March 13, 2017 by Jaime 2 Comments
The Royal We by Heather Cocks
(Website, Twitter, Goodreads)Published by Grand Central Publishing on April 7th 2015
Genres: Contemporary Women, Fiction
"I might be Cinderella today, but I dread who they'll think I am tomorrow. I guess it depends on what I do next."
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.
I don't normally go crazy for the Royal family… in fact I always wonder what the fascination is for people who do. That said, I've been on a royal reading kick lately and I've had The Royal We on that list for a while. After a few prods from friends on Instagram I thought I better get reading, and once I started, I couldn't stop.
American Rebecca "Bex" Porter has finally jumped out of the shadow of her twin sister Lacey by heading overseas to pursue her degree at Oxford where she finds herself living down the hall from Great Britain's future king. When they find themselves bonding over a horrible tv show and even worse snacks from the states, there's no denying the connection between the two, but Nicholas's life isn't for everyone. With the weight of a kingdom on his shoulders, Nick can't even go out for a beer without considering the consequences and the added stress from his father's disappointment, shouldering the effects of his mother's health issues, and the irresponsibility of his brother Eddie bringing the media in on his relationship isn't something he can deal with now.
As Bex and Nick traverse the ups and downs of relationships at a level normal people couldn't even imagine you're taken on a rollercoaster of a ride. Cocks & Morgan and written a book that is addictive in its story-telling and filled with drama and scandal and while there were things that kind of irked me (i.e. the middle part of Bex & Nick's story) overall I thoroughly enjoyed this story. I don't think that I'm alone in saying that while reading it's hard not to imagine the real British royal family.
I kind of love the characters in this story… Bex's parents were absolutely wonderful and I loved the relationship she had with her father. It was absolutely refreshing to read. On the other hand, Lacey totally stressed me out … probably as much as she did Nick & Bex and I really found myself NOT sympathizing with her about a single thing and kind of wanted her to stop with the "woe is me" attitude and go back to the US.
I have to mention Eddie though because he was my favorite… while I like Nick and he swooned the crap out of me, Eddie is totally my kind of guy, and I wish we could find out more about his future (cough book 2 please cough). I completely understood his struggle in the grand scheme of his life and sympathized with him on a level that I don't know that I did with Nick.
This book was filled with drama yes, but there are sweet and swoony moments as well, and I completely love the banter and relationship development between Bex & Nick. If you're looking for something fun and yes, slightly drama filled, I highly recommend this. Even if the real-life royals aren't your thing, I think you'll find this one intriguing and hard to put down once you start reading!
About Heather Cocks
Heather Cocks is a die-hard sports fan, a Leo, an ex-reporter, a Notre Dame grad, a dual citizen of the U.S. and U.K., a sandwich enthusiast, and a former producer for America's Next Top Model.
Together, Heather and Jessica Morgan skewer celebrity fashion crimes on their popular blog, Go Fug Yourself, which draws millions of monthly readers and made Entertainment Weekly's Must List. They have covered New York Fashion Week for Cosmopolitan and New York magazine, and have written two young adult novels, Spoiled and Messy. The Royal We, their debut contemporary fiction novel, comes out April 7.
Website • Twitter • Goodreads
About Jessica Morgan
Along with her partner-in-crime Heather Cocks, Jessica writes the popular celebrity fashion and pop culture blog Go Fug Yourself. She's a Southern California native and UCLA alumna who produced reality shows ranging from Growing Up Gotti to the docu-series 30 Days before leaving the world of TV to write full-time.
Heather and Jessica have written two young adult novels, Spoiled and Messy. Their first adult novel, The Royal We, was a national bestseller.
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Filed Under: Book Review Tagged With: Contemporary Romance, Reviewed By Jaime, Swoony Boy