Genre: Interracial Contemporary Romance

Disclaimer: Reading is all about discovery, but this Book Review does not shy away from spoiling specific scenes as this is more of a look inside the good and bad of a book.

The Analysis:

Reader alert: Book covers are important. I saw the cover of this book as an AD on IG. Of course, I fell in love with it. I didn’t buy it that day. I did some investigation, followed her for a bit, and then caved in. Let’s book review it.

Here’s the Blurb:

This cover is everything. I even looked up the designers online and they no longer do covers. The people on it are exactly as imagined. It dictates the theme perfectly. You can’t ask for anything more.

Now The Story:

Book Info:
Pages: 275
Author: J.J. McAvoy
Available: On Amazon

This is a royal, arranged/fake marriage romance. The first chapter was tough to get through. That may be my fault as there was a lot going on at home when I started reading this. It was hard to focus on my book review.

But from chapter 2, I was struck by how cute this story was. It reads like a Disney rom-com. You will get the feels over these two people tiptoeing around each other while falling in love a little each day.

There is some instalove or at least insta-attraction. The male mc fully recognizes this. But before you throw the book away. Some carefully placed quotes from classic romances will have you think otherwise.

My favorite character however was her mother. She was just so down to earth and relatable. I wouldn’t hate a spin-off romance for momma. Her relationship with her daughter could be strained for typical reasons. Mommies always thinking she knows best and being wrong. Control issues. That all aside though, they still love each other fiercely and that shows.

The villains of this book are the heroine’s stepsister and mother. Daddy has died leaving both children with massive amounts of money, but they need to get married first to access it. There are strict rules too. No scams. You’ve got to be married 3 years and then every 3 years you get another third of the money (something like that).

The hero is very charming, well-bred in the sense that he’s a complete gentleman and quotes Shakespeare. He’s also honest in a way that most men aren’t everything you would expect from a novel such as this. You won’t be disappointed on that front. Or the chemistry between the pair that unfolds naturally.

Side Note: I only have one royalty romance book idea, and I almost didn’t consider it on the same wavelength as this novel as his royalty status isn’t the crux of the store. In fact, he hides it for most of the story.

“Tell yourself that she is the one, believe that the circumstances that brought you together, whether good or bad, were meant to happen because you two were meant to happen. She is the one. Fate. Once you believe that, you never give up, and eventually, she will always look for you to be there.”

This quote is highlighted the most in the book. Why? It’s not really great advice. It works for the story and the conversation they’re having, but it’s not like it gives you great insight into romance in the real world. It certainly not advice I’d follow in any relationship, even an arranged one. What’s the possibility of this actually working?

The majority of the conflict is between the two mothers. One of those, old wife versus new wife deals. Was there cheating? etc. etc., I have little tolerance however for two women fighting over a man (especially a dead one) without ever holding the man accountable for his role in the goings-on. So I grew tired of their rivalry and their pitiful reasons behind it. Neither was innocent. But as far as I’m concerned you stayed on the hamster wheel and never got off. It’s a problem of their own making. However, the story promised a familial secret that it never delivered on.

Towards the end, I did start to get impatient and crave the ending. The HEA and the reveal of the mother’s secrets. But that might’ve just been me realizing my TBR list was growing because I had just gotten two more books in the process of reading this. Upon reflection, this story didn’t deliver on the angst of the parental figure’s secrets. But that might not have been the author’s primary objective.

Then boom they hit you with the shocker of a death in the princes family and its not who you think.

So, rating, I was going to rate this 3 stars. The story is adorable, but not necessarily memorable. What elevated it to the four was how engaged I became toward the middle. I wasn’t even aware of how engaged I was until I realized I kept kicking my husband out of the room to give me more time to read. But then some reflection made me go back to my original thought. The story didn’t deliver on promises made in the beginning. Verdict on Book Review:

Story At A Glance:

Recommendation:  3 out of 5

Read Series Continuation:  Yes*

 The Ratings:

Book Cover Appeal:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

Story & Narration:

🍓🍓🍓

Romance:

🍓🍓🍓🍓

Character/(s) Personality:

🍓🍓🍓🍓🍓

*This book is very Disney. And frequent readers will realize that I don’t always read continuations because I’m a pirate and like to explore new worlds. I said yes to this because, after certain horror/ thriller/ suspense novels, a lighter novel is necessary. I can certainly see myself picking part 2 up as an in-between read.