The Royal Deal (Chasing the Romantics, #1) by D.G. Driver

The Royal Deal (Chasing the Romantics, #1) Reviews

• 
  Caroline

  FULL REVIEW ON THE BLOG
  
  www.carolineandrus.com/blog
  
  
  I’m a huge fan of D. G. Driver’s, so when she asked me to read and review her latest release, The Royal Deal, I gladly accepted.
  
  I loved that Princess Faith believes so highly of herself as an independent and self-sufficient person, but as soon as she enters the woods she learns she’s actually entirely unprepared. Even when a hermit living in the woods comes to her aid, she runs away, refusing to back down and accept help, thus negating the deal.
  
  Faith’s stubbornness and belief in good were a delight. Even though she basically had zero chance of surviving on her own in the woods, she still made the deal to get out of the marriage she didn't want.
  
  So ultimately, if you enjoy classic style fairy tales this could be a winner for you.
• 
  Katy

  I enjoyed this short original fairytale about a princess with a mind of her own who, though she is sometimes too stubborn, truly wants to be more than a "helpless" royal. Even with her flaws, Princess Faith is likable.
  
  The story becomes even more interesting with the introduction of the mysterious hermit, and Faith's interactions with him are fun to read. I found myself wanting more, as the three months of her "deal" were mostly skipped over.
  
  The end was mostly satisfying, but was very abrupt, and I thought I'd skipped a page or two before I realized, "Oh, that WAS the ending." I wanted to see a bit more resolution of the feelings of the characters, but that might just be the romantic in me. Recommended for older children, about 12 and up.
• 
  Heather Hayden

  An enjoyable and quick afternoon read. This original fairy tale puts a neat twist on the typical fairy tale tropes of deals, princesses, and arranged marriage. I did find the ending somewhat abrupt--the ebook ends around 87%, which startled me as I was expecting a few more chapters to wrap up the story. Despite that, I recommend this for fairy tale lovers. Faith is a strong character--not physically, but she has an internal strength that helps her overcome the many obstacles she faces, from arranged marriage to finding shelter in a dangerous forest.
• 
  Daisy White

  Loved this. The cover is beautiful, and the fairy tale structure is given a good modern shake up, with a feisty heroine and a slick, well written story. Certainly a fave, and a nice change from all the crime I have been reading lately. Looking forward to more of the same from this author.
• 
  Allyson G

  What's a Princess?
  
  Driver writes a Princess story like no other. This short story was a fun fairytale of an independent and determined princess. She makes a deal like no other that may not end exactly as she expected.
• 
  Lia

  Well-written princess story. There's no magical element to make it a fairy tale, but it sort of fits that genre in tone. The ending was both predictable and a pleasant surprise, though I can't tell you how without spoilers, so you'll have to read it to find out. It's worth a happy afternoon read.
• 
  Olga Miret

  A stubborn modern-day heroine who learns a lesson or two along the way. I write this review as a member of Rosie’s Book Review Team (authors, check here if you want to get your book reviewed) and thank her and the author for the ARC copy of the book, which I freely chose to review.
  I love fairy tales. I know some of the classic ones are cruel, harsh, and less than politically correct, but I do love them. And I am always intrigued by new versions of old fairy tales, or completely new fairy tales.
  This short fairy tale has elements of the classics: a King and father, insisting that his daughter must marry the man of his choice (for political reasons); a Princess and daughter, Faith, who wants to follow her heart (she hardly knows Jaeger, the young prince she is due to marry. She always assumed she would marry the older, more mature, Mikhail, who is known for his caring attitude towards his people, although she does not know him well either); a challenge/mission… This time, the princess is not just passively waiting for a prince to come and rescue her (although she hopes Mikhail, who has been missing for a long time, will come back before her 19th birthday when she is supposed to get married). She decides to go to her father and make a deal with him. She wants to prove that she is not a useless thing that needs looking after. Her father agrees that if she can survive for three months in the forest, without any outside help, she will be free to marry whomever, whenever.
  Faith is headstrong, rushed, and impulsive. She knows that she lives a life where she is totally dependent on others, (princesses don’t even get dressed by themselves), and has been trying to learn how to do things for herself, but she soon realises she has not thought things through. She should have negotiated the conditions of her deal to her advantage (she does not even have appropriate shoes to wear, does not know how to light a fire, and has no weapons to defend herself from wild animals or any other dangers she might encounter).
  Faith learns a lot in the three months she spends in the forest. She meets a hermit who helps her (despite her insistence that she does not want to cheat); she realises that she must think before she acts and that we need to learn to walk before we can run. Her beliefs are put to the test, as are her prejudices, and although she knows she has a specific role to play due to her position in life and she is not free to do as she likes, she cannot help but end up feeling quite close to the hermit.
  The story, written in the third person, is made up of vivid vignettes illustrating both, Faith’s life in the castle at first, and then her attempts at survival in the forest (mostly unsuccessful and lucky escapes, including a lovely interlude with a bear cub). This is not a story about a girl who suddenly discovers she is good at everything and has a natural talent to survive in the wild. She makes mistakes, is sorely unprepared, and keeps getting into trouble. She is about to give up but the hermit helps her and convinces her to keep going. The story dedicates much more time to the first couple of days when we meet Faith and she goes into the forest, than it does to the rest of the three months. Although there are some stirrings of a possible romance, and Faith has to admit to having developed feelings for the hermit, she is more passionate about tasting some chocolate after not having tried it for a few months than she is about any of the men in her life.
  As some other reviewers have noted, this is no magical fairy tale, this is the tale of a determined (obstinate?) girl who learns the value of being prepared, of working hard for what you want, and of being truly independent.
  The big reveal will not be a surprise to most readers, although it does tie things up nicely, and the actual ending, which some readers feel is a bit rushed, I thought made perfect sense and proved that Faith had learned from her experience and grown up.
  The actual fairy tale is shorter than the e-book length suggests, as it contains a sample of the next fairy tale in the series (that looks quite good too).
  An original fairy tale, which could facilitate interesting discussions about female role models (beware of the mention of her purity, which might be difficult to explain to very young kids), and the first of what looks like a very interesting series.
• 
  Cathy Ryan

  Princess Faith is well aware of the circulating whispers after she turned down an offer of marriage from Prince Jaeger of Aronsite. But she was determined she would marry someone of her choosing, not be forced into a union with a man more concerned with what cloak he should wear while riding than the fate of the people in his kingdom, despite her father’s displeasure. She had counted on marrying the prince’s elder brother, Mikhail, but he has been missing since a battle with the Northerners.
  
  Faith is not a typical, spoiled princess. She’s well aware of her practical shortcomings but in a last ditch attempt to avoid the unwanted marriage, Faith comes up with a plan and decides to try and make a deal with her father.
  
  (“I understand my place in politics, Father. I do.” she said, kneeling at his feet. Tentatively, she put her hands on his knees. “But I’ve set my heart on Mikhail. He is the first born of his family. He is a better choice for me and for the kingdom. You must know that.”
  
  “Mikhail is dead,” her father said firmly. “If he’s not dead, he’s as good as dead. There is no excuse for the firstborn prince not to return after battle unless he’s been killed. Should he show up now, he’d only be disgraced and cast out.”)
  
  Faith wasn’t ready to give up, however, and put her idea to her father. If she can survive on her own in the outside world for three months and return without having suffered any ill effects, she can choose her own husband. If she fails, she gives her promise to marry as her father wishes. The King agrees, confident his pampered daughter will be back in no time.
  
  This modern take on a fairy tale was a quick and very pleasant way to while away an hour or two. Faith was a lovely, genuine character, I was willing her to succeed even though it looked very unlikely. She knows she has weaknesses but believes in herself and wants to take control of her own life. Faith is made of strong stuff for someone who has been cosseted all her life, and despite being completely ill-equipped, the hardships, difficulties and failures, she is courageous and doesn’t give up easily. Lessons are learned during her time in the forest, about herself and what is important in life – anything worth having is worth fighting for.
  
  I chose to read and review The Royal Deal for Rosie Amber’s book review team, based on a digital copy from the author.
• 
  Emily-Jane Orford

  Faith is a bit of a pampered princess, but she does have compassion for those under her and she is quite capable of doing many things for herself, like dressing herself and doing her own hair and taking care of her own rooms. As the oldest, it is expected that Faith will marry a prominent prince who is next in line to his throne, combining the two realms. However, the current oldest prince is the undesirable, pompous second son. She has heard many favorable things about the firstborn, but he has gone missing and people believe that he is dead. Faith is adamant that she will not marry this second son, so she makes a deal with her father. If she loses, she will marry the prince her father chooses. If she wins, she chooses her own marriage partner.
  
  Ah! A classic romance. But what is life without the fantasy of a good romance to sooth the soul. D.G. Driver’s romance novel, “The Royal Deal: Chasing the Romantics, A series of Original Fairy Tale, Book 1”, has all the ingredients of a compassionate and exciting tale to suit the reader’s fanciful desires: a princess seeking true love, an arrogant prince that she doesn’t like, a conflict of wills and desires, a deal that requires every inch of devotion in order to succeed and a missing prince. Who is this prince? Where is he? Does he still live? And who is this other character, the one she meets in the woods? A short little dose of excitement, fantasy and romance. A good read.
  
  Reviewed for Readers' Favorite.
• 
  Teri

  D.G. Driver's books have always captivated me, and The Royal Deal is no exception.  I generally prefer darker fairy tales, but I liked the sound of Princess Faith.  Although headstrong, determined, and spontaneous, she just wants a chance to control her own life.  Ill-prepared to survive in the forest, perhaps she should have thought things through a little better before striking a deal with her father, the King, but whatever the case, you have to admire her chutzpah.
  
  With the appearance of the hermit, I wondered if this would take a turn toward Beauty and the Beast, but I was glad to see that it didn't.  Not that I have anything against Beauty and the Beast, but I was hoping for more originality than 'they lived happily ever after' - and that's what the author delivered.  I felt the ending was abrupt, but satisfying.    
  
  This isn't a sparkly fairy tale with the prince rescuing the princess - it possesses a more modern spin, with the princess learning independence and building self-esteem.  The Royal Deal is a charming tale that takes only a couple of hours to read at the most, and I'd recommend it to both fans of traditional fairy tales and those who are looking for a different take on the standard stories.
  
  I received a digital copy of this book through Rosie's Book Review Team.  
• 
  H.L. Burke

  
  This is a tight little story with a satisfying payoff ... I think I expected a little more romance and maybe some magic (there is no magic in this at all), just based on the branding, but this is more a story of survival and growth.
  
  The end is very practical rather than romantic, and while there is a little warm fuzzy romance developing in the middle, you don't really get that in the ending. It's more about the character learning to take responsibility as a leader and the "character also fell in love during this" kind of gets put to the side as a minor detail. But if you're looking for a story with a reasonably vulnerable and flawed but still "you want to root for her" heroine who goes through growth through hardship ... you'll get that.
  
  
  
  Content concerns:
  
  some talk about whether the girl maintained her "purity" on her adventure towards the end might be kind of awkward for younger readers, so not 'oh, this is a fairy tale so I'm going to read it to my six-year-old', but fine for any kid who has had "the talk."
  
  I received a free copy from the author. Opinions are my own.
• 
  Sarah Brentyn

  A modern, original fairy tale...
  
  Faith is an independent princess who makes a risky deal with her father to escape an arranged marriage. As the oldest of five girls, Faith must deal with her role in the kingdom’s politics and how that conflicts with her own desires.
  
  She brushed aside the help of servants at an early age, learning to care for herself. The fact that she demands to choose who and when she marries comes as no surprise. Neither does her drastic action to get what she wants.
  
  At first, I thought this was going to be a retelling but The Royal Deal is a new story—a modern, original fairy tale. And quite a fun read. Great for an afternoon escape.
  
  The Royal Deal is the first in a series of fairy tale novellas by this author. I will definitely be picking up the rest of these as they are released.
• 
  Connie Huddleston

  I’m a sucker for a story with a strong female lead. I’m not much on princess stories. So reading a fairy tale where the princess bumbles along until the prince rescues her, well, not my cup of tea. Thank heavens, that’s not what D. G. Driver wrote. This princess get splinters, starves, and almost gets eaten by wild animals until she saves herself. I won’t tell you how she learns. D. G. Driver does what with a wonderful story of standing up for what you want and then learning how to get it. I can't wait for the next fairy tale.
• 
  Molly Lazer

  This is an enjoyable fairy tale. Faith is a compelling protagonist, and her desire for independence propels the story forward. This would be a good read for a YA audience, as well as for adults who enjoy fairy tales.
• 
  Anne

  Practical and challenging
  
  Fairy tales don't have to be airy-fairy. The best, like this one, also have realistic elements so we can relate to them. Learning about life outside the palace made Faith a better queen.