Reviews with content warning for Toxic relationship - Falling Hard for the Royal Guard

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.

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signebrum's review against another edition

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emotional funny hopeful lighthearted relaxing fast-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.5

What a treat this book is! Such a light, fun read that had me giggling out loud to myself. This book is not a literary masterpiece. There are a few times when description gets repetitive, but honestly, the story is too cute to really mind.

Also, I love how the story takes place at the Tower of London, it’s always a treat. I did find the ending a bit rushed - a few more chapters would be appreciated, but overall the ending is satisfying

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bookaholic_in_wonderland's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? A mix
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No

4.0

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natashaleighton_'s review against another edition

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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.)

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pippamillerxoxo_'s review against another edition

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funny hopeful lighthearted sad medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? No

4.0

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tamsterdam_reads's review against another edition

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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.

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ctsquirrel's review against another edition

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emotional funny informative lighthearted relaxing slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.5

I expected too much from this. It sounded British and fun. And it was i guess, it just probably wasn't the part I expected to enjoy. The romance itself was on the boring side. I couldn't quite see what the too perfect to be real Freddie saw in the unkempt scatterbrained disaster that was Maggie.

However, I really did enjoy the bits about the history and atmosphere of the Tower of London. It's really like a small town inside London and all the characters were very interesting. (Especially all the ravens that were fleshed out characters in their own right.) I would read another book about life in the Tower immediately, but as a romance this fell flat.

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ems_rxlibrary's review against another edition

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emotional funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Plot
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? It's complicated
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.75

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