Review: A March Bride by Rachel Hauck

February 25, 2014 Carol Moncado

A year’s worth of novellas from twelve inspirational romance authors. Happily ever after guaranteed.

Susanna has found her true prince, and their happily ever after is just around the corner. But when Nate asks her to give up something precious to her, Susanna can’t help but wonder if it’s a sign that their love is not meant to be.

Susanna Truitt (Once Upon A Prince) is three weeks from royalty. She’ll soon marry King Nathaniel II of Brighton Kingdom. But when the government insists she renounce her American citizenship before the wedding, coupled with the lack of involvement by family and friends, Susanna’s heart begins to doubt whether this marriage is God’s plan for her.

Nathaniel would do anything for his bride-to-be. But he knows his position requires that she give up a lot to be with him. Her life will never be her own—right down to her very identity. When she travels home to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, right before the wedding, Nathaniel fears she won’t return. Gathering his courage, he devises a plan to win his bride all over again, and together they seek out a kingdom to treasure above all.

It’s no secret that I loved Once Upon a Prince and have been looking forward to A March Bride since I first heard about it.

Once again, Ms. Hauck does not disappoint.

Though much shorter than either Once Upon a Prince or Princess Ever After, she weaves a complete tale. There is no “will they fall in love?” question to answer as we already know they have, but life conspires against the king and his fiance. A new twist to the law allowing Nathaniel to marry Susanna requires her to give up the last thing she has of herself: her US citizenship.

Susanna feels isolated, separated from all she loves. None of her friends and few of her family are going to be able to come to her wedding. She can’t wear the dress she’s always dreamed of. And this citizenship is the last straw.

Nathaniel would do anything for his soon-to-be bride, but sometimes there’s only so much he can do. Tough choices, political opponents, and a busy, exhausting, schedule conspire to keep them apart.

In the end, the happy ending made me smile after the troubles made me cry. Rarely does a novella suck me in enough for actual tears to fall, but this one did. Perhaps that could be partially attributed to the fact this is a sequel with the same characters I’ve already gotten to know and love, but regardless of the reason, it did.

Overall rating: 8.25 out of 10 stars [only because it’s too short ;)]