I am the author of twenty romance books, but I started as a reader. I have read thousands of romance novels in my life, which I humbly submit makes me something of an authority. In fact, I started writing romance novels because I wanted to offer readers the elements that I loved about my favorite books: sympathetic, fully-realized characters, sharp dialogue, deep emotion, and good writing. I have focused on modern-day royals because I am writing a series featuring a royal family. I have been reading extensively to see what other authors are doing in that subgenre…and because it’s fun to don an imaginary tiara!
I fell in love with all the characters, not just Bex and Prince Nicholas, but their delightful, quirky friends and family members. The ensemble cast reminded me strongly of Notting Hill, a favorite movie of mine.
The snappy dialogue and dry, British wit made me laugh out loud, while the real emotional struggles occasionally brought me to tears. The details about how difficult life is when you fall in love with the heir to the British throne were well-drawn, authentic, and painful.
I found myself sneaking extra time to read this book because I enjoyed hanging out with the profoundly human characters and was deeply invested in their lives.
An American girl finds her prince in this "fun and dishy" (People) royal romance inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton.
American Bex Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister Lacey was always the romantic, the one who daydreamed of being a princess. But it's adventure-seeking Bex who goes to Oxford and meets dreamy Nick across the hall - and Bex who finds herself accidentally in love with the heir to the British throne.
Nick is wonderful, but he comes with unimaginable baggage: a complicated family, hysterical tabloids tracking his every move, and a public that expected…
How can you not get hooked by a story that kicks off with a Nigerian prince email? Except it really is from an African prince! I rooted for heroine Naledi right from the start because, as a graduate student in epidemiology, she is forced to battle the sexism that women in STEM so often experience. She is no pushover, but she has to be careful not to sabotage her career.
Fish-out-of-water tropes always delight me, so when Prince Thabiso masquerades as a waiter to meet Naledi, I got a kick out of the fact that he was so terrible that she fired him. His first trip on a New York City subway is hilarious. When Thabiso convinced Naledi to return to Thesolo with him, I enjoyed experiencing royal life in an African country. Just the music of the names enchanted me.
From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .
Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn't have time for fairy tales...or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she's betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she's learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won't convince her otherwise.
Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At…
Don’t we all dream of being a queen? In this fun modern fairy tale, a forty-something single mom from Philadelphia suddenly discovers she is the heir to the throne of the Grand Duchy of Saint Gilbert. It would be a fish-out-of-water story, except that Annie takes on the job with a can-do attitude that I adored. Her whole family, including her kids, gets involved. She fends off antagonistic councilors—and a kidnapper—to drag Saint Gilbert into the modern era and prosperity. You gotta love that Philly attitude.
This story skews more towards women’s fiction, but do not fear: there is a very handsome, suave captain of the guards, Max Belleme, who provides a delicious frisson of romance for the Grand Duchess. He can be my bodyguard anytime!
A fortysomething woman’s ordinary life takes a royal detour in an engaging novel about embracing a family legacy and stepping up when it matters most by New York Times bestselling author Mariah Stewart.
Annaliese―Annie―Gilberti is a divorced South Philadelphia mother of two with a nine-to-five job when a shocking discovery turns another average day upside down: her late grandmother was the exiled ruler of a small European country, and Annie is next in line to wear the crown and restore the monarchy. The would-be grand duchess of the Grand Duchy of Saint Gilbert has vacation time coming, enough to take…
American snark meets cutting British wit: I loved the texts/emails/calls between Alex, the American president’s son, and Henry, the British prince. The contrast between the two characters was riveting: the brash, ambitious young politico versus the cultured, smooth, royal prince with decades of tradition bred into his bones. Let’s face it: power is seductive, and these two enemies-to-lovers move in the highest-powered circles on Earth.
What gives this love story extra depth is the struggle of these highly visible men to deal with being gay/bisexual both in private and on the public stage. Prince Henry’s pain at having to suppress his true sexuality almost broke my heart. Thank goodness it’s a romance, so they find a way to be happy together in the end!
* Instant NEW YORK TIMES and USA TODAY bestseller * * GOODREADS CHOICE AWARD WINNER for BEST DEBUT and BEST ROMANCE of 2019 * * BEST BOOK OF THE YEAR* for VOGUE, NPR, VANITY FAIR, and more! *
What happens when America's First Son falls in love with the Prince of Wales?
When his mother became President, Alex Claremont-Diaz was promptly cast as the American equivalent of a young royal. Handsome, charismatic, genius--his image is pure millennial-marketing gold for the White House. There's only one problem: Alex has a beef with the actual prince, Henry, across the pond. And when…
I’m usually all about the hero, but in this sweet book, it was the heroine whom I fell for. Lacey Pope plays Princess Sweet Pea at a fairytale theme park, and she takes her role seriously. She has a list of royal rules that include: “Always make friends with birds and butterflies, and always, always be kind.” When she shares them with two visitors to the park, she doesn’t realize that she’s talking to a real—and grumpy—prince and his daughter.
Lacey lives by her royal rules in real life, too—like Amy Adams in the movie Enchanted—and the prince falls in love with her bright spirit.
This delicious book is like the featherlight meringue of the macarons that Lacey nibbles on when she travels to Henry’s home country, Bella-Moritz.
Once Upon a Royal Summer is a USA TODAY BESTSELLER!
From the USA Today bestselling author of the book-to-TV stories Unleashing Mr. Darcy and Northern Lights of Christmas, among countless others, comes an enchanting royal romance perfect for fans of Jenn McKinlay, Sariah Wilson, and Emma St. Clair.
Playing a princess character at a popular Florida theme park, Lacey Pope’s diamond tiara might not be real, but the smiles of the children she meets every day certainly are. She’s happy doing this job, but she struggles to shake the fact that her ex-boyfriend was never impressed with her career choice.…
Gabriel, Duke of Bencalor, allows himself to be kidnapped to save his cousin, the Prince of Caleva. He pays a price—a mutilation that damages his brilliant career as a flamenco guitarist.
Computer hacker Quinn Pierson, an American commoner, is hired to track down Gabriel’s abductors. As she follows the trail, she and the sexy duke spend more and more time together until a spark ignites between them. But there can be no future between a royal duke and an American commoner with an ugly past—until danger arrives in Caleva.
David Fletcher needs a surgeon, stat! But when he captures a British merchantman in the Caribbean, what he gets is Charley Alcott, an apprentice physician barely old enough to shave. Needs must, and Captain Fletcher takes the prisoner back aboard his ship with orders to do his best or he’ll be walking the plank.
Charley Alcott’s medical skills are being put to the test in a life-or-death situation, Charley’s life as well as the patient’s. Even if she can save the American privateer's brother there will still be hell to pay—and maybe a plank to walk—when Captain Fletcher learns Charley…
David Fletcher needs a surgeon, stat! But when he captures a British merchantman in the Caribbean what he gets is Charley Alcott, an apprentice physician barely old enough to shave. Needs must, and Captain Fletcher takes the prisoner back aboard his ship with orders to do his best, or he'll be walking the plank.
Charley Alcott's medical skills are being put to the test in a life-or-death situation, Charley's life as well as the patient's. Even if she can save the pirate's brother there will still be hell to pay--and maybe a plank to walk--when Captain Fletcher…
