Tag: royal romance

REVIEW: Conquer the Kingdom by Jennifer Estep

REVIEW: Conquer the Kingdom by Jennifer Estep

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received a free electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Harper Voyager in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

While Gemma and Leonides and their friends and family have survived Milo’s attempted assassinations, they are wary and on guard. Milo survived, too, and has gone into hiding with a huge bounty on his head. While some speculate that he will flee, Gemma feels it’s more likely he’s plotting something else, maybe for the upcoming Sword and Shield Tournament.

Gemma invites Queen Maeven and Princess Delmira as her guests for the tournament, hoping to lure Milo out of hiding to take another shot at his mother. The animosity between the Ripleys and the Morricones simmers as they kick off the tournament and wait for Milo to make his move. And Gemma and Leo are caught by their family loyalties and the history of plots and schemes – and murder – between the families. While they hope to eventually triumph over Milo, their love seems doomed to fail.

Review

I have loved this series – this world – since I first read Kill the Queen, first in the Crown of Shards series. The author has said this is the last book from this world, at least for awhile, and I’m a little sad it’s all over.

Gemma gets to have another showdown with the Morricones here – actually a few of them. And they are epic! If you love the big battles in this series, you will not be disappointed here. Most of the threads of Gemma’s story are tied up here, so the ending is satisfying. There are definitely a few loose ends for the author to play with if she ever comes back to this world. But if this is truly the end, I think fans will be satisfied.

I have to be honest. There were a few moments where I felt the plot was engineered to draw out the drama. I realize that’s fiction. Duh! But I mean moments where something happened – or didn’t happen – that felt out of character or so out of the flow that it pulled me out of the story with “Wait, what?” These moments didn’t ruin the story, and they weren’t *big* things. But they did shake up the flow of things for me. And then they sat in the back of my brain for the rest of my reading experience.

That said, there’s been some brilliant plotting in this trilogy. The teasers from earlier books get to resolve here in fantastic ways. I will definitely read this again once my personal copy arrives. I tabbed my way through a re-read of the first two Gargoyle Queen books, and I am eager to tab this as well to note where all the payoffs come.

Series fans should definitely pick this up asap. New readers should at least go back to the start of this series, Capture the Crown, if not all the way back to Kill the Queen to get the full experience with this awesome world and these fantastic characters. And remember, these are adult fantasy novels (language, sex, violence), not YA.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥*

*♥♥♥♥ = Great! Might re-read

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

SATURDAY SMORGASBORD: A Princess for Christmas by Jenny Holiday

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Avon in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own. This book will release on October 13, 2020.]

Summary

Leo Ricci drives a New York City cab and also is the super of the building where he lives. He’s raising his eleven-year-old sister, Gabby. His neighbor and cousin-in-law, Dani, is a huge help as he feels out of his league almost all of the time.

Her Royal Highness Marie Joséphine Annagret Elana, Princess of Eldovia, is in New York to speak at the United Nations about the refugee crisis and then to handle some negotiations with American businesses, one in particular. Failing to fix the relationship between Eldovia and the businessman will be devastating to her country. And she’s not sure how much more of her father’s disapproval she can take.

Leo and Maria meet when she gets in his cab. His sister is gaga over meeting a real life princess. And Leo’s always had a thing for rescuing damsels in distress. He agrees to help Maria out by serving as her driver while she is in the city. In return, she invites Leo and Gabby to Eldovia for Christmas, like they are in some sort of Hallmark Christmas movie. But Leo and Maria come from two vastly different worlds. He’s barely making ends meet, and she’s a princess with an obligation to marry “strategically.” What business do they have spending Christmas together?

Review

This was delightful! It definitely has a Hallmark Christmas Movie feel to it (though far steamier than Hallmark Channel would ever allow), which is exactly what the author was going for. In fact, according to the acknowledgements, there are going to be two more books in the series. And if I am reading the signs right in the epilogue about where the sequel is headed, I am absolutely here for book 2!

I adored Leo and Marie. They really “get” each other. And they have great chemistry complete with excellent banter. They connect over their lost family members, care well for Gabby, and Leo helps Marie find her way through several conflicts. He sees her as a person, not just as a princess.

The story here is great. I loved that the conflicts are around the differences in their status and in the expectations of Marie in her role. There’s no secret identity or lying involved which is a nice change of pace.

This is another winner for Christmas 2020. Don’t miss this sexy holiday romance! (Language, sex, CW: grief/loss)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½*

*♥♥♥♥½ = Loved it! Would read again!

REVIEW: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

REVIEW: The Shadows Between Us by Tricia Levenseller

Posted on by Jaymie

[I received an electronic review copy of this book from Netgalley and Feiwel & Friends in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.]

Summary

Lady Alessandra Stathos is not a young woman to be trifled with. She knows her own mind and her plans for her future. Nothing will get in her way.

The one young man who broke her heart was killed by her own hand.
Her various lovers all have secrets they wish to keep so they keep their liaisons secret as well.
And now that her older sister is betrothed, Alessandra is finally permitted to join society. And she has her eye on the biggest prize of all – the Shadow King.

She will make him fall in love with her and then marry her. And once she’s queen, she’ll kill him and take over the vast kingdom. But the first step is to get him to notice her out of a slew of young beauties vying for his attention. And the second is to keep an assassin from killing him before she can do it herself.

Review

This was fantastic and different. I loved it! It’s a classic fantasy tale of lords and ladies and royal marriage. But the protagonist – the “hero” – is a murderess. She tells you in the first sentence of the book. She’s wicked smart, calculating, and ruthless. She will do anything to get what she wants.

The king has a ruthless streak of his own. It’s not as well explored because Alessandra tells the story, but there are some stellar moments in this where you really see that part of him. He’s a conqueror, and he will kill anyone who crosses him or fails him. These are the stars of the story! These are the potential love interests. And it’s crazy because Alessandra is so likable. The writing of these characters is brilliant to pull that off. I’ve read standard protagonists who were morally good who I didn’t like as much as I liked Alessandra.  Her relationships with her new friends at court and her no-nonsense conversations with the king were actually endearing. I loved her sass, her fashion sense, and her confidence.

There’s a touch of magic in this – enough to add an interesting layer to the king and to the story, but something simple enough not to require tons of world building. The details could be doled out over time to keep the intrigue while never mucking up the storytelling. But the magic is essential to the plot. The whole setup was brilliant.

The ending was terrific. I loved how all the pieces fit together. I would absolutely read this again! This is a stand alone story, something which can be hard to find in YA fantasy. The dedication describes this as a “Slytherin romance,” and that is the most perfect description of this I can think of. Now I need to track down the author’s other books because this was so great! (Some language, sexual references)

Rating: ♥♥♥♥♥

REVIEW: Royals by Rachel Hawkins

REVIEW: Royals by Rachel Hawkins

Posted on by Jaymie

Summary

Daisy’s life in Florida is relatively normal. Sure, her parents are from England, and her dad used to be a rock star. But Daisy is just a normal high school kid with a crappy job (grocery store clerk), a best friend, and an ex-boyfriend. What makes Daisy stand out from the crowd is her sister Ellie – who is dating the crown prince of Scotland.

When Ellie and Alex get engaged, things get a lot more complicated for Daisy. Her ex has already tried to sell the paparazzi their prom pictures. And then he sells them a lie that Daisy broke up with him because she has her sights set on bigger fish – Alex’s younger brother, Prince Sebastian, the wild child of the royal family.

Daisy is whisked off to Scottland – under protest – by “the crown” so they can control the media around Daisy’s family and the upcoming wedding. But Prince Sebastian and his friends – the “Royal Wreckers” – may be a bigger risk than Daisy or her American family.

Review

When I first read the description for this book, I thought it sounded a lot like one of my favorite books from 2017, Prince in Disguise. I approached this with some reluctance because of that. I didn’t want to read anything that might feel like a copycat of one of my favorite stories. But once I got the flavor of this on its own merits, I really enjoyed it!

Daisy is fun and sassy. She tries to hold herself back for the sake of her sister, but her true nature still comes through – and it’s awesome! Prince Seb and his crew are fun, although I would have enjoyed even more time with them. The interpersonal parts of the story were where most of the humor came in. There are many LOL moments in this one!

The story was fun and light. I enjoyed the setting. The uppity royals and high society folks needed to be put in their places. I would have enjoyed even more of it, but what is there is satisfying.

I’d still rank Prince in Disguise higher than this one, but this was a great book in its own right. Read BOTH for a lot of royal romance fun! I know I plan to read both of them again… and again.

Rating: ♥♥♥♥½