Friday, October 8, 2021

Book Review - A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale by Karen Schaler


My Review

A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale is the story of Kaylie Karlyle. After Kaylie loses her NYC reporting job, she takes a last minute assignment in Europe.  When she arrives at the mysterious assignment, she discovers that she is expected to write a Christmas fairy tale for a young princess in a small eastern European country. As Kaylie explores Christmas traditions in Tolvania, she slowly becomes interested in the princess's widowed father, Prince Alex  ... and she learns to open her heart to Christmas and to love.

I wanted to read this book because I have enjoyed reviewing previous Christmas novels by Karen Schaler. She is the queen of Hallmark movies - both writing scripts and writing novels that are turned into movies. Her books have a warm, cozy feeling, and this novel is no exception!

I will admit that at first the whole Tolvania setting was a bit over the top for me. But I decided to just settle in and enjoy the charm of this story, and I found a lot to like. In this very sweet, fairy tale setting, it helps that Kaylie is a more cynical New Yorker - an investigative journalist by trade. It was fun seeing her explore this fairy tale world with skepticism at first, and then finding much to love in the castle and outlying quaint village at Christmas time.

I loved so many of the details, like the upside down Christmas trees, storage room full of vintage Christmas (I would love to explore that!), and tour of a village chocolate factory. The food descriptions in this book are amazing, and there are even some recipes included at the end of the book.  (Gingerbread pancakes sound amazing!)

The love story between Kaylie and Alex develops slowly and with great warmth. I also enjoyed Kaylie's growing friendship with little Princess Anna. There is a delightful chapter when Anna (who is 10 years old) tries to teach Kaylie how to paint.

A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale is exactly like watching a Hallmark movie - lovely and comforting, perfect for a long afternoon with cocoa or tea by a cozy reading chair. I recommend this novel for anyone who loves Christmas and who enjoys holiday romance.

Book Synopsis

This feel-good, humorous, and heartwarming new Christmas romance, about the power of believing in yourself to find your happily ever after, is from the Emmy Award-winning writer of the Netflix sensation A Christmas Prince and Hallmark’s beloved Christmas Camp, the movie and novel. This enchanting escape is just what your heart needs this holiday season…

A charming Christmas village, a storybook castle, a royal ball, and a gorgeous prince are the last things New York City reporter Kaylie Karlyle expects to find on her holiday freelance assignment to Europe. But when the family she’s interviewing turns out to be the royal family of Tolvania, Kaylie has a meltdown when the quirky queen wants her to write a Christmas fairy tale for the spunky, young princess. Kaylie must battle the princess’s father, who doesn’t trust the media, and her own insecurities about writing anything beyond the news.

To spark inspiration for the fairy tale, the queen recruits the prickly Prince Alexander to show Kaylie the family’s most spectacular royal holiday traditions. And sparks definitely fly when the only thing Kaylie and the prince agree on is that they’re both more “bah humbug” than “ho, ho, ho.”

But somewhere between sleigh rides and snow angels, merrymaking and mistletoe, upside-down Christmas trees, and a legendary Christmas crown, Kaylie and the prince open their hearts to Christmas and start believing in themselves and each other. It’s a real-life fairy tale in the making until Kaylie discovers a secret about a royal Christmas heirloom that jeopardizes everyone’s happily ever after. Can the magic of the season save this holiday happy ending?

Bonus Content: Includes delicious royal Christmas recipes and holiday activities.

Purchase Links

Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Thriftbooks


Author Bio

Karen Schaler is a prolific and passionate three-time Emmy Award–winning storyteller, author, screenwriter, journalist, and national TV host. In the last three years, she has written five rom-com novels and five Christmas movies for Netflix, Hallmark, and Lifetime, including the Netflix sensation A Christmas Prince and Hallmark’s Christmas Camp. Karen also wrote the Christmas Camp and Christmas Camp Wedding books (HarperCollins). For her next novels, Finding Christmas, Christmas Ever After, and A Royal Christmas Fairy Tale, Karen is also writing the movies and writing three feature films, including a summer rom-com and an inspiring true-life story.

All of Karen’s books and movies have received ongoing national TV, print, and online media attention including two exclusive features on NBC’s TODAY show and features in Forbes, Parade, Entertainment Weekly, Entertainment Tonight, The Wall Street Journal, Southern Living, Bustle, and Cosmo.

Embracing the Christmas spirit of giving back, Karen trademarked her Christmas Camp concept and is bringing her Hallmark movie and books to life hosting fun and festive one-of-a-kind Christmas Camp experiences worldwide where everyone is invited! All of Karen’s stories are filled with humor, heart, and hope. For more

Find out more about Karen at her website, and connect with her on FacebookTwitterInstagram, and YouTube.