Friday, January 15, 2016

Review: Royal Marriage Market by Heather Lyons

Royal Marriage Market by Heather Lyons
Series: Standalone
Published: December 15th, 2015
Publisher: Cerulean Books
335 pages (ebook)
Genre: Contemporary romance
Acquired this book: Bought
Warning: May contain spoilers
{GoodReads || Buy this book: Amazon || Chapters/Indigo}

Every decade, the world’s monarchs and their heirs secretly convene to discuss global politics and social issues—and arrange marriages between kingdoms.

Elsa may be the Hereditary Princess of Vattenguldia, but she finds the entire situation archaic and unsavory. While she wants what's best for her country, she isn't about to jump into an unwanted relationship—let alone a marriage—with a virtual stranger. Of course, her feelings matter little to her parents, whose wheeling and dealings over trade pacts and alliances achieved at her expense begin the moment they set foot in California for the Summit. So when a blindingly handsome royal runs into her, she doesn't hesitate to tell him there's no way she's marrying him.

Christian is all too happy to agree: no marriage. As the Hereditary Grand Duke of Aiboland, his main goal is to get through the summit without a bride being foisted on him. Which is why he suggests they help each other field potential intendeds. As Christian slowly gets to know Elsa, though, he realizes they have a lot more in common than just their feelings about the Royal Marriage Market. Only he can't fall for her, because royal or not, they're not meant for each other.

Elsa and Christian will have to evaluate matters of the heart verses those of state and crown, and decide whether or not tradition trumps love.


Royal Marriage Market is a fun, lighthearted modern fairy tale. I was completely captivated by this story from beginning to end.

Told alternately between Elsa and Christian, it was nice to get inside both characters’ heads. Their lives were fairly similar - they were destined to rule their respective countries, and their families were manipulative. They cared about their countries and their royal duties, but drew the line when it came to arranged marriage. They both saw their parents’ loveless marriages and wanted more for themselves, not to mention they didn’t want to be part of such an archaic tradition. Both characters were complex and easy to connect with. Their encounters ranged from funny to sweet to sexy to romantic. I loved that they had running jokes from early on in the story. It helped me not only connect to them, but it also made it easy to root for them, because underneath the surface of trying to keep their relationship friendly, it was obvious they were falling for each other.

This is the second book I’ve read lately where instalove was done right. Usually it feels contrived, but Lyons did a great job of making Elsa and Christian’s relationship believable. It was so much fun watching them fall for each other and wondering how they could possibly make things work.

If you’re looking for a book that’ll make you laugh and swoon in equal measure, Royal Marriage Market is a must read. It’s the perfect escape from reality when you want something sweet, light, and enchanting. This was my first Heather Lyons book, but it won’t be my last!



Have you read Royal Marriage Market? What did you think? If you haven't read it, do you plan to? Do you enjoy books about fictional royals?
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1 comment:

  1. With that beautiful cover and the cute synopsis, I can see this one being a great read. It would make a fun movie too.

    ReplyDelete

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