Title: Royal Holiday
Author: Jasmine Guillory
Published by: Berkley Books
Published in: August 2021
Pages: 288
Life is short. I need to stop waiting for special occasions in order to treat myself.
This should've been poster by New Year's Eve, but then I forgot. Then on Valentine's day, but I didn't have the time. So here we are, dunno what special occasion to mark, but with I daresay the last review before this blog goes on a revamp! ;)
Royal Holiday is your typical Hallmark Christmas romcom, so do not expect much. I came in with low expectation and still managed to get disappointed lol, but more on that later. From what I gathered, this is basically the fourth book of a romcom universe created by Jasmine Guillory. Our main protagonist, Vivian, was a 40-something mum whose daughter got an invite from none other than the Duchess herself (didn't say which but considering the book was out in 2021 whelp) to style her for the holiday events. At first quite hesitant, Vivian then agreed because this might be the last time she got to enjoy a vacation right before her much anticipated work promotion.
Both mother and daughter were quite surprised by the warm welcome they received. The staff were very nice and welcoming -- including the Queen's own private secretary, Malcolm Hudson. He was instantly attracted to Vivian and wasted no time in ̶i̶n̶v̶a̶d̶i̶n̶g̶ ̶h̶e̶r̶ ̶p̶e̶r̶s̶o̶n̶a̶l̶ ̶s̶p̶a̶c̶e̶ getting to know her. Who could resist a well-mannered, impeccably dressed, British gentleman, eh? Vivian was smitten and the two soon embarked in a holiday fling!
Could they manage the whole thing to stay casual? What would happen once their time together was up? Was it only a fling, or was it something more?
EGGLYSIS
Like I said, I bought Royal Holiday with no expectation. I just wanted something light and fun to wash all those serious, heavy lifting books I read in the past year. Turns out, even that was too much. The plot basically flatlined from beginning to the end and I fail to see why the editor, nay the publisher, thought this was a story worth read by the whole wide world. Other than the traveling bits, the sightseeing of English countryside and London (I literally squealed in joy when Malcolm took Vivian to Victoria & Albert Museum as it was my favourite!) poked at my nostalgic heart, the story is as bland as a plain white oat milk.
Also, let me get this out: MALCOLM WAS AN ARSE OF A MANCHILD. There, I said it. Either something was off in his characterisation, or he was just a twat all along. To have the guy who went all in for Vivian suddenly turn into a fuckboi is beyond me. So he'd been whispering sweet nothings into her ear? He's fucking forty, why is he acting like a child? One word from her and he suddenly grew allergic? My eyes rolled to the back of my head so hard, I growled "FUCKING MEN".
In the end, Royal Holiday, instead of being a light and fun read, was a disappointment. But kudos for making me terribly nostalgic of Mother England. So overall, Royal Holiday was...
