Book Review ~ "Mark of Royalty" by Jennifer K. Clark and Stephonie K. Williams

Mark of Royalty by Jennifer K. Clark & Stephonie K. Williams
My rating: 4 of 5 stars
Source: Purchased
Genre: Fairy Tale

Book Description: At a time when royal infants are marked at birth, a royal advisor makes a terrible misstep — and an infant princess must be secreted away to save her life. Named Sarah by Miranda, the woman who agrees to raise the child as her own, the girl is unaware of her royal heritage — even though Miranda has done all she can to pair Sarah with the king's nephew, Lord Chad. But unexpected events prevent the expected betrothal.

Determined to fulfill her devoted mother's wishes, Sarah reserves her heart for Chad despite her growing affections for another man. But as plots against the crown unfold, someone accidentally discovers Sarah's mark of royalty — setting the stage for discoveries that will shake the kingdom to its core.

My thoughts: This book reminded me of Cinderella and Sleeping Beauty. While it didn't take on all of the qualities of the fairy tales, there were many situations that made me think of them.

Sarah was removed from her royal home as a newborn. She was spirited away by a King's adviser to save her life. She is taken by a kind woman to live in a far away land where no one will know the mark of royalty that she bears on her shoulder.

There is also a wonderful, older seamstress who comes to Sarah's rescue at one point in the story to give her a proper dress to attend a kingdom celebration. She reminded me of a fairy godmother. Sarah doesn't know she is a princess, and her suitor is hiding his identity as well.

There is an abusive step-father and a jealous sister.  There are political aspirations from loved ones and suitors.  There is political unrest and jostling for the throne.  There is also romance.

The book was a pleasure to read. I enjoyed the characters of Alex and Sarah. Each is as honest and forthright as possible, but still have misunderstandings and miscommunication.

This book is perfect for lovers of fairy tale stories.

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