Her Royal Happiness by Lola Keeley is opposites attract, fake relationship romance between a single mother and the Princess of England.
Princess Alice always finds herself on the front page of the tabloids as she’s the first out member of the British royal family. This makes dating next to impossible. If it were up to the Queen, Alice would settle for an arranged courtship with an acceptable woman with a title all her own.
When Alice is at a scheduled opening of a new school, she has a run-in with a bold single mother. Sara Marteau’s not about to let her daughter feel stressed out just to impress a member of the royal family – an outdated institution she’d gladly see done away with. The encounter goes viral, and once again, Alice finds herself on the front page of the tabloids,
Sara is a special needs education specialist. Imagine her surprise when Alice contacts her with a special request. Her nephew, second in line to the throne, might be on the autism spectrum, and his parents want professional input before they select a school for him and his twin sister. Because of his royal position, they don’t want this to happen under public scrutiny.
Sara is committed to her job and the children she helps so she agrees on the spot to help the prince and his son. This poses a problem. The prince wants to protect his son from the attention of the tabloids, so he and Alice ask Sara if she’d be willing to pose as Alice’s girlfriend while she spends time with the royal family.
What starts as an awkward pairing soon becomes a comfortable arrangement. Alice is delightful to be around, and she clicks with Sara’s daughter. With each successive fake date their relationship begins to feel like something they’d both like to be real.
When Alice and Sara decide they want to give a real relationship a go, they not only have to do it in the public eye, but without the approval of Alice’s mother, the Queen.
Sara’s main concern is how the publicity may affect her daughter. She’s also apprehensive about fitting in with Alice’s lifestyle and the responsibilities that come with it.
Has Sara found her Princess Charming in this modern-day fairytale, or will the pressure of dating a royal be too much for her?
Pros And My Favourite Parts
Victoria: Both Princess Alice and Sara are likeable characters. I think Keeley does a great job showing that despite having great chemistry, these women have profound differences that will always need to be acknowledged and addressed. It’s obvious that as hard as Alice tries to be just “one of the people”, her white privilege enters any space before she does. Sara is a woman of color with a daughter whose family history includes colonization under the British Empire. Sara must explain to Alice on more than one occasion that a police or military presence is an issue that could place them on opposite sides of political and social unrest. I think these conversations are deftly written, and I can imagine a scenario where this issue could have created a crisis moment in the narrative.
Sheena: Everything Victoria said it true. But also, this book was a little unique for me in terms of there being a multi racial couple and it actually being the point of discussion. It was really refreshing for me to experience a character who isn’t white in a book being treated as if she isn’t white. And I don’t mean that in a bad way, just in a realistic way. Things aren’t the same for all people and I like that it was brought up in a conversation.
I also loved the fun and quippy dialogue. Sara isn’t exactly an ice queen but she is a little guarded and she gives Alice a good run for her money, which I loved.
Lola Keeley also did a fun thing with this book and interjected little snippets of newspapers in between the character stories. I loved that as a technique.
The Audiobook
Sheena: Narrated by Sienna Frances and produces by Tantor audio, the audiobook was high quality and there were no volume sound jumps or inconsistencies which was great.
I can’t comment on how good the accents were because it sounded great to me but I am not from the UK or France. I can say, though, that I wish the voices of the two main characters sounded a little more different. There were times when I got lost as to who was saying what in the dialogue.
Cons And Heads Up
Victoria: Not a con, just a heads up. I like my romances with a huge helping of angst, and my reviews usually lead with that. Her Royal Happiness is rather angst free yet still quite lovely.
I’m not sure if it’s because I read an advanced copy of the ebook but at times, I found it difficult to make out paragraph breaks which in turn lead to some confusion as to who was speaking. I’m hoping this was just my copy.
Sheena: Just the minor confusion sometimes with who was speaking but it didn’t make it any less enjoyable.
The Conclusion
Victoria: I was very excited to get my hands on Her Royal Happiness. I love romances featuring characters who are single mothers, and I do love royalty, especially British. (I consider myself quite the anglophile.) The added subplot including a child on the autism spectrum made me this book’s target audience. I swallowed this story in one sitting fortified with endless cups of tea and biscuits. It’s a solid and sweet romance that won’t disappoint.
Sheena: I enjoyed the lack of angst. Sometimes we just need a sweet romance to make the world seem like a better place. And I liked this audiobook for exactly that. It was a sweet, easy listen that left me feeling really good.
Excerpt from Her Royal Happiness by Lola Keeley
Libby has been raised to speak up if there’s a problem,” Ms Marteau replied to the head teacher. “And you assured me that the children wouldn’t be put under additional pressure to perform for the event today. She says she’s stressed. That shouldn’t be the case.” “Perhaps now that I’ve said my piece, the children can play their music? I’m sure they’ve practiced very hard.” Alice found herself trying to win the woman’s approval. Why it mattered, Alice had no idea. Any other time she would be halfway out of the door by now. “Would that be okay, Libby? If we grown-ups went to sit down and you could play your violin?”
Libby nodded, a little smile flickering across her lips. This was a kid used to bending the world to her will. It was hard not to like that about her. “Only if you’re sure, Libs. You don’t have to do things just because someone with a fancy title is here.” The easy rapport between mother and daughter was evident in the way Ms Marteau didn’t have to bend to make eye contact, her hand on Libby’s back for constant reassurance. “Well, it is quite important to learn to honour one’s obligations.” Alice found herself speaking before her brain could catch up, relaying the lessons from her parents and grandparents without thinking. “And there’s such a thing as a sense of duty. If we make a promise to an audience or our friends, it is always best to keep it. If we possibly can.”
“Easy to say when you don’t have to work for a living,” Ms Marteau replied without missing a beat, hands on her hips. Alice felt a little dowdy next to her, and that usually only happened around the actors and models she crossed paths with. The odd foreign princess too, since a lot of those hewed much closer to the Disney versions than she ever had. Still, the one thing they all had in common was a lifetime of learning to be utterly diplomatic, even in the face of rudeness. “No offence, of course. I’m sure it’s very important that all those ribbons get cut. I just don’t think the experience is relevant to my daughter. I’m not a big believer in royalty, so please excuse me.”
“I’m sorry, but we’re not the tooth fairy. I’m afraid we exist whether you believe in us or not.”
“Well, I hold out hope that one day this country will see sense just like France did and become a republic.” Alice noticed a faint accent on the way she said France, correctly rolling the ‘r’. “
Oh well, as long as you don’t mean to offend.” Alice could give as good as she got in passive-aggression. She glanced around and saw at least one camera phone pointing their way. Best to control the situation. “Shall we sit down? We seem to be making a bit of a scene.”
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Bits and Bobs
ISBN number: 9783963246012
Publisher: Ylva Publishing
Audiobook Publisher: Tantor Audio
Narrator: Sienna Frances
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