Stranded with Prince Charming

Ever After #3

by Lauren Smith

Getting stuck in Switzerland over Christmas with your ex-boyfriend’s nemesis isn’t a good thing…or is it?

When Shana Pimms finds Chicago’s resident bad boy lawyer Roarke Covington in her hotel room claiming to be her roommate, she’s more than a little confused. She’d only agreed to help her ex-boyfriend out by traveling overseas to negotiate a real estate deal for her father’s law firm. The last thing she’s ready for is the handsome, oh-so-sexy, Roarke to play prince charming to her Cinderella…

Roarke can’t believe his luck. For a man who hates Christmas, this sure is shaping up to be one heck of a Christmas miracle because he gets to share a hotel room…and a bed with Shana, the girl he’s secretly been in love with for years. There’s just one problem, Shana doesn’t trust him because her ex-boyfriend has her convinced he’s the villain in her fairy tale life. With a little seduction, and a lot of Christmas magic in this snowy little town, Roarke will prove to Shana he can be her dirty little secret…and perhaps the love of a lifetime.

97 pages, Kindle Edition

Published January 26, 2023

About the author

Lauren Smith is a USA Today Best-Selling author and an Oklahoma attorney. She knew she was destined to be a romance writer when she attempted to re-write the entire Titanic movie just to save Jack from drowning. Connecting with readers by writing emotionally moving, realistic and sexy romances no matter what time period is her passion. She’s won multiple awards in several romance subgenres including: New England Reader’s Choice Awards, Greater Detroit BookSeller’s Best Awards, Amazon.com Breakthrough Novel Award Quarter-Finalist and a Semi-Finalist for the Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley Award. To connect with Lauren, visit her at www.laurensmithbooks.com or twitter at @LSmithAuthor.

Reviews

[Elaine · Rating 4 out of 5]

A sexy story with Shana and Roarke. Shana agreed to travel overseas in regards to negotiate a real estate deal for her father. She is snowed in and has to share a hotel room with Roarke (whom she knows) who has an extra bed in his room. I really enjoyed this story. 4☆

[Janet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shana Pimms travels to Gstaad to stand in for a lawyer who can’t make the meeting she's surprised when Chicago’s resident bad boy lawyer Roarke Covington enters her hotel room claiming to be her roommate, it's Christmas & there's no rooms at any of the inns (or hotels). Roarke can’t believe his luck, he hates Christmas but this sure is shaping up to be one heck of a Christmas miracle because he gets to share a hotel room…and a bed with Shana, the girl he’s secretly been in love with for years.
This is the third book in the series & whilst it could be read on its own I think to fully appreciate it it would be better read in sequence. A delightful read of two unloved people desperately wanting to be loved for themselves. I really liked both Roarke & Shana, he wants to fill all her fantasies as she fills his. A quick read, which I would have preferred to have been longer but it did leave me with a smile on my face
My review is for a special copy I voluntarily read

[Marion Löw · Rating 5 out of 5]

I thoroughly enjoyed this delightful off-limits Christmas love story set in the winter wonderland of the Swiss Alps. It has added „it’s always been you“, „he falls first“, forced proximity and one bed tropes and is filled with romance, emotion, heartwarming moments and steamy love scenes. Roarke and Shana are endearing characters. He is a grumpy bad boy but soft at heart and she’s a kind of people pleaser who comes to find herself in the course of the story.

When Roarke Covington loses to Thad Worthington in a poker game, he has to fly to Gstaad for Christmas in return to assist the junior lawyer sent by Thad’s law firm with a real estate deal. The two are supposed to share a room, but then it turns out that the junior lawyer is Shana Pimms, the daughter of the owner and the girl he has secretly been in love with since their time at university. As former girlfriend of his enemy and daughter of his rival, Shana has always been off-limits to him, but now he is all too willing to take the risk…

A romantic and spicy short read that I am happy to recommend!

I received a free ARC of this book. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own and left voluntarily.

[FD · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's a sweet and sexy short story. Roarke and Shanna know each other superficially. In fact, Roarke always watched from the sidelines how Shana and her friends lived, but he never joined their inner circle. Now, unexpectedly, they're both snowed in in a hotel room in Switzerland and they can do what they've wanted for a long time: give in to their desire. Because Roarke has long had a crush on Shana, but never had the chance before. voor Shana Rourke is the forbidden fruit. It doesn't take long for Shana to realize that he's also the one she's been waiting for. A romantic setting, full of idyllic moments, friendship and love and Christmas.

I only realized that it is a series, when I started reading, but that does not matter for the story, it can be read as a standalone

Pleasant accessible writing style, an ideal in-between story.

I received a free copy of this book and I am voluntarily writing this review

[Rachel C. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pros: This book made me want to go to Switzerland something fierce. And go on a sleigh ride on Christmas... and also try hot chocolate with Bailey's in it.

Cons: This book feels like it lives on the idea that if you want to be happy, you have to get married and have, basically, a white picket fence. Given that millennials and Gen X, which are likely the main readers of the romance genre right now, have some of the lowest marriage rates, this seems like an outdated view to me. I also felt like I wanted more of the heart-wrenching backstory of Roarke and Shana; granted that would have taken away from the sweet romance vibes, which I did enjoy.

I haven't read the rest of the books in the series, but this did work as a standalone.

Note: I recieved a free copy from BookSirens in exchange for an honest review.

[Linda Reads · Rating 4 out of 5]

Humorous, short, steamy, snowed in romance; one of my favorite tropes
Let me say in the beginning that I liked Roarke Covington. His reputation is far worse than the sweet man we get to see on the pages of this book. He doesn’t play games. He has loved Shana Pimms from the moment he saw her at law school. Circumstances kept them away from each other unfortunately. Happenstance or fate gives the opportunity that Shana needs to see the truth about him. If you like close-proximity plots with some steam and lots of humor, you will want to read this book. There were a few missing prepositions and maybe a missing word here and there but it wasn’t terrible. Probably just needs a better proofreader. Over all, I truly enjoyed this book which I read from the published version although I volunteered to review an ARC of it through BookSirens.

[Tina Riddle · Rating 3 out of 5]

I really wanted to like this book. I feel the characters were not developed enough. I never did find out why her friends, all of whom went to prep school together do not like Roarke. Yet they went to the same College and still don’t like each other. They insinuated he is a “bad boy” with nothing to back it up. I understand in a short book, 130 pages, you are not going to go that in-depth but I was expecting so much more. I liked the idea of Shana but I never felt connected to her or to Roarke. And stuck in Switzerland in the same hotel room with twin beds!! What is that about. There were a lot of not realistic things I did not care for in this book. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Annette · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short, spicy and sweetly romantic. Wow, Roarke is the man, he's determined to romance her and have her see him as relationship material. Their relationship foundation is already built so it's time to turn up the heat. He's bold, very open, attentive, patient, strong and supportive. The ex (Jared) dynamics did seem a bit odd to me, probably because I haven't read any of the others in this series but, I don't think that takes away from this story, just made me tell him to back off, lol. It all comes together very well, he's everything she needs to be herself and happy in their rapture. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Silke · Rating 3 out of 5]

Stranded with Prince Charming is the 3rd in a series. I have not read the previous books and felt that I was missing a lot of background on Roarke, so would recommend to read the books in order. It's a fairly short story and I loved the wonderful depictions of Switzerland and the holiday vibes, but the relationship going from barely more than acquaintances to ready for marriage lovers was too much for me to believe.
I received a free copy through Booksirens and am leaving this review voluntarily and honestly.

[Deb V. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short and sweet mixed with a little bit of spice! This is the 3rd book in the series and I wish I had started with the first 2 as there were several characters back stories I would have enjoyed knowing. The story of barely friends to lovers captured my attention and I could feel the love between them blossom and bring happiness to each other. I loved the wonderful depictions of Switzerland and the holiday aesthetic. I very much enjoyed this quick read and would highly recommend!

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Rach3l · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wanted to like this book but a few things didn’t add up for me. I’m not going to go into specifics since I don’t want to give any spoilers but some logistics didn’t seem to make sense. They didn’t share much of the past so that we could fully understand the relationships between all the interconnected characters. I just feel like if this book was a little longer, then the author could have expands on their characters.

Side note: I received a copy of this book in exchange for a honest review

[Ana · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very interesting story about two people who need to do business meeting and accidentaly find themselves sharing the same room around Christmas time in Switzerland.
I fell in love with Gstaad and Switzerland. I really loved how the place was described and those moments they spend there. Short story but very sweet.
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I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Berta Greenleaf Richardson · Rating 5 out of 5]

I truly enjoyed this book. It brought a smile to my face, which is what most readers look for in a book. I got to visit Switzerland and experience the festival season there. I fell in love with both Shana and Roarke. What wonderful MCs. I got to feel them fall in love and bring happiness into each others lives. This is truly a special holiday story. I highly recommend this book to all romance readers.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Beverly · Rating 4 out of 5]

Oh fate of fates!!! The perfect tale for the holidays (or any day) to bring two people together that were meant to be. Roarke had a beautiful setting to create some very magical moments for him and Shana to share. I don't know that Roarke was a bad boy or not, but he did gave a heart of gold filled with love. He treated Shana like a queen. Everything felt so magical and right. Chapter 7 sizzles! I voluntarily read a free copy of this book provided by book sirens and am giving an honest opinion.

[Shuvai · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was an exciting close proximity romance book. Because of bad weather Shana and Roarke are forced to be together and share a room which led to hidden feelings coming to the surface and consuming them to a passion that both of them could not let go. I loved that it was a short and easy to read novella.

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[K.J. Sweeney · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not my favourite Lauren Smith story, but as I really love so many of them, that doesn't mean that this was a bad read. It's quite a quick one and I came across it as part of an anthology. The couple in this a nice together, but it all happens a bit quickly. I don't really understand the rush to get married either.
Overall, a quick, but fun, read.

[Sewanee Kracalik · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely fell in love with this endearing Quick read. It’s got all the pleasing elements including the enchantments of Switzerland, a bad boy with unparalleled longings, plus a sweet Labrador. Who couldn’t love it. It made me laugh, cry, and the steam is drool worthy. I grabbed it on BookSirens and I’m sooo gladly volunteering to give this review.

[Mindy Lopez · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is Book 3 in the Ever After Series by this author, and can be read as a standalone. It is a re-imagining of the classic fairytale Cinderella, with a modern twist, between Shana and bad boy lawyer Roarke. It is a holiday romance with steam, drama, intrigue, twists and turns, and engaging secondary characters to keep the reader interested. The chemistry between the main characters is combustible. It is a quick read with a happy ending.

I received an Advance Reader Copy of this book and am voluntarily leaving my honest review.

[Cristiana Duarte · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.
Although I enjoyed the plot, the story develops at a too fast pace, making it a bit confusing at times.