Playing the Palace by Paul Rudnick

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THEIR LOVE STORY CAPTIVATED THE WORLD…THE CROWN PRINCE AND THAT GUY FROM NEW YORK

When a lonely American event planner starts dating the gay Prince of Wales, a royal uproar ensues: is it true love or the ultimate meme? Find out in this hilarious romantic comedy.

After having his heart trampled on by his cheating ex, Carter Ogden is afraid love just isn’t in the cards for him. He still holds out hope in a tiny corner of his heart, but even in his wildest dreams he never thought he’d meet the Crown Prince of England, much less do a lot more with him. Yes, growing up he’d fantasized about the handsome, openly gay Prince Edgar, but who hadn’t? When they meet by chance at an event Carter’s boss is organizing, Carter’s sure he imagined all that sizzling chemistry. Or was it mutual?

This unlikely but meant-to-be romance sets off media fireworks on both sides of the Atlantic. With everyone having an opinion on their relationship and the intense pressure of being constantly in the spotlight, Carter finds ferocious obstacles to his Happily Ever After, including the tenacious disapproval of the Queen of England. Carter and Prince Edgar fight for a happy ending to equal their glorious international beginning. It’s a match made on Valentine’s Day and in tabloid heaven. 

Source: ARC provided by publisher in exchange for an honest review

Playing the Palace is a fun rom-com that's sorely needed by anyone who's craving shenanigans and absurdity. Believe me, anything than can go wrong, will go wrong is the modus operandi here.

Carter's still smarting a little bit after his breakup (even though it happened a while ago). Every so often he still yearns for his ex. But his ridiculously fun job as an event planner leads him to the most unexpected meeting of his life - face-to-face with the dashing and handsome Prince Edgar of England. I swear this is the cutest of meet-cutes that one can ever encounter! Sparks flying. The guys being bashful. That instant I-get-you-already connection. It was all I could do not to squeal in excitement for them. And then they do start hanging out together and while it's fun, it's also just nonsensical.

As much as I enjoyed many parts of the story such as when Carter and Edgar get emotionally intimate and honest with each other, I felt like everything else happening around them was just too much. When something's going just right, it inevitably gets derailed by something else and it's usually because of some absurd thing, reason or person. Carter and Edgar are so normal and chill compared to everyone else in their lives and this includes their families. All other characters aside from these two are so extreme in personalities and mannerisms and that felt overdone to me. I also began to feel that Carter was turned into some ineffectual, haphazard influence for comedy's sake and that just didn't feel right. All the successive oopses just snowballed and became an utter mess. 

The plus side of Playing the Palace is that it's a joy to read someone of Edgar's pedigree and high-profile position be accepted by the public. He still has to walk a fine line knowing that there are some out there who find fault with his sexuality and lifestyle, but it seems less harrowing at this point in his life as he's figured out how he wants to lead his life.

Circle back to the start, you want the ridiculous, the absurd, and laugh at physical comedy, this is the rom-com for you!

~ Bel