Royally Matched book review | 4 star read

Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.
He’s not handling it well.
Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him "space"—but while the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:
Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.
A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.
While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.
The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor.
But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.
As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.

I wasn’t lying when I said I had binged this series. Royally Matched is the sequel to Royally Screwed, and follows Prince Henry as he tries to find love in the most unconventional way. I will try to keep this review spoiler-free but I can’t promise I won’t spoil Royally Screwed. If you want to read this series, I would suggest reading that one before this review. This book had such a great relationship set up and the chemistry was palpable all the way through. I adored the way the relationship came about and how natural it felt. I just loved the way they fell in love so completely, it was such a great story.

Characters in Royally Matched

In Royally Matched we follow Prince Henry as he signs up to find love on a new reality TV show. Obviously, nothing goes to plan and all sorts of antics ensue. I have to say Prince Henry won me over in Royally Matched. I think I sort of viewed him as a prat in the previous book. But this time around his character really shone through and you get to see him as a human who is navigating his life the best way he can. The change in his outlook on life was so well written. I adored watching him grow as a person and go from being at rock bottom to understanding his place in the world.

Sarah is well written. I loved seeing her again after meeting her in the previous book. She had such an interesting back story and she pulled me into her life. I adored seeing her react to the world around her and pushing and pulling against everything. The moments where she quoted books were really stand out for me. I loved seeing which were her favourites and how they shaped her life. It was one of my favourite parts of the book.

Good and bad bits

For me I think the set up of Royally Matched was better than the first one. The relationship seemed to be built on more than just good looks and great sex. I adored watching Henry and Sarah build on their time together and worked out what would be the best way to move forward. I loved the protective side to their relationship and how each of them were almost fighting against the world. It was just a really good book, and I thoroughly enjoyed the setup, the inevitable drama that ensued and the way everything worked out.

As always I have to mention the sex because let’s face it that’s what these books are supposed to be about. I think there was more of build-up in Royally Matched and I actually think it worked a lot better. There was more tension and sexual chemistry so it was more believable as you get further on in the story. Plus they learn so much about each other that you can see why they fall in love rather than just the sexual elements of the story.

One thing I really struggled with throughout this book was Henry and how reluctant he was to use his power. Especially when it came down to the producer and their moments of manipulation. It shouldn’t have been a problem for him as a character. I think it would have been more believable for him to have taken charge of the situation.

Recommendation

This is definitely a recommendation, I adore this series and this might be my favourite of the books. If you’re looking for a cute romance that has a good plot line then this one would be for you.

What are some of your favourite romances? Let me know in the comments!