Book Review: The Coronation

The Coronation

-Olivia Lynn Jarmusch

Contemporary Royalty

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Prince Addison is only several weeks away from inheriting the Kingdom of Tarsurella. The entire Palace is ablaze with excitement, as the Royal Family prepares for the event of a lifetime. Despite the exciting event which is near at hand, Addison and his younger siblings (all seven of them!) must carry on with their daily activities. Addison’s sisters, Princesses Bridget, Chasity, and Hope, have their struggles with being iconic European starlets of a modern day monarchy. The teen heiresses grace magazine covers, smile for photoshoots, and gracefully glide through important interviews–until a certain American popstar arrives on the scene.

Kennetic Energy, the wildly popular band from the United States, is chosen to play at Addison’s Coronation. David Carter, the band’s handsome lead singer, fumbles through awkward moments with Princess Hope–in front of the cameras. When an embarrassing rumor sparks that Princess Hope is dating the young fellow, she is determined to get the band fired from their Royal gig.

Meanwhile, Princess Chasity is dealing with her own fragile affairs of the heart. Her new security guard, Hanson Fletcher, is completely captivating, yet entirely frustrating. She attempts to keep the entrance of her heart firmly protected, while following the wisdom of Proverbs 4:23. But can she be successful in guarding her heart, from her security guard?

The Coronation is Book #1 in The Tales of Tarsurella Trilogy.

I'll be honest with you. The Coronation is not the genre I usually go chasing after for my next read. That being said, this book was not what I expected at all! I was very pleasantly surprised with the faith and family aspect of this book. My compliments to Olivia for crafting an engaging read without unnecessary content or inappropriate relationships!

Plot

The Coronation was a bit slower paced, as I think comes with the territory of Contemporary Royalty. But towards the last half, it does pick it up, and plenty happened to keep me reading. Each sibling has their own POV (point of view), which does ramp up the tension of certain scenes when you switch to another character and leave the one hanging.

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Characters

Addison is the crown prince and seeing his reaction and emotions to the upcoming crowing of King is interesting to say the least. He's definitely a relatable character, and I very much appreciate seeing a 20-something guy who loves and cherishes his family like he does. Bridget wasn't as much, but I do like her character development towards the end.

Hope was one of my favorites. She's so strong and smart! And Jillian was definitely showing her true colors towards the end of the book when a certain spoiler happened. Asher was so sad, not only his mentality but his actions and thoughts. Millie and Willie were just adorable, and their antics and playfulness nicely balanced the more serious side of palace life. 😉

Romance

While there was romance, I was pleasantly surprised at how Olivia portrayed and pulled it off. Addison was pursuing a future wife and Queen in a very straightforward and chaste way, but several girls try to flirt and garner his attention. Bridget is said to be saving her first kiss for her husband (even after a bad relationship with an unsavory character). Two characters almost kiss. There is an obvious attraction between Hope and David, but no inappropriate behavior.

Content Labels

Chapter one has a character's father roughing up his (adult) son, and a mention of him physically harming his mother. A girl is referred to as "hot." A boy tries to kiss a girl without her consent and is found to have placed a camera in her room. There are bad people *SPOILER* terrorists who bring with them their guns and violence, physically assaulting several people. One character is in a very dark place emotionally and there are conversations with him that reveal his hatred of another person, including him "jokingly" saying how he'd like to harm that person. He also says "sucks" once. A person talks of his father beating his mother to death.

Final Note

This was very out of my norm when it comes to genres, but I'm glad I tried it, and will definitely be looking to purchase the rest of the series (it's rumored to end up being seven books long!). I definitely want answers and the rest of the siblings' stories as this tale unfolds.

Does The Coronation sound like something that would interest you? Even if it's not your usual cuppa, I recommend giving it a try. 😉 You never know! It might just be your next favorite read. And if you have already read it, who was your favorite character? Hope, Addison, and Millie and Willie were mine. 😁 Let's talk characters down below!

Catch ya on the flip side!

_Mac