Published: Petal Pot and Pink Ink Press, May 8, 2018
326 pages
Source: I received a complimentary copy. All opinions expressed are my own and were given voluntarily.
Small-town girl, Katie O’Connor has always dreamed of seeing her name in lights. Check the box for fame, a movie deal, the perfect leading role that comes with a gorgeous leading man! Katie moved to Hollywood, elbows her way into auditions, lives on a shoestring budget—whatever is required to land a deal, she throws her heart into… until she’s involved in a royal kidnapping.
As the future king, Prince Alexander refuses to rule from an ivory tower. Duty-bound, he intends to relate to his future subjects, regardless of their walk of life. Before his coronation, he needs a foolproof plan to outrun his security team and go temporarily AWOL. While visiting L.A., all it takes is a sound stage collision and Alex is blindsided by a headstrong woman who is simply irresistible. So much so, he calls in a favor in order to secure her help … as his pretend girlfriend.
Their worlds are oceans apart, but their immediate attraction is impossible to put aside, especially their nonstop banter. Miffed at being wrangled into a situation that might blow up in her face, Katie comes up with her own plan. If The Prince is serious about walking the walk of the common folk, she’s only too happy to oblige as his pretend girlfriend. Through an ice storm, a road trip, kitchen duty, and a Texas pig race, Alex captures the hearts of the locals as well as Ms. O’Connor’s.
What starts out as a deal Katie can’t refuse becomes the acting role of a lifetime… letting Prince Alexander go without a fight.
A delightfully funny retelling of The Prince and The Pauper that romance readers of all ages will enjoy. On a two-week 1,500-mile road trip, Katie and Alex discover the end of the road might just be the beginning of their ‘Happy Ever After’ together.
My Review: 3 Stars
I really, really wanted to love this book. The premise is right up my alley--Hollywood meets royalty--and is loosely based on Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's romance. I'm all things royal, celebrity, etc and had such high expectations, but it fell a little short for me.
It seemed like just when there was a part of the story that I wanted to know more about, it would cut away, completely leaving things up to my imagination and when there were times when I wanted to skim, it would go on and on in detail. The points-of-view also jumped a lot and I was often confused about whose head I was in for a minute.
The setting was...interesting. It started out in California with Katie struggling to make it as an actress and then took a crazy twist to Texas after she met Alex. And finally, we are thrown over the pond, to England. I felt like it was just too much for one book and the depth was compromised because of it. It might have been better off being split into 2-3 books.
The characters are fun and there are times when they have sparks, but I felt like the romance and character development was too rushed. My opinion--there was a lot of potential with this book, but it needed some more development.
Content: mild romance
I also read this book for the release and feel the same way you do about it for the same reasons. I never felt connected to these characters or why they were attracted to each other. And I often had to go back and reread because I felt lost--like I missed something. I do love the idea of this book and wish it could be fleshed out.
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