HUSH by Stacey R. Campbell - Review

pic and description taken from GoodReads

Description:

For small-town girl Blakely Henry, any hope of finding her biological parents died when she stopped believing in fairy tales and Disney princesses. That is, until she spots her boarding school’s new British exchange student, Max Ryder, staring at her. Why would a boy who looks like he stepped out of the pages of a magazine be looking at her? Because Max knows something Blakely doesn’t. 

Following the tragic demise of one of Europe’s most beloved royal families, Max has stumbled upon information he thinks may lead to a lost royal heir, and now he is on a quest halfway around the world to see if he’s right. 

Sworn to secrecy by his university professor and the headmaster of Lakeview Academy, Max is admitted into an exchange program with the sole purpose of finding out the truth. But will his personal feelings for Blakely get in the way? 

When a stolen email surfaces, Blakely and her friends’ lives are threatened, and Max starts to question what he is really after.

From the exclusive rolling lawns of Canada’s most prestigious boarding school to the University of Saint Andrews’ hallowed grounds, Blakely’s quiet, unassuming life is turned upside down. Is she really who she thinks she is? Can she survive long enough to help Max unearth the truth?

My Review / Thoughts:

When I started reading this I thought it had kind of a "Princess Diaries" feel about it.  Which I mean in a good way because I LOVED "Princess Diaries".  This book is so much better than that though.  

Blakely is the MC, and I love her.  She is an athletic, sporty girl with a wonderful family.  She was adopted, and tried to search for her birth parents at one point, but there wasn't any information on them...

Meanwhile at St. Andrews Max, want to  be an investigative reporter.  He finds some pictures in a locked drawer in his Aunt Rose's desk after she passes away.  When he looks at them he realizes that they are pictures of the Royal family that had just been killed in a yacht accident.    Max finds a name and an address in the pile of things that lead him to believe that there is a child still out there that belongs to the royal family.  He takes his information to his professor and he embarks on a journey he isn't quite ready for.

Max goes to Canada where he meets Blakely.  He is suppose to find out if she is the lost princess.  He wasn't prepared for how he would come to feel about her!

The love story in this is so much fun.  I am a sucker for Princesses and love stories.  What little girl didn't wish she was a Princess???  

When information is stolen about the true identity of Blakely life gets a little more interesting for the poor girl.  

There are so many great characters in this book.  Blakely is such a sweet girl with a sweet and loving family.  She has loyal friends who watch out for her.  The setting in this book is amazing also.  The author did a great job of putting me "in" the book.  The book got quite intense at the end.  I couldn't go to sleep last night until I finished it.  I cannot tell you how much I love it when a book does that for me.

Toward the end of the book my hands were starting to sweat (I know TMI) because I was so anxious to see what was going to happen.  It was actually a little amusing...hehe!  It is always so much fun for me when a book can pull me in as much or MORE than a movie can.  

There are some great villains in this book as well.  Yes, I said great villains.  It's easy to like the "likable" characters, but when there are well written villains it's awesome.  

Okay, now  this is kind of a personal note on the book.  When you get to the end of this book there is a little interview with the author.  I already loved the book, but after reading the interview I loved it even more.  The author states that she has Dyslexia.  I have a son who was just given some testing and told he has Dyslexia also.  He has struggled with reading for so long, that when we finally had a diagnosis it was a relief.  Ever since then I have tried to tell him that having Dyslexia doesn't mean he cannot be just as successful as any one else.  Whenever I find a celebrity or anyone that will come out and say they have Dyslexia I point it out to him.  When it is a writer with Dyslexia I am even more impressed.  I know for a fact what a struggle it is for my son to write and read, so the fact that an author can write a work of beauty with Dyslexia really makes me so proud. This author inspires me!

Okay, enough of the personal stuff.  I LOVED this book.  I am starting the second book today.  I am very excited.

Content: there is a little language, but not a lot.  The "f" word is used just a few times, at the very end.  I considered this book pretty clean (and fabulous).

Source:  I received this book from Netgalley in return for an honest review.  I am not affiliated with Netgalley in anyway, and was not compensated for this review.  These are my own PERSONAL thoughts on the book.

My Rating:

Where to Buy:

Amazon * Barnes & Noble

About the Fabulous Author:

pic and bio taken from GoodReads

Stacey R. Campbell lives in the Pacific North West with her husband, three daughters, three dogs, and a pet turtle named Todd. She is a graduate of the University of Washington. At an early age she was told that she would never be the writer because of her dyslexia, but finally found that she could not look her children in the eyes and tell them that they could be what ever they wanted if she did not do the same. Now Stacey can't stop writing and loves to help children pursue their own dreams. Hush is the first book in the Lakeview Novel series. Look for book two, Whisper, 3/15/2014