Royal Holiday by Jasmine Guillory

e-ARC, 304 pages           

Release Date: October 1, 2019

Published by: Berkley
Read from: September 29- October 2, 2019

The Wedding Date, #4

Source: Publisher & Netgalley (I received a copy of this book from the Publisher & Netgalley in exchange for a just and honest review. This did nothing to influence my review.) 

TW: N/A

For fans of: Contemporary Romance, Companion Novel,  Sparkly Covers, Realistic Fiction, Rom Com, Adult, Between the Covers. Holidaze

     From the New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal and “rising star in the romance genre” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a dazzling new novel about a spontaneous holiday vacation that turns into an unforgettable romance.
     Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.
     Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.
     Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day. . .or are they?

 

*MY THOUGHTS*

     I remember seeing this pop up on Goodreads and was shocked like wth, how did I not know this? Jasmine Guillory is one of my favorites and I just thought I was up to date on all the things she was doing. And then she surprised me. Always with the surprises.

"Cultural exchange was hard. Especially if it seemed like you both spoke the same language but really didn't."

29%

     Maddie has to get to London for a last minute job, and she asks her mother Vivian to come with her. Vivian hasn't been on a vacation or taken time off for herself in quite a while, so she decides to go with her. When they get there, it's all they thought it would be. And when she meets Malcolm, it's even more than that. But the trip isn't anywhere as long as it should be, so when offered the chance to stay in London for a little while longer, Vivian doesn't know what to say. Does she stay with someone she barely knows or head back to what she knows as home.

"Most of the men didn't she dealt with these days were men who wanted a woman to take care of them, who had no interest in who the woman actually were. as long as they had breasts and could cook."

30%

     Even though I loved all three of the others, I didn't feel like this one was as good as those. Idk, it seemed rush in a way I guess. The plot was the main thing I didn't care for. It just seemed really repetitive. Like most of it was happening again and again. Don't get me wrong, it had romance and some troupes, but for the most part, there wasn't anything that stuck out and made it memorable.

"She learned from one of her patients that was called "ghosting"- that man had deserved to be haunted to, as far as she was concerned."

30%

     As for the characters, I liked them for the most part. But they weren't really memorable either. The first three books were MADE by the characters, and in this one, it was made by the setting. I don't know how to explain it. But when I think of the other books, I remember things characters have done. But with this one, I remember the places they went, and it just seemed different from the others. As a character driven person, this one is just different. 

"After a few seconds, she opened her eyes and finally looked straight at him. "That was disguisting," she said. "Absolutely foul," he said. "But aren't you glad you experienced it?"

36%

      Although it wasn't my favorite, I still liked it. It still has the same read-ability of the other Guillory books, but even still, it didn't feel like her other books. I felt like it was still missing something. The romance and the easy read is there, but I have to be honest and say I was looking for a bit more.

Overall, I give this