Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his… Every young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand–except one. Handsome roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember Caroline’s name, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure Leo never again forgets: sees that scandalous … scandalous morsels about his reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.
Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it is ruining him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of British government. Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society. But this charming prince is about to discover that enlisting the deceptively sweet and sexy Lady Caroline might just cost him his heart, his soul and both their reputations…
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Now that Eliza is married to Crown Prince Sebastian, Caroline realizes that her dear friend is starting a new life in Alucia. Without her. She will miss her childhood friend but her interest is on Prince Leopold. The man is handsome and so very rude. He treats her as if she’s unimportant. How annoying! Especially for a woman used to being admired. The Prince and Caro continually cross swords. I enjoyed their battle of words. They each know how to irritate the other. Leopold has never been given any training or responsibility as his brother has. He’s enjoyed a reputation as a rake which was well deserved. He’s frustrated. Until he’s told that women from Wesloria are being sold into slavery and taken to England. Now he’s on a quest to save them. I admired his desire. Unfortunately his plans have him ostracized by Society. Never has a hero had such a rough time. His romance with Caroline is not going well either. She believes the worst of him. I knew these two were perfect together. I worried that circumstances would keep them apart. As usual Julia London had the situation in hand. I loved this story. The characters were original, the dialogue witty and the romance captivating. I couldn’t put this book. Royal Kiss & Tell is wonderful.
Very entertaining read, filled with fun characters, suspense, love/hate passion and romance. Caroline is use to being the center of attention, after all her dresses are the talk of the town but where Prince Leo is in play well, he seems to be able to ignore the fetching creature has Caroline scheming to catch his attention. When Caroline’s hate for Leo spins into sexual tension neither participant can deny the pull. Can their passion be limited to the time he is in London? Or his reputation of a rake sour what they feel? Love and loyalty can go very far. Great read!
I was very impressed by this book. It started in one place (oh, look how pretty I am for Caroline and poor useless and drunk me for Leopold), but it ended in a completely different place. I was not surprised that they improved as people because I expect that from Ms. London. I was amazed by the journey Leo and Caroline went on to reach maturity and the insights that Ms. London provided while they were changing. To sum up, you have two priviliged but insecure people who have to decide how much they will risk to help others who are not so fortunate. This book has several layers including the historical context, the obvious parallels to the world now, and the romance between Caroline and Leo. In addition, there are quite a lot of humorous scenes with the banter which Ms. London is known for and also some truly deep and romantic scenes. It is a lot to chew on, and I took several days to read it and think about it. I highly recommend this one!
I requested an ARC of this book, and these opinions are my own.
This is the second book in Ms. London’s ‘A Royal Wedding’ series, and while it does stand well on it’s own, there are enough references that it might make sense to read the first book as well.
Lady Caroline Hawke has had several Seasons in London, all of which have bored her silly. To make them somewhat enjoyable she has created a game to see how many admirers she can amass – not by being loose with her reputation, but by being her charming and bubbly self.
Prince Leopold of Alucia is the spare, and feels at loose ends once his brother marries. He’s never been jealous of the attention given to his older brother, but just wishes someone would look at him and not see the lazy gadabout persona he’s created.
It’s a definite frenemy to lovers tale – she is appalled that he’s not falling at her feet, and he thinks she’s the most uncouth ill-bred Englishwoman he’s ever met. They are continually thrown together by circumstance, leading to many a wrong impression, but eventually see beneath each other’s veneer to the true person – who is much more interesting than the characters they show to the rest of the world.
Falling for each other is inevitable as their chemistry ignites every page, almost from the beginning. And when Caroline decides to help Leo with his personal mission to aid those who cannot help themselves, it’s just a short leap to love.
I enjoyed the character development in this book more than the first, which was filled with a great deal of back-story and ‘getting to know’ everyone. When I started this book, I found Caroline to be obnoxious, and Leo to be a snob, but those impressions quickly changed as the story evolved. They are complex people who only wanted the same thing – to be seen and taken seriously for who they are, not who people thin, they are. The love scenes were delightfully steamy – I would expect nothing less from Julia London, after all – and the mystery sub plot was intriguing.
Overall, I would definitely recommend this book to anyone who likes some action with their romance.
A Royal Kiss & Tell is the second book in Julia London’s A Royal Wedding series, and picks up where The Princess Plan leaves off. This is the story of Lady Caroline and Prince Leopold, the BFF and younger brother of the couple from the first book.
Lady Caroline is an extroverted debutante with a passion for designing gowns. Leo is the typical “spare heir” that lacks purpose and spends his time partying. The two are completely at odds and determined to loathe each other. Leo finds Caroline to be too loud, too impertinent – and “beautifully annoying.” While Caroline thinks Leo is an arrogant jerk, especially since he acts like he doesn’t know her. (Apparently, they met at a house party, but Leo doesn’t remember, much to the offense of Caroline who believes she is quite memorable.) However, as they’re forced to keep crossing paths, what started as loathing, turns to tolerance and clever banter, then friendship and ultimately love.
REVIEW: Over the course of the book, the characters go through a lot of personal growth and their perceptions of each other change. Silly and annoying to Leo initially, he comes to appreciate Caro as unique and charming. And Leo you ultimately love because you know that he’s just looking for a way to provide some sort of value to his country, and when he finds that, his facade of arrogance falls away. In the end, when they’ve finally grown up, I just love Leo & Caro together.
This was a fun, quick read that left me forgoing sleep so I could read to the end. Leo & Caro’s ability to overcome their first impressions won me over and had me rooting for them. See my full review as well as *content warnings* on Goodreads: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/3341763838
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ARC provided by NetGalley/Harlequin for an honest review.
Originally posted on Tales to Tide You Over: https://margaretmcgaffeyfisk.com/category/reviews/
This is the second in A Royal Wedding, a series where royalty steps beyond the bounds of expectation to find true love. The series is more than only romance so far with this book also containing intrigue, though not a mystery. Instead, Prince Leopold is tasked with using his access to discover what treachery is afoot between those with the power to modernize Alucia and its sister country. As a story, A Royal Kiss & Tell offers everything that drew me in with A Princess Plan, something I found a little surprising to be honest.
Lady Caroline Hawke, or Caro to her friends, is not my kind of female lead. Eliza, from the first book, was much more someone I appreciated, and I shared Prince Leopold’s opinion of Caro as self-obsessed and shallow. Leopold didn’t start out all that strong either, being more often in his cups than doing anything of interest.
It didn’t take long for these two to revise my opinions, though. Both undergo a period of self-reflection in which we learn why they have become the frivolous people they are at the beginning. Even better, they are each working to amend that image of themselves, if in very different ways.
Caro has recently discovered her love of fashion carries with it a love of, and talent for, design. Over her brother’s objections, she has even gone beyond designing for herself, Eliza, and Hollis to taking requests from others. Her brother and guardian Beck worries for her future and the cost of all her expenditures, but he cannot see her vision. This is the heart of Caro’s fears. She worries there’s nothing inside her at all as none of the potential suitors, or even her brother, see something other than her shell. The very fact of her concerns tells me there’s more.
Leopold has always been the spare prince. He received little attention and no training for a role his brother Sebastian is destined to fill. Rather than let frustration swallow him whole, he drowns his lack of purpose, going from party to party until he doesn’t even remember the first time he met Caro. She does, however, and presumes a close friendship because of it he doesn’t share.
The book begins mostly with the aftermath of book one (including a recap of the murderous plot). While Eliza and Sebastian finish the last of their social obligations in a grand, formal, Alucian wedding, Leopold drips contempt on the pushy, yet beautiful, sister of his friend Beck. As with the first book, the descriptions, as seen through Caro’s eyes, run a little long for me, but it also does a good job of setting the reader up.
Not only are we put back into their world, but the grounds are laid for Leopold’s change and Caro’s unfortunate habit of catching sight of, and misunderstanding, odd circumstances with the prince. It’s no coincidence. Caro refuses to admit to her infatuation, especially after Leopold gives her a firm dressing down, but she cannot keep her eyes off him. She has a sixth sense of his location at any given moment.
Intrigue, open-door intimacy, and a firm dose of sharp dialogue mix with the costs and complexities of London society. This is a fitting continuation of the series, and I thoroughly enjoyed my time with Caro and Leopold. I’m looking forward to what the fates will bring Hollis’ way, as I’d guess she’s next to find love, a second love in her case.
The book will be available for purchase on May 19th, and I recommend it for fans of Victorian romance and Georgette Heyer.
P.S. I received this Advanced Reader Copy from the publisher through NetGalley.
This was a well-written, entertaining historical romance. Lady Caroline Hawke is used to being noticed, and she cannot believe Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t remember her. They keep running into each other, and before long he starts looking forward to it. Meanwhile, she is drawn to him despite herself. The banter was fun, the story moved along quickly and drew me in, and I didn’t want to put it down. I enjoyed this book and look forward to reading more books by this author.
Caroline Hawkes and Prince Leopold met long before her dearest friend and his brother wed, but clearly the introduction meant more to Caroline than it did to Leo. Caroline is used to being admired and pursued, so she can’t seem to accept that Leo not only doesn’t remember her, but isn’t interested and finds her to be annoying, conceited and ill mannered.
A royal prince in Alucia, Leo is the younger son and has never had any real responsibility, he is well liked, well received and welcome everywhere. But lately he has been discontented and bored, he enjoys his life in England, but wants more. While attending his brother’s wedding, his father tells him that he has arranged a political marriage for Leo and that he can return to England to button up his affairs and then return to Alucia by summer’s end to announce his betrothal. Leo is not happy with this turn of events, but will do his duty. He is preparing to return to England when he is approached by a man and told of a serious and concerning situation involving several young women from Wesloria (the neighboring country to Alucia) who have gone missing. The man askes Leo to look into it because he thinks the men involved are members of the upper echelons of society.
Caroline is miffed that Leo doesn’t remember her, it is unacceptable and she goes out of her way to make him acknowledge her. But it isn’t until they return to England that things between them begin to heat up. Leo is having a hard time with his “mission” thanks to gossip written about him in the Honeycutt Gazette – gossip supplied by Caroline. But even as his reputation is tanking, Leo doesn’t give up trying to save the women and bring the men responsible to justice. As Leo continues his investigation, he begins to rely on Caroline for help and they both begin to develop deeper feelings, but theirs is a love that can never be, or can it?
I have to admit, I didn’t like this book as much as the first one, it is a decent read, but I just never really felt the connection between Leo and Caroline. The book itself is well written and the “mystery” portion is well done and paced nicely, but unfortunately, the romance definitely took a backseat and didn’t develop at the same pace. The book does have a bit of witty dialogue, a hero who is misunderstood and underestimated, a very conceited, yet likeable heroine, warmish love scenes, cameos from previous characters, a decent mystery concerning slave trade and some surprising twists and turns that make an impossible HEA, possible. The incorrect title use that annoyed me in the first book is sadly still running rampage in this book and the romance leaves much to be desired – so for me, this was an “OK” read, nothing to get excited about, but still entertaining. This is the second book in the series, but it can be read as a stand-alone title with no problem at all.
*I am voluntarily leaving a review for an eARC that was provided to me by NetGalley and the publisher.*
I found this story to be an entertaining read and I enjoyed the humor peppered throughout. This is Caroline and Leopold’s story and what a mess they get themselves in! lol
Caroline is quite the character, quite vain in fact, but it’s more for show, she’s just waiting to find someone who will see her for “her” and not her beauty and dowry. She can be quite direct and honest, much to the chagrin of the ton and royalty! lol Leopold is a prince and as the “spare heir”, he spends his time drinking and carousing. He takes nothing seriously until he suddenly finds himself trying to save young women from slavery and really trashing his reputation all to bits.
Having no use for Caroline when he meets her the first few times, thinking her much too forward and direct, he soon changes his mind and sees her as a most unique character that brings light into his life. Wish passions flaring and abounding danger, they will soon run out of time before he has to return to his own country.
I received an ARC of this book via NetGalley and am voluntarily leaving an honest review.
I voluntarily read and reviewed an advance copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
A Royal Kiss & Tell, by Julia London, was available at booksellers in May of 2020. A Royal Wedding series book 2 gives us Caroline and Leopold as our hero and heroine. I really liked book 1, The Princess Plan, and had looked forward to Leo’s story but I have to admit that I’m disappointed. I couldn’t finish the entire book, I skipped around and finally went for the epilogue. I didn’t like that either. I found Leo and Caro to be so vain, selfish, and annoying that I never took a shine to them. He’s stuck-up and she can’t shut up. He acts more like an entitled prince than she does a genteel lady. I never quite believed that anyone would ask Leo to help out in an espionage case, he’s a useless fribble. Even with not caring for this book I’m still looking forward to book 3 in October. I have hope as the heroine is the writer & publisher of a ladies gazette that I found funny.
#JuliaLondon #ARoyalKiss&Tell #ARoyalWedding #Netgalley #HQNBooks #Romance
A Royal Kiss & Tell took some time to grow on me. Part of that is due to a lack of connection with Caroline, who is probably one of the vainest characters that I’ve read in some time. Nevertheless, there’s something to be said for a strong heroine, one who knows her own mind. Where Leo is concerned, I’m not so sure she knew her own mind so much as she was determined to be noticed. I waffled a bit about this couple, but as the story progressed, I did warm up to them little by little, mostly as Caroline grew on me. Leo was a little easier to like from the start, plus he has some intrigue to keep him busy. The story is well written, and while it’s not exactly historically accurate, it is entertaining, and it serves as a good bit of escapism which is something we can all use.
This is the second book in the series and I didn’t enjoy it as much as the first book. Lady Caroline was hard to like with her loud and obnoxious behavior especially her self-conceit. She certainly has a high opinion of herself and is not afraid to tell everyone. Leo wasn’t that much better – a spare heir to a small principality who’s been living in London cavorting and drinking away his time. That is, until he stumbles upon a sex slavery scandal that reaches to the peers of England. He’s made it his mission to save the 5 women who have recently been sold and against his better judgment enlists Caroline’s help. I wish the slavery plot point had been explored a little more instead of focussing on Caroline’s foray into dressmaking.
While this is not my favorite book, I do enjoy Ms. London’s books and will be anxiously waiting her next release. I voluntarily read the advanced reader copy and all opinions are my own.
Full review appeared at Reader’s Edyn on 05/24/20
Caroline is a member of the ton. Orphaned at a young age and left in the care of her brother, he has indulged her in very nearly every whim. His only irritation the ridiculous amount of funds she spends on modistes. However, the dress obsession has turned into talent and Caroline is now high in demand for her beautiful creations inspired by both English fashion and Alucian fashion. Her brother is appalled at the idea of her working and decides its high time she gets married. Nearly on the shelf herself, she determined long ago to marry only for love. Her best friend Eliza may have found the kind of love with her handsome Prince that makes Caroline green with envy, but Caroline is sure love will not be in the cards for her. If it were to happen, she’d want it to be with Leo, Eliza’s brother-in-law. But alas, Leo has no recollection of their meeting in England and seems to be annoyed whenever in her presence, so she is left with little but her own whimsical fantasies to indulge in. Until everything changes. Suddenly she has an opportunity to make the sexy prince hers, if only for a small amount of time. Resigned to her life as a spinster and finding joy in her exquisite gown creations, she isn’t beyond taking every bit of pleasure she can with Leo for as long as she can have him, counting on the memories to get her through her lonely future. She’s no fool. She fully understands that he can never be hers in the way she truly desires, but a brief amount of time is better than no time at all. And before too long she and the Prince of her dreams are passionately intertwined in romance and intrigue as they fumble their way through a heinous plot stretching across the seas and involving both of their homelands. But an ill-timed rescue puts Caroline’s reputation in shambles and separates her from everything she holds dear.
Leo has only ever wanted to be embraced by his parents and thought of as useful. But he is merely the spare with all privilege going to his brother Sebastian; the heir. Once he realized he would never be anything more to them, he indulged in a life of excessive drink and debauchery, most often in England. He returns home for his brother’s wedding but is eager for the festivities to end so that he can return to his life of ease in England. To his horror, his parents have conspired an arranged marriage for him and expect him home permanently just as soon as he wraps up his affairs across the sea. How dare they now make use of him as it suits them. It doesn’t suit him at all. Still, he will concede to their wishes. It’s not as if he had anyone else he was planning to woo. But an odd encounter sets Leo on a mission he is initially loathed to accept. Even as the deeper he falls into the dastardly plot the worse his reputation suffers, still he continues on his quest. But with his lackluster status snatching away invitations, he finds himself in need of a confidante and who better than Caroline? She’s well connected and can get him into the homes he must search, so he confesses all, but just a bit at a time. And the more time he spends with her, the more he is drawn to her. It confounds him. He also isn’t willing to walk away from her until he is forced to by his ridiculous upcoming engagement. If he can only have her for a while, he will have to take what he can get and let the memories keep him going while suffering in a loveless marriage. His brother may have been able to marry the love of his life, but there is no way Leo will get that lucky.
To begin, I can’t say that I would describe this blurb as precisely accurate. I wouldn’t say every young man was after her hand initially. Perhaps some, but that changed once her brother let slip a bit of information that then had every young buck running after her. And I do not believe that she went after Leo in the gossip sheets maliciously for revenge. She just happens to have a very close friend who publishes one so when she confides in her, snippets of her confessions make it into the publication. I did find it odd that at times she didn’t swear Hollis to secrecy though. Friends or no, she shouldn’t have had to worry about everything she confided being printed. That was a bit low. Or enterprising. I suppose it depends on how you look at it. Overall, I struggled with both of these characters. The book is a slow burn with nearly half of it occurring before Caroline and Leo even engage one another again following the wedding in Alucia. And while Caroline is ridiculously attracted to Leo and vice versa, they both refuse to acknowledge such in the presence of one another for an ungodly amount of time. Once they do, it’s always a rush because they never know how much time they will have before tempting discovery – or if there will even be a next time. But what is most aggravating is the contradiction that both of these characters are. Leo morphs from what seems to be disgust at Caroline’s atrocious behavior to noting how beautiful she is, to observing what a nuisance she is, then becoming utterly besotted by her. His inconsistent emotions towards her gave me whiplash. And Caroline isn’t any better. A member of the ton from birth, she is fully aware of how she should behave, yet she refuses to. But she does so in a sorely off-putting and almost obnoxious manner. I believe she was meant to be charming in her confidence that had her continually breaching the rules of society, but instead, it took me forever to warm up to her and finally not be so annoyed by her mannerisms. Ironically, she wished for a man who would love her for who she is, yet she engages in a game with each of her potential suitors as to how long it will take to have them wrapped around her finger. When playing games, how does one discover love? I also did not at all like that she so quickly fell to the worst of explanations regarding Leo’s curious behaviors or preferences as the rumor mill told it. Granted he was a self-proclaimed rake, but for the feelings she claimed to have toward Leo, her quick acceptance of anything negative toward his character was disheartening.
I did appreciate the title. It was completely appropriate as each of them tends to confide just a bit more in one another after each interlude they share whether innocent or not. Additionally, each time she kisses the Prince, she confides to Hollis, and more information ends up in Honeycutt’s Gazette of Fashion and Domesticity for Ladies. Kiss and tell at its most literal I suppose. Now that gazette was a gem. Every chapter had an article to start it out that gave just a bit of information as to where the chapter could be heading. It also was quite entertaining in its advice for ladies both in fashion, life, and beauty. But again, as per the theme of this book – contradiction – Hollis longs to write real news articles that can make a difference and inspire change, yet she continues to push out the chin-wagging column. She could have made the leap far sooner then she discusses. I also don’t really understand why the prince and heir was allowed to marry a commoner but somehow Leo is forced to marry by arrangement. Granted, I did not read the previous book, which is the first in this series. Perhaps I missed some enlightening information. But neither was I inspired by Eliza or Sebastian enough to want to actually read the first book in series. There is also the fact that it is highly unbelievable that Leo would have carried out the actions that he did himself. With guards and others in his employ around him, it would stand to reason that he would have hired people to do the “dirty work” for him. Not to mention his list was never completed that I recall. And possibly most disheartening were the decisions handed down by the King regarding several of the corrupt individuals surrounding him following Leo’s return home with the information he has uncovered. I mean what kind of crooked crud is he tangled up in that he would fail so miserably in doling out punishment? I was completely miffed to say the least.
Admittedly, I do not have much experience with Ms. London’s books. Her name is familiar, so I may have read something at some point, but was unable to locate a previous review. I cannot speak to if this book is typical for her writing style. Unfortunately, for me, it was more miss than hit. I dislike having to say that about any book if I am being honest. But honest I am. Now there were some fun elements and fantastic scenes within this book. I did end up enjoying it despite aggravating flaws. I was able to finish reading it with little issue. But given so many glaring inconsistencies and a couple of main characters that fell short, I was less than moved. I will say that I recognized traits that I generally find enjoyable in a historical romance read though. For that reason and those few redeeming qualities that had me smiling and giggling within these pages, I would be willing to give Ms. London another go … just perhaps not within this particular series.
Kindle version provided by NetGalley/Harlequin in exchange for an honest review.
The story of Lady Caroline and Prince Leopold. Caroline is vain and self centered, has no social graces and only cares about her appearance. I actually cringed at her earlier scenes. Leo’s all about carousing and drinking, bored by any royal duties. Not a hero I expected. How can one get behind the story of two such unlikeable characters? I don’t know how it happened but somehow I did. By mid story I went from disliking them both to rooting for them as they helped each other and changed together to people I had come to like. The story that started out doubtful for me ended up a delight to read.
Helenamar, Alucia – 1846
Lady Eliza Trickleband has marred His Royal Highness Sebastian Charles Ives Chartier, the Crown Prince of Alucia. Their titles will be the Duke and Duchess of Tannymeade and will reside in Tannymeade Palace.
Lady Caroline Hawke is Eliza’s best friend and had wanted to be her Maid of Honor, but Eliza’s sister, Mrs. Hollis Honeycutt, took the honors. Caroline is chatty, outgoing, and publishes articles in a gossipy magazine. During the festivities, she so wants to attract the attention of Sebastian’s younger brother. Leopold (Leo), but he treats her with disdain and considers her just another English girl.
Now, the King and Queen of Alucia have told Leo that it is his turn to get married and he must find a bride.
When Caroline returns to England, Leo is there too explaining that he has business to attend to. They continue to spar with one another much to the chagrin of Caroline’s brother, Beck.
The story continues with clandestine espionage that Leo is involved in regarding young women sold into slavery from a neighboring county close to Alucia. Those two countries have been at odds for many years. Will Leo succeed in solving this quest? Will he and Caroline manage to put aside their differences and at least be friends?
Oh, dear. This book was just not for me. A pet peeve of mine is espionage, spies, etc. in a historical romance novel. It simply does not belong, and I find myself disappointed when romance novelists continue on this path. It only ensures that I will not read more of their books. As a saving grace, I did get a chuckle here and there when I read the little tips for women that Hollis added in her gazette.
Copy provided by NetGalley in exchange for a fair and honest review.
This is book 2 in the Royal Wedding series and I recommend reading the first book before reading this one. In this one we get Lady Caroline Hawke and Prince Leopold of Alucia’s story. Everyone is trying to win Caroline’s hand except Leo. Leo honestly can’t remember Caroline, which makes her angry. So in order to get back at him, she makes sure that his name is in the gossip gazette. And that what is being said about him is risque! Leo knows someone has been setting him up as a blackguard, but he doesn’t know who. But because of it, his investigation has been put in jeopardy. So he enlists Caroline’s help, not knowing that he might just fall for her while trying to solve the mystery.
I had a really hard time with this one. For me, I really didn’t like Caroline. She was entirely too full of herself and for her to do the things she does just because he didn’t remember her? It just put me off of her. It was just too vindictive for me and especially over something that is essentially meaningless? Yeah, I didn’t like her. Leo often came across as someone who is lost and just trying to find his way in a life that he didn’t truly ask for. On a whole, I liked him. He was just trying to figure his way out and how he wanted to be able to live his life. I liked the sub-plot with them trying to solve a case about trafficking but it almost felt like it was thrown in in order for them to have something to connect over. On a whole it wasn’t a bad story, I just really didn’t like the heroine. Hopefully, the next one will be better.
A Royal Kiss & Tell
A Royal Wedding Series #2
Julia London
https://www.facebook.com/JuliaLondon/
Release date 05/19/2020
Publisher HQN Books
Blurb :
Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his… Every young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember Caroline’s name, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure Leo never again forgets: sees that scandalous morsels about his reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.
Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it is ruining him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of British government. Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society. But this charming prince is about to discover that enlisting the deceptively sweet and sexy Lady Caroline might just cost him his heart, his soul and both their reputations…
My review :
Will a self-conceited Lady find love with a profligate Prince …
I must confess I was put off by this book, the heroine is really someone difficult to like.
I did not know what to think about Caroline, she can be cheerful and kind with anyone from paupers to peers, yet she accosts everyone, talks with emphasis without care if she is welcome or not, plus she appears so fickle and shallow, only thinking about herself, her self importance, to be seen and if not adored, worse she seems to take umbrage if she is not revered. A very ambivalent character. She longs to be seen for herself but plays a game with everybody.
After she looked well assorted with Prince Léopold, the spare royalty, in appearance happy of his own statut as he could engage in every excesses available to a man of his rank. Yet it looks like that at one time he had wanted more but he had been relegated to the second son’s role, just smiling and standing at Royal’s fonctions.
So when he decides to follow the lead he has, he is totally unprepared, why he makes a mess of things. He has no plan and it is really showing.
It took me age to read this book, I struggled and even skipped pages. At one time I thought with Leo in a quest, the story will become more interesting, but no, worse, they move in a parallel life, he tries to right some wrongs done, she disparages him in some gossips rag.
I very much loved the first book in this series, but this one leaves me quite lost, the characters when not vain or engaged in meaningless parties, they lack a purpose and/or a reason to go on.
2.5 rounded up to 3 stars.
I was granted an advance copy by the publisher, here is my true and unbiased opinion.
https://www.facebook.com/429830134272830/posts/622432608345914/?d=n
Review coming soon.