Title: Royally Relinquished: A Modern Day Fairy Tale
Author: Hayley Faiman
Genre: Contemporary Romance Standalone
Release Date: March 23, 2017
Kindle Unlimited
A COMPLETE STANDALONE NOVEL
The only thing royal about Caitriona Geneva Grace is the blue of her beat-up sedan. While luxury and vanity are terms she could use to describe her everyday life, they're not words she lives by. Rather, they're words that keep her fed—barely. As a receptionist at a medical spa, her life is far from glamorous, but she gets by. For Cait, anything beats the life she left behind when she said goodbye to her small town after high school.
His highness, Prince Henrik Stuart, is a slave to his royal status. Bound by duty and controlled by the crown, he fears a future chained to a woman of good breeding--a match not made in love. While known as the foolhardy prince, the thought of settling down isn't what troubles him. Rather, if he could find a woman who cared nothing of his title, he would give her the world.
When a weekend trip leads to a chance meeting, both Caitriona and Henrik feel a spark between them unlike any they've experienced before. To each, the other is too good to be true, but one night of fun cannot be denied.
When she said 'yes' to the handsome, green-eyed stranger, Caitriona didn't know that she was stepping into her very own fairytale.
What happens in Vegas stays in Vegas...except when it's legally binding.
*Recommended for readers 18+ due to Sexual Content and Language.
I'm honestly not sure what to say about this book. I'm a huge sucker for royal romances, but this one wasn't my favorite....I had some issues.
So, the book starts out with the couple meeting in Vegas, which leads to partying, getting drunk and them getting married. In all honesty, I don't have a problem with this. But what I do take issue with is anyone thinking that a Vegas wedding “doesn’t count” or “isn’t real” or something along those lines. It’s not like the characters were teenagers, or 18 or something…they were adults, 20s and 30s. They were (for the most part) mature adults. So I didn’t understand the thought of “It wasn’t real.”…but that’s just me. And just because I saw this someplace else, and it illustrates my point: Wedding Legal Requirements
My next issue was Henrick aka Henny himself. In the beginning, I loved him. I didn’t even have a problem with how he and Caitriona parted the next morning after their date and hookup. But what I took issue with was how wishy-washy he was. He finds out he’s married and decides to go along with the “annul it quickly and quietly”…ok, I get it. He’s a prince, they don’t want a scandal. Fine. But he decides he wants her. Let me say it again…HE DECIDES HE WANTS TO KEEP HER. So, ok, great! You’ll make a go of it! But at the first sign of his family’s disapproval, he’s ready to divorce her and put her up as his mistress while he marries he “appropriate” woman. Uh…..no. I’m sorry, but where was the guy that talked her into moving AROUND THE WORLD, TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY to give their marriage a chance?! He sat there like a child being scolded by his parents and never stood up for her once.
Ok, assuming I can get over that all of that with Henrick…he gets set up on a date, at a charity event (which he DIDN’T take his wife to) and ends up in the tabloids making a fool of HIS WIFE. Ok, so I have a few issues with this part. For a royal family that’s hell bent on avoiding scandal, why in the world would THE KING set up his MARRIED grandson prince with a woman (royal or not) just so that it ends up in the tabloids, causing an even bigger scandal than the one that’s currently going on!? Not only that, Henrick, why in the hell would you play nice and act like that woman’s date all night when YOUR WIFE is at home, thinking you’re working?! Honestly, I didn’t blame Caitriona for wanting to leave him then. But he always comes back apologizing and she stays.
I realize that I’m being pretty free with the info here, and I’m sorry for that. So in the interests of not spoiling the whole book, I’ll just say this for my next issue….Caitriona imparts some news on Henrick, and he doesn’t react well…and this is after him making numerous pleas for them to stay together and honestly, I hated his reaction. It was selfish and just plain bad.
My last issue that I want to address is a lost plot point or maybe it was forgotten or maybe it was just a missed opportunity? Either way, Caitriona’s mother was mentioned a few times, begging for money early in the book and after Caitriona was connected to Henrick, and the marriage came out, her mom was referenced as to having contacted Caitriona’s best friend. Caitriona said she was going to talk to Henrick about her mom, but it never happened. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her mom to cause problems and…it never happened. On one hand, it was nice that there wasn’t more drama because Henrick was good at creating his own, but on the other hand, it was like a missed opportunity or forgotten thread.
Henrick and Caitriona definitely had chemistry. It was hot. And while I love hot books, and a good steamy scene, this book had a lot in it. I mean, so many steamy scenes that I started skimming them. It just became too much repetition. Every time Henrick and Caitriona were together, they ended up in bed.
My favorite characters ended up being the secondary characters. I loved Caitriona’s best friends and her bodyguard Hugh. Hugh was probably my favorite character and he actually got me all choked up during the scenes where Caitriona was visiting the sick kids in the hospital.
Oh, I also have to touch on Henrick’s brother and his fiancée. I loved them. But I also got the impression that there’s more going on with them than meets the eye. I kind of hope that they get a book so we can see their story.
So, the book starts out with the couple meeting in Vegas, which leads to partying, getting drunk and them getting married. In all honesty, I don't have a problem with this. But what I do take issue with is anyone thinking that a Vegas wedding “doesn’t count” or “isn’t real” or something along those lines. It’s not like the characters were teenagers, or 18 or something…they were adults, 20s and 30s. They were (for the most part) mature adults. So I didn’t understand the thought of “It wasn’t real.”…but that’s just me. And just because I saw this someplace else, and it illustrates my point: Wedding Legal Requirements
My next issue was Henrick aka Henny himself. In the beginning, I loved him. I didn’t even have a problem with how he and Caitriona parted the next morning after their date and hookup. But what I took issue with was how wishy-washy he was. He finds out he’s married and decides to go along with the “annul it quickly and quietly”…ok, I get it. He’s a prince, they don’t want a scandal. Fine. But he decides he wants her. Let me say it again…HE DECIDES HE WANTS TO KEEP HER. So, ok, great! You’ll make a go of it! But at the first sign of his family’s disapproval, he’s ready to divorce her and put her up as his mistress while he marries he “appropriate” woman. Uh…..no. I’m sorry, but where was the guy that talked her into moving AROUND THE WORLD, TO A DIFFERENT COUNTRY to give their marriage a chance?! He sat there like a child being scolded by his parents and never stood up for her once.
Ok, assuming I can get over that all of that with Henrick…he gets set up on a date, at a charity event (which he DIDN’T take his wife to) and ends up in the tabloids making a fool of HIS WIFE. Ok, so I have a few issues with this part. For a royal family that’s hell bent on avoiding scandal, why in the world would THE KING set up his MARRIED grandson prince with a woman (royal or not) just so that it ends up in the tabloids, causing an even bigger scandal than the one that’s currently going on!? Not only that, Henrick, why in the hell would you play nice and act like that woman’s date all night when YOUR WIFE is at home, thinking you’re working?! Honestly, I didn’t blame Caitriona for wanting to leave him then. But he always comes back apologizing and she stays.
I realize that I’m being pretty free with the info here, and I’m sorry for that. So in the interests of not spoiling the whole book, I’ll just say this for my next issue….Caitriona imparts some news on Henrick, and he doesn’t react well…and this is after him making numerous pleas for them to stay together and honestly, I hated his reaction. It was selfish and just plain bad.
My last issue that I want to address is a lost plot point or maybe it was forgotten or maybe it was just a missed opportunity? Either way, Caitriona’s mother was mentioned a few times, begging for money early in the book and after Caitriona was connected to Henrick, and the marriage came out, her mom was referenced as to having contacted Caitriona’s best friend. Caitriona said she was going to talk to Henrick about her mom, but it never happened. I kept waiting for the other shoe to drop, for her mom to cause problems and…it never happened. On one hand, it was nice that there wasn’t more drama because Henrick was good at creating his own, but on the other hand, it was like a missed opportunity or forgotten thread.
Henrick and Caitriona definitely had chemistry. It was hot. And while I love hot books, and a good steamy scene, this book had a lot in it. I mean, so many steamy scenes that I started skimming them. It just became too much repetition. Every time Henrick and Caitriona were together, they ended up in bed.
My favorite characters ended up being the secondary characters. I loved Caitriona’s best friends and her bodyguard Hugh. Hugh was probably my favorite character and he actually got me all choked up during the scenes where Caitriona was visiting the sick kids in the hospital.
Oh, I also have to touch on Henrick’s brother and his fiancée. I loved them. But I also got the impression that there’s more going on with them than meets the eye. I kind of hope that they get a book so we can see their story.
32 years young... born and raised in California, did a stint in Oregon only to return to the Golden State. Lived that life a while until the Lone Star State called to us, Hill Country, Texas is where we call home, where our boots rest and loving that country life. Living the life with one bearded power pole climbing husband, two little boys that are full of energy and drive us crazy plus a chocolate lab named Optimus Prime.
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