Customer Reviews

The Royal Pain

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(3)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

I've loved MaryJanice Davidson's books since reading Undead and Unwed. I enjoyed The Royal Treatment very much because I liked the world Davidson created that centered on Alaska being its own country with its own royal family. That novel was good, zany fun and I had looked forward to giving The Royal Pain a whirl. I have no idea what's happened with Ms. Davidson, but her books have gotten progressively worse. They are the ghosts of what her novels and novellas used to be. All you get now is something shallow, underdeveloped and rushed. The Royal Pain is the spinoff centered on Princess Alexandria and her Post Traumatic Stress symptoms after an incident taken from The Royal Treatment. In order to cope with all of her feelings, her father, who is the hilarious king of Alaska, suggests that she does some work in the US. There she meets gorgeous marine biologist Dr. Shel and chemistry ensues between them, despite his low opinion of the "pampered princess." With Shel, she not only begins a steamy relationship, but also deals with her personal issues...

The plot, if you can call it that, is very thin and for a while I felt as though I was reading a comic book because all this book had to offer was a plethora of one-liners, quips and bantering between the characters. The writing is also disjointed and insubstantial to boot. Ms. Davidson has a great sense of humor and I love the dialogue in her novels, but that alone does not a good book make. It was nice to read more of King Al, Christina and David, but not even they were able to make this novel palatable for me. I am surprised that this is the same author who wrote Undead and Unwed, Love's Prisoner (novella in Secrets Volume 6) and Thief of Hearts. Those were excellent stories with interesting characters, strong and independent heroines, storylines that were dark around the edges, but sexy and hilarious as well. I know MJD writes several books in one year and perhaps she should stop doing that and take her time to really develop a good story that doesn't read as lightweight as a magazine article about shoes. I give The Royal Pain two stars because it does have its fun moments and I love the King Al character. I will definitely be wary of purchasing MJD books in the future. Her books are too expensive for the material we get and I will check them out of the library next time.

I enjoyed prior book THE ROYAL TREATMENT which introduced us to the wacky, unconventional Baranovs, the royal family in MJD's alternate reality Alaska. Though it wasn't terribly deep it was a fun, light read. Well if possible this one has even less substance than TRT - less plot and even less character development. Yes, it's funny, but for me it was more like an extended comic book than a romance novel. Not that there's anything wrong with that! If you're in the mood for just plain silliness this will do the trick.

If you read TRT you know that there was an attempt to kidnap a member of the royal family and one member almost died trying to stop it. Princess Alexandria has still not dealt with her fears over this incident and as result is suffering with insomnia and a lack of appetite. In order to help her snap out of her funk, her father (the hysterical King Al) decides to send her to tour the North Dakota Institute for Sea Life, a facility that the Alaskan Royals have funded in the States. While there she meets and immediately butts heads with Dr Sheldon Rivers, Director of Global Marine Programs. It's obvious this Dr Rivers thinks that she's a fluffy, stuck-up princess and hey, she can deal with that. But he's also got gorgeous chocolate brown eyes and light brown hair streaked by the sun. He's cute for a geeky marine biologist! And before you know it, she practically attacks him in the Polar bear exhibit!

Shel "never Sheldon!" Rivers does indeed disdain this "Miss Royalpants" He's an Army brat who was dragged all over the world by his adrenaline junkie father. Making and keeping friends has been tough for him but since moving to North Dakota he's found a level of contentment. But he does have his prejudices and he hates "royalty, inherited wealth, brunettes and cheese" - yeah, cheese! And he's got better things to do than babysit some princess. Okay, she's a gorgeous princess with blue, blue eyes and shiny, silky black hair that he's itching to touch! So when she throws herself at him in the Polar bear exhibit, who is he to say no?

And so it goes. They become lovers and Shel is determined to help cure her of her insomnia and control issues. And his cure is most pleasurable! But the "romance" was more surface than substance. Though there is an obvious "aw, you knuckle-head" kind of affection between them and a mutually satisfying sexual relationship it seemed that declarations of love sort of came out of the blue. I guess snappy banter plus great sex equals love in MJD-land. And there's not much more to these characters than what you can glean from this review! There's also a side story about royal assistant Jenny and a friend of Shel's that got more play than I would have liked.

For what it is, it's fun but it could be so much more. I've been reading MJD's books for several years and it seems that she no longer wants to write anything deep or dark though I know she has it in her. I guess I'll just need to readjust my expectations from now on.

I liked "The Royal Treatment", so I was expecting to be just as entertained by its sequel, "The Royal Pain". Princess Alexandria Baranov of Alaska is still having nightmares and suffering insomnia after the unsuccessful assassination attempt against her family almost two years ago, so she goes to oversee a marine research facility in North Dakota for a change of pace. There she meets grouchy-but-ridiculously-attractive marine biologist Dr. Shel Rivers, and instantly the sparks fly. And when I say "instantly", I mean INSTANTLY - a few large-print pages after their meeting, Alex is springing Shel from jail after he tried to break in to meet her, and a few pages after that they're having sex in a polar bear habitat complete with snowbank (?!?). By the end of the book the pair are madly in love and we end with a Baranov royal wedding and everyone lives happily ever after...including Alex's uptight lady-in-waiting Jenny, whose whirlwind romance is nothing short of "huh?".

There was so much more that MaryJanice Davidson could have done with this book. We never really got to know the characters well; there was no real plot or conflict or much of anything besides a lot of sex scenes that frankly defied all credibility. Where was the drama? Where was the gradually developing tension between Alex and Shel? There was some humor, which is why I gave "TRP" two stars instead of only one, but it was decidedly thin and nowhere near up to what Davidson gave us in "TRT" and the first two books of the "U&U" series (which is itself falling off, but that's another review). But MJD rushes things so much that by the time I got to Chapter 10, I was checking to make sure my book wasn't missing - oh, a chapter or five. Sorry, but I just don't buy the concept of a member of royalty - unorthodox Baranov or not - falling into bed with a guy less than 24 hours after they meet, and getting into bondage shortly thereafter. Whatever happened to courtship? (For that matter, what happened to the princess's guards?)

I'm beginning to wonder if MJD's publisher just insists that she churn out X number of books a year, regardless of quality, because her last few have been just like this one - shallow, derivative, and silly. It's a shame, really, because she's capable of so much more. It might be time for Davidson to take a hiatus for a while, to refresh her creative energy and give readers the books we know she can write rather than this kind of fluffy nonsense. As much as I hate to say this, don't waste your money on "The Royal Pain" - borrow it from a friend or check it out at the library, because it just isn't worth the purchase price.

Ok, I know romance novels are not usually long on plot developement, but this book is barely logical! I really enjoyed Davidson's other books, and got a big kick out of The Royal Treatment, so I was excited to find the "sequel".

I was sorely disappointed.

It seems like Davidson had a contract to fill so she whipped up a book, without worrying about plot or character development, dialogue, or believability. The characters were underdeveloped and the plot was weak to say the least. There was no romantic tension, characters just hopped into the sack (or snowbank, as it were). The fact that the main character would allow her suitor to handcuff her to the bed (even though she BARELY knows him) in order to help her with her "control issues" and to cure her insomnia and her inability to (....um...how should I say it?) enjoy sex to the fullest anymore (If you know what I mean)nearly made me give up on the book altogether. I mean, I can suspend disbelief only so much. Not one to admit defeat (and in order to form a fair opinion of the book) I saw it through to the end, but came away disappointed in Davidson and feeling cheated out of the hours it took me to read it.

Once again, I wasn't expecting Pulitizer Prize winning writing (sometimes we just want to read a trashy book...and that's ok), but I know what Davidson is capable of,and this isn't even close. I wish I'd kept my $14 and got it from the library.

Mary Janice Davidson adds another book to her growing collection of light-hearted offerings. A follow-up to The Royal Treatment, this book only does a passable job in character and plot development. Though it has some humorous moments, it does not come close to capturing Davidson's talent for writing witty, funny characters (e.g. Betsy and Sinclair from her Undead series). Davidson has a secondary romance running throughout this book which turns out to be more fun than the primary characters'. However, two storylines in one short book means that there are gaps in the author's ability to make the connections believable as she jumps from character to character. That said, this is a good book for a lazy day when you just want to enjoy a light-hearted romp.

Princess Alexandria, "call me Alex," Baranov can't sleep. Exhausted from nightmare-inspired insomnia, and ridden with anxiety, the Alaskan Royal is coming apart at the seams. Alex's dad, King Al, decides to intervene by sending her to South Dakota to represent the family at a marine institute function.

Dr. Sheldon Rivers-better call him Shel-resents the royal intrusion. As the resident marine biologist, he is stuck dealing with the rich princess when he'd rather be getting some work done.

In a clash of headstrong personalities, Alex and Shel have a few things to figure out, like how to get Alex to sleep. That brings up all sorts of interesting possibilities . . .

Once again, Davidson's witty prose pulls the reader along on a comedic ride. That said, this read was a bit of a disappointment. Aside from the hot, sexy romance, there didn't seem to be enough substance behind Alex and Shel's relationship. Alone, each character has depth, but placed with other people, their personalities leave a bit to be desired. Alex is almost too much of a diva, while Shel is gruff until a switch flips and he's concerned and pushy about Alex.

The secondary romance with Alex's assistant, Jenny, suffers from similar problems. Just when Jenny was about to experience much-needed growth, she made a choice not to do so.

It was hard to maintain sympathy for these characters, despite Alex's troubled history. Unfortunately, it didn't help that the writing itself was a distraction, as it was littered with profanity on almost every page. For some readers, that alone cheapens a romantic read.

For readers who don't mind constant use of the f-word and serious attitude, this novel is worth the read. This may not be Davidson's best, but her wit is enjoyable in most of her work.

-C.W.

Ok, I admit I like fluff reading. Books that don't take a lot of mental energy to enjoy are great for those times when you just want to space out and read something silly. The Royal Pain was a disappointment though. I would like some substance to my books, not all fluff and stuff. MaryJanice Davidson's previous book in this series, The Royal Treatment, was really enjoyable to read. It seems she rushed this one a little, not focusing on developing her characters more than was absolutely necessary. Maybe it was just me, but some of this book was a bit disjointed. I actually turned back and forth to see if a page or two was missing. There just seemed to be gaps in the story line. Anyway, I wouldn't say not to read The Royal Pain, just don't expect much in the way of furthering the story of the Baranovs.

While this is far from a serious romance book that you'll cherish, it is highly entertaining! If you haven't picked up the royal treatment I would urge you to before you read this sequal to it. It will be far easier to understand the events that have led up to Alexandria's current state.

The book picks up about a year & 1/2 after the King was shot & rendered into a coma with Alexandria killing his attacker.The experience, though she refuses to aknowledge it, has traumitized her. For her mental benefit the royalty decides to pack her off to the states on a pr trip. There she meets Dr. Shel who, against his better thoughts & the kings wishes, decides he needs to cure her of her post traumatic stress, her tension, & her control issues. Alexandria isn't sure she's behind his ideas but he does have a yummy butt...so she doesn't complain too loudly when Shel pulls out a pair of handcuffs & starts wooing her!

They make a good & hilariuos couple despite Shels hang ups on royalty & cheese. The boy has some crazy phobias himself. But as a way of laughing the weekend away this is a great way- & somewhat of a steamy read for the nights as well!

the entire Alaska series were very disappointing. total waste of money. plot was nonexistant, charcters were one dimensional, humor was barely noticable. I suffered to finish the book just because I paid for it. don't make the same mistake.

After reading this hilarious sequel I can't wait for the third book in this crazy series. My only fault not much of conflict material. Sheldon and Alex were destined to be together, I will not into summation, just say that I almost fell out of my bed laughing. I also want the King to find a new Queen who's just as crazy as he is. MJD is a very talented writer and I'll know that the more she writes the better she'll become