Series: A Crown by Christmas (Book 2)
One magical night…
…could ignite a royal scandal!
In this A Crown by Christmas story, six months ago Tia
Phillips and Prince Antonio of Casavalle shared one passionate night. Now she's
on the palace doorstep -- pregnant with his baby! Another royal scandal is all
Casavalle needs, so Antonio whisks Tia away to a secret hideaway. Soon
Antonio's falling for her, but will Tia accept his hand in marriage when she
thinks he's asking only out of duty?
Good book. Tia and Antonio first met when he brought her
and her mother word of her brother Nathan's death in action. Tia was not
impressed, as Antonio was brusque and cold in his delivery, and barely stayed
long enough to deliver the news. He claimed that Nathan was his friend, but
didn't show up for his funeral. So when Tia saw him again at a charity gala
where she was working, she was not inclined to be friendly.
When Antonio saw Tia, he was wracked with guilt. Nathan's
death had devastated him, but as a member of the royal family, he had been
taught to keep his emotions under control at all times, so he knew he hadn't
handled the visit to the family well. To make things worse, he was immediately sent
on another mission, so he hadn't been able to attend Nathan's funeral. He knew
how much Nathan loved his mother and sister and felt terrible that he hadn't
checked up on them.
I liked seeing Antonio try to get Tia to talk with him. I
liked that he understood her attitude, yet persisted in requesting her
presence. Tia tried to resist, but when Antonio invoked Nathan's name, she gave
in. I loved that encounter in his rooms, as he didn't behave at all like she
expected a prince to behave. I was glad that she finally listened to his
reasons and forgave him. Her own grief and empathy made it easy for her to give
him a comforting hug. What was unexpected was the passion that flared between
them, and the form that their comforting of each other took.
Six months later, Tia shows up in Casavalle, after trying
for months to reach Antonio. She has been stonewalled all along the way, mostly
because she won't tell anyone WHY she needs to talk to him. After all, that
kind of news should be delivered in person, not through a third party. I liked
that Tia stood her ground until she finally got to see him. To say he was
shocked would put it mildly, and not too happy that she had so much trouble reaching
him. Unfortunately, the timing of her news isn't the greatest, as the royal
family has already been rocked by several scandals. While Antonio tries to
figure out how best to handle it, he and Tia head for his private hideaway.
I loved the time that Antonio and Tia spent at his
chalet. It was mostly just the two of them, giving them a chance to get to know
each other. I loved the effect that Tia had on Antonio, helping him open up to
his emotions, learning how to show them. There were some sweet scenes of the
two of them together, being almost like ordinary people. I loved how the people
of the village, although aware of his royalty, treated him (mostly) as just
another man. That said, I enjoyed their surprise when he filled in as Santa at
the village holiday party. Even better was Antonio's surprise at how much he
enjoyed it. It didn't take long for Tia to realize that she had fallen hard for
Antonio, but she was determined to stand on her own two feet. The last thing
she wanted was to feel like yet another duty to him. I ached for Antonio
because it took him so long to realize that what he felt for Tia was love. Then
he had to figure out how to convince her of his feelings. I liked the advice he
got from both his brother and his mom. The ending was sweet and romantic. I
can't wait for the third book and the story of the surprise sister.
