Book Review: A Royal Kiss and Tell by Julia London

Author: Julia London

Title: A Royal Kiss & Tell

Series: A Royal Wedding #2

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: ebook

Pages: 384

Published: May 19, 2020

Where I got It: Borrowed from library

Summary: 

Every prince has his secrets. And she’s determined to unravel his…

Every dashing young man in London’s ton is vying for Lady Caroline Hawke’s hand—except one. Handsome, delectable roué Prince Leopold of Alucia can’t quite remember who Caroline is, and the insult is not to be tolerated. So, Caroline does what any clever, resourceful lady of means would do to make sure a prince remembers her: sees that amusingly risqué morsels about Leo’s reputation are printed in a ladies’ gossip gazette…all the while secretly setting her cap for the rakish royal.

Someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who? Socially, it could ruin him. More important, it jeopardizes his investigation into a contemptible scheme that reaches the highest levels of government in London. Now, 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…

Review:

I read book 1 a while back, and I remember liking this. I was curious about 2, and it was now available at my library. So why not?

Here we follow Caroline and Leo. Leo has secrets, and Caroline is desperate to uncover them because he doesn't remember her. A Rake? Not remember her Lady of the Ton? Unacceptable. She finds out someone has been painting Leo as a blackguard, but who and why? Socially, it will ruin him, but it could jeopardize his investigations into a scheme that reaches the highest levels of the government. He needs Caroline and her connections. 

This was rough for me to get into. I don't know why, really. I liked the added layer of intrigue and society scrutiny. The two were interesting enough. Caro was a little shallow and selfish, but she is sweet enough. Leo has a huge heart, but he's a bull in a China shop. They truly need each other. 

The intrigue kept me hooked enough to want to finish it. I didn't really even care about their love. I mean...I cared a touch, but....eh. 

But yes, I just don't think I connected with this story. I was interested enough to finish it, but the resolution of this one is good enough for me. I believe there are more in the series, but there are no side characters I care enough about to read more. 

I'll give this 2 stars.

 

Reading Challenges

-  Reading Romance Challenge #3 (Pink Dress)

- Library Love #4

Blodeuedd's Monday Review: Lucky Suit by Lauren Blakely

By: Lauren Blakely

Narrated by: Zachary Webber, Andi Arndt

Length: 2 hrs and 25 mins

Release date: 01-31-19

Publisher: Audible Originals

Contemporary romance

Short novella. I do like these. Things have to work fast.

Kristen tries online dating and meets this fun guy Cameron. They talk, the flirt, but when they meet for real something is wrong...

So I can´t tell you what, but Cameron is a good guy and someone really wants these two to find love with each other.

Fun, some intrigues. Some meddling people, and two people who live on different sides of the country. But this is romance and it all works out.

Cute and fun. Good narration

Kristen Leonard is done with setups. She’s not interested in your son or your nephew or your butcher or the guy who mows your lawn, thank you very much, grandma! After all, she’s a modern woman—she’ll take her chances on the algorithms of online dating to find her ideal man. Before long, she meets a man who might just be the one—he’s hilarious, quick-witted, and full of heart. And when she meets up with Cameron in real life, he certainly looks exactly like his profile picture…but something’s not quite right.

There’s really no telling what brought them together and all bets are off as to whether or not they can trust their hearts over their heads. After all, can you fall in love with someone you’re not sure you really even know?

Book Review: On the Way to the Wedding by Julia Quinn

Author: Julia Quinn

Title: On the Way to the Wedding

Series: Bridgertons #8

Genre: Historical Romance

Format: paperback

Pages: 384

Published: June 27, 2006

Where I got It: My shelf (Amazon)

Summary: 

A funny thing happened...

Unlike most men of his acquaintance, Gregory Bridgerton believes in true love. And he is convinced that when he finds the woman of his dreams, he will know in an instant that she is the one. And that is exactly what happened. Except...

She wasn't the one. In fact, the ravishing Miss Hermione Watson is in love with another. But her best friend, the ever-practical Lady Lucinda Abernathy, wants to save Hermione from a disastrous alliance, so she offers to help Gregory win her over. But in the process, Lucy falls in love. With Gregory! Except...

Lucy is engaged. And her uncle is not inclined to let her back out of the betrothal, even once Gregory comes to his senses and realizes that it is Lucy, with her sharp wit and sunny smile, who makes his heart sing. And now, on the way to the wedding, Gregory must risk everything to ensure that when it comes time to kiss the bride, he is the only man standing at the altar...

Review:

Been holding off on finishing this series! It takes so long between each season of the show that I've been slowly making my way through the series. I finally decided to finish the main books of the series and read Gregory's tale. I still need to read the short story about Violet. 

Gregory is not your A-typical guy of the ton. He believes in love and wants to find love. He wants what all his other siblings have. He wants it badly. When he comes across Hermione, he fancies himself in love. She HAS to be the one? Right? ...Right? Enter in Hermione's best friend, Lucy, who likes Gregory. He seems like the best of suitors, so she decides to try to help him win the girl. Lucy is engaged, and there is no way out of it, so why not let her best friend find love? 

So I loved that Gregory truly wanted to be happy and find his own person. He sees how happy everyone in his family is, and he is the last unmarried sibling. He wants it so bad that he finds himself in love with the wrong person. It isn't love...no spoiler. Lucy is his person. He is just a dumb-dumb to not see it. Same with Lucy, but I get why she is blinded to it. She's technically engaged anyway. Not by choice, but family duties and whatnot. 

I struggled really bad for the first...mmm....45% of the book? Gregory's infatuation with Hermione grated on my nerves. Sure. That is the whole story. He eventually wakes up after an event and realizes he never loved her. He loved the idea of being in love. Why SOOOO long? Why not shave that off a bit? Maybe only being in love like....30% of the book? And then fighting to get the real girl. I would've liked to see more time with Gregory yearning for Lucy and making her feel wanted. 

Other than that block. I loved the story. It was dramatic and crazy and just plain fun. Gregory has a huge heart, and he's a big dumbdumb. Silly. 

Lucy was sweet. 

I liked one character a lot (I won't spoil anything). I was really hoping he found an HEA. Maybe the show will flush his story our more *fingers crossed*

In the end, this was a lovely series. I can see myself re-reading this someday. I loved all the siblings, even though they frustrated me sometimes. I'm so glad Netflix is making these books into a show. I would love to see more books like this find the limelight. But yes, totally worth reading the whole series. I had a little issue with this one, but by the end, I ended up having fun. I'll give this 3 stars. 

Reading Challenges

-  Reading Romance Challenge #2 (Wedding)

Audiobook Review: Carl's Doomsday Scenario by Matt Dinniman

Author: Matt Dinniman

Narrator: Jeff Hays
Title: Carl's Doomsday Scenario

Series: Dungeon Crawler Carl #2

Genre: SciFi, Fantasy, Humor
Format: Audiobook
Published: January 6, 2021
Where I Got It: My shelf (Audible)

Summary: 

"The training levels have concluded. Now the games may truly begin."

The ratings and views are off the chart. The fans just can't get enough. The dungeon gets more dangerous each day. But in a grinder designed to chew up and spit out crawlers by the millions, Carl and Princess Donut need to work harder than ever just to survive.

They call it the Over City. A sprawling, once-thriving metropolis devastated by a mysterious calamity. But these streets are far from abandoned. An undead circus trawls the ruins. Murdered prostitutes rain from the sky. An ancient spell is finally ready to reveal its dark purpose.

Carl still has no pants.

They call it Dungeon Crawler World. For Carl and Donut, it's anything but a game.

Review:

Been itching to read book 2 for a hot min, but I had so many other books to dive through first. Finally got my chance! 

We continue down the Dungeon with Carl and Donut. They have made it through the "Training" levels, and they will need to work harder than ever to progress. Between leveling up, they come across a couple of quests they have no choice but to take on. Even worse? Carl still has no pants. 

We are really getting into it now. They have survived the beginning and now get to have some "fun". I loved watching them pick their classes and skills. They even got to change their race if they wanted. Spoiler, they stayed a cat and a human. Thank goodness. I love watching Donut being a talking cat, ordering around poor Carl. 

Mango is adorable. Especially after a certain scene! OMG, I would destroy the world for that lil guy. 

Not only is there action and adventure. But we got to see some political drama unfold as well. That was a hoot BUT I do worry for our team. 

That ending???? Holy cannoli!!! I need to read book 3 asap. 

The narrator was fantastic. I love the sound effects we get throughout the story. It really boosts the storytelling. 

Overall, I def recommend this series. You need to read book 1 first, but it's such a fun and refreshing story. So cool. I wouldn't want to be a part of this, but it's fun to watch them stumble around. Am I as bad as the viewers? *ponders* Nawwwwww. 

5 stars from me. 

Reading Challenges

- Audiobook #4