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“You know, I just realized, you’re either a chauvinist or a coward, but I can’t decide which.”
“What?” I scowl at her.
“You heard me. You either think you are entitled to make her decisions for her, which would make you a chauvinist, or you’re too scared to go to her and put your heart on the line, in which case you are a coward. Very disappointing, either way.”
Tessa Sharpe: reporter turned blogger of The Royal Watchdog (among other sites) after getting smoochy with the boss. Suffice to say, the boss remained boss and married like a week later, so…lovely guy.
Prince Arthur: a guy who’s got charm for days and charisma seeping through his pores, I guess he’s kinda hard to resist. But for some people he’s a “lazy leech who does nothing for Avonia.” Really depends on the person…ahem, Tessa Sharpe.
The Summary
In the monarchy of Avonia, the people have grown weary of their rulers and seek to abolish them. The Prime Minister plans to call a referendum, prompting the royals to take action. Prince Arthur makes a daring move: he invites their harshest critic, Tessa Sharpe, to live in the palace for two months to change her opinion of them.
In a live broadcast, Arthur announces his offer, which leads to a storm of embarrassing events. Tessa makes a series of silly mistakes, including wearing a shock jogger and causing a car accident. The whole world witnesses her blunders, but she still takes the offer and moves in.
Known for berating the monarchy on her blog, Tessa thinks the royals are lazy and living off the public’s money. But Arthur is convinced he can challenge her opinion. As we know when it comes to books, anything can happen.
My Thoughts
So I was kinda hoping there’d be more hatred in the beginning, but it was pretty tame. Nothing out of the ordinary besides some armpit sniffing on live tv.
Arthur and Tessa fell for each other rather quickly actually. It was more lust than love at first, but it did become much more, but everyone who reads romance (especially a royal chick lit type of story) knows that there’s going to be that moment when everything goes to shit and one character, usually the heroine, runs away. I called it before I even opened it up which was part of the reason behind my rating.
Predictability is fine if the characters stand out or the story brings me on a journey, but when you can literally figure out everything, there’s no shock value. But if the story snags a laugh out of me or a certain warmth then all is forgiven.
What Worked For Me
- The humor; I was smiling like a dope a few times and actually had to silently laugh (my roommate was sleeping), so that was an A+
- The Sharpe family was fun, I especially liked those family gatherings Tessa hated oh so much (understand why, Lars could be such a Lars)
- The shock jogger was arguably the best part of this book, I mean, just read it. You’ll crack up. And if you don’t, then you’re probably a good person who doesn’t laugh at other’s embarrassment and suffering…good for you
- Arthur’s Grandmum is the best (see quote directly above). She hit the bullseye with that comment
- Nikki was a great friend and here’s one of her best moments:
The back door swings open, and Arthur gets out. He glances at my father. “Sorry about that, sir. We’ve been chasing your daughter all the way from Parliament Hill.”
He looks at Nikki. “You’re very fast.”
She gives him a come-hither look. “I certainly am.”
I clear my throat, and she jumps a little. “Sorry, that was purely reflex. Won’t happen again,” she murmurs.
What Could’ve Been Different
- More hate in the beginning
- Maybe if Arthur ordered her to leave the palace (now that would’ve been a real shocker)
- Less fluffy moments. It had the potential to delve deeper with Arthur’s mom (she had committed suicide when he was a child), but it only grazed the surface which is understandable. This was by no means supposed to be a heavy read which was partly why I liked it. It was light and didn’t require much emotion except for some bouts of silent laughter
- We could’ve also gone deeper with some of the secondary characters, but, again, the focus was on Arthur and Tessa which is how it’s supposed to be.
Overall
The Royal Treatment was a fun, light read filled with many embarrassing (relatable) moments that call for some laughter and caffeine because you won’t wanna stop until you’ve devoured the last word.
I’d definitely recommend this for anyone who’s on the market for a match between Avonia’s very own “Prince Charming” and a “lowly commoner peasant” who harbors some resentment towards the monarchy. Lots of fun, so join in.