A review by glischsanchez
The Rules of Royalty by Cale Dietrich

emotional funny hopeful lighthearted medium-paced

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

4.75

I really enjoyed the book. It has all of my favorite elements of romance: anticipation, tender moments, chemistry, vulnerability, and an unabashed belief in the power and necessity of love. Some might say that the lack of conflict and “bumps in the road” between Jamie and his new family, both his father (King Alexander) and his bio-mom’s (Emilia) family and his seamless inclusion into their world is unrealistic. To that I say this was actually one of my favorite elements of the book. Is it realistic? Probably not since humans are terribly imperfect and fail love’s wisdom all the time. Is it a bit of fantasy on the part of Dietrich? Sure, but some of the best fantasy isn’t about fairies, wizards, and dragons, but instead about the fantasy of a world or family we deserve and yearn for. Jamie and Erik’s teenage love is sweet and beautiful and a wonderful backdrop for the story of how each begins to come in to their own. My only wish is that we would have gotten more scenes of Jamie with Alexander, Maria, Tomas, his Grandma Ruth, and Octavio.