Review: A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry

What can I say?  I'm getting my "groove" back and still wondering how long it's going to take to feel like myself again? Over the past 10 years of teaching, I've learned that when school lets out, I generally start to feel normal about the time I'm sitting at a parade on the 4th of July.  Having said that, what's it going to take to pull me out of this funk I fell into around November?!?  All I know is that I'm not judging how much sleep I seem to need or how quickly I jump into a pair of pjs at the end of the day!  Right?

One of the books that sure snatched up my attention was A Royal Pain by Megan Mulry.  Although I've been burned out, my reading hasn't suffered one bit.  This book was one of the reads that allowed me to unwind over a nice weekend.

Synopsis:  From Goodreads, "Bronte Talbott follows all of the exploits of the British royals. After all, they're the world's most preeminent dysfunctional family. And who is she to judge? Bronte's own search for love isn't going all that well, especially after her smooth-talking Texan boyfriend abruptly leaves her in the dust.

Bronte keeps a lookout for a rebound to help mend her broken heart, and when she meets Max Heyworth, she's certain he's the perfect transition man. But when she discovers he's a duke, she has to decide if she wants to stay with him for the long haul and deal with the opportunities-- and challenges-- of becoming a royal."

Review:  The synopsis for this book, nor the cover really let on to the serious twists this book delivers.  Bronte's love relationship with the Texan is over before it has begun, and the remainder of the story really centers on her relationship with the Duke--Max.  As with stories of this nature, it's easy to fall in love with Max.  He's the perfect man!  I think there's also this factor of knowing he speaks in a British accent, wants a life of his own outside of his royal ties, and is head over heels in love with Bronte that make him a real heart throb and hero to readers.  

The relationship isn't one that is cut and dried.  Did anyone think it would be?  Bronte doesn't know that Max is even a Duke until situations in the novel take a strange turn and then misunderstandings take over left, right, and center.   I loved that Bronte wasn't the type to swoon and just do whatever Max wanted because of his title.  At the same time, I found myself in knots over these two knuckle heads and just wanted them to have a real conversation!  I do think though, that these kind of misunderstandings are pretty true to life, so I hung in there to see a resolution.

I really loved this novel and couldn't put it down.  My stomach was in absolute knots by the end of the book and I wanted to cry that it was over!  What I thought was going to be a funny sort of chick lit. novel turned into a serious piece of drama and romance that had me choking back tears a time or two.  For an initial showing by Megan Mulry, I really can't wait to read her next release, which is supposed to be about Max's brother.  All I can say is that I hope Max and Bronte make a serious appearance! 

One disclaimer--this is an adult read and did have some strong sexual content.  I wouldn't recommend this for young readers or for those sensitive to adult content.  The story is super dramatic, but count yourself warned.

*FTC Disclosure:  This review was based on an advanced copy provided through Netgalley for Sourcebooks Landmark. 

Where Were You For the Royal Wedding?

Where were you this morning when William and Kate were married?  

I managed to wake up around 2:45 am to flip on the television to watch the entire ceremony, processional, and balcony kiss.  Work was tiring, but no more so than it is on any other given Friday, so I call that a good day!  Now, strangely, I'd love to have my own tiara.  I don't think that would work with my job, but a gal can dream.

Royal Films for a Royal Wedding

Buckingham Palace Balcony, copyright iStock Photo

 This coming week is the royal wedding of Prince William to Kate Middleton.  Although I was a young girl when Prince Charles and Lady Diana married, I still remember the mania that surrounded their wedding, the broadcast on TV, and that amazing dress that they crushed inside that carriage.  If we all wanted a view of a real-life fairy tale, well we got it with that wedding!

Here we are some thirty years later, ready to watch Charles and Diana's handsome son get married, and I'd like to disagree with all the new reports I've been hearing and say that yes, we Yanks are seriously excited about the wedding!  Okay, so I haven't heard many folks at work talking about the wedding, but we've been too busy to chat about it.  I do, however, think that this wedding serves as a splash of positive news that we all so desperately need.  How about we sidestep the mangy Donald Trump running for president and rising gas prices news to focus on something fun for once?!?

In preparation for the big day, I've noticed a lot of "royalty" themed or centered films.  In fact, the new Lifetime film "William and Kate" appeared on cable this past week. Said royal love story knock off film was dubbed as "pond scum" by one British reviewer on CNN, while another on ABC called it "wooden, at best."  (Check out this funny news spot "Bad Royal Movies" from ABC News.)  Yes, I watched it and have to agree with the ABC critic that "It's so bad, it's good."  Yes, it's cheesy.  Yes, it's unbelievable. And yes, you'll roll your eyes and wonder how people get away with writing this stuff!  In the end though, I will admit to being thoroughly entertained.  In all it's cheesiness, I say pony up to the cheese bar and enjoy!

Based around true events from the courtship of William and Kate, the film starts at St. Andrew's University in Scotland, where the two met at school while studying art history.  The two were friends there, but soon began seeing one another on the side.  As reported in the news, they had some on and off times, which are also depicted in the film.  Kate used these to her advantage though, and showed William that she could have a life without him, which in turn attracted him to her--you know, the whole "let him chase you" theory.  Well, the rest was/is history.

Honestly, check it out for yourself.  In the spirit of all things royal this week, I liked it and had a cheesy good time with the fairytale!  For more information on the film and show times, check out their "official" site at "William & Kate Movie" .  Here's the preview as well:

Besides this Lifetime dramatization of the courtship for William and Kate, there seems to be a lot of films about or centered on royalty.  Here is a short list of films and television shows I came up with:

The King's Speech

Young Victoria

The Queen

The Tudors

The Other Boelyn Girl

Elizabeth:  The Golden Age

Elizabeth

Victoria and Albert

The Prince and Me

Ever After

This isn't an exhaustive list, obviously, but a short jump off point for royal films and television.  There are other royal films based around royalty of France, Russia, etc. that I could include here.  Also, I really love Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett for its look at cathedral building.  We can say that if the number of films and television shows based around royalty, whether real or fictitious, doesn't prove that we're all still a bit intrigued and in love with the idea of royalty, then I don't know what does.  Royalty is an interesting subject, and for all it's modern complexities, I think we're all a little drawn in by the magic and mystique of it all.

What say you?  Do you have royal wedding mania?

Film Review: The King's Speech (2010)

I finally found the time and opportunity to go and see The King's Speech (2010) with Colin Firth and Geoffrey Rush.  In short?  Amazing. 

Besides being billed with acclaimed actors, The King's Speech had amazing cinematography and a great story line.  The story of Bertie, his wife Elizabeth, their two daughters, and his speech therapist was engaging and gave this historical figure a real human draw.  The number of close ups to draw you into the personal thoughts and feelings of each character really gave this film that added depth that could have been lost if scenes were relegated to dialogue.  I felt that the close ups deserved mentioning because they really did seem to propel the story forward, as Bertie (Colin Firth) had such a difficult time expressing what he was thinking.  The combination of distraction and frustration that crossed his face in these closeups, mixed with the words you felt he was dying to spit out, demonstrated just how overwhelming a speech impediment must have been for this royal. 

The obvious connection of the film was drawn between Bertie and his speech therapist Lionel Logue, played by Geoffrey Rush.  The lines between the two were well thought out and often amusing.  If unassuming were an art, Rush's character had that one down.  By the conclusion of the film, the friendship does not seem trite or overplayed, but was hard won and professional.  In short, there was real respect there that made the story believable. 

Although many historians and Anglophiles know the story of King George VI and his difficulty speaking, most of us probably only viewed him as a sort of interim monarch until his daughter, Queen Elizabeth, took the throne.  This film does an amazing job of portraying the human side to this monarch and I expect that Colin Firth will gain some much deserved praise and accolades for this role.

By the way, I'm not quite sure how Colin Firth could not think he's still a sex symbol to millions of women (see "Colin Firth says I'm no Sex Symbol").  Although he'll always be connected to his role as Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice, Firth is one of those actors that continues to amaze audiences with the range of roles he has chosen and his dashing good looks.  At 50, Colin Firth is a sex symbol to admire for way more than just his good looks.  Sorry Colin.  You're still a sex symbol in my book!