Phew - Ashton does it again! What a beautiful addition to her Royals of Acuniel series. This story gave me all of the feels! This entire series is excellent and I couldn’t recommend it enough. If you haven’t read any of these books, start with The Peasant Queen. While each novel can be read as a stand-alone, it only feels right to recommend you read the entire series from the beginning!

Everyone will be able to see a piece of themselves in The Runaway Prince. This story is loosely based on the Prodigal Son parable from the Bible and shows us how no one is too far gone for the love of God. Ashton weaves a beautiful tale of love, loss, and second chances as we follow the crown Prince Roland through his journey of discovering how far God will go to pursue him and bring him back to His love. This story struck a very personal chord with me because, just like Roland, I had to hit my lowest low before I was willing to see and believe the love Christ has for me. I do not think anyone can read this story and come away untouched - Christ’s love is for everyone.

Roland and Elyse’s love story was captivating! Their relationship, and all the highs and lows it entails, gave us another beautiful example of Christ’s love for us. You see them fall in love as childhood sweethearts and then get to witness that love put to the test as they grow into their roles in life as adults. When Roland finally runs away from his duties, responsibilities, and ultimately God, we get to witness the heartbreak left behind. I came away with a new appreciation for what I put our Savior through simply by reading Elyse’s struggles during Roland’s time away. The Runaway Prince is a beautiful story of redemption, loss, struggle, and ultimately coming home to the One who was there for us the whole time.