I can’t deny anything related to the royals and I really like Jasmine Guillory as a person so this was a must read for me. Lucky that it turned up from the library at Christmas too!

As much as I like Jasmine, her books are a little hit or miss for me. This one has a preposterous plot but it’s still quite cute and I enjoyed having leading characters who were older and had different motivations and obstacles than our normal leads. Still, there was a formality to the relationship that left me just a little bit cold in the end.

However: Romance, Christmas, tiaras, scones = totally a Helen book. ( )

This book was a lot of fun, and the narrator of the audiobook had a wonderful voice. I really liked that the romantic heroine was a Black woman over 50. She was written with the common concerns and characteristics of a woman of that age, while clearly showing her as someone who is vivacious and fun. I also want to call out one particular plot point which I just LOVED (and which gained the book an extra half a star in my review)...when our heroine first hooked up with her fancy guy after knowing him for just a week, there was a whole scene where they discussed having condoms and not being able to have sex without one. It was light and natural, and a perfect example of what a couple should do when they are attracted to each other and yet don't know each other all that well, EVEN THOUGH they are not at an age where pregnancy is a concern. I wish all books had their couples have this conversation the first time they hook up!

Less interwoven characters in this one but still solid Jasmine adorableness ( )

This was really cute. I haven't really watched the Hallmark Christmas Movie romance genre, but this felt like that... but for an older black couple, woo~ while still hitting on tropes like holiday fling, affiliation with royalty, etc. ( )

Vivian Forest is excited to accompany her daughter Maddie to England, where Maddie has a job styling a member of the royal family for all of her holiday events. Vivian relaxes and hangs out with the staff of the cottage where they are staying while Maddie works. There she meets Malcom Hudson, who works directly with the Queen. When he gives her a private tour of the grounds, sparks fly. However, Vivian is only in England for a brief time. What will happen to their relationship when she leaves? Are they having a vacation fling or is it more?

This is a cute little holiday romance. It’s part of The Wedding Date series but from what I gathered on Jasmine Guillory’s website, it’s not a series that you have to read in order, but there are characters who are the main characters in one book and supporting characters in others. Anyway, you could totally read this book as a stand-alone – I don’t think I missed anything by not having read the others. After reading this book, I do want to read the others at some point.

I liked that the main characters were over fifty and were still portrayed as sexual beings with desires and passion. At the same time, they had a maturity that comes with life experience that I appreciated. I listened to the audiobook, which was great except that the narrator had a pretty bad English accent when she read the dialogue of the British characters. If fake accents bother you, you might want to read this book in print!

Royal Holiday is terrific addition to a romance lovers’ holiday TBR. ( )