ARC Review: A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding #2)

A Royal Kiss and Tell (A Royal Wedding #2)

by Julia London

Blurb:

Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his…

Every dashing young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome, delectable roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember who Caroline is, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So, Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure a prince remembers her: sees that amusingly risqué morsels about Leo’s reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all the while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.

Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it could ruin him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of government in London. Now, Leo needs Lady Caroline’s help to regain access to society. But this charming prince is about to discover that enlisting the deceptively sweet and sexy Lady Caroline might just cost him his heart, his soul and both their reputations…

Themes:  Historical

Rating:  3.75 stars

Heat Rating: 

Review:

Another prince of Alucia has found his princess in the most unlikely of women and circumstances leading to a second Royal Wedding in A Royal Kiss and Tell. I am a true fan of almost all of Julia London’s historical romances, though her contemporary stories and I are still considering one another, but this newest series, set a bit later in history than previous series, has its very own flavor and uniqueness that I find a bit harder to get into than past series.  For fans of Victorian romances this one is going to be right up your alley, but I confess I prefer my historical romance a little earlier in the past, so my review could come with that small bias. That being said this series is interesting in that it brings together a fictional country, Alucia, and we get to see the darker side of political intrigue and espionage.  The first in the series revolved around the crowned-prince and his quest to uncover a plot against their country, one that led him right into the arms of the most unusual of brides. Now the younger son is at loose ends and finds himself the unwilling participant in his own conspiracy that requires the assistance of an unlikely —female—alley, one that soon leads to a romance for the ages and makes them both question what their love and happiness is really worth.  I enjoyed the ending of the story but there were definitely some slow moments and a few things that just made me insane.  My understanding is the next one revolves around a prince from a neighboring country that comes to England to investigate the craziness their two countries are dealing with, so I am looking forward to seeing when London takes the series with that.

Prince Leo and Lady Caroline have a rocky friendship, though they are constantly being thrown together in social situations as Caroline’s pseudo-sister is now married to Leo’s older brother.  Caroline remembers Leo from a previous meeting, but Leo was so drunk at the time that he has pretty much blocked out the entire encounter and resents Caroline’s overly friendly behavior whenever they are together.  When Leo travels to London to settle his affairs before his own arranged marriage, he is drawn into a situation in which he has no experience or knowledge of how to handle, trying to save innocent children trafficked from his country.  Soon he finds himself not only in need of Caroline’s help, but craving her presence like an alcoholic craves his next drink, despite knowing its bad for him. Caroline maintained her desire and admiration for Leo, despite everyone else telling her that she should ignore him and his bastardly ways.  She is drawn to him in a way that she cannot resist and when she truly gets to know the man buried beneath the crown and learns all his secrets, she knows there is no way she can let him continue his mission without her.  But danger lurks around every corner and soon the choice between their place in society and the lives of innocent young victims might have to be made, risking their happiness and love.

It is safe to say that Prince Leo is an ass through all of the first novel and about 90% of this one as well, only finding his footing and learning to stand up for himself in the very end of his story.  In my opinion his love for and from Caroline is what makes him man enough to not only find a way to protect those he has vowed to save, but to also stand up for what he believes in and find a way to be with the woman he loves. Sometimes a person truly can surprise us and change their stripes, showing us the goodness buried deep within.  I didn’t much care for Leo in the beginning, he was nasty to Caroline and tried his very best to show his superiority just due to his luck of birth, when really the measure of a person’s goodness comes from their deeds and nature. Caroline was definitely too good for him in the beginning but he earned his way into being good enough for her in the end. Caroline is a sweet girl who has dealt with a lot of trauma in life without allowing it to destroy her innate goodness or belief in humanity. She understands that there is a darker side to life, but chooses to always believe in the light and works to live in it. She has tried to resist the emotion that Leo inspires, knowing it is more than just lust but unable to explain it to the others in her life. Once she gets to know him better and comes to understand that he has hidden a great deal of pain and disappointment in life by becoming a playboy drunk no one is willing to believe in, she knows that by being the one person to offer her love and trust she can help him see the man he was always meant to be. I liked seeing her in action as she gently led her man and those around her away from giving in to darkness, leading them into happiness.

Sometimes a story develops into something we never would have guessed in the beginning and A Royal Kiss and Tell was just such a story. While we of course expected a story of a prince finding his princess, we had no idea of the drama, action, and even comedy that would follow them through their journey.  Prince Leo truly had to come to terms with the cynicism that had led his life and decisions to this point and let it go as he grew up, rather quickly, in order to be the man that Caroline deserves.  Caroline similarly had to grow up in her way and learn that not every situation will have a happy ending and sometimes we just have to make the best of the darkness in the world.  Together they make a perfect balance for one another and a good team, leading one another down a straight path to where they needed to be in order to have a truly Happily Ever After. The passion between them was there, even as Leo pretended he felt nothing but contempt for Caroline, and I loved to watch that cauldron as it finally bubbled over.  I am wondering just where this series might be heading next and intrigued as the next story is about a rival country’s prince, asking me wonder if we might finally find out if that country is truly plotting again Alucia or if there are dark forces at work pitting the two countries against one another—and against their powerful alley England. London as always writes with beauty and grace, her characters and dialogue having a wit and majesty that make this story truly worth every moment it takes to read it.  

*eARC provided by author (via NetGalley) for the purpose of an honest and unbiased review.  No compensation was provided.