Bronte Talbott follows all of the exploits of the British royals. After all, they're the world's most preeminent dysfunctional family. And who is she to judge? Bronte's own search for love isn't going all that well, especially after her smooth-talking Texan boyfriend abruptly leaves her in the dust.
Bronte keeps a lookout for a rebound to help mend her broken heart, and when she meets Max Heyworth, she's certain he's the perfect transition man. But when she discovers he's a duke, she has to decide if she wants to stay with him for the long haul and deal with the opportunities -- and challenges -- of becoming a royal.
Decidedly "chick lit" in tone, I thought I would give this debut a try. Who hasn't fancied themselves a princess in daydreams? And who doesn't get a little excited by the prospect of a royal wedding?
The typical chick lit tropes are there: heroine obsessed with fashion, heroine with an endless supply of money (though Bronte seems to have a high-paying job to pad her bank account and thereby make her credit card payments), heroine with poor luck in the love department. When Bronte met Max, however, this book began to remind me of one of my favorite guilty pleasure movies: The Prince & Me
I did not like Bronte's ability to seem shrewish and overreact at the drop of a hat. In fact, her bi-polar nature drove me a little batty, especially after she and Max become engaged. [Sorry, spoiler alert!] If anything caused me to almost DNF this book, it was her multiple episodes of "the crazy." The ending felt too sudden and final, however, so I hope Ms. Mulry's forthcoming book, Earl Meets Girl, features Bronte and Max in some secondary capacity.
(A very special thank you to Sourcebooks Casablanca and NetGalley who provided me with an ARC of A Royal Pain.)
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