The Prince’s Christmas Vow by Jennifer Faye-Review, Interview and Giveaway

The Prince’s Christmas Vow
Twin Princes of Mirraccino #2
by Jennifer Faye
Genre: adult, contemporary, romance
Release Date: November 3, 2015

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ABOUT THE BOOK: Release Date November 3, 2015

Secretly married…to a prince!

Zoe Sarris hasn’t seen Crown Prince Demetrius Castanavo since their secret elopement. So she’s shocked when he requests her interior design services. She’s only just pieced her broken heart back together, and seeing Demetrius–as gorgeous and guarded as ever–threatens to shatter it all over again…

However, the shocking news that they are actually still married changes everything. Especially when Demetrius reveals he wants his princess back…preferably in time for Christmas!

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REVIEW: The Prince’s Christmas Vow is a lovely romance by author Jennifer Faye. It’s a lovely seasonal story centering on Prince Demetrius Castanavo (of the Mirraccino Islands) and Zoe Sarris. They had fallen in love and married secretly and within two days she’d left a note and run away, breaking both hearts.

This is a lovely romantic story with a heart-wrenching disease at its center. Zoe’s mother has familial Altzheimer’s and she was afraid to pass it on to their children and let her husband down, so she’d run away without telling him why. A year later, he’d become the respectable prince he needed to be and was doing a renovation project and needed her help. He thought they could just work together on this and perhaps he’d get some answers, as well as annulment papers he thought she was holding onto.

That’s the set up. The story is twisty and fantastically romantic as they wind their way through misunderstandings and back into each other’s lives. There’s much story on both sides and they are both still very much in love with each other. The writing is descriptive, romantic and very well done. This is a delightful read and a very romantic tale for the holiday season.

Grab a glass of egg nog…and a few seasonal cookies and cuddle up for a wonderful read and thrilling ride through this fabulous story! Enjoy everyone, I certainly did.

Copy supplied by Author

Reviewed by Georgianna

TRC: Hi Jennifer and welcome to The Reading Café.

Jennifer: Hi. 🙂 Thanks so much for having me.

TRC: Congratulations on the November 1, 2015 t release of THE PRINCE’S CHRISTMAS VOW (Twin Princes of Mirraccino, book 2) and the October 12, 2015 release of A MOMENT ON THE LIPS (A Whistle Stop Romance, book 3).

Jennifer: Thank you! I’m very excited about both releases.

TRC: We would like to start with some background information. Would you please tell us something about yourself?

Follow Jennifer: Goodreads/Website/Twitter/ Facebook

Jennifer: I’m a wife and mother. I have two wonderful furbabies, otherwise known as cats. But shh…don’t tell them that. I’m also a writer with a vast imagination. I love to write small town romances and romances set in far flung settings. It keeps things interesting.

TRC: Who or what influenced your career in writing?

Jennifer: I’ve wanted to be a writer since I was a kid. My love of reading started with Dr. Seuss and then moved on to the Hardy Boys and Judy Bloom. When I was a teenager, I found Harlequins and I’ve been reading them ever since. 😉

TRC: What challenges or difficulties have you encounter writing and publishing your stories? Have you considered entering the ‘indie’ publication field?

Jennifer: When I first got serious about my writing in 2007, I received my fair share of rejections. The best ones were the personalized ones. I knew I was getting somewhere when they started to show up. But my dream had always been to be a Harlequin author and I wasn’t about to give up. 😉

As for going the indie route, I have done that also. I’m what they call a hybrid author. I have learned so much from following both paths. I think what I’ve learned from one form of publishing has helped the other side. And vice versa. The best thing about publishing/writing is that I’m always learning something new. 😉

TRC: Would you please tell us something about the premise of :

Jennifer: THE PRINCE’S CHRISTMAS VOW:

Secretly married…to a prince!

Zoe Sarris hasn’t seen Crown Prince Demetrius Castanavo since their secret elopement. So she’s shocked when he requests her interior design services. She’s only just pieced her broken heart back together, and seeing Demetrius—as gorgeous and guarded as ever—threatens to shatter it all over again…

However, the shocking news that they are actually still married changes everything. Especially when Demetrius reveals he wants his princess back…preferably in time for Christmas!

A MOMENT ON THE LIPS:

Welcome to Autumn Fest…sweet treats, entertaining company, and a tender romance.

Piper Noble feels like she’s going places. Her business, the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery, is a culinary success story. Next on her to-do list is expanding the bakery into the vacant shop next door…and starting a new diet, like her mom keeps nagging her to. But when Joe Montoya steps into her life, her grand plans grind to a sudden halt.

Joe’s taken a big risk returning to Whistle Stop. But with his disastrous marriage over, it’s time for a fresh start, including opening a coffee shop…and coming to terms with his troubled past. Though his neighbor Piper looks like she’ll be a big distraction in getting Fill-It-Up Joe off the ground–with her honeyed smile, curvy goodness, and her unflagging determination to grab his storefront.

However, when Piper and Joe are elected as co-chairs of a fundraising committee to help the town’s revitalization project, the hostilities must cease. Joe’s not sure about spending time with a woman who, one moment, reminds him of all the good things he’s been missing, and the next minute drives him up a wall with her stubbornness. Meanwhile, Piper’s looking for the way to this gorgeous but grouchy guy’s heart–maybe serving him one of her fresh-from-the-oven pastries could be just the right start…

TRC: How do you keep the plot(s) unpredictable without sacrificing content and believability?

Jennifer: I guess I’d have to say it comes into play when I’m outlining the story. It’s the first thing I do. I learned a long time ago that it was a lot faster to revise a short outline than to go back and rewrite the book. So if I can outline the story, playing off the character’s motivations as the driving force, then I hope the story will be believable and true to the characters and their desires.

TRC: Do you believe the cover image plays a deciding factor for many readers in the process of selecting a book or new series to read?

Jennifer: I do believe it plays somewhat of a role in whether a reader takes a closer look at a book. There are a lot of books out there so if a cover doesn’t strike them or the author’s name doesn’t click in their minds, I think they’re likely to move on and miss what might be an awesome book.

TRC: When writing a storyline, do the characters direct the writing or do you direct the characters?

Jennifer: Life would be so much easier if I could direct the characters. 😉 Even though I expand my outline until it’s rather extensive, I find that my characters will take their own detours. Plotting by no means takes the surprise out of writing the story. I never know when we’ll be off on an adventure/detour. It really keeps writing interesting.

TRC: The mark of a good writer is to pull the reader into the storyline so that they experience the emotions along with the characters. What do you believe a writer must do to make this happen? Where do you believe writer’s fail in this endeavor?

Jennifer: Oh my. I don’t know if I’m the right person to answer this question. I’m forever wondering if I went deep enough—far enough. It’s all so clear in my head, but sometimes it’s so hard to convey on the page. In the end, I do the best I can at that point in time and then I hope that I nailed it. I wait until my readers get back to me with their thoughts to know if I pulled it off or not. Either way, I do give it my all. 😉

TRC: Do you listen to music while writing? If so, does the style of music influence the storyline direction? Characters?

Jennifer: Yes, I listen to music all of the time. Most of the time it’s country music. I’m a BIG Tim McGraw fan. And when I’m writing my Christmas romances, I play Christmas music on Pandora. 😉 And no, it doesn’t really influence my stories. It just keeps me humming along.

TRC: What three things would you like to accomplish in the next five years?

Jennifer: Lots! I have so many story ideas in my head that are just bursting to get out. I either need to figure out how to squeeze more hours in the day or learn how to write faster. I have lots of plans to expand the Whistle Stop series. I have more Harlequin books in the works. I have some other series ideas that I’d love to explore.

TRC: Have you collaborated with any other authors/writers? If not, have you considered such an enterprise?

Jennifer: Yes, I have. I worked with a group of Harlequin Romance authors to write the Vineyards of Monte Calanetti continuity. It’s an 8-book series set in the breathtaking hills of Tuscany. The stories range around a small Italian village and an upcoming royal wedding. It was my first time working that close with other writers. It was very exciting. My book is the second in the series, RETURN OF THE ITALIAN TYCOON. FYI, each book can be read as a standalone as each has its own HEA.

And I also just took part in an 88-author cookbook, WE’D RATHER BE WRITING. It just released. It is full of time-saving recipes and tips. The blurb can explain it better than me:

TRC: Have you ever wished you could find more time to do the things you want to do, rather than just doing the things you have to do?

Jennifer: Most authors juggle day jobs and family responsibilities along with their writing. Because they need to find time to write, they look for ways to save time in other aspects of their lives.

Cooking often takes up a huge chunk of time. In We’d Rather Be Writing: 88 Authors Share Timesaving Dinner Recipes and Other Tips you’ll find easy, nutritious recipes for meat, poultry, pasta, soup, stew, chili, and vegetarian meals. All of the recipes require a minimum of prep time, freeing you up to read, exercise, garden, craft, write, spend more time with family, or whatever.

TRC: Many authors bounce ideas and information with other authors or friends and family. With whom do you bounce ideas?

Jennifer: Honestly, I don’t bounce ideas much. When I do, they are bounced off my editor mainly and sometimes my husband. He has the most amusing reactions at times when his brow scrunches up and he asks, “Why would they do that?” Well, usually it’s because I’ve jumped over the beginning and gotten to the part I’m excited about—the part I’ve just figured out. 😉

TRC: What do you believe is the biggest misconception people have about authors?

Jennifer: That writing is easy. These days authors are so much more than writers. Basically they are small business owners. There is so much admin that needs addressed from marketing to bookkeeping to tackling the ever busy email. There’s always something that needs attention and when you work for yourself, there are no office hours. It just keeps going.

TRC: What is something that few, if any people, know about you?

Jennifer: That my favorite time of the year to enjoy ice cream is in the winter. LOL. When the hubster figured this out, you should have seen his face, especially when it was snowing and he was standing in line at the ice cream shop to get me a hot fudge sundae. LOL.

TRC: On what are you currently working?

Jennifer: I just completed and turned in a book to Harlequin, THE GREEK’S NINE-MONTH SURPRISE. It’s the second book in the BRIDES FOR THE GREEK TYCOON’S duet. It will be out June 2016.

And I’m just about to begin the fourth book in the Whistle Stop series, A MOMENT TO CHERISH…

Wedding bells are about to ring out in Whistle Stop. And trust me, it won’t be your typical wedding. It will be done up in Whistle Stop style. 😉 And if that isn’t enough, there’s a mayoral election underway that’s about to become rather sticky and not from the honey fresh pastries at the Poppin’ Fresh Bakery either. 😉 For years now, Mayor Ortiz has run unopposed, but all of that is about to change. Mason Noble is about to toss his hat into the election. But will his political pursuits endanger his engagement to the beautiful Bella Nez? And are the townsfolk of Whistle Stop ready to do away with tradition? So many questions. So many changes. Keep an eye out for the fourth installment in the Whistle Stop series ~ A MOMENT TO CHERISH coming Spring 2016.

TRC: Would you like to add anything else?

Jennifer: Thanks so much for having me. I’ve really enjoyed my visit. I hope we can do it again. 🙂

LIGHTNING ROUND

Favorite Food – Pizza

Favorite Dessert – do I really have to pick just one??? Pecan rolls

Favorite TV Show – The Tudors

Last Movie You Saw – I don’t watch many movies. I enjoy series. The last one I watched was The White Queen. It was excellent!

Dark or Milk Chocolate – Milk chocolate

Secret Celebrity Crush – Henry Cavill *dreamy sigh*

Last Vacation Destination – Amish country

Do you have any pets? Yes, two cats

Last book you read – SOLDIER, HERO…HUSBAND?

Pet Peeve – tapping nails/pen

TRC: Thank you Jennifer for taking the time to answer our questions. Congratulations on all of your success. We wish you all the best.

Jennifer: Thank you!!! 🙂

Jennifer is offering a signed, paper copy of A PRINCESS BY CHRISTMAS (Book 1) to ONE (1) lucky commenter at The Reading Cafe. Each book can be read as a stand alone.

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9. Giveaway runs from November 4 to November 8, 2015