Twice Upon a Time by Kate Forster

Hardie Grant Egmont, 2014. ISBN 9781742976792.
This is a romance story with Cinderella references, and is not particularly cerebral - akin to a Mills and Boon Romance.The main character, a 19 year old Australian named Lucinda, but known as 'Cinda', is on a backpacking/painting holiday in Europe when she meets a party-boy, charming Prince and falls for him, before she knows his true identity.The whirlwind then begins and she is whisked away to enjoy his world and largesse, with her Fashion designer Male travelling companion (who is stereotypically not interested in her or any of her gender). The Prince's twin brother and Mother are not impressed with a potential commoner in their midst, and make life difficult. However the charms of the honest and unworldly Cinda eventually cause the more abrasive and slightly older twin to also become caught in her innocent spell.The unfolding of the dilemma of being 'loved' or 'in love' with more than one twin,of the sacrifice needed for true love to find its way and of the transformation of Cinda from bohemian beauty to Princess is the essenceof the story. Along the way the reader gets a glimpse into the somewhat heady (and occasionally drug assisted) lifestyle of the wealthier end of the world - Private jets and large boats, hotel suites in London, Chateaus in France, principalities that require diplomatic duties, model-like expectations for women, paparazzi entrapment, and selfishness that is rampant. One wonders if this aspect was researched or just belongs to the voyeuristic magazine-fantasy world that we all believe exists.
As none of the characters in this book are of High School age, it is not really a YA novel. It is perhaps likely to appeal to a romance reader with low expectations.
Carolyn Hull