sadly I didnt get a chance to read this as i was working double shifts as an RN during covid and unfortuanty had no spare time

This book is great! Would definitely recommend. Thanks so much to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC.

Definitely had a Hallmark-movie vibe to it, romantic, feel-good, predictable. I just felt like there could have been more to the story. So very cheesy and no depth. Also found it really annoying that the dog is named after the reindeer Blitzen and she calls it Blixen instead! So very strange! Every time the dog was mentioned (which was unusually a lot!), it bothered me. The princess acted more like 7 or 8, but she was supposed to be 10. I just found the details were too sugary-sweet and actually couldn't wait to be finished with it.
I was given an advanced copy of the book from #NetGalley

Kaylie is an investigative reporter, exposing scams to forewarn consumers. Moving to New York, she landed a job with a major network, finally feeling at home. When her boss calls her into his office, she is sure it was about a promotion and a new series, featuring her helping others that are scammed. She is wrong. The station was sold and she no longer has a job. Later that night, her now former boss has a tip on a new job for her. She will have to leave for a small country in Eastern Europe the next day to follow a story about Christmas Traditions. The small country of Tolvania is beautiful, but she is not convinced she can write about Christmas. Since becoming a reporter, she hasn’t had time for the holidays. She hasn’t celebrated Christmas or seen her family for a long time.

She makes a snap decision to go. Upon her arrival, her driver brings her to a beautiful castle. She thinks it is a joke, but much to her surprise she is going to stay there with the Royal family. The Queen and young princess are delightful. The prince is another story. They have not celebrated Christmas since the untimely death of his wife. He is determined to keep everything Christmas out of the castle. Sadly, the little princess longs for the Christmases of the past. Her father loves her but has distanced himself since his loss. To make matters much worse, he hates reporters. They have been banned from Tolvania, and the idea of letting one stay in the castle is beyond comprehension. But the Queen feels differently. She welcomes Kaylie with the hopes of a positive change in her son’s Christmas spirit.

Can the love of a little princess and the magic of Christmas warm the cold heart of the prince enough to start living again? Will the reporter fail the family by reporting perceived scandalous stories?

This delightful cozy mystery is perfect. The setting, the characters and the plot will bring laughter and perhaps a tear to your eye. Anyone who enjoys a cozy mystery will love this book as well as the others from this author.

As I was reading this charming book, it reminded me of the Hallmark Christmas movies I love to watch. To my delight, when I researched Karen Schaler, the author, I found she is the award-winning screenwriter of several original Christmas movies for Netflix, Hallmark and Lifetime. She is also a journalist and national TV host. This amazing author keeps wowing me and her other fans. A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale is one of my favorites. I highly recommend it.

DISCLOSURE OF MATERIAL CONNECTION: I have a material connection because I received a review copy for free from the Author and Netgalley and the author in exchange for a fair and honest review. Copyright © 2022 Laura Hartman

This was such a heartwarming, uplifting Christmas story. The plot is not deep and it is a quick, light read. I loved the traditions, the setting and the magical atmosphere. The bonus content at the end was appreciated.
Many thanks to HawkTale Publishing and to NetGalley for providing me with a galley in exchange for my honest opinion.

I absolutely loved ‘a royal Christmas fairytale’. In this story a reporter loses her job, but is then sent out in a secret side project. She arrives is Tolvania where she discovers she will be working for the royal family. Even though I am someone who is obsessed with hallmark type Christmas movies, I was skeptical on how I would enjoy reading that same type of story. However, this was my favorite read in the past year or more. I can’t wait to read Karen’s other books & hope she keeps publishing more!

Found myself struggling to finish this one. For those who love royal Christmas romances on the Hallmark Channel, it will be perfectly up their alley.

This was so good I immediately bought a copy for my bookshelf! I would love to read this book every year at Christmas. The main character is a delight and I loved spending time with her.

Much like Karen Schaler's other books, this is the perfect Christmas treat. In Hallmark style, we are off to a small European court for some sleuthing that gets taken over by the holidays! After reading this, I can definitely see elements of this in The Christmas Prince trilogy on Netflix, and why it is so popular. No one does Hallmark Christmas like Karen Schaler!

o what a beautiful fairytale and christmas story the food dresses jewels and surroundings were brill the story was so refreshing and light and christmassy and even made me shed a tear at the end when everything worked out to give all a merry christmas

All the feel good moments of a Christmas romance that tugs at your heartstrings. You be immediately entranced with this magical tale which inspires you to focus on the important things in life and having to want to start new traditions with your own family. The author literally writes Hallmark Christmas movies and you’ll feel as if you’re in one while reading this. Loved, loved, loved this!

This book was a delightful festive read. I would recommend this if you're looking for a heartwarming tale for the Christmas season.
This would make a lovely movie.

Karen Schaler is best known for her Netflix Christmas series A Christmas Prince. I haven't watched that series but I did want to try this book to see how a Christmas book is written. There is no doubt about it - this book is completely everything about Christmas.

If you are a person who loves everything to do with Christmas and like to read something which is full of the festival, then A Royal Christmas Fairytale is the book for you. The story is about a reporter Kaylie, who is called to a small country by the royal family, to write a Christmas Fairytale for them. She is the last person to think she is suitable for the job, as it has been a very long time since she has been excited about Christmas. But still, the Queen of the royal family insists and as she is compelled to stay in the palace due to circumstances, she finds herself agreeing to do it.

Meanwhile, she finds herself getting attracted to the prince and getting attached to his 10 year old daughter. Staying in that country and getting immersed in their Christmas traditions brings out her long lost Christmas spirit. As the story develops, we see how she changes as a person and what she ends up doing with her life.

The author has told a delightful story in a sweet manner. I can't say her style of writing is engrossing but it is engaging enough. The first half of the story felt a bit long and it took a long time to go into the story. And I felt the other characters in the story haven't been given enough depth. Inspite of these drawbacks, I liked how the story developed and particularly the way the last few chapters were brimming with emotions and goodwill. The romance of the story wasn't very organic but still sweet to read.
This book is the perfect Christmas read for Christmas lovers.

I got this book as an ARC in exchange for an honest review. All the opinions expressed in this review are my own.

~~~ I received a copy of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review ~~~

A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale is exactly what you'd think: It's Christmas-y (overly? is that possible?), it's enchanting, it takes place in a castle with a surprise royal family, and it's full of love. This has Hallmark written all over it, and seeing as how Karen Schaler has written Hallmark Christmas movies, this might be the next to hit the screen! I have to admit at first I asked to review this book because it caught my eye and I was looking for Christmas romance books (they're my fav), but then I found myself begrudgingly picking it up to read wondering why I had requested it... but I ended up getting into the story by the third chapter and am so glad I read it, as I really enjoyed it! It follows NYC reporter, Kailey as she travels to a surprise European location to do a special feature on the Christmas traditions of an unnamed family. What Kailey finds is more than a career advancement she was hoping for, but a new outlook on the holidays, family, and love. This is a book about happiness, love, family, and trust. This book will give you all the holiday feels and take you to the enchanted kingdom of Tolvania, where you will experience amazing Christmas traditions and a beautiful winter wonderland- can we go?!? And bonus! Delicious recipes and activities in the back! If you're into sappy holiday/Hallmark books and movies, be sure not to miss this one!

This book was everything you’d expect in a holiday romance. Is a fun light read perfect for reading at the busiest time of the year.

This book has everything I love in a book - Christmas, royalty, Europe - and it read just like a Hallmark movie! When Kaylie ends up on a freelance assignment during Christmastime, she did not expect to be working with the Royal family of Tolvania. But the when she realizes that she not just interviewing them, but in fact, is to write a fairy tale for the young princess, she is not happy about the situation. She soon embarks on a journey to explore all of the Royal's holiday traditions and discovers the magic of the season. This book was almost a 5 star read for me! It's definitely a must read if you like the themes in this book!

This was absolutely perfect. I loved the setting, the plot, and the Hallmarky feeling of this. Loved it!

As mentioned in the book blurb, this book is written by an author who writes RomCom movies for Netflix and the style and manner of writing reflect that. The truth of the matter is that I see this book being better as a movie than it was as a book.

Don't get me wrong - I didn't dislike it and there was nothing fundamentally wrong with it. It was a pleasant light hearted read and although I have a few constructive criticisms to offer, I don't intend this as a negative review - I did enjoy the story overall.

What it lacked, for me, was the depth of character you usually get from reading a book over watching a movie. As most readers know, when you see a movie and then read a book you usually get so much more from the book than you did the movie. There is usually more character background and development than there would be time for in a movie.

In contrast, this book was written pretty much as I would expect to see it play out on Netflix - I could literally see the movie playing in my head as I read. I would have liked to see this book dig a little deeper even if it meant making it a bit longer.

The other thing that made it feel a bit more like a movie than a book was the lack of closure usually found by the author providing an Epilogue. With a movie, you get the HEA and it doesn't matter that there might be a few loose ends out there (about how/whether it all actually works out how it looks like it will at the end of the movie) - I figure this is because it leaves it open for sequels, etc. should it prove popular. When I read a book, however, unless the author intends to make a series out of it, or at least write a sequel or spin off that will give me those answers, then I prefer to see an Epilogue to tie up those lose ends. Did the choices made by the hero/heroine work out the way they expected? What is life looking like for them now? Etc.

As mentioned above, though, I did enjoy the story and the book made a good light read. I think it would make an even better movie, though, and certainly one I would watch if it came to Netflix.

I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

Am I glad I read it - it was a pleasant read
Was it a waste of my time - no, it wasn't
Would I sit down and read it all over again - it's not the kind of book that benefits from being read multiple times - I doubt that there's anything you would pick up in a second read that you didn't get the first time round - more the kind of book you read, enjoy and then pass on to the person sitting on the beach, airplane, etc. for them to enjoy too.
Would I read more by this author based on this book - I'd be interested in reading more of the author's material to see how it compares and definitely interested in watching her movies on Netflix.

Thank you NetGalley and Karen for this eARC. I thought the story while predictable as with most Christmas romances was cute. I thought the characters gave me all the positive and Christmas vibes. This book attracted me with it’s beautiful cover and you can never go wrong with Karen Schaler! Can’t wait for her next one! 🌟🌟🌟🌟

This was such an enchanting read. I couldn't help be drawn in by the magic of Tolvania and the importance the mythical Royal Family places on Christmas. The characters at the castle are beyond sweet and just well developed enough to add to the narrative. What makes this Christmas lit novel really sing is the main character and I loved the protagonist Kaylie Karlyle. As a news reporter used to exposing the scams and wrong doings of the world, especially the around Christmas, it's fair to say she doesn't have a great relationship with those who adore season greetings. She arrives in Tolvania to write a fairytale for the Princess Anna and slowly falls in love with the magic of Christmas again...assisted along the way by Anna's widowed father the Prince Alexander. The last few pages had me in tears ... A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale is as heartwarming and cosy as your favourite cup of hot chocolate.