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cyndireadsbooks's review
I am really hitting it out if the park with the “available now” free selections this week.
Some fictional women have never had a discussion with their mother about red flags or seen the “Dealbreakers” episode of 30 Rock and it shows. Also, love at first sight with the woman our hero says is like no one he’s never met before, when she is literally the most boring and basic character, is hard to buy. I listened to the audiobook and I disliked the narrator as well. Just a hot mess all around. All in all, glad my outdoor project is done for a while and I can stop with the books to listen to while I’m easily distracted.
Some fictional women have never had a discussion with their mother about red flags or seen the “Dealbreakers” episode of 30 Rock and it shows. Also, love at first sight with the woman our hero says is like no one he’s never met before, when she is literally the most boring and basic character, is hard to buy. I listened to the audiobook and I disliked the narrator as well. Just a hot mess all around. All in all, glad my outdoor project is done for a while and I can stop with the books to listen to while I’m easily distracted.
larissazavala4's review
2.0
Do you like cheesy Netflix movies like a Christmas prince or princess switch?
Do you like predictable short stories and love at first sight tropes. Then this book is for you!
This literally felt like I was watching those Christmas movies (that I love) but written out in a book. I will say that the plot was lacking and very predictable and there wasn't a lot of dialogue or anything that made me believe that these two had a real reason to be In love. I may just be a cheesy movie watcher and not so much a cheesy book reader.
I loved that there was royalty involved because that usually gets me immediately but I just wish that it had been written much better. It is a very short novella so if you are in a feel good kinda mood then pick this one up.
Do you like predictable short stories and love at first sight tropes. Then this book is for you!
This literally felt like I was watching those Christmas movies (that I love) but written out in a book. I will say that the plot was lacking and very predictable and there wasn't a lot of dialogue or anything that made me believe that these two had a real reason to be In love. I may just be a cheesy movie watcher and not so much a cheesy book reader.
I loved that there was royalty involved because that usually gets me immediately but I just wish that it had been written much better. It is a very short novella so if you are in a feel good kinda mood then pick this one up.
questingllama's review against another edition
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
2.75
winemakerssister's review against another edition
2.0
2.5 stars
This was sweet but it tried to do too much in a very short book. And both the writing and the storyline felt simplistic. I generally liked the MCs, but didn't really understand Albert/Jamie's instant attraction to Molly. And Molly seemed a bit childish when she wouldn't forgive him after knowing why he withheld his real identity. It had nothing to do with her previous relationship, and I thought it made her character seem naive to not be able to recognize that.
Oh, and the title is a misnomer. Jamie is NOT a royal.
This was sweet but it tried to do too much in a very short book. And both the writing and the storyline felt simplistic. I generally liked the MCs, but didn't really understand Albert/Jamie's instant attraction to Molly. And Molly seemed a bit childish when she wouldn't forgive him after knowing why he withheld his real identity. It had nothing to do with her previous relationship, and I thought it made her character seem naive to not be able to recognize that.
Oh, and the title is a misnomer. Jamie is NOT a royal.
eventual_ghost's review against another edition
emotional
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
1.5
dogoodwithbooks's review against another edition
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m not going to give a plot summary since the book description gave away most of the book, so I’m just heading straight to my thoughts on the book.
This novella isn’t too bad. I know that this is the second book I read by Jenn McKinlay, but this feels a bit different from the other book I read by McKinlay and something tells me that novellas aren’t her strongsuit.
While Royal Valentine had an interesting plot concept and there was a consistent pacing throughout the book (which makes for a good narration since I was listening to the audiobook), McKinlay’s character work wasn’t her greatest. From too many characters introduced in the first two chapters (which ended up in too many characters to decipher which were actually important side characters as well as mixing up their names) to actual side characters with little depth to them. Additionally, Molly, while a somewhat relatable MC, she definitely seems full of contradictions (but not in a good way). I felt that she overreacts over the smallest of things and jumps to conclusions, so much so that it ends up making her kind of a jerk in the second half of the book.
As for the relationship itself, it’s fine… but it almost felt too insta-love. I can’t exactly go over why it was necessarily so without revealing spoilers, but I felt that between Molly’s somewhat unpredictable nature over the status of their relationship and Jamie trying to break down the stone walls that Molly continues to put up, it’s a bit hard to read on-page.
With this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I know this isn’t reflective of McKinlay’s work, but I don’t think I would be reading any more of her novellas.
This novella isn’t too bad. I know that this is the second book I read by Jenn McKinlay, but this feels a bit different from the other book I read by McKinlay and something tells me that novellas aren’t her strongsuit.
While Royal Valentine had an interesting plot concept and there was a consistent pacing throughout the book (which makes for a good narration since I was listening to the audiobook), McKinlay’s character work wasn’t her greatest. From too many characters introduced in the first two chapters (which ended up in too many characters to decipher which were actually important side characters as well as mixing up their names) to actual side characters with little depth to them. Additionally, Molly, while a somewhat relatable MC, she definitely seems full of contradictions (but not in a good way). I felt that she overreacts over the smallest of things and jumps to conclusions, so much so that it ends up making her kind of a jerk in the second half of the book.
As for the relationship itself, it’s fine… but it almost felt too insta-love. I can’t exactly go over why it was necessarily so without revealing spoilers, but I felt that between Molly’s somewhat unpredictable nature over the status of their relationship and Jamie trying to break down the stone walls that Molly continues to put up, it’s a bit hard to read on-page.
With this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I know this isn’t reflective of McKinlay’s work, but I don’t think I would be reading any more of her novellas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying
gray_inbetween's review
hopeful
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
relaxing
fast-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
3.5
gabyysnchz's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
fast-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
3.25
tisharehn's review
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
2.5