Once upon a time I was being groomed to sit on the throne of Wildemar. Now I’m lucky they let me into the palace through the front door. After I was kidnapped and tortured by extremists, my reward upon my release is that nobody trusts me enough to let me be king. And since my twin brother, Kian, has assumed all my responsibilities, I figure why not take over as the black sheep? But after breaking things off with my betrothed—we never had much chemistry, anyway—and giving the jetsetting playboy lifestyle a try, I’m starting to wonder if I’m cut out for this s***. Then I meet Lola Barnes, a drop-dead gorgeous entrepreneur from the States who’s as refreshing as she is feisty. It’s supposed to be a one-night-stand—until the press catches wind of my “new American sweetheart.” Trouble is, Lola’s no sweetheart. But the more I see our names together in the headlines, the more I find myself craving another taste. . . .
Look, I usually love falling into the fantasy of royal romances, tortured souls, and all that, but this one just fell flat for me. The characters all have interesting story lines in theory but I just didn't care about how they played out on paper.
Garrett was abducted and tortured (no flashbacks or anything, which was nice), but he's returned now and his father doesn't seem to think he's fit to be next in line for the throne anymore. His younger twin definitely doesn't want the job, but Garrett doesn't really feel like fighting for it. Until he meets a feisty American woman who's shopping her way across Europe to keep her online clothing store replenished. (She sort of like whats-her-name from Girlboss, but not as contentious.)
This story was fine. I read it all, and pretty quickly. I just didn't really care about the characters, despite them having compelling back stories and a fun romance. Everything was a little too on-the-surface for me, despite there being so much that you know is under there.
Should you read it? I don't know. Goodreads is chock-full of glowing reviews, so maybe this one is really on me. And apparently the first in this series (Kian's story) is super-beloved. So maybe ignore my tepid response and check this one out!
2 1/2 Stars
I received a copy of this book from the publisher in exchange for an honest review.
Expected Publication April 24, 2018 by Loveswept (Random House)