A Christmas miracle

Prince Royal Nicholas Worthington of Calloway Island needs a place to hide. His life is in danger from international drug lords who have been using the island banks to launder their money. The FBI agent he is working with has found the perfect place for Nicholas to hide while he works on making Calloway Island a US territory. First, he needs to go to Daleville Alabama to see if he will be comfortable staying in the home that has been chosen for him.

Anna Lee Brody didn't realize the struggle it would be renovating her grandparents historic home into a B&B. Her finances are dwindling along with her energy. The work is physically and mentally exhausting. When a high ranking member of the National Historical Society, Nick Worth, shows up at Anna Lee's door, she is surprised to hear about the grant she will be getting to fix up the house. The timing couldn't have been better.

Posing as Nick Worth seems to be a bit more difficult than Nicholas thought it would be. How long will he be able to keep the real reason why he is staying with Anna Lee a secret?

When Anna Lee returns home from visiting her sister one day and finds Nick has left, her heart breaks. The first guy she really felt a connection to is gone without a word. All he left was a Christmas gift and note saying he would return. But when will that be?

This is a quick read and a very sweet story. The writing was really good and the characters well written. But the book ends without warning. I thought the story could have been wrapped up with just another chapter. There is a preview for the next book and it explains a little bit. I can't wait to get that book in my hands to find out the conclusion to Prince Nicholas and Anna Lee's story.

Sometimes a story comes along that simply touches on every single thing that makes a person a reader, a romance addict even. For me, A Royal Christmas Gift had that ability.

We have a prince in Prince Royal Nicholas Worthington aka Nick Worth, who puts aside his royalty to become just another guy because putting his country and his people’s safety ahead of his own self-interests is more important for him than his crown.

We have a princess in need of rescuing in Anna Lee, a Southern belle who is facing a difficult Christmas season with the recent death of her beloved Gramps – as well as an even more devastating heartache looming should our prince not have stepped in. Add an adoring sister, and a well intended at times meddling, pure Southern Belle mamma and that charming family is complete.

When Nick comes to Anna Lee’s home it is a reconnaissance type of move in a way. Yes, it sets up the grant and it gives Nick some time to decide if this is where he will hide in plain sight once the final action of turning his country into a U S Territory takes place. Yet it is also the beginning of a love between two people who on the surface couldn’t be more different – but in the heart, simply fit like two pieces of a broken heart necklace. They make each other whole.

I absolutely loved this beginning story in the Happily Ever After series by LuAnn McLane. In spite of their differences, the characters sparkle on the page from the first meeting. It becomes so easy to invest ourselves in the happiness of this couple, even when we know more than Anna Lee does about what is to come. Anna Lee is fiesty, spunky, adorable and likeable. Nick is charming, handsome, sexy as sin and for a prince quite a down to earth kind of guy. The love that blooms between them will face some tough challenges in the near future, but with the foundation they have been given I have every expectation that their own happily ever after will arrive just in the nick of time.

Normally I am not a huge fan of the fade away into the next book. Yet, I have to declare that it works very well for this particular series. This will be a continuing, ongoing, developing storyline over several books. And because of that plan, and mainly because of how this story and the characters have been introduced to me, I want, no, make that need to continue to know what happens and how the characters handle what I as a reader know is coming. It was very well done – I actually care about what happens to Anna Lee and Nick next – and I need to know how Amber’s love life will play out in this epic adventure. So you see, this is a series that I will lovingly follow to get to the happily ever after that I know is in store for everyone (including me) involved.

I would highly recommend A Royal Christmas Gift for any romance reader. And while it’s not a true cliffhanger ending because we know there is more to come – I’m almost begging romance lovers to read this first story and let it captivate, spark your interest and touch your heart with well thought out characters and a heartwarming storyline. Lose your heart to a prince and a Southern belle this Christmas, I believe you’ll find the rewarded lovingly touching story will be worth any risk.

*I received an e-ARC of A Royal Christmas Gift from the publisher and NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. That does not change what I think of this novel.*

Prince Nicholas has gone into hiding with the FBI, to bring his small country of Calloway to safety. He poses as a Historical agent to approve grants for restoration. He ends up in Alabama at Anna Lee's house. He is only there for two weeks. As their relationship develops, Nick must decide whether to follow his heart or the safety of his country.

I really enjoyed these two well written characters in the short story. What's not to love a prince and a southern belle. Great secondary characters too. I was a little sad on how the book ended, but at least you get a sneak peak in the next installment of the story. I can't wait to read the next book.

This makes for the perfect Christmas romance. I received this book from netgalley for an honest review.

Rating: 2.5/5 (Most of the story rated 4/5, ending rated 1/5 overall 3/5)

Oh boy, oh boy, I just can’t believe it ended like that! It is like someone took a whole book and decided to split it into two books! Everything is left up in the air, there’s no HEA though there are indications that there will be one, nothing is resolved and, having got totally engrossed in the story it plummeted to an unsignposted, dramatic halt. Talk about let down :(

Now I don’t mind reading series where each novel in the series ends with an ending which actually feels like an ending. This ended with me turning to read the next chapter only to find there isn’t one! Pet hates in my reading are erotica and no real ending . . . . this avoids the first but not the second. If this hadn’t been so well crafted, with great characters, an intriguing plot and delicious descriptions to engage the reader it wouldn’t have gained the three stars I’ve deigned to award it. Having been engrossed in the story, how it ended left me feeling like giving it only one! I actually thought this was going to be at least a four and possibly a five star read and I suspect that had I been able to read the next part straight away it would have a higher rating. As it is, the second part ‘Prince in Plain Sight’ won’t be available until early 2016, I’ll let you imagine how that makes me feel.

I highly recommend that you wait until the second part is available to read both in sequence - it will then be worth more like 4.5 stars but at the moment it is just too frustrating to earn those - it certainly didn’t leave me feeling Happily Ever After.

Thanks to the author, publisher and NetGalley, too, for letting me read an ARC of this book in exchange for this, an honest review.

It was delightful story of prince finding his true love? Nicholas is from Calloway Island. Island is being used as a tax haven for the wealthy and now international drug lords are using banks to launder money so he is in dilemma to turn over island to U.S. He needed to hide from the island while everything is taken place so he was ended up in Anna Lee's house in Daleville. He disguised himself as a worker from historical society and helping Anna Lee with grant. They were attracted to each other but Anna Lee knew he will be going away and he thought the same way..That didn't last long, after decorating Christmas tree together, they gave into their attraction. But suddenly he vanishes without good bye. Will he come back to her and will she have enough courage to tell him how she feel? It was quick and it was fun read. I can't wait to read the next on this series.

Due to troubles in his small island nation, Prince Nicholas Worthington is forced into hiding and finds himself in a small town in Alabama. Posing as an inspector from the National Historical Society, he convinces Anna Lee to let him stay in her home to oversee the restoration and conversion to a B&B. He's only there for two weeks but in that short time he has come to care for Anna very much. Fearing he is putting her in danger, he disappears into the night.....

Bad news - I didn't realize it when I started reading but this one has a bit of a cliffhanger with the story continuing in the next book.

Good news - It's a great read and luckily we don't have to wait long for the next book.

I would definitely recommend this one!

Loved this book. I enjoyed the characters, the story, the flow of events. I love the story happened at Christmas. I liked the suspense and can't wait to read more and see where the story goes. Good book and highly recommend.

A Royal Christmas Gift has been a light and enjoyable read though I have to admit I was not entirely convinced by the royal prince angle. Nothing about Nicholas before or after he went into hiding suggested he was royalty. The language he used, his mannerisms and his behaviour seemed just a little too "common man" for me. Having said that, this is a work of fiction, and who am I to second guess how a royal prince might behave. I decided not to let it bother me and instead settled back to enjoy a light hearted, Christmas themed love story, and enjoy it I did.
This book is the first in a two part series, and while this one stands nicely alone, having read an excerpt from the second book, I suspect it will be rather dependant on the reader having read this one first. And why not? A Royal Christmas Gift is fun, light hearted and perfect curl up in front of the fire with a hot chocolate reading. It's short enough to be read in a couple of hours so ideal to unwind with after work if that's your inclination. I'm certainly glad to have read it. It left me with a smile on my face!

This book started of really great i enjoyed the flow and the characters were great but them bam it was finished on a cliffhanger and i was left disappointed

LuAnn McLane does it again! I simply could not put this book down. I had to know what happened next and before I knew it, I finished it! I'm not surprised, McLane has this ability to make you really feel what her characters are feeling!

I do not remember reading anything by LuAnn Mc Lane before A Royal Christmas Gift. That is my loss since this is a wonderful book by a talented writer. I sincerely hope that she will be writing more for Tule Publishing, which is my number one go to publisher when I looking for a well-written positive and heartening read.

It is a story that speaks to the heart as much as to the mind. I believe most will fall a bit in love with the noble prince who desires to be just an everyday man. Anna Lee’s life is full of turmoil right at the time that she meets Nick unexpectedly. Still I admired her persistent and positive attitude. As the story progresses they become friends then fall in love, still there are secrets that caused conflict within this story.

The one thing that could be a downside is the final outcome is not entirely clear when this book ends. It has a somewhat cliffhanger ending which I assume will be continued in the next book. For me that was not a big problem but others may not agree.

Was unable to review this book.

I love this book, and I want to read book number two right now. This book is about true love. A royal Prince must hide away from his country to keep him and his citizens safe. He goes to Alabama and poses as someone who is an inspector in the National Historical Society. They start to fall in love, and then he as to leave. Will their love stand the test of time? Will a Prince be able to marry a comoner? I can't wait for book 2!
I received a free copy of this book in return for my honest opinion.

This is a well written story but involves some deceit on the part of Prince Nicholas since he is posing as some one he is not. His motives are well meant but rarely do relationships started with deceit end well. Or so it seems.

Both Anna Lee and Nick are well written and fleshed out characters. Anna Lee is attempting to renovate her family home into a B&B and Nick is trying to protect his island home from being used as a haven for drug dealers. In an attempt to save his island home, Nick decides to work with the US government which is how he ends up in a small charming Alabama town.

The rest of the story is what you would expect from romance book. Until the ending. The ending sadly is why I have given this book 3 stars. You are left hanging at the end of this book. And there is no sign of the follow up book which would give you the resolution to this story in sight. Nothing on the author's webpage including this book. On the publisher's website, the author has a book due out in January of 2016 but no description of the book so hard to tell if it is the resolution to this story.

I normally love the high quality of novels that come out of this publisher but this one missed the mark greatly.

What makes A Royal Christmas Gift so gratifying is that it is so unbelievable that you want it to be true. Who wouldn't want to find the perfect man to make all their dreams come true? Who turns out to be a real life prince no less. This is a story of sacrifice that is the perfect fairytale for all the dreamers in the world.

I have read most of what LuAnn has written and was excited to hear she was working a new series. This book is short, sweet and a bit of a tease!! Perfect read for the Christmas season and I am looking forward to the next book. Her main characters Anna Lee and Nick are easy to like and seem to have good chemistry though there is some deceit going on. I hope Nick can redeem himself!

I really enjoyed this story. My only complaint is that it ended on a cliffhanger and I want to know what happens. I think it was an enjoyable Christmas story. I liked the characters and the chemistry between them. I could totally identify with the main character's relationship with her mother. I mean who's mother doesn't drive them nuts from time to time. I did like that her mother was only trying to do what was best for her daughters. I can't wait to see how the Prince's life turns out and see how they come back together. I would recommend A Royal Christmas Gift to those who enjoy Christmas romances.

The first of two parts, A Royal Christmas Gift introduces us to Anna Lee and Nick. Nicholas Worthington is a Prince trying to do his best for Calloway Island, a small principality in the Virgin Islands. When he finds that his Island is becoming a haven for criminal activity, he decides to do what is best for his Country and start the process for becoming a U.S. Territory. Unfortunately, this could make him a target, so the FBI finds a place for him to hide until it is over. As soon as he sees Anna Lee, he wants to meet her but is hesitant about putting her and her family in danger, despite how much it can help her. Ultimately he agrees, and heads to Alabama.
Anna Lee Brody is trying to keep her promise to her Grandfather and keep the family home in the family. In the process of turning it into a Bed and Breakfast, expenses are mounting, but she remains hopeful. When Nick Worth shows up with the possibility of a grant from the Historical Society, she overcomes her fears and lets him stay.
The friendship and attraction grows, as these two start to fall in love. Can they overcome Nick's secrets? Well, we will have to wait until Book 2 to find out!
This story is full of characters. I love Anna Lee and her family, and their antics will make you chuckle.
This is a light and quick read, great for the busy holidays!

Nick was a prince who had slipped away from his palace with no one the wiser and left. He met with agent Dylan Thompson who wanted to make sure they were in the clear. The FBI had been all over his island and finally he got away to meet with one of the agents. Dylan confirms Calloway Island is being used for a tax haven for the wealthy and some were from the U. S. The island was also being used for international drug lords using the island’s banks to launder money. Nick feels the best thing he can do is start the process for the island to become a U.S. territory. Dylan wants Anna Lee Brody to let Nick hide out there. She owes a lot of back taxes and they would wipe them out if she allows Nick to stay. The FBI set up an alias for Nick as Nick Worth - high ranking member of the national Historical Society. Nick could go there offering a grant to help restore Anna Lee’s home. Nick’s parents have been killed in a car accident 8 years earlier. Anna lee had promised her grandfather she would keep the house in the family. A very sweet romance. I like the plot and helping someone while being in hiding. I liked the fact Nick was worried about Anna Lee and her family being put in danger. The only thing I didn’t like was it was a cliffhanger to a degree and I hate those.But i did enjoy this enough to wait for the second book. The characters were good. I really liked Anna Lee and Nick and all the ups and downs they went through. I recommend.