*I received a free copy of Royal from Tantor Media via . This has in no way influenced my voluntary review, which is honest and unbiased *
Warning: This book includes mature content such as: sexual content, and/or drug and/or alcohol use, and/or violence.
Royal by Winter Renshaw Narrator: C.J. Bloom, Eric London
Series: Rixton Falls #1
Published by Tantor Media on July 20, 2016
Genres: Adult, Contemporary, Romance
Length: 8 hours
Format: Audiobook
His name is Royal, but he's no prince charming. He's not even a prince-though you could say I loved him once upon a time. He was my older brother's best friend. Growing up, he sat at our dinner table every Sunday, teased me mercilessly, and pretended I annoyed him. When I was old enough, he took me on my first date. Royal taught me how to drive. Escorted me to my junior prom. Gave me my first kiss . . . amongst other things. He was my first taste of toe-curling, all-consuming, can't-sleep love. We had our whole lives ahead of us. There was never anyone else for me but him. And then he disappeared. No letter. No explanation. Not even a good-bye. I've spent the last seven years trying in vain to forget my first love, but just when I think I've finally moved on, guess who's back in town?
Royal marks the first time I’ve tried Renshaw and while the story wasn’t perfect, I enjoyed the introduction.
Royal introduces us to the Rosewood family and the small town of Rixton Falls. When we first meet Demi, the eldest of the Rosewood girls, she’s head-over-heels for her older brother’s best friend, Royal, and they’re making plans to spend their lives together. Flash forward 7 years later, Demi is reeling from her former fiance’s accident which has left him in a coma – reeling because he and she are the only ones who know he called things off. She, therefore, is having to play the part of dutiful fiancee. On top of all that, Royal appears at her front door wanting a second chance but not quite ready to explain why he disappeared from her life.
What Worked:
- The premise
I liked Demi from the get-go and as I got better acquainted with Royal, I liked him too. So I totally bought into his story and wanted them to have their second chance. - Characters
I liked all the Rosewoods and understood the close-knit family they were. I was particularly fond of the dynamics between Demi and her younger sister, Delilah. Their relationship felt the most genuine. - Narrators
Both C.J. Bloom and Eric London were able to portray the characters well, keep the pacing smooth, and convey all the emotions required. London’s delivery of Royal’s mom was excellent and spot-on. I was very impressed!
What Could Have Worked Better:
- Plot Lines
A few of the plot lines were a bit far-fetched. One in particular could have made more of an impact and felt more realistic if it’d been handled differently. Instead it felt contrived. - Characters
In some ways the secondary characters felt inconsistent with how I thought Renshaw was trying to portray them. For example, the Rosewoods had essentially raised Royal and yet Mr. Rosewood didn’t believe his version of the events that took Royal away.
I liked Royal well enough to continue the series. I’ve already started book #2, Bachelor.
About Brandee @ (un)Conventional Bookworms
Brandee is a mom of 3 and a soon-to-be empty nester. She is also an avid reader, a genre omnivore, and a compulsive one-clicker - but she's in recovery. Besides being a reader, she's also a writer and hopes to divide the vast quantities of spare time she'll soon have between reading and finally publishing her first book.
Twitter: ailynk
nawww. not a fan of far- fetched plots. Although, I have heard if truths that’s stranger than fiction, maybe I’ll give it a go someday
Haha So true, Ailyn. Sometimes truth is stranger than fiction. And overall plot wasn’t far-fetched…it was just some on the plot threads. But I liked the story overall. I just finished book #3 in this series today and I really liked it!
It sounds like a mixed-bag kind of book. I can’t get over the fact that his name is Royal! It’s a shame about the far-fetched plot. That can take away from my enjoyment of a book too.
Haha! Yeah, his name was interesting…like the rest of him. 😉 I liked this story, Nick. There were just a few of the threads that I felt would have made more of an impact had they been handled a bit differently. I just finished the 3rd book in this series so Renshaw has kept me engaged with these characters. 🙂
I feel like I would really enjoy this book. Personally I don’t mind if a plot is far-fetched. I guess it would depend on what exactly is going on but I’ve read some crazy books so I think I’d be okay with it. Haha
I did enjoy the story, Stephanie. The things that bothered me were just things that, had they been handled a little differently, would have made a bigger impact. In my opinion, of course. 😉 I liked it well enough to recommend it though.
I do love second chance romances, and lets be honest I am a sucker for that cover lol. Glad you enjoyed this one overall. Great review!
Haha! Yeah, that is quite a cover. 😉 I enjoyed this story quite a bit, Teresa, even if there were some dubious elements. Thanks!
Twitter: ailynk
Ok. So it’s probably worth following then. Thanks
I hope you’ll enjoy it if you decide to read it, Ailyn. 🙂
oh I love close-knit family and friends to lover stories! especially about older brother’s best friends! Glad to hear you enjoyed this one B!BTW I got all your comments! Thanks a lot for visiting! xoxo
The close-knit family and friends-to-lovers tropes were definitely things that drew me in. 🙂
Yay! I’m so happy you got my comments! {{{big hugs}}}
Sounds like a pretty decent start to a new to you author. I don’t recall her books. But sounds like one I need to check out.
It was a pretty decent start, Anna. I confess to having finished the series (to date) and the second book was more of a meh read. However, the third was pretty great. My reviews will be posting over the next few weeks. 🙂