“Uneasy lies the head that wears a crown.” ― William Shakespeare, HENRY
IV, Part 2
“Hail to the king, baby.” – Ash, ARMY OF DARKNESS
Royalty-themed romance is a fun fantasy, and not just limited to historicals.
Reading a few books in the Royal Wedding Archives series, by various authors, I
got to thinking about all the varieties of romances featuring royalty –
contemporary, historical, and paranormal. Some stories have fairy tale aspects,
and some characters are realistically flawed even though they may be royalty.
I admit that when I think of books about royalty, historical romance immediately
comes to mind, but I recently read some fabulous contemporary romances with
royal heroes. After binge-reading new-to-me author Alexa Riley, I came across
her story THE KING’S
INNOCENT BRIDE. Even though it has a contemporary setting, THE KING’S INNOCENT BRIDE
has an old-world fairy tale feel to it. Kate is isolated and virtually a
prisoner of her wicked uncle. After bravely making an escape attempt, she comes
face-to-face with the king. James is instantly smitten with Kate and he spends
the rest of the story dispensing punishment to anybody who has crossed Kate, and
catering to her every desire and dream. As with any story by Alexa Riley, the
hero is super protective and possessive, with an out of this world intensity
when it comes to the heroine. The heroine is sheltered and virginal. This is an
erotic fantasy that may not appeal to everyone, but to others (like me) it is a
thoroughly enjoyable naughty good time. In ROYAL MESS by Jenna Sutton,
there are two stories of royal brothers finding love with commoners. In “Royal
Match,” Prince Leo donates part of his kidney to florist Tessa Lulach. The organ
donation is a PR attempt to make Leo’s popularity rise before taking the throne
from his father. Even though he was given the nickname Polar Prince,
Leo isn’t cold-hearted. Tessa can see past his reserved exterior and get the Leo
who makes her laugh and is a royal hottie. Although their courtship is a quick
one, I like how Jenna Sutton shows how Leo and Tessa gradually fall in love and
enjoy spending time together. Leo makes Tessa feel special and cared for, and
Tessa makes Leo feel desired as a man rather than for his royal status. There’s
also a hedge maze in this story – yay! “Royal Catch” is about how Leo’s brother
Marco and Tessa’s sister Cassie fall for each other. Marco and Tessa meet in one
of the absolute best ways – at a masquerade ball. Marco is the bad boy who makes
good and finds what he never knew he needed most. All of these stories have
epilogues that check on the main characters after months or years.
In PENELOPE AND PRINCE
CHARMING, Jennifer Ashley tells a fairy tale about a woman who discovers
she’s a long-lost princess and a prince who has a few secrets and a supernatural
side. I love paranormal historical romance, and PENELOPE AND PRINCE CHARMING
is a good example of how entertaining this sub-genre can be. This is a story of
prophecies, conspiracies, and true love. Penelope and Prince Damien are tested
over the course of the book and must decide how much they mean to each other.
Two books that are utter and divine fantasy, but with a historical flavor are THE KING’S SPINSTER BRIDE
by Ruby Dixon and DRINK OF
ME by Jacquelyn Frank. Both stories are set in worlds and time periods that
are hard to pinpoint but don’t seem like modern times. In DRINK OF ME, Reule finds a
woman with no name and no memory half dead in the woods, but there is a feeling
of kismet. Mystique finds with Reule the kind of compassion and love that she
has never had before. As she eventually gets her memories back, she feels
extremely lucky to find a man who accepts her, protects her, and loves her so
fiercely. In THE KING’S
SPINSTER BRIDE, the story opens with Princess Halle of Yshrem saving a young
boy from certain death. As that boy got older, his idolization of that princess
turned to more sinful fantasies. Years later, fate lands Mathior a golden
opportunity to make Halla his bride. Although initially uncertain about their
age difference of a few years, Halla is swept away by Mathior’s passion.
Although some regard Mathior’s people as barbarians, he and Halla have a mutual
respect for each other’s culture. Ruby Dixon shows how mixing cultures can be
extremely hot. These are all must-read stories for romance fans, but especially
for readers who enjoy royalty-themed romance. A more traditional historical
romance is HER HIGHNESS, MY
WIFE by Victoria Alexander. In Alexander’s story, Avalonian princess Tatiana
Marguerite Nadia Pruzinsky goes to her commoner husband when she needs his help
the most. Tatiana married and ditched Lord Matthew Weston, but over the course
of the story they rekindle the love they always had for each other. As with any
Victoria Alexander story, HER
HIGHNESS, MY WIFE is told with an abundance of charm and humor.
Gena Showalter, Kresley Cole, and J.R. Ward write sensual paranormal romances
about warrior kings who aren’t afraid to get their hands dirty and eviscerate
their enemies. In THE
DARKEST PROMISE and THE
DARKEST WARRIOR by Gena Showalter, the king heroes rule with an iron hand in
bizarre, brutal, and strangely beautiful lands and love the woman they choose
for their queens with the same ferocity that they exhibit in battle. In THE DARKEST WARRIOR,
Gillian Shaw is a young woman pining for the love of an older man. Gillian can’t
have the man she wants for all sorts of reasons but ends up loving the man she
eventually gets. When fate brings her Puck the Undefeated, and she finds herself
queen of a foreign realm and left to essentially fend for herself, Gillian grows
up and becomes a warrior queen fit for her devoted warrior king. THE DARKEST WARRIOR is
perhaps my favorite Lords of the
Underworld story so far because of the journey of self-discovery Gena
Showalter sends her heroine on. Gillian earns her role as queen, as well as
earning the perfect man for her. Whether good, bad, or ugly – Kresley Cole’s
books elicit strong emotions whenever I read one. One of my favorite books in
Kresley Cole’s Immortals After Dark
series is KISS OF A
DEMON KING. In KISS OF A
DEMON KING, Rydstrom Woede and Sabine, the Queen of Illusions meet under the
worst circumstances. Things aren’t helped when, after being tortured, Rydstrom
takes Sabine captive. Kresley Cole excels at taking a relationship starting out
with antagonism and lust and transforms those emotions into love and admiration.
Rydstrom and Sabine have the regal bearing and sense of responsibility down, but
the struggle for these two damaged people is to trust each other and accept
love. It’s rare that I’ll read a series in order, but that’s what I did with
J.R. Ward’s Black Dagger
Brotherhood series. The hero of the first book in the series, DARK LOVER, is the utterly
delicious blind vampire king Wrath. Wrath is a hero with almost superhuman
strength that’s matched only by his love for the woman he makes his queen, and
his worship of her. In THE
KING, J.R. Ward explores Wrath’s internal conflict and mixed feelings about
his ability to satisfactorily be a king to his people. THE KING is a thoughtful
and intimate character study of a flawed monarch who is able to regain his
confidence and sense of purpose, while strengthening his marriage.
Need more royal reads? We have you covered
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