God's Plans for Your Life are Grander Than Your Own



Rachel Hauck’s Once Upon a Prince Shows

What God Can Do When You Leave Your Heart Open


Every little girl dreams of being a princess. Every woman longs to be treated like royalty. We’re all just a little bit fascinated by royal weddings and the princess that lives in every woman. That’s why readers will fall in love with Once Upon a Prince (Zondervan/May 7, 2013/ISBN 978-0310315476/$14.99), the first release in the Royal Wedding Series by award-winning author Rachel Hauck.

“When my alarm went off at 5:00 AM the morning Prince William married Catherine Middleton, my first thought was, ‘Do I really want to get out of bed for this wedding? It’s so early!’” admits Hauck. “But the new Duchess of Cambridge captured me as well as the rest of the world with her poise and confidence. She is, in many ways, like me. An ordinary girl marrying the man she loved, living her dream. My imagination took hold, and that’s when Susanna and Nathaniel’s story started coming to life.”

Susanna Truitt never dreamed of a great romance or being treated like a princess — just to marry the man she planned to marry for the past twelve years. It was all a part of her grand plan. However, when her high-school-sweetheart-turned-Marine-officer broke up with her instead of proposing, Susanna scrambles to rebuild her life. Struggling with personal and professional disappointments, what was the plan for the rest of her life now?

The last thing Prince Nathaniel expected to find on his American holiday to St. Simon’s Island, Georgia, was the queen of his heart. All he was looking for was a break from the realities of home. After all, a prince had duties. His family’s tense political situation all but had his bride chosen for him. When Prince Nathaniel comes to Susanna’s aid under the fabled Lover’s Oak, he’s blindsided by love.

He’s a royal prince, and she’s an ordinary girl — their lives were worlds apart with traditions and politics to consider. They can’t work. But everything changes when Susanna receives an invitation to Nathaniel’s coronation. It’s the ultimate choice: His kingdom or her heart? God’s will or their own?

There is more to Once Upon a Prince than a royal love story.  Hauck hopes that once readers reach the end of the book, they realize: God has a beautiful plan for them! She even works some of her own experience into the story. “The ‘I’ve got nothing’ journey Susanna experiences is my personal journey. It’s the dialog and MO between the Lord and me. Everyone is different, but I believe God leads us and directs us with recognizable patterns,” she said. “I know how hard it is to wait on the Lord. We feel we’re responsible for our own destiny, but He has amazing plans for us and  works all things together for good.”

And there’s a bigger love story to consider — it, too, makes its way into Once Upon a Prince. “We should never give up on love. Love is always for the greater good of others, as well as us. I think we have to do is redefine love. Sometimes actions we consider love are really not love at all. Jesus gave up all the beauty and majesty of splendor of Heaven, became a man and died a cruel death on a cross. All for love. Wow, what kind of love is that? Not the world’s definition of love but the perfect model for true love.”

Join Rachel Hauck for a 12-Day Royal Wedding Preparation Giveaway May 16-27, followed by a Facebook Party on May 28 at 8:00 PM EDT where she will chat with readers. Watch for more details on her Facebook Page.


Advance Praise

“This is classic romance at its very best.”
~ Debbie Macomber, New York Times bestselling author

“Hauck spins a surprisingly believable royal-meets-commoner love story. Facing political scheming and seemingly immovable royal traditions, the couple discovers that their happily-ever-after will require courage and faith not found in fairy tales. Well-developed secondary characters are entertaining in their own right, adding a quirky touch (as do cameo-style appearances by real-life royals). Hauck fans will find a gem of a tale.”
            ~ Publishers Weekly starred review

“Hauck’s modern-day fairy tale will bring a smile to readers’ faces. Fans of the Princess Diaries series will love this ‘ordinary girl meets prince’ story!”
            ~ Romantic Times Book Reviews

Once Upon a Prince is a modern fairy tale that’s a delightful page-turner full of fun, faith, and barbeque.”
                ~ CBA Retailers + Resources


About the Author

Rachel Hauck is the bestselling author of ACFW Book of the Year winner Sweet Caroline, RITA Finalist Love Starts With Elle, bestselling and RITA Finalist The Wedding Dress, and of the critically acclaimed fiction collaboration with multi-platinum country artist Sara Evans, The Songbird Novels. Hauck’s latest release, Once Upon A Prince, is already receiving rave reviews, including a Starred Review from Publishers Weekly.

Hauck earned a degree in Journalism from Ohio State University and is a huge Buckeyes fan. She worked in the corporate software world until 2004 when she began to write fulltime. Although she admits to being Yankee-born, Hauck has lived in the south most of her life and works her southern experience into her stories. She now lives in sunny, though sometimes hurricane-plagued, central Florida with her husband and writes from her own two-story tower.

She is the past president of American Christian Fiction Writers and now serves on the Executive Board. Hauck is also one of five author contributors to Southern Belle View Daily.

Visit her website at www.rachelhauck.com to sign up for her newsletter, read her blog and follow her on Facebook (Rachel Hayes Hauck) and Twitter (@RachelHauck). 

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