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ibjilln's review against another edition
lighthearted
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.25
I started off excited to read this as a fun light-hearted rom-com but that it was not.
Instead it was 368 pages of how much the FMC hates various aspects of herself and how, weirdly, every one seems to hate her - or have a weird hangup about her. I didn't get it at all.
There was a few nice bits - namely the parts with the history around the tower and its contents but the rest was a bore.
As for the romance? Where? It was worse than a hallmark channel Christmas movie -- the MC love interest was barely in it and spent 90% of the time just leaving Maggie behind without explanation. It would've been more believable if the FMC fell in love with the Ravenmaster for how much focus was on the Ravens and weird coded messages every few chapters.
Disappointing overall.
Instead it was 368 pages of how much the FMC hates various aspects of herself and how, weirdly, every one seems to hate her - or have a weird hangup about her. I didn't get it at all.
There was a few nice bits - namely the parts with the history around the tower and its contents but the rest was a bore.
As for the romance? Where? It was worse than a hallmark channel Christmas movie -- the MC love interest was barely in it and spent 90% of the time just leaving Maggie behind without explanation. It would've been more believable if the FMC fell in love with the Ravenmaster for how much focus was on the Ravens and weird coded messages every few chapters.
Disappointing overall.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Body shaming, Vomit, Grief, Dysphoria, Gaslighting, Bullying, Emotional abuse, Death of parent, Alcohol, and Toxic relationship
Moderate: Infidelity
Minor: Classism
sophieamreacher's review
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
sad
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.5
I really loved this book and I’ve totally got a crush on Freddie. I loved the setting and the other characters like the raven master. I will most likely reread this as a comfort read since I enjoyed it so much.
Content Warnings
Graphic: Vomit, Death, Death of parent, and Grief
Moderate: Emotional abuse, Infidelity, Injury/Injury detail, Fatphobia, and Bullying
lunahale's review against another edition
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
3.0
a solid, fun read that had me rooting for the main characters. i will say, this is less of a rom com and more of journey to self-discovery. i felt there was more emphasis on the FMC’s personal growth as an individual than on her relationship w the MMC. i wish there had been a little more romance, actually.
all in all, i’m very glad i impulse bought this at meijer while i was supposed to just be buying oat milk lol
all in all, i’m very glad i impulse bought this at meijer while i was supposed to just be buying oat milk lol
Content Warnings
Graphic: Bullying
Moderate: Grief, Death of parent, and Body shaming
natashaleighton_'s review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
relaxing
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
4.0
This was such an entertaining Rom-com that I literally devoured! I loved the Tower of London setting and the little morsels of historical facts that Megan Clawson has snuck in (I definitely learned a few things I didn’t previously know) but it was protagonist Maggie that really kept me hooked!
Her Bridget Jones-esque clumsiness was hilariously endearing and I rather enjoyed her deliciously intense, slow-burn romance with Royal Guard Freddie. The ensemble cast of Guards, Yeoman Warders and even some pretty lively Ravens also kept things pretty pacey with all their humour filled antics.
Overall, an absolutely fantastic debut that any self confessed Rom-com lover and history buff needs to check out —and if you’re on TikTok I’d definitely recommend following the author (who like Maggie actually does live inside the Tower of London.)
Her Bridget Jones-esque clumsiness was hilariously endearing and I rather enjoyed her deliciously intense, slow-burn romance with Royal Guard Freddie. The ensemble cast of Guards, Yeoman Warders and even some pretty lively Ravens also kept things pretty pacey with all their humour filled antics.
Overall, an absolutely fantastic debut that any self confessed Rom-com lover and history buff needs to check out —and if you’re on TikTok I’d definitely recommend following the author (who like Maggie actually does live inside the Tower of London.)
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol
Moderate: Infidelity, Bullying, and Toxic relationship
Minor: Emotional abuse
tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition
funny
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Megan Clawson’s debut novel is an entertaining read. She provides historical facts and details about the protagonist’s (Maggie’s) home, which happens to be within the London Tower. I really appreciated these details because I love history. The humour was spot on, which had me giggling and overall, I enjoyed reading this novel.
What I will say about this book is that it’s marketed incorrectly. This book is centrally focused on Maggie’s insecurities, her mental health and her very unique home and surroundings. Her character arc is well developed but this wasn’t a book that centered around her budding feelings with love interest, Freddie. A lot of the relationship development was missing as Maggie and Freddie barely see each other throughout the entire story, so I couldn’t buy the ending all that much. What also contributes to this conclusion is that the title, while so adorable (and of course, the charming cover!), doesn’t fit in with the main plot of the story. It makes the reader think this is a romance novel when really it’s a women’s fiction novel, which contributes to confusion and dare I say, a bit of disappointment. I would say this falls in-line with Sophie Kinsella books that are hilarious in itself, but expect the romance to play a backseat to the protagonist’s character arc.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Death of parent
Minor: Infidelity, Panic attacks/disorders, Alcohol, Bullying, Cancer, Cursing, Grief, Emotional abuse, and Toxic relationship
oceanwriter's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I'm going to say upfront that this isn't necessarily a book I would have chosen for myself unless I was looking for a good beach read, so please take my review with a grain of salt. I was sent a surprise ARC copy.
Maggie has (in my opinion) a dream home in the Tower of London. Unfortunately, her life hasn't been filled with fairytales. Throughout the book she's on a quest to find love which, of course, she finds in an unlikely place: a Royal Guard.
The book is cute and I enjoyed the London history intertwined, but it ends there for me. I wasn't a fan of the writing style and wasn't able to connect to Maggie at all. The romance was sweet and I appreciated that it wasn't explicit, though it took a long while to get into it. Overall, I think someone more into romcoms will enjoy this. If you're picky like I am, it could be hit or miss.
A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me an ARC copy of the book to read and review!
Maggie has (in my opinion) a dream home in the Tower of London. Unfortunately, her life hasn't been filled with fairytales. Throughout the book she's on a quest to find love which, of course, she finds in an unlikely place: a Royal Guard.
The book is cute and I enjoyed the London history intertwined, but it ends there for me. I wasn't a fan of the writing style and wasn't able to connect to Maggie at all. The romance was sweet and I appreciated that it wasn't explicit, though it took a long while to get into it. Overall, I think someone more into romcoms will enjoy this. If you're picky like I am, it could be hit or miss.
A huge thanks to Harper360 for sending me an ARC copy of the book to read and review!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Grief, Bullying, and Alcohol
meganpbennett's review against another edition
emotional
funny
hopeful
informative
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Falling Hard for the Royal Guard was a funny read, for the most part. Like other romance novels, it handled deep and emotional things with a veneer of humor or romance, like the ghost and Maggie's mother. It was also well on its way to being one of my favorite new romance novels reads of the year, when it blew it completely in the last 15-20%.
The book was very informative about the Tower of London, with history and culture woven into the story in a way that really worked. The detail about the Guards and their uniforms was a nice touch.
I knocked the first half star off when I realize that it was hard to tell if the story was set with the current royalty - King Charles III, etc - or with a faked monarchy, a la that Hallmark movie I watched last year, where the structure was there, but the author changed around the members of the BRF to suit their novel needs. Either would have worked, but making it clear from the get go would have been better. Especially when several chapters were spent hinting at an identity that Freddie could not have, with the current monarchy.
Freddie did not turn out to be who I was expecting him, since I kept expecting him to the Prince of Wales or maybe the Spare, to quote Harry. I liked how and when we learn his true title, and that scene added a lot of depth to their relationship. It's pretty clear pretty early on that we have what is consideredmutually unrequited, where both of them think that the other would not be interested in going any further than friendship and that, when done well, can add to the story. It was done very well here. Mix that in with the ghosts in the Tower, the famed Ravens, the men in uniform, the clear love the Beefeaters have for Maggie, and you've got a wonderful story.
Then the ending. It was a good one, but it felt rushed, like the author had to cram 100 pages worth of content into 30 to keep the book from being too long. This story would have benefited greatly from those extra 100 pages, and I think the relationship between Freddie and Maggie would have been all the stronger for that.
Maggie's coworkers were evil, and something should have been done about that a while ago.
All in all, a good story, full of history.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC!
The book was very informative about the Tower of London, with history and culture woven into the story in a way that really worked. The detail about the Guards and their uniforms was a nice touch.
I knocked the first half star off when I realize that it was hard to tell if the story was set with the current royalty - King Charles III, etc - or with a faked monarchy, a la that Hallmark movie I watched last year, where the structure was there, but the author changed around the members of the BRF to suit their novel needs. Either would have worked, but making it clear from the get go would have been better. Especially when several chapters were spent hinting at an identity that Freddie could not have, with the current monarchy.
Freddie did not turn out to be who I was expecting him, since I kept expecting him to the Prince of Wales or maybe the Spare, to quote Harry. I liked how and when we learn his true title, and that scene added a lot of depth to their relationship. It's pretty clear pretty early on that we have what is considered
Then the ending. It was a good one, but it felt rushed, like the author had to cram 100 pages worth of content into 30 to keep the book from being too long. This story would have benefited greatly from those extra 100 pages, and I think the relationship between Freddie and Maggie would have been all the stronger for that.
Maggie's coworkers were evil, and something should have been done about that a while ago.
All in all, a good story, full of history.
Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the eARC!
Content Warnings
Graphic: Alcohol, Bullying, Grief, and Sexual harassment
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