Spring Into Reading with Heart of a Princess

Posted by abakersp in Spring Into Reading / 8 Comments

Hello reader friends! Welcome to my Spring Into Reading Event! Every day this month I’m going to feature a new release (or will be released) book for you to add to your TBR. There will be guest posts, giveaways, book excerpts, and more! So make sure you come back daily and see what book is in the spotlight next! And if you’ve missed any, be sure to click on the “Spring Into Reading” tab and look at the other posts!

Today I am super excited to spotlight Hannah Currie’s second novel in the Daughters of Peverell series, Heart of a Princess, releasing on July 15th! I’ve read book one, and absolutely loved it. For those of you who haven’t, Hannah is giving away an ecopy at the end of this post!! Friends, be sure to add Heart of a Princess to your TBR pile for this summer. I know I am 🙂

ABOUT THE BOOK

To the watching world, Princess Alina has it all – maids to serve her, a kingdom to revere her, a prince to marry her, and a wardrobe filled with enough frills, flounces and shades of pink to rival a flower shop. But behind the smiles and designer clothes, Alina has a secret. She’s barely holding it together. 

After a moment of panic almost ends in tragedy, Alina is sent to a refuge far from the palace to recuperate. Her family claim it’s for her own good but – faced with cows, knife-beaked ducks and far too many of her own insecurities – Alina is pretty sure it will kill her first. And Joha Samson, infuriating man that he is, will laugh as it does. 

Only there’s more to Joha than she realizes, and more to herself too. When the time comes to make a stand, will she find the courage?

Find out more at https://hannahcurrie.com/books/

The Heart Behind Heart of a Princess

If you’ve read Heart of a Royal, you’ll have met Princess Alina. She’s Kenna’s best friend, Thoraben’s sister and the real princess of Peverell. She’s girly, flirty, the kingdom’s darling, engaged to the ever-so-handsome Prince Marcos of Hodenia, and pretty much always gets her way.

To be honest, she kind of annoyed me at times during the story and I had no plans whatsoever to give her her own book.

But then Heart of a Royal’s early readers started asking about her. What happened next? What about Alina? What was her story? Which, of course, set my writer’s brain into action. What was Alina’s story? How did she deal with the fact that her mother had died giving birth to her? Was she really as perfect as she seemed? What did she think about her engagement to Prince Marcos? How would the Rebels affect her life?

The more I delved into her character, the more she surprised me. It didn’t take long for me to be totally captivated by her story, her journey and her heart.

Writing in first person means really getting inside a person’s head, and Alina had so much more going on in there than I’d given her credit for. It was as if she was two distinct people – the image she showed the world and the girl inside. Underneath all the smiles and the perfectly controlled image she portrayed, she was fighting anxiety, the continual need to be good enough, and the devastating certainty that she never would be.

I’ve struggled with anxiety since my late teens but have several friends who’ve fought it their whole lives. You wouldn’t know it to look at them. They’re adults now and taking on kids and jobs and university and smiling their way through it, but it’s there. Under the surface. Threatening to take them down any moment. The world might not know how courageous they are, getting out of bed to face the world each day, but I do. And I love them for it.

Heart of a Princess was inspired by them and their incredible courage. Yes, it’s a romance (oh boy, is it a romance!), yes, it’s a story of friendship and faith, but it’s also very much the story of one woman’s fight against anxiety and the courage it takes to let people in.

I can’t wait to share it with you all and hope you come to love Alina (and the maybe-not-quite-so-infuriating Joha…!) as much as I do.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Hannah Currie

Aussie author, Hannah Currie, loves God, family, people (in small numbers, let’s not go crazy here!) and writing. A book nerd from birth, she knows firsthand the difference a good book can make in a person’s life. Even, and especially, fiction. Her dream as a writer is to make people laugh, cry and maybe even swoon a little but mostly to remind them that no matter how dark life may get at times, because of God, there is always hope. 

She and her husband live with their three adorable kids in sunny Queensland, where it really is beautiful one day and perfect the next. Except, maybe, during heatwaves. They’re not so fun. 

Connect with Hannah:

Website/newsletter signup:  https://www.hannahcurrie.com 

Facebook:   https://www.facebook.com/author.hannah.currie/

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/hannah_currie_author/

Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/author/show/19415112.Hannah_Currie

GIVEAWAY

a Rafflecopter giveaway

Do you like learning about the inspiration behind a story before a book comes out? What do you like about Hannah’s guest post today? Don’t forget to stop back every day this month for more great reads, and if you’ve missed any days, go back and check them out!

8 responses to “Spring Into Reading with Heart of a Princess

  1. April Morin

    I love hearing about what inspires an author to write a specific book, or genre. The cover is beautiful and I think the story would be entertaining and a great book to disappear into on an afternoon.

  2. Paula Shreckhise

    I love hearing about background information that sparked a story, especially if it has a personal connection.

  3. MJSH

    I love learning about what inspired the author to pen a book. Really enjoyed Heart of Royal and excited to read Alina’s story soon!

  4. Elizabeth Litton

    I’m glad to hear that Alina isn’t as shallow as she first seemed to be! I can’t wait to read her story!

  5. Trixi

    I love learning the inspiration behind the story! There are so many things an author can get their ideas for books. This is an absolutely beautiful cover and the dress is stunning! Sounds like a fantastic story.

    Thank you for the giveaway chance, Jessica.

  6. Becky D

    This has been in my TBR pile…princesses, wit & romance = a perfect combination, beautiful story! It fascinates me learning “behind-the-scenes” info about books. Thanks for sharing!! ??