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A review by ilyarozanov123
His Royal Favorite by Lilah Pace
4.0
I have strong feelings about this one. Hence the rating. My overall feeling is a positive one. That’s not to say I didn’t have some issues, but in the end, I can overlook those in favor of what I did like.
The first, oh, 25% or so of this was lovely. Just lovely. Everything was coming out and things were tough, but they came home to each other, which made up for it. The drama/angst that followed was okay; more of the good aching kind than anything else.
The only major drama issue I had was that of Warner, Ben’s ex, but even that was minimal until the near end of the story when he showed up for one final shot. I was intensely uncomfortable by that whole thing; it ruined something for me. See, my main problem with this entire series was that I didn’t trust Ben. I didn’t feel secure in where he stood on things. I couldn’t stand the hold Warner seemingly had on him. Some of it was the (intentionally?) vague writing, I think, but I wasn’t sure that Ben wouldn’t fuck James over, even in the last chapter. He didn’t, but I really did not appreciate the way that uncertainty made me feel. Not that far into the story. He kept doing these complete 180:s.
On the other side of things, I absolutely adored James. He’s the kind of character that I felt protective about right from the start. I needed him to be happy. Which, of course, made me all the more angry with Ben when he couldn’t make up his mind. I’m so glad that James didn’t abdicate or lose his title. It would have made him so unhappy. James was so sweet and deserved all the good things. I especially enjoyed the way he’d marvel at normal things, such as catalogues and Slankets.
“This is why I’m doing this. He’s the reason why.”
I loved the way James and Ben supported each other. The way they found a home with each other. How it, eventually, once Ben finally got over himself, was worth all the rest. Other highlights include the way Ben supported James when Indigo was at her lowest, how Ben won over the Queen because he was the only one who understood how to talk to her, Kimberley and Cassandra (both great characters), and when James got to metaphorically kick Richard’s stuck-up ass.
I like the royal trope a lot but this is probably the best one I’ve read with that kind of plot so far. I had a hard time letting go and couldn’t put the book down.
——— Additional notes after second read:
Honestly, I had a hard time getting through this one again. I usually don’t have problems rereading any book I like, but I found myself distracted by how much Ben and his indecision bothered me.
I disliked him even more this time around. His few redeeming moments were whenever he helped with Indigo, the ways he supported James through that, and how he interacted with James’ family. The rest of the time, nearly all the way to the end, he kept inwardly sneering at the things James brought into his life. I couldn’t get past it. Even in the nice moments, his inner thoughts kept ruining things.
Mainly there was the entire situation with the asshole ex that Ben couldn’t seem to forget. I hated all of that. Ben let that guy subconsciously influence him on most everything. All of that led to him hurting James. Sure, royal life is daunting, and I can understand his reservations about living that life, but considering how well he fit in it and how he could do meaningful, good things there, his reasons to object felt more and more shaky the further we came in the story. It was basically just him being stubborn, ignoring what he’d discovered for himself in favor of some bullshit that had been brainwashed into him by the asshole ex.
But I still loved James. There are many fun and/or good moments in this book. I enjoyed the royal plot line outside of Ben’s particular story line quite a bit. Still, I doubt I will read this one again anytime soon.
The first, oh, 25% or so of this was lovely. Just lovely. Everything was coming out and things were tough, but they came home to each other, which made up for it. The drama/angst that followed was okay; more of the good aching kind than anything else.
The only major drama issue I had was that of Warner, Ben’s ex, but even that was minimal until the near end of the story when he showed up for one final shot. I was intensely uncomfortable by that whole thing; it ruined something for me. See, my main problem with this entire series was that I didn’t trust Ben. I didn’t feel secure in where he stood on things. I couldn’t stand the hold Warner seemingly had on him. Some of it was the (intentionally?) vague writing, I think, but I wasn’t sure that Ben wouldn’t fuck James over, even in the last chapter. He didn’t, but I really did not appreciate the way that uncertainty made me feel. Not that far into the story. He kept doing these complete 180:s.
On the other side of things, I absolutely adored James. He’s the kind of character that I felt protective about right from the start. I needed him to be happy. Which, of course, made me all the more angry with Ben when he couldn’t make up his mind. I’m so glad that James didn’t abdicate or lose his title. It would have made him so unhappy. James was so sweet and deserved all the good things. I especially enjoyed the way he’d marvel at normal things, such as catalogues and Slankets.
“This is why I’m doing this. He’s the reason why.”
I loved the way James and Ben supported each other. The way they found a home with each other. How it, eventually, once Ben finally got over himself, was worth all the rest. Other highlights include the way Ben supported James when Indigo was at her lowest, how Ben won over the Queen because he was the only one who understood how to talk to her, Kimberley and Cassandra (both great characters), and when James got to metaphorically kick Richard’s stuck-up ass.
I like the royal trope a lot but this is probably the best one I’ve read with that kind of plot so far. I had a hard time letting go and couldn’t put the book down.
——— Additional notes after second read:
Honestly, I had a hard time getting through this one again. I usually don’t have problems rereading any book I like, but I found myself distracted by how much Ben and his indecision bothered me.
I disliked him even more this time around. His few redeeming moments were whenever he helped with Indigo, the ways he supported James through that, and how he interacted with James’ family. The rest of the time, nearly all the way to the end, he kept inwardly sneering at the things James brought into his life. I couldn’t get past it. Even in the nice moments, his inner thoughts kept ruining things.
Mainly there was the entire situation with the asshole ex that Ben couldn’t seem to forget. I hated all of that. Ben let that guy subconsciously influence him on most everything. All of that led to him hurting James. Sure, royal life is daunting, and I can understand his reservations about living that life, but considering how well he fit in it and how he could do meaningful, good things there, his reasons to object felt more and more shaky the further we came in the story. It was basically just him being stubborn, ignoring what he’d discovered for himself in favor of some bullshit that had been brainwashed into him by the asshole ex.
But I still loved James. There are many fun and/or good moments in this book. I enjoyed the royal plot line outside of Ben’s particular story line quite a bit. Still, I doubt I will read this one again anytime soon.