Thursday, May 14, 2015

Book Review: The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan


Pages: 464
Genre: New Adult
Pub. Date: April 7, 2015
Source: Publisher for review
My Rating: 4.5 out of 5 stars

Goodreads says, "American Rebecca Porter was never one for fairy tales. Her twin sister, Lacey, has always been the romantic who fantasized about glamour and royalty, fame and fortune. Yet it's Bex who seeks adventure at Oxford and finds herself living down the hall from Prince Nicholas, Great Britain's future king. And when Bex can't resist falling for Nick, the person behind the prince, it propels her into a world she did not expect to inhabit, under a spotlight she is not prepared to face. Dating Nick immerses Bex in ritzy society, dazzling ski trips, and dinners at Kensington Palace with him and his charming, troublesome brother, Freddie. But the relationship also comes with unimaginable baggage: hysterical tabloids, Nick's sparkling and far more suitable ex-girlfriends, and a royal family whose private life is much thornier and more tragic than anyone on the outside knows. The pressures are almost too much to bear, as Bex struggles to reconcile the man she loves with the monarch he's fated to become. Which is how she gets into trouble. Now, on the eve of the wedding of the century, Bex is faced with whether everything she's sacrificed for love-her career, her home, her family, maybe even herself-will have been for nothing."
Rebecca "Bex" Porter is an average American living in Iowa, until her father invents a couch that has a refrigerator underneath it and then make some serious money.  Bex, an aspiring artist, decides that she wants to attend Oxford despite the fact that she has never been away from her family or her twin sister, Lacey, before.  Once she gets there in the middle of an epic rainstorm, a man helps her with her luggage. Little does she know that this man is none other than Prince Nicholas, the future king.  As Bex finds her way in Oxford and a foreign country, she makes many friends and frenemies; in fact, she starts an unlikely friendship with the prince who appreciates her more than the other self-serving people in his circle. When readers encounter the prologue, they know that these two end up together, but the fun is in HOW did they end up together as there are many ups and downs along the way. Plus, she is an American!  Obviously, Nick and Bex's courtship is inspired by Prince William and Kate Middleton, so if you are like me and a fan of all things royal, you must check out The Royal We by Heather Cocks and Jessica Morgan this summer. It was better than any tabloid magazine; it was filled with juicy gossip, steamy scenes, fashion, lavish vacations, and hilarious laugh-out-loud moments. This is a book that I would definitely put in my beach bag this summer. 

I immediately loved Bex from he beginning of The Royal We.  Although I didn't always agree with her decisions (some made while under the influence of alcohol), I thoroughly enjoyed her character.  Once she finds herself in the public eye, it was most definitely challenging. I can't imagine dealing with the paparazzi 24/7 and we know Kate Middleton had to deal with that constantly. Bex's relationship with her twin sister, Lacey, was also complex and well done. Lacey wants to support Bex, but sometimes finds herself in the spotlight and she tries to navigate the waters of pseudo-stardom. Of course, Lacey sometimes finds herself in hot water, which makes things complicated for Bex and puts a strain on their relationship.

Prince Nick was fantastic in The Royal We. I couldn't help but visual Prince William as I was reading this story. Obviously the character of Nick is inspired by him and I think the authors did a great job of tweaking some real life details, while also inventing some interesting story lines. His relationship with his mother and father was also complex and the Royal family wouldn't be the Royal family without holding onto some deep family secrets, right? Also, I loved Bex and Nick's friendship that turned into something more. I was seriously addicted to the story at this point.

The secondary characters were also fantastic! My favorite was Nick's naughty brother, Prince Freddie, obviously inspired by Prince Harry. His one-liners had me rolling. He was funny, charming, charismatic and a womanizer. Of course, many things were fabricated in The Royal We, but I absolutely loved Nick's little brother who was also up to something.

Cocks and Morgan wrote one of the funniest books I've read in a long time. The Royal We had me awkwardly laughing in public. I am sure I looked insane as I was laughing hysterically in the doctor's waiting room. But seriously, these authors are downright funny. The dialogue, the British slang, the hilarious antics amongst friends... all brilliant!

If you love the Royal family and a juicy tabloid read in the summertime, you must check out The Royal We. Even though I was pretty sure I knew how it would end, I was flipping pages like a madwoman. A fantastic summertime indulgence. 


6 comments:

  1. I really enjoyed this one too! I didn't like Lacey as much but I loved Bex even when she annoyed me by making some bad choices and I really liked Nick. After reading this book, I watched the Lifetime movie about Kate and William and thought the book was very similar to that.

    I agree that this would be a perfect book for beach reading. Lots of gossipy fun :)

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    1. Me too! Was a huge fan of Nick! I need to see this Lifetime movie now! Thanks for visiting, Christina!

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  2. Looks like a good one for my beach reading collection.

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    1. Definitely! Perfect for vacation! Thanks for dropping by!

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  3. This sounds wonderful, Christina! I love how Bex's family made their fortune - ha! That is hilarious and I'm sure if someone hasn't tried this already, we will see it one day. I love stories about the royal family, as well; this kind of reminds me of The Prince and Me movies, also! Thanks so much for a great review; boy, my summer reading list is growing every day!

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    1. Haha. I know, right?! I loved the Prince and Me movies as well. Thanks for visiting, Tara! I'm glad you are getting a lot of ideas for summer reading.

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