma and the Prince met because I want to focus on the faith element in the story. The author takes two seemly different people and places them at a place and time that only God could have ordained. They each have an emotional journey to forgiveness and I loved how they each opened their heart to God. The story has some other characters that really enhance the story and play a vital role in Gemma and John’s lives. I absolutely laughed out loud when the puppies that Gemma and John were taking care of were named. I’ll let that be a surprise for the readers. The journey takes us across to another country where gossips are ready to pounce on the Royal Family. The author does show a strong family that stood in the face of ridicule and never once turned on each other. I loved their family values and how important their faith is. The ending is wonderful and I am happy the author illustrated how forgiveness leads to freedom. I received a copy of this book from Celebrate Lit. The review is my own opinion.