If you are looking for a fun, whimsical but still heartfelt novel The Head That Wears the Crown is a perfect choice. Featuring 40-something divorced mom Annie, her teenage children and lively younger sisters fans of The Princess Diaries will enjoy this more adult take on a beloved theme. I enjoy the history Mariah Stewart provides in her novel that serves as both a backdrop and motive for a lot of the events. This is a fun read, where an American woman discovers she's heir to a small duchy (and I would absolutely visit Giliberti if possible), and is tasked to decide if she accepts her birth-right and if she should uproot her whole family-while learning that not every citizen wanted to restore the monarchy.
With a dash of romance, humor and light this is a delightful read.

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for my honest feedback.

I can sit here and tell youthis story from beginning to end without a struggle. I won't becausre I want everyone to read it. It is one of the best books I have read in a while.
Annie is a divorced mom with the support of her sisters. Little does she know, that her grandmother was holding a huge secret. A secret that will change her life forever in a good way.
This book was a fast read. It has all the emotions in it and it was fabulous.

A wish-fulfillment fantasy, in which a divorced middle-aged mother of two from South Philly learns that she is the heir to the throne of a tiny European country which has thrown off Russian rule and voted to restore the monarchy. Annie decides to accept, because she wants to make a difference for the country and bring it into the 21st century. Castle life doesn't hurt, either. Nor does the extremely handsome captain of the guard.

I am not the target audience for this book. It is well-written, as expected from Mariah Stewart, and the characters are reasonably rounded. Everything goes far too smoothly but, as I said, wish-fulfillment fantasy.

I loved this one! It’s every girls dream to discover she’s a lost princess so right there I was hooked. I loved that she was a single mom and kind of a rags to riches underlying theme. I would say the plot is fairly predictable but I knew that going in.

Imagine you’re a divorced working mom in Philadelphia with 2 teenagers and you notice you’re being followed by the best looking man you’ve ever seen. He and his friends tell you that your grandmother was the last Grand Duchess of a tiny European country, San Gilberti, and that you, Annie Gilberti, are the next in line now that the country has voted to reestablish the monarchy.

This is the entertaining plot of The Head That Wears the Crown. When Annie finds out, she’s shocked but not totally surprised, her grandmother didn’t talk about escaping WWII and coming to the US.
Annie goes to San Gilberti where she finds a beautiful and charming place that has very little infrastructure or economy of its own.

Annie needs to decide if she will become the Grand Duchess with all the responsibilities that come with the title. She’ll have to move her family, and she’s concerned about her kids, especially when she finds out that not everyone in San Gilberti is excited about restoring the monarchy.

I really enjoyed this book, and I loved Annie’s family and friends. This is fun escapist fiction at its best

4 stars.

Thanks to Montlake and NetGalley I received a complimentary copy of this book. Opinions expressed as in this review are completely my own.

This is a good book. The two main characters are Annaliese and Max. Annaliese is a divorced mother of two teenagers. Max is a duke who is looking for the duchess they need to rule a European country. Max traces the bloodlines and find Annaliese. There is an instant attraction. She flies with Max back to see his country. She finds out about her grandmother and her great grandparents. She goes back and packs up her family and moves to the European country. Annaliese and Max fall in love.

A South Philly single mom of two finds out she is heir to a small country called St. Gilbert. Annie travels to St. Gilbert, falls in love with the country, and moves there with her teenagers, followed by her sisters and best friend. She becomes the Grand Duchess and is tasked with modernizing the country, which lacks tourism infrastructure and has an ineffective council. Despite some eye-rolling moments and unrealistic aspects, such as the smooth transition for Annie's family and the council's acceptance of the new Duchess, the novel offers a cute and quick read reminiscent of a mix between Princess Diaries and Hallmark movies. The story includes a twist three-quarters of the way through and a romantic subplot with a hunky captain. Overall, it's a fun and light read, perfect for a vacation or weekend escape.

The Head That Wears the Crown by Mariah Stewart is such a delightful read. I have read many novels featuring royalty. This book felt the most realistic by far. I loved the age of the main character and the circumstances in which she discovered her royal identity. This is a really fun, engrossing read. I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher with no obligations. These opinions are entirely my own.

This was a cute and sweet story of a single mom in her 40s having a Princess Diaries experience. Annaliese (Annie) Gilberti discovers that her grandmother was next in line to the throne of a small country in Europe when she was forced to flee as a teen during World War II. Decades later, the country is looking to reinstall the monarchy, and Annie is the heir to the throne.

This was a story of Annie's journey to the country of St. Gilbert and the transition into a leadership role while trying to bring the country into modern times and boost its economy. The country certainly had its charm and interesting history and ties to her ancestors, though sometimes the details got a bit muddy.

Overall it was a nice story, and her captain of the guard, Maximilien Belleme, was quite the protector. Aside from a little suspense towards the end, there was very little angst and only a dabble of romance. But if you're looking for a sweet, low angst book, this may be right up your alley.

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the arc.

Overall, "The head that wears the crown" is a beautifully written and emotionally powerful romance that I would highly recommend to anyone looking for a book that will sweep them off their feet. Stewart is a truly talented author, and I can't wait to see what they write next. Five stars all the way!

Thank you for the opportunity to review this new novel.

A story that's as sweet as a Hallmark movie but moving in a much sloooower pace. I'm sorry to say that I was very bored since nothing really happened and I put i down :(.

I was so excited to read this book- a grown up Princess Diaries featuring a mom of two kids and in her 40’s (just like me). But unfortunately I could not get into it and ended up not finishing halfway through. It’s not a bad book by any means, it’s just not much has happened other than a pampering trip to her new country. I am not seeing the humor and love that I was hoping to see early on and maybe I just wasn’t in the mood for a slow burn. I might pick it back up later though.

From the blurb: Annaliese—Annie—Gilberti is a divorced South Philadelphia mother of two with a nine-to-five job when a shocking discovery turns another average day upside down: her late grandmother was the exiled ruler of a small European country, and Annie is next in line to wear the crown and restore the monarchy.

I started this in August on my Kindle on the beach and finished it like six weeks later. I had no desire to finish it quickly. It was fine - it was pretty much a grown-up Princess Diaries, and it just felt kind of predictable. I normally love any Royal romance, but I just liked this one.

Thank you to Netgalley and the publisher for the opportunity to read and review this book. Annie is living her life as a single Mom in Philadelphia when she receives word that she is eldest heir of her grandmothers ruling European country. While this is super far-fetched, it was a fun read and would recommend.

Annie Gilbert is a divorced mother of two with a 9 to 5 job when she discovers that her late grandmother was the exiled ruler of the small European country of Saint Gilbert. She is next in line to wear the crown and rule the country. Since she has vacation time, she decides to take a trip to check it out. Annie, her sister and children work to restore the residence to modern standards. She discovers a legacy of courageous women and is determined to be worthy of the throne.



Thanks to Mariah Stewart and Montlake for the book

Annalise finds out that she's royalty and this story is about how she adjusts to the news and her new life with her children and sisters. Less a romance and more of a beautiful coming of age (for a 40+ year old woman!) story that was a lot of fun. I really liked all the characters and the setting itself was beautifully characterized. The romance was a bit tepid, although I liked Max too. It was a wonderful, low angst story that I got to listen on KU, as I was late reading the early copy I received from NetGalley. Thanks to the publisher and author for an early copy of this beautiful story.

The Head That Wears the Crown by Mariah Stewart

How many of you have thought about being royalty? Living in a palace? Not having to lift a finger ever again to do mundane tasks? Would you step into a fairytale story at this point in your life whether 20, 40, 60, or more? Would you be willing to take your family with you to a place that needs help that you might or might not be able to provide? Would you question your right to wear a crown and wonder how to put a small portion of the European map on the MAP again? Hmmm…

Okay…I’m writing about a book that I almost left behind last night because I started reading, saw a diary-like retelling of a past-events story with a forty year old + divorced mother of teens being given the golden ticket to leave behind her mundane Philadelphia life to emerge in a beautiful alpine country never heard of before and then being tasked with creating a vibrant thriving place for her family settle in and create the perfectly perfect newly regenerated parcel of European soil to become what it might possibly maybe become.

Okay…right now in typing this up I am kind of lost for a way to go forward so will way:

* I almost stopped reading a few pages in because I could not connect with the writing style or the characters or the feel of it all
* I had trouble with the over-the-top feel at times..
* I loved the family influence and how it tied in throughout
* I was baffled at times with the mention of ancestors being felt by the main character and her conferring with them here and there along the way…was she psychic or was she just…feeling their presence?
* Couldn’t and still can’t understand why three sisters would still be available to leave the USA to head to Gilberti and be willing to do so for an older sister that at times seemed less competent than her siblings
*Loved the historical information but…felt there was a lot wanting
* and…okay…here it comes…as I type up this review after having stayed up late last night and thinking this book was a silly thing that wasn’t worth reading will say that **I seem to have read it** and you know what…I am kind of curious to find out what might happen to the “royal family” as they move/plod forward in the future.

Did I enjoy this book? Yes and no
Would I read more in this series? Perhaps

Thank you to NetGalley and Montlake Romance for the Arc – This is my honest review

3-4 Stars

If you loved the Princess Diaries as a kid, this book is definitely for you. This is not your typical rags to riches story; Annie always knew her grandmother was special, even if it felt like that just for her. When she find out her grandmother was the last Grand Duchess of a tiny nation nestled in Europe it comes as a great shock, but Annie takes it all in stride.

Annie was someone I found easy to cheer on. She is a genuinely good person who cares about people she has never even met and wants to do good in the world. Did I find this story a bit monotonous at times, a bit, but I did enjoy the journey of a middle-aged divorced mom from Philadelphia to the Grand Duchess of a nation of beauty, but one with a deep and dark past.

This was SO FUN! It was absolutely a grown up princess diaries story and I loved it! This felt like a mostly light read, the characters were quirky and fun and so easy to love. The story had great pacing, was so well written, and just made the entire scenario, country, and family feel magical. This was the grown up version of every little girls dream, and it was so well done.

This would be a perfect palate cleanser read, it was light and fun, but still had substance! If you like royal stories, this is for you!

I received an advanced copy to read, all opinions are my own.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
3.5 stars rounded up

If you read the postscript, you will learn that this was written as an escape from the crazy that we all experienced in 2020/21. I had wondered that before I got to it, because this is a fun fantasy that is designed to take someone out of the everyday and give them a fabulous, crazy daydream.

Annie is a middle-aged single mum who discovers that she is the heir to a small Duchy in Europe which needs her. Her family escaped during WWII and have lived incognito in the USA ever since. Now she needs to take her place in the country and restore its fortunes.

From the fabulous castles, the magical soap, and the divine bodyguard, Max, Annie is gathering her family and friends around her to take on the task of a lifetime.

Great escapist read!