Narrated by Charlotte North
A Princess for Christmas is unashamedly a feel-good fairy tale romance. There’s even a fairy godmother of sorts, although he doesn’t carry a wand. It’s also overtly the book version of a Hallmark Christmas movie (but with added sexytimes) – and it’s a movie I’d seriously happily watch.
Leo Ricci is a 25-year-old New York cab driver. His parents died in a car accident two Christmases before the book starts, leaving him the guardian of his much younger sister, Gabby. Now aged 11, Gabby spots a “princess” on the side of the road outside the United Nations building and insists Leo stop for her even though the cab’s not in service. And, as it happens, the “princess” is actual royalty.
Princess Marie of Eldovia has just addressed the UN on the refugee crisis in Europe but now has to dash to a fancy party at the other end of Manhattan in order to try and lobby a wealthy businessman to aid Eldovia’s ailing luxury watch business. The Eldovian economy is doing poorly and Marie is trying to shore things up. Her father, the king, has been basically AWOL since the death of the queen from breast cancer three years earlier, also at Christmas.
Leo, of course, gives Marie a ride and because this is a fairy tale, she asks him to chauffeur her around for the next few days for $5,000 per day. Leo drives a cab and works as the super of the building where he and Gabby live but they are only just scraping by so this money is a godsend. Plus, he thinks Marie could use someone in her corner. He very quickly feels protective of her.
Over the next few days, they develop a friendship and realise that even though their lives are very different they have some common experiences which draw them together.
In a completely expected development, Leo and Gabby end up in Eldovia for Christmas and that’s where most of the Hallmark movie similarities come in. I had no trouble picturing it at all. Everyone knows what a “Hallmark castle” looks like, right?
There is a long-standing arrangement for Marie to marry a man chosen by her father. That, and the difference in their stations means it seems extremely unlikely that Marie and Leo can get a HEA. This is a romance, of course, so they do. But I wondered how it was going to work for quite a lot of the book.
The story is just charming. I loved Leo especially. He’s a genuinely nice guy, trying to do the best he can for his sister and terrified he’s not doing well enough. He’s kind, if a little grumpy at times (oh my heart!) and of course, he’s hot AF. Marie is also more than a poor little rich girl. She’s learning to stand up for herself and take what she wants, cheered on at all times by Leo.
It was really only after I finished the book and thought about it in preparation for this review that I realised there is a little too much handwaving about a few things. Taken as a fairy tale, this is not at all unexpected. I mean, in actual fairy tales, there’s a magic wand and everyone lives happily ever after but they never really talk about how. In a novel, I generally prefer a little more detail however. I won’t say too much about the things that didn’t quite add up for me because spoilers.
Leo and Marie are lovely together though and I spent most of the book just basking in the enjoyment of their pairing so in the end those missing pieces didn’t amount to anything ruinous.
The narration was fantastic. It’s the first time I’ve listened to an audiobook narrated by Charlotte North, but I immediately went and downloaded another book she’s narrated and have a number of others wishlisted.
Ms. North had the opportunity to showcase voices for characters of various ages and genders. Perhaps some of the Eldovian accents which were supposed to be German-adjacent sounded a little more “European generic” than Germanic but everything else was great, from the emotion to the tone to the humour and intimacy.
I liked how Ms. North voiced Gabby especially, who had an authentic 11-year-old sound to her and also Marie’s somewhat stilted tone (not surprising given her royal background). I liked the cadence Ms. North used in the banter between Marie and Leo. I loved the various “your Royal [insert adjective here]” phrases Leo used throughout the book for Marie – some dirty, some funny, some sweet, all fond – and I adored the way Ms. North delivered them, displaying obvious affection.
A Princess for Christmas would make a great a Hallmark movie but as it stands, it makes a delightful audiobook. Definitely recommend.
Kaetrin
Buy A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday on Amazon
