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?


8 comments

  1. I am a little disappointed to hear this was just ok. I am a fan of the Extreme Risk books, and was thinking I would enjoy these. --sigh-- From what you are describing, this book may be crossing over from erotic romance to erotica. Sorry, I like some story with my sex scenes.

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    1. This was my first by Wolff and I just wasn't overly impressed. I never felt the emotion or the urgency behind the brother's kidnapping. It seemed to take a backseat most of the time. And there could have been half as many sex scenes. I mean, I got the point - they were hot for each other. *sigh*

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  2. This is so funny that the first thought when I saw this post was - yay she read Santino Hassell's First and First (Five Boroughs, #3) - until I realized that that's not the case. I hate it when covers are being used again and again, somehow it takes away the uniqueness.

    Anyway - sorry that you didn't enjoy this book as much as hoped. The next one is just waiting around the corner. :D

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    1. Oh wow, same cover, huh? That gets so confusing sometimes! There are two covers in particular that I feel like I see a lot. And you're right - it totally takes away the uniqueness.

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  3. Ahhh too many sex scenes really kills it for me..Also the lack of sibling love between the twins is something I'd not like :/ Great review though :)

    Uma@Books.Bags.Burgers.

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    1. Kian seemed to waver between having a good time without a care in the world and being torn about about what his brother was going through. It was really uneven and make for a confusing read.

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  4. yup thi sis the problem with stories about womanizers! Even though it is fun to watch them being a jerk and then fall in love and get what they deserve most of the time it's hard to connect with them because seriously your brother was kidnap man!!!

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    1. Exactly! Doesn't it seem like he would set aside his party boy ways when his brother the prince was kidnapped? Made it hard to connect when I couldn't understand his decisions at all.

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