BOOK LAUNCH // "The Princess and I" by Rebekah Eddy

Well hello hello friends! I have something special happening today!

As part of the release celebrations happening around the blogosphere at the moment to celebrate Rebekah Eddy's new book, I get to review it for you all today. Wahoooooo! (It is officially being released on March 3rd.) I also have an author interview for you and more information about the book, so read on for all the excitingness!

Anyway, Rebekah very sweetly sent me a copy to review and being the dedicated person I am, since I don't have an e-reader and I didn't want to read the entire book on the computer, I downloaded it on my phone and read it on there. Well, wooooow.
Synopsis of "The Princess and I"

Megan is content with her life, despite her parents' death and her brother Malcolm's job that keeps him busy at the King's castle. But when she is offered the position as Princess Christine's lady-in-waiting, Megan is glad of the change in scenery and accepts it with the hope that she can spend more time with her brother. The promise from Malcolm of lessons in swordsmanship only adds to her enthusiasm.

However, helping keep an eye on the emotional and excitable young lady proves to be much harder than becoming her friend. As rumors of war circulate the castle, Megan strives to encourage her new friend even as she tries to settle the doubts and fears in her own heart when her responsibility in protecting the Princess is put to the test. Follow the unwanted adventure which serves to teach her that loyal friendship, true love, and God's amazing grace will always triumph over revenge, greed, and hate.

This is the cover, guys.

And this is the face of someone who stayed up to an unreasonable hour in order to get to the end of the book and find out how it ended: *dreamy eyes*

I really enjoyed the book.

It was fabulous.

It's been a very long time since I've stayed up late in order to finish a book! I just had to keep reading and reading and reading to find out what happened at the end!

Rebekah is a great storyteller. I loved the way the tale is from the lady-in-waiting's perspective rather than the princess's perspective herself. I enjoyed the suspenseful moments and yes, even the sad moments (although *spoiler alert* why oh why did one of my favourite people have to DIE??????). 

I liked the way Rebekah included something exciting in the epilogue and didn't reveal how that ended... meaning she can write a sequel or just leave it, whichever she chooses! 

I only caught one little spelling error, so the editors/proofreaders did a great job. 

The epilogue, although it had something exciting in it, felt a bit forced to me (like it was trying too hard to mop up and finish the story) but it did end nicely. I would have liked more of the scenes throughout the book to be set (tell us more about the castle!) and I felt a couple of things were a tiny bit far fetched but it was still a fantastic read.

I can't leave this review without mentioning that I really really loved the romance skillfully woven throughout the book. It was perfectly clean and at the same time captivating, which makes for a very enjoyable read! 

I think Rebekah did a good job of making a generally cliche sort of story interesting and also new in her own way. I reckon princess stories are hard to write because they are so overdone but I really loved this one. 

My rating: 4/5 (which is really high for me!) 

Rebekah and I arranged to have a little interview that I could post along with the review. Here it goes, in all it's five question-ed glory. :D

Interview with the author

What inspires you to write?
Like all good authors, I'm inspired by EVERYTHING. There's the short, uncomplicated answer. ;) But, true to my personality, I'll go on to ramble about fresh ocean breezes, long car trips, dreams, people I know, people I don't know, other books I've read, history, news, and Pinterest. :P The list could go on for all eternity, but I'll stop now or you all will get incredibly bored.

Do you have plans for future books?
I have no shortage of ideas floating around my head...but whether or not one of them takes hold of me is yet to happen. We'll have to see. An unsatisfactory answer, I know...but it's the only honest answer I have right now.

How long did 'The Princess and I' take you to write?
Well, I STARTED "The Princess & I" when I was twelve. I wrote all of three chapters in it. ;) Then, I got distracted with other books I was writing and a few years passed (I know, cringe with me) before I rediscovered the beginning. Early last year I decided to really write it, so I polished the first few chapters and it took off from there. After a helpful three months of Camp NaNo which got over half the book finished, I was able to complete the story during the next month. The whole writing process (not counting the long break) took about six months. Editing is a whole different story...don't even get me started. -_-

What's your favourite part of your book?
Spoilers removed, it's probably any time Megan and a certain someone are together, or the fighting scene between her and the bad guy. I really just love all of it though. ^_^

Favorite ice cream flavor?
Anything with carmel. Or chocolate. Or raspberry. Or white chocolate. Or coffee. Who would have thought that THIS question would be the hardest one to answer!! Sheesh. I LIKE ALL ICE CREAM, OK?? ;P

Meet the author: About Rebekah

Rebekah grew up surrounded by family members who appreciated and read good literature. First, she fell in love with the stories her parents read aloud to her from the Bible and books like The Chronicles of Narnia, Great Expectations, The Hobbit, and Anne of Green Gables. After learning to read on her own, she discovered other fantastic books which helped to build her ever growing imagination.

She completed her first written work at the tender age of eight and now uses it to humble herself whenever the need arises. The story did serve to show her that God had given her a desire to write, however, and from that moment on Rebekah has never looked back or regretted picking up her pencil and becoming an author.

This eighteen-year-old homeschool graduate lives in rainy Western Washington and is currently working on receiving her BA in English in order to further her passion for creating worlds on paper.

Connect with Rebekah via her blog, Pinterest, Goodreads or Google Plus!

Guys you really really should get yourself a copy of this book when it launches on March 3rd. You won't regret it. Purchase it here!!

Thanks so much Rebekah for allowing me to join in the launch day celebrations! Well done on 'The Princess and I'. I'm so excited for you!

What book have you read most recently?