Though characters from the first book in the series make appearances here, "A Royal Kiss & Tell" works very well as a standalone novel. I recommend it for fans of witty historical romances, though with a content warning as the topic of human trafficking is a fairly important part of the plot.
About "A Royal Kiss & Tell"
Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his…
Every young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember Caroline’s name, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure Leo never again forgets: sees that scandalous morsels about his reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.
Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it is ruining him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of British government. 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…
Check out an excerpt from "A Royal Kiss & Tell" here!
My Review
While it wasn't my favorite of Julia London's books, I still enjoyed "A Royal Kiss & Tell," the second book of the Royal Wedding series. The romance between main characters Prince Leopold Chartier and Lady Caroline Hawke took a bit of a backseat to the intrigue in which Leo found himself to be embroiled, but they were both relatively likeable characters, so I was glad that they found a way to be happy together in the end.
It took me a while to warm up to Caroline in this book, which was disappointing because she was so much fun in the previous book of the series. Here, she seemed cheerfully vain and shallow at first, obsessed with fashion, spreading gossip, and being the center of attention at all times. However, as the story progressed and I got to know Caroline better, it became apparent that her cheerful exterior was a facade hiding her fear that no gentleman would ever want to marry her for anything other than her beauty or fortune. I certainly couldn't blame her for her desire to be wanted for herself rather than her looks or money, and she did seem to have a genuine desire to help others even if she wasn't quite sure how to go about it.
The highlight of the story for me was Prince Leo and his investigation into the human trafficking ring, which seemed to give him a purpose and help him mature quite a bit in a very short period of time. His tendency to bungle things, while unfortunate, was also sometimes amusing, as well as completely understandable because Leo hadn't exactly been raised to participate in schemes and intrigue. However, I loved his determination to do the right thing by helping those women, and it was wonderful to see his efforts pay off in the end.
The secondary characters were just as much fun in this book as they were in the previous book of the series, particularly Caroline's brother Beck and her friend Hollis. I hope there are plans for both of them to get stories of their own in the future!
In summary, "A Royal Kiss & Tell" was an enjoyable read and I would recommend it for all fans of witty historical romances, though with a content warning since the topic of human trafficking is a fairly important part of the plot. I look forward to the next book in this series.
*ARC provided by the publisher via NetGalley. All opinions expressed are my own.
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