Review: Royal Pain by Tracy Wolff

Royal Pain by Tracy Wolff

Series: His Royal Hotness #1

Genres: Contemporary Romance

Release Date: September 26, 2017

Format: eARC

Source: NetGalley/Loveswept Publishing

Find it here: GoodReads | Amazon

He’s a womanizer. He’s cocky. He’s not exactly a prince. Only technically he is. Meet your new royal obsession in this addictive novel from New York Times bestselling author Tracy Wolff.

Being rich opens a lot of doors. When you’re rich and royal, those doors lead to a new bedroom every night. I should know. The tabloids call me His Royal Hotness, Prince Kian of Wildemar. Women across the world see me as a naughty fairy tale, an image I’m happy to indulge. As the spare to the heir, I’m the prince with none of the power… and all of the perks. Then my twin brother is kidnapped and suddenly I’m the one who could be king. The crown chasers start circling – and yet it’s a luscious waitress who catches my eye. With a smart mouth and the curves to back it up, Savannah Breslin is as brazen as I’d expect an American commoner to be. But Savvy’s not interested in playing Cinderella. As sexy as she is, she’s no stranger to heartbreak. Besides, a nice guy wouldn’t drag her into all the drama that comes along with royalty. Lucky I’m not a nice guy. And, as it turns out, I might not even be her first prince…

Kian and Savvy meet at an event where all eyes are on him and she’s the waitress who rescues him from an awkward situation. Intrigued by a woman who isn’t a crown chaser, Kian finds out where she lives and works and begins to pursue her. As the relationship progresses, Kian finds himself developing stronger feelings for Savvy, but she has a secret that may change everything.

Royal Pain was an entertaining contemporary romance with likable characters and a fast-moving plot. Outwardly Kian revels in his playboy status and the fact that he’s royal without the responsibility. Privately, he struggles with his place in his family and his father’s cold demeanor. His brother’s kidnapping means he is now the crown prince and the new weight on his shoulders is almost more than he can bear. 

With a history of feeling second-best from both her parents and past affairs, Savannah (Savvy) has insecurities that run deep. Determined to save herself from more heartache, she tries to keep Kian at arm’s length but his persistence softens her defenses. But can a romance between a writer/waitress and a prince possibly have a future?

While Royal Pain provided fun escapism, it wasn’t without issues. Kian’s twin brother Garrett was kidnapped three months ago and yet for the first part of the novel Kian seems solidly focused on womanizing and romancing. The story felt off-kilter with so much attention given to the romance aspect in the midst of such a shocking event. It made it hard for the reader (well, me) to feel invested in Garret’s precarious situation when his own brother didn’t seem to be. Next, I don’t think I’ve ever complained about too many sex scenes, but there were so many that I actually found myself starting to skim them. And lastly, the ending was incredibly abrupt and left much unresolved. I understand this is the first in a series but there were just too many loose threads and open plot lines to provide a satisfying ending.

Readers who like their romance with a royal twist (and heavy on the sexy times) will likely enjoy this one.

Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the publisher. This in no way changes my opinion of the book or the content of this review.

3/5 STARS

Have you read a book that features royalty?