![Up for Heir (Rosavia Royals Book 1) by [Stella Starling]](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51YZcRlFHtL._SY346_.jpg)
The premise sounded great, and the was a lot of potential here, unfortunately it did not deliver. The most frustrating part of reading was the interrupted dialog. The main characters would be in a conversation, but there would be pages of internal dialog and musings between the character’s “spoken” lines. So much so, that I had to regularly flip back to remember what they were talking about when the conversation resumed. The pacing also felt off as the amount of internal dialog in the midst of a conversation seemed too much. I regularly found myself imagining that if a character has been thinking this much, the conversation must be filled with super-long pauses.
The story also falls flat for me, although perhaps some of that was due to my frustration with the writing style.
Mild Spoiler Warning:
Edvin’s character was adorable... at first, but as the book progressed, I was looking for character growth that I didn’t really find. Also, for how insecure he was (and how insecure he allowed the antagonist ex to make him) I don’t know how he didn’t obsess over the burdens and duties being a Monarch’s consort would bring. I also don’t feel that the novel sets his character up to succeed in the future “beyond the pages.” I closed the book thinking he’d be eaten alive by the role and scrutiny.
The Leo character seemed more rounded, just a bit too easily and quickly enamored by Edvin. Sexuality may be a non-issue in this world, but whenever a character starts with a firm belief they are straight, there would still be more personal adjustment to finding themselves drawn to a member of the same sex. Not that it has to be angsty, but such easy acceptance is unrealistic in my opinion. I also think Leo didn’t think enough about how Edvin would fit a royal life. Mainly there was how Edvin made Leo happy or the positives Leo’s position could do for Edvin’s family. Did Leo really not worry about having the insecure Edvin become a state figure and what pressures that would bring?
Finally, the antagonist was a throwaway character that does not get a comeuppance that was fulfilling in any way.
I think I could have really liked this book had there been some heavy editing. The author’s idea was good, but didn’t really deliver in the final product.
- File Size: 4794 KB
- Print Length: 315 pages
- Simultaneous Device Usage: Unlimited
- Publication Date: June 16, 2020
- Sold by: Amazon.com Services LLC
- Language: English
- ASIN: B089G2DSQ1
- Text-to-Speech:
Enabled
- Word Wise: Enabled
- Lending: Enabled
-
Amazon Best Sellers Rank:
#9,732 Paid in Kindle Store (See Top 100 Paid in Kindle Store)
- #49 in Bisexual Romance
- #138 in Gay Romance
- #80 in Gay Fiction
Would you like to tell us about a lower price?
