Book Review: "Royal Holiday" by Jasmine Guillory
“Royal Holiday” by Jasmine Guillory
Synopsis: Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.
Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.
Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day. . .or are they?
Rating (out of 5): 3.75
Trigger warnings: Really, none besides sparking a need for scones, clotted cream, and a trip to England at Christmastime. It’s a good thing I read this book while on that trip, tbh.
Review: When I was chatting to Shannon and Momo about what vacation read I should review for this week, we realized that we had never posted about Jasmine Guillory’s books, even though we have read and enjoyed…all of the. Well, friends, that changes right now.
This is the story of Vivian, a 50-something social worker, who gets to accompany her daughter on a work trip. To dress a duchess. For Christmas at Sandringham. (If you’re familiar with the Guillory-verse, Vivian is Maddie’s mom, who was the protagonist in “The Wedding Party.” Yes, she’s still madly in love with Theo.) I love a good royal book, and I love a Christmas romance, and I was lucky enough to read this during my trip to London — be glad I only added one gratuitous picture of Christmas decorations in England.
I liked reading about how she found the inspiration for this book — sometimes good does come from Twitter! — but compared to the rest of the books that she’s written, this one felt a little light on substance. It was a love letter to Britain at Christmas more than a love story about two people, and I wish that she had been able to tell more - I love Maddie and Theo, and they were marginal characters, and all of the side characters (including the queen!) were charming.
The wooing, though, the wooing. The pub lunches, the footman-delivered notes, the surprises in London — those were fantastic. Beyond that, the conflict didn’t seem to be totally real - if it was really a holiday romance, so it shouldn’t have been a surprise that it had a time limit; Malcolm’s nephew not wanting to follow his practical advice didn’t seem like enough to throw everyone into a tizzy; and Vivian’s promotion into a more administrative position hardly screams high drama.
Vivian is the best part of this book, with the setting a close second. There is something so magical about England during the holidays, and Jasmine Guillory definitely captures that well. That said, this book is mostly about escapist wish fulfillment, and at times, that’s totally needed. I could imagine myself on horseback, or in the V&A, or eating an amazing meal right alongside Vivian.
Malcolm isn’t my favorite male romantic lead; he’s at times taciturn and surly, and he definitely has some really big communication issues. The only major conflict in the book that doesn’t feel forced (ummm, Malcolm’s nephew wanting to go to art school? Please) is that their time together is limited. At the end of Vivian’s vacation, they decide to not pursue a long-distance relationship between California and London; we are spoiler free over here, but I’m sure you can guess that doesn’t hold.
I did like that the character’s blackness was not only a facet of the story, but one that was openly talked about throughout the novel. It’s refreshing to read a romance about not only a person of color, but a mature one, and to see them engage in what I would consider youthful flirting, almost like a young Regency couple engaging in their first romance.
TL;DR: A frothy Christmas-y romance, light on drama and high on wish fulfillment. Of course, misunderstandings and miscommunications abound, but it’s all wrapped up in a nice (gift) bow by the end.
If you liked this, try these:
“The Proposal” by Jasmine Guillory (my favorite of these interconnected reads!)
“Get a Life, Chloe Brown” by Talia Hibbert (my review here!)
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