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4.0 out of 5 stars
Engaging writer with shaky premise and execution, June 28, 2004
This review is from: Her Royal Bodyguard (Harlequin Intrigue No. 782) (Mass Market Paperback)
A rocky premise that asks you to step outside of believable nearly sinks this book by page three. I like "faerytales" so I'm able to put aside credibility and enjoy a book - not all readers will be able to do this - but there were other problems with this novel that really hurt the super effort. However, hang in there, you won't be sorry, it's still a very enjoyable read.
Rory Kenilworth, California surfer girl, finds on her 23rd birthday her whole life has been a lie. Her mother died before she could break the news to her that she's a princess born. So, on her birthday a lawyer announces she has a half brother, the King of a tiny unheard of country, she must soon accept her place as princess and she's betrothed to Prince Laurent.
Laurent, playboy, prince of another tiny unheard of country that borders her brother's kingdom, is the intended groom. He shows up to protect Rory and help her make the transition to princess, but does so pretending to be his secretary. Using his middle name Sebastian, he finds himself protecting her as one attempt after another is made on her life. And not just from one area, there are several factions wanting to stop the royal marriage.
Joyce Sullivan's talented writing is what kept me reading. The premise was not credible, and there are so many wholes in the believability factor that she really asks a lot of a reader. At one point, she stresses Rory's given a bracelet with a panic button (a la West Wing). Yet, when Rory gets in life threatening situations she NEVER uses it. It's as if the bracelet and its button vanish after its first mention. Bad editing there. That should've been addressed. Why bother giving her the bracelet if the device is totally dismissed? Also, in this day and age, when the Internet is full of everything, Laurent a playboy prince hounded by the press (a la Lady Di) that Rory could not find even ONE picture of him anywhere just is so silly. At one point, he instructs his assistant to give her a picture of his brother when Rory keeps asking to see one, but that is - like the bracelet - forgotten as soon as the page is turned. It only makes the reader like Laurent less. There was no viable reason for him to continue the charade. And like the bracelet, it's forgotten as soon as it was mentioned. Did Rory get the picture or not? Rory does go to the royal site, where his picture was disconnected, but that is the ONLY place she bothers to look? What about newspapers, magazines etc. Sorry. That, again, asked the reader not to think. A woman engaged to a man she has never seen would be looking EVERYWHERE! Also, the one man trying to kill Rory - why kill her when he is trying to avenge his sister's murder? The motivation and reasoning behind the character is just too sketchy. That she does not address these issues shows the writer failed to step back and really look at her characters, see how they would TRULY act in that situation.
The problems that needed addressing aside, I found Sullivan able to pull me along with the strength of her writing. She shows GREAT promise as a writer, a strong voice that flows smoothly. Her characters are very engaging; they leap off the pages and make you care about them. She is adept at tossing red herrings around, so she is good in developing plot. If she can stop dropping threads - important ones - and sticks to a more believable story, then you're going to see a rising star in Romance.
I really enjoyed this book, despite the plot problems, and look forward to future books from this engaging writer. This book gets 5 stars for the writing- 3 stars for problem riddled storyline - I split the difference and gave it 4. Sullivan is a
talented writer, so she just needs to pay attention to the small things and edit her book with "fresh eyes".
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