His Royal Secret by Lilah Pace

* * * * 1/2

The first in an enchanting new male/male romantic duology from Lilah Pace, author of Asking for More and Begging for It ....

James, the handsome, cosmopolitan Prince of Wales, is used to being in the public eye. But he's keeping a king-sized secret...James, next in line for the throne, is gay.

He’s been able to hide his sexual orientation with the help of his best friend and beard, Lady Cassandra. Sometimes he feels like a coward for not coming out, but he daren’t risk losing the crown. If he did, the succession would fall on his deeply troubled younger sister, Princess Amelia. To protect her, James is willing to live a lie.

While on holiday, he meets Benjamin Dahan—a rugged international reporter with a globe-trotting, unattached life—who catches far more than James's eye. And when Ben is transferred to London, it seems fate may finally be smiling on James.

But what began as a torrid fling grows into something far more intimate and powerful. Soon James will have decide who he is, what he wants from life and love, and what he’s willing to sacrifice for the truth...

Review:

Sometimes I pick up a book thinking it will bring back the nostalgia of the romances I read in my late teens.  A book that may not propel me over the moon but still fills my need to for love, romance and a happy ever after.   Then I start reading and realize that am I not only getting to indulge like I hoped and planned but I get to experience some of the best story writing I’ve read in a quite a while.  His Royal Secret is one of those books.

This book includes more than a beautifully written love story.   James becomes Prince Regent in the beginning of the book and is essentially King until his grandfather recovers from a stroke.  The heightened responsibility highlights the intricacies of his life – family relationships, family politics, the monarchy’s relationship with the Church of England, etc.  Add to that a secret relationship with someone whose faith, nationality and career would be all be questioned if he were a woman let alone a man.  Ben’s life is complicated in different ways.   His growing attachment to James threatens a lifestyle and career path he has carefully constructed in order to avoid the trap that is commitment.   

I loved both of these men from the very start.  James’ private/human wants and needs contrast beautifully against the charming princely persona he wears for the public.  Meeting him as the man first and the prince second allows the reader to not only feel attached to him but also appreciate the complications of a life that, to an outsider, seems to be full of privilege and little else.  Ben’s dedication to honesty and doing what he believes in makes him a highly attractive character.  Add in the layers of vulnerability he periodically shows to James and the reader and he is downright swoon-worthy.  Together, James and Ben make a power couple that is impossible to ignore.

It’s obvious that I loved this one.  But it wasn’t just me.  This was the first book in a very long time that all three of us read.  And we ALL loved it.   We all had the same minor complaint.   It ends in a Happy For Now cliffhanger!  But…..the next one, His Royal Favorite, comes out August 16, 2016 (less than three weeks away!) so we don’t have to wait long for the conclusion of their story.  I’ll tell you a secret…..I read it already and it will wow you just as much His Royal Secret!   So don’t wait.  Read this one immediately!  And then pre-order the next because you will be on pins and needles wait for that HEA!

Nat