Mariah Stewart

The Head That Wears the Crown by Mariah Stewart

How many of you have thought about being royalty? Living in a palace? Not having to lift a finger ever again to do mundane tasks? Would you step into a fairytale story at this point in your life whether 20, 40, 60, or more? Would you be willing to take your family with you to a place that needs help that you might or might not be able to provide? Would you question your right to wear a crown and wonder how to put a small portion of the European map on the MAP again? Hmmm…

Okay…I’m writing about a book that I almost left behind last night because I started reading, saw a diary-like retelling of a past-events story with a forty year old + divorced mother of teens being given the golden ticket to leave behind her mundane Philadelphia life to emerge in a beautiful alpine country never heard of before and then being tasked with creating a vibrant thriving place for her family settle in and create the perfectly perfect newly regenerated parcel of European soil to become what it might possibly maybe become.

Okay…right now in typing this up I am kind of lost for a way to go forward so will way:

* I almost stopped reading a few pages in because I could not connect with the writing style or the characters or the feel of it all
* I had trouble with the over-the-top feel at times..
* I loved the family influence and how it tied in throughout
* I was baffled at times with the mention of ancestors being felt by the main character and her conferring with them here and there along the way…was she psychic or was she just…feeling their presence?
* Couldn’t and still can’t understand why three sisters would still be available to leave the USA to head to Gilberti and be willing to do so for an older sister that at times seemed less competent than her siblings
*Loved the historical information but…felt there was a lot wanting
* and…okay…here it comes…as I type up this review after having stayed up late last night and thinking this book was a silly thing that wasn’t worth reading will say that **I seem to have read it** and you know what…I am kind of curious to find out what might happen to the “royal family” as they move/plod forward in the future.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no
Would I read more in this series? Perhaps

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the Arc – This is my honest review

3-4 Stars… (més)

A South Philly single mom of two finds out she is heir to a small country. Annie travels to St. Gilbert and falls in love with the country, people and cultural. She moves with her teenagers there, and her sisters and best friend follow. She becomes the Grand Duchy and is given task of bringing this country up to date. The country has no hotel so no tourism. The Council is set up of older men who have not been accountable and have been left to their own agendas. Roads are deplorable, young people are leaving and castles are crumbling….what’s a Duchy to do?

Princess Diaries meets Hallmark movies. A cute, quick read, but I did find myself rolling my eyes quite a few times. I can’t imagine two teenage kids jumping at the chance to move halfway around the world with no push back of leaving their friends and everything they know. It was refreshing to see the close relationship they had with their Mom, but these kids were just too good to be true. The relationship between the sisters is strong, but again, they leave willingly to take on strong roles within the country. Very little growing pains for the family. The Council basically accepts this new Duchy with little drama. How is English the main language? Yes, there is a twist about 3/4 of the way in. I was expecting a twist, but not this one. Of course there is a hunky Captain who has captured Annie’s eye. Since I live 30 miles from Philly, I loved all the references to the city and the surrounding area, including the attitude and slang. Was this a fun little read, yes. Perfect light read for vacation or weekend home. I’ve read this author before and have enjoyed her previous books more, but this was a cute escape.

Thanks to Montlake Publishing and NetGalley for this ARC. This is my honest opinion.… (més)

My sincere thanks to Montlake and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to read The Head That Wears the Crown by Mariah Stewart. I give my unbiased opinion of the book in the following review.

I have loved so many of Mariah Stewart's books in the past that I was excited to have a chance to read an ARC of The Head That Wears the Crown which is essentially an adult version of The Princess Diaries. Unfortunately, I just didn't love this book. It is a departure from what I would call Stewart's normal type of book. That is not necessarily a bad thing because I'm sure there are many readers who will love this fairy tale story. As for me, it just didn't catch my interest. I skimmed some and had a hard time picking up the book. When I read a fairy tale, I want to get lost in the world of the story so much so that I forget that it is a fairy tale and not really based in reality. Even with some tension and a little suspense at the end I just couldn't get lost in this one. I didn't believe it. That being said, I am still a fan of Mariah Stewart and will no doubt read more of her books in the future.… (més)