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King Consort
Avoiding sleeping with women was my specialty, an art form even. As the future King of England I couldn’t be caught sleeping with men. My whole life played out in front of the paparazzi, and they didn’t miss a thing.
I had a carefully crafted womanizing persona to maintain. My life came with rules, all of which I broke when I couldn’t resist a one night stand with the enemy: A beautiful paparazzo with a heart of gold. He may be the only person who doesn’t want me for my title, and he can never be anything more than my secret.
But secrets have a way of coming out and not only will they scare him away, but they’ll lose me the crown.
I had a carefully crafted womanizing persona to maintain. My life came with rules, all of which I broke when I couldn’t resist a one night stand with the enemy: A beautiful paparazzo with a heart of gold. He may be the only person who doesn’t want me for my title, and he can never be anything more than my secret.
But secrets have a way of coming out and not only will they scare him away, but they’ll lose me the crown.
279 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 15, 2018
About the author
J.R. Gray
41 books905 followersWhen not staying up all night writing, J.R. Gray can be found at the gym where it's half assumed he is a permanent resident to fulfill his self-inflicted masochism. A dominant and a pilot, Gray finds it hard to be in the passenger seat of any car. He frequently interrupts real life, including normal sleep patterns and conversations, to jot down notes or plot bunnies. Commas are the bane of his existence even though it's been fully acknowledged they are necessary, they continue to baffle and bewilder. If Gray wasn't writing…well, that's not possible. The buildup of untold stories would haunt Gray into an early grave, insanity or both. The idea of haunting has always appealed to him. J.R. Gray is genderqueer and prefers he/him pronouns.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 95 reviews
May 26, 2020
glad to be reading mm romance by a male author..
even though I am not a fan of royal trope this was surprisingly good...
pretty steamy, with some good lol moments, cute HEA!!
even though I am not a fan of royal trope this was surprisingly good...
pretty steamy, with some good lol moments, cute HEA!!
May 26, 2018
2.5 stars
This royal romance didn't deliver for me. I didn't like the way the characters acted most of the time, they seemed immature and their actions didn't reflect their supposed personalities. They didn't think of the repercussions of their actions even though we saw them talking about how they had to be careful about what they did. About halfway through there was an unexpected sequence of sex scenes. I skipped many of them because they didn't add anything to the story and there were too many of them.
What I got from all that was that the characters, who were supposed to be responsible adults, acted like immature teenagers thinking with their little heads and not able to wait until they were somewhere private. Especially Louis, the heir, should have been able to control himself better and not take risks like that since he didn't want his sexuality to get out. He didn't act like that though, he acted like he couldn't care less who saw him behaving innapropriately and took unnecessary and stupid risks. I don't know if it was supposed to be sexy or convey to the reader that they were so passionate they couldn't control their actions or whatever but that's not what it looked like from my point of view. I would have expected something like that from Louis' sister, since she was supposed to be the wild one, uncaring about her image and just wanting to have fun, but not from responsible Louis.
I always require a HEA for the stories I choose to read but in this case I would have preferred not to get one so that the story could have been more realistic. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I wasn't able to connect or really care enough for either character but I was rooting for a bittersweet end and not the neatly tied one we got.
I had a few issues with the way the story was told. I was constantly confused about who was talking. The POV changes between Louis and Xavier but the story is always told in the third person and pronouns were replacing the names of the characters so often that it was really difficult to tell who the "he", "him" or "his" was referring to each time. It became even more confusing when you added the errors in the text. Also, I was loosing the thread of conversation sometimes, the writing style was probably not a match for me because often Xavier and Louis talked about something and I wasn't able to figure out what they were referring to. That has to do with me though and maybe no one else will pick up on it.
All in all, I wasn't impressed with this story, it started out nicely enough, though I didn't particularty like the circumstances under which the MCs started their relationship. I did like their talks and the way Louis always tried to sneek out for a while so he could have some quiet time to talk with Xavier away from the craziness of his life. The ending felt rushed and unrealistic, too effortless and convenient. As I said, I think that a bittersweet one would have been more suitable for the length of this book and the pace of the story.
This review has been cross-posted on The Novel Approach Reviews.
*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via The Novel Approach Reviews in exchange for an honest review. *
This royal romance didn't deliver for me. I didn't like the way the characters acted most of the time, they seemed immature and their actions didn't reflect their supposed personalities. They didn't think of the repercussions of their actions even though we saw them talking about how they had to be careful about what they did. About halfway through there was an unexpected sequence of sex scenes. I skipped many of them because they didn't add anything to the story and there were too many of them.
What I got from all that was that the characters, who were supposed to be responsible adults, acted like immature teenagers thinking with their little heads and not able to wait until they were somewhere private. Especially Louis, the heir, should have been able to control himself better and not take risks like that since he didn't want his sexuality to get out. He didn't act like that though, he acted like he couldn't care less who saw him behaving innapropriately and took unnecessary and stupid risks. I don't know if it was supposed to be sexy or convey to the reader that they were so passionate they couldn't control their actions or whatever but that's not what it looked like from my point of view. I would have expected something like that from Louis' sister, since she was supposed to be the wild one, uncaring about her image and just wanting to have fun, but not from responsible Louis.
I always require a HEA for the stories I choose to read but in this case I would have preferred not to get one so that the story could have been more realistic. Maybe that has to do with the fact that I wasn't able to connect or really care enough for either character but I was rooting for a bittersweet end and not the neatly tied one we got.
I had a few issues with the way the story was told. I was constantly confused about who was talking. The POV changes between Louis and Xavier but the story is always told in the third person and pronouns were replacing the names of the characters so often that it was really difficult to tell who the "he", "him" or "his" was referring to each time. It became even more confusing when you added the errors in the text. Also, I was loosing the thread of conversation sometimes, the writing style was probably not a match for me because often Xavier and Louis talked about something and I wasn't able to figure out what they were referring to. That has to do with me though and maybe no one else will pick up on it.
All in all, I wasn't impressed with this story, it started out nicely enough, though I didn't particularty like the circumstances under which the MCs started their relationship. I did like their talks and the way Louis always tried to sneek out for a while so he could have some quiet time to talk with Xavier away from the craziness of his life. The ending felt rushed and unrealistic, too effortless and convenient. As I said, I think that a bittersweet one would have been more suitable for the length of this book and the pace of the story.
This review has been cross-posted on The Novel Approach Reviews.
*An ARC of this book was kindly provided to me by the publisher via The Novel Approach Reviews in exchange for an honest review. *
January 16, 2022
Wowowow. I did not expect to like that as much as I did. This has been on my tbr for so long so I wasn't really sure about it going in but am I glad I read it. Phew. Awesome couple, awesome sex- not too much not too little either- awesome side characters (call out to Doug the poor man😁), the queen wasn't as stuffy as I was expecting which I liked, and most of all, awesome character backstory.
Xavier, he wasn't the conventional hot guy you would expect a prince to fall for, actually he was just the opposite. He was paparazzi and he was a scarred introvert. He didn't want to fall in love nor did the prince. But love found them anyway and threw why they couldn't be together at their faces everyday but they got through, they chose being together over fear.
Xavier, he wasn't the conventional hot guy you would expect a prince to fall for, actually he was just the opposite. He was paparazzi and he was a scarred introvert. He didn't want to fall in love nor did the prince. But love found them anyway and threw why they couldn't be together at their faces everyday but they got through, they chose being together over fear.
I half smiled. “You’re a little insane.”
“As long as you love me.” He looked like a deer in the headlights after he said the words.
“I do.” My smile broadened.
“You do?” The look in his eyes would kill me one of these days. If I could bottle that look I may just start feeling better about myself.
I nodded, holding his gaze.
“I love you too,” he said in a whisper like if he uttered it too loud it would shatter the moment.
May 15, 2018
This just might be my favorite royalty romance ever in both M/M and M/F. Everyone loves a royalty/commoner love story, and this one goes a step more by having that commoner be part of the paparazzi—an absolutely off-limits person right? But don’t be so quick to paint them all with the same brush…Xavier is not what you might expect, and I found him to be an amazing character.
Xavier being a part of the paparazzi might seem incongruous considering he’s an introvert thanks to something that happened in his past. But he’s good at what he does, even if he himself doesn’t want any part of the spotlight. Prince Louis basically IS the spotlight—next in line to the throne of England, and seen as a partying womanizer…or at least that’s the persona he puts forth to the world. Louis and Xavier make the perfect match, and though their story takes place over a relatively short period of time their relationship never felt rushed.
What I really liked was the intensity of their relationship. It built slowly, coming out of the physical need they had for each other, but evolved into a whole lot more. And while neither of them could see how anything more could come of them being together (other than an unfulfilling “mistress” type of arrangement), it gets to the point where they don’t want to tear themselves away from each other. Like I said, intensity.
One thing I really got a kick out of was the snarky-bordering-on-hilarious exchanges between Louis and his grandmother (the Queen). She’s a real gem in this story and is another character that is not quite what you’d expect. Anna, Louis’s sister, is brilliant as well and is as supportive of Louis as he is as protective of her. I’m also throwing some kudos to Doug, Louis’s bodyguard, he’s definitely a keeper.
The story overall is very well written with a lot of depth, and I read it in a single sitting because I was so drawn in that I didn’t want to put it down. While Louis and Xavier’s relationship does start off as physical (and oh my are they incredibly passionate together), there were just the right amount of intimate scenes to move the story forward without being gratuitous…plus those scenes did a good job of demonstrating the growth of the intensity between the two men. The ending did feel just a tad rushed, and I wish the epilogue could have been a bit longer to detail some more of the time that had passed from the end of the main story, but even as is I was still deeply satisfied with this book once I was done.
King Consort was a 5-star read for me, and will definitely be re-read material in the future. I highly recommend this book to any M/M romance fan, and if you love royalty/commoner romances this will probably become a favorite. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
Xavier being a part of the paparazzi might seem incongruous considering he’s an introvert thanks to something that happened in his past. But he’s good at what he does, even if he himself doesn’t want any part of the spotlight. Prince Louis basically IS the spotlight—next in line to the throne of England, and seen as a partying womanizer…or at least that’s the persona he puts forth to the world. Louis and Xavier make the perfect match, and though their story takes place over a relatively short period of time their relationship never felt rushed.
What I really liked was the intensity of their relationship. It built slowly, coming out of the physical need they had for each other, but evolved into a whole lot more. And while neither of them could see how anything more could come of them being together (other than an unfulfilling “mistress” type of arrangement), it gets to the point where they don’t want to tear themselves away from each other. Like I said, intensity.
One thing I really got a kick out of was the snarky-bordering-on-hilarious exchanges between Louis and his grandmother (the Queen). She’s a real gem in this story and is another character that is not quite what you’d expect. Anna, Louis’s sister, is brilliant as well and is as supportive of Louis as he is as protective of her. I’m also throwing some kudos to Doug, Louis’s bodyguard, he’s definitely a keeper.
The story overall is very well written with a lot of depth, and I read it in a single sitting because I was so drawn in that I didn’t want to put it down. While Louis and Xavier’s relationship does start off as physical (and oh my are they incredibly passionate together), there were just the right amount of intimate scenes to move the story forward without being gratuitous…plus those scenes did a good job of demonstrating the growth of the intensity between the two men. The ending did feel just a tad rushed, and I wish the epilogue could have been a bit longer to detail some more of the time that had passed from the end of the main story, but even as is I was still deeply satisfied with this book once I was done.
King Consort was a 5-star read for me, and will definitely be re-read material in the future. I highly recommend this book to any M/M romance fan, and if you love royalty/commoner romances this will probably become a favorite. This book is meant for readers 18+ for adult language and sexual content.
June 20, 2020
This was a good read. I love reading m/m royalty stories. Louie receives an ultimatum by the Queen his grandmother. Do a tour of Canada and come back to England to pick a bride to marry. For Louie the prospect of marrying a woman hurts because he's gay. Duty calls and he's been groomed on duty and country all his life. He and his sister Anne who has had her own personal problems take off for Canada. While on the way there, Anne gives him what she thinks is a gift for him to let down his hair and and take a break from his responsibility for a night. While at the club he meets someone. Xavier was at the club when Louie saw him. Xavier is a man that holds himself back because of a scar on his face. Louie takes him back to his hotel where they hook up. Xavier's job is one that Louie hate he a paparazzi. Rumors start to about Anne being at the club. A prominent gossip site and show want to hire to follow the royals. He can't turned down the offer people would be suspicious so he takes the job. It bring them back together and they spend time getting closer and realizing that they are falling in love. I really liked both of these characters. I also liked Anne and her friend. I have read this author before. This book was well written with no errors in grammar or spelling.
Read
July 12, 2019DNF 41%
I was bored.
I was bored.
May 8, 2022
It’s a lovely tale
of prince and paparazzo.
Hot. Implausible.
of prince and paparazzo.
Hot. Implausible.
May 31, 2020
Sokay.....
Started off really well, but then for some reason I cannot put a finger on, it became more of an okay read for me. I felt that it was a bit too repetitive which IMO killed the angst for me 😬.
Started off really well, but then for some reason I cannot put a finger on, it became more of an okay read for me. I felt that it was a bit too repetitive which IMO killed the angst for me 😬.
May 11, 2018
4.5 stars LOVED!
This review is likely going to end up more of story as every time I try to write about my love of this book in my head I keep coming back to how I found it!
You see we were contacted by a PR person a few weeks ago, she asked if Shh Moms Reading wanted to host an Exclusive Cover Reveal. The email was personalized, it had all the details of the book in it and the blurb really grabbed. So we agreed to host the cover reveal and I jumped at the chance to review King Consort.
What grabbed me who knows but the blurb had me wanting to read the story. The PR rep was kind enough to provide a very early copy so I could read it before the cover reveal and WOW was I blown away.
I wish I could put my finger on why certain books pull me in right away (something I love by the way) I wish I could spell out why certain author's grab me but in the end I have NO idea, I can just say I was pulled in from the first few words and I am so happy to have found another author's whose voice touches me.
The story of Louis and Xavier kept me glued to my kindle and kept my mind returned to the story even when I put it down.
The dynamic of Prince Louis and Xavier whose profession as a paparazzi makes for a story line that is so much more than just a Prince who is gay; it weaves the dilemmas of Louis being royalty and his Grandmother wanting him to marry (a woman) with the aspect of work lives that conflict.
I am so not going to share the how, and the what and the journey. I am going to say I loved the use of the supporting cast, especially Louis family and staff and the connection these men had bleed off the pages!
Ok I will add I freaking LOVED the ending.. it kept it really to the very end!
This review is likely going to end up more of story as every time I try to write about my love of this book in my head I keep coming back to how I found it!
You see we were contacted by a PR person a few weeks ago, she asked if Shh Moms Reading wanted to host an Exclusive Cover Reveal. The email was personalized, it had all the details of the book in it and the blurb really grabbed. So we agreed to host the cover reveal and I jumped at the chance to review King Consort.
What grabbed me who knows but the blurb had me wanting to read the story. The PR rep was kind enough to provide a very early copy so I could read it before the cover reveal and WOW was I blown away.
I wish I could put my finger on why certain books pull me in right away (something I love by the way) I wish I could spell out why certain author's grab me but in the end I have NO idea, I can just say I was pulled in from the first few words and I am so happy to have found another author's whose voice touches me.
The story of Louis and Xavier kept me glued to my kindle and kept my mind returned to the story even when I put it down.
The dynamic of Prince Louis and Xavier whose profession as a paparazzi makes for a story line that is so much more than just a Prince who is gay; it weaves the dilemmas of Louis being royalty and his Grandmother wanting him to marry (a woman) with the aspect of work lives that conflict.
I am so not going to share the how, and the what and the journey. I am going to say I loved the use of the supporting cast, especially Louis family and staff and the connection these men had bleed off the pages!
Ok I will add I freaking LOVED the ending.. it kept it really to the very end!
May 22, 2018
Even the abysmal editing in what objectively qualifies as a mediocrely polished work (missing words and misprints of the type "sectary" for "secretary" or "Cananda" [sic!] for "Canada" are aplenty, on top of a bit too many rough or loose inflections) coupled with the rather frustrating temporal ellipses resulting in harsh jumps within the story, could not compromise my satisfaction with this lively royal romance. There is just enough world and character building to burnish the depths of the characters: Prince Louis stands out as much more than the man behind the crown prince - in that he retcons to great effect the rather subdued and intellectually challenged, real-life princes of England -, and he finds in Xavier a love interest up to the challenge of keeping up with this deceptively simple-looking royal, someone both strong and compassionate and cynically realistic (Mrs Gray deploys Xavier's scarring to excellent ends); Louis' sister Anne, his rough-hewed bodyguard Doug, and especially the barbed-tongue yet caring Queen, all make for a strong secondary casting. Of course, blemishes are easy to spot: Louis' old buddy Drake fails to be more than a plot device, Xavier's boss Eran does not exhibit the utterly cut-throat mentality typical of gossip sharks (even though he compensates by being a king sort-of friend to our beta hero), the Queen's unexpected, and easy, acceptance of her heir's homosexuality could have been handled in less clumsy fashion, and as a matter of fact there is a pervasive element of hurriedness in the last third of the story which ought to have been smoothed away, but many clever touches of reality (like the amusing dig at President Trump early in the book) compensate for such lapses. A very strong three and a half stars, rounded up because I was thoroughly entertained.
May 21, 2018
A Joyfully Jay review.
3.25 stars
I have read several books by J.R. Gray and I want to point out that the author’s voice has evolved significantly and the writing itself has become more polished with each book. King Consort started out strong for me, but ultimately the structure of the plot and attention to key details fell short.
Louis’ grandmother is the Queen of England and he is next in line for the throne. He has a good relationship with his grandmother and they have some good banter, but Louis is a typical character for this style of book. He has no interest in being the next King of England. There is a lot behind that statement as Louis thinks he can’t come out and he will have to live a lie for the rest of his life and his frustration is clear. However, he assumes this is absolute. Just once it would be refreshing to see a future king find something of interest in being the next king for it seemed that even if Louis thought he could come out, he still had a lot of disdain for his place in life.
When Louis and his troubled sister, Anne, sneak out to a sex club, he meets Xavier and is immediately attracted to him. Xavier has a story as his face is scarred and he prefers solitude. Yet, he makes his living on the edge of the action as a paparazzi photographer and his and Louis’ lives become intertwined. Now, the first two times Louis and Xavier are together, Xavier refuses to take off his shirt. They then see each other regularly in all the stolen moments they can, and this issue is never brought up again until just at the end of the book. And then, finally, the scars on his face are discussed, but it’s never clear what the issue with the shirt was. This was one area that really derailed the book for me as Xavier’s scars were a prominent plot point in the beginning of the book and then it was dropped for almost the rest of the story.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
3.25 stars
I have read several books by J.R. Gray and I want to point out that the author’s voice has evolved significantly and the writing itself has become more polished with each book. King Consort started out strong for me, but ultimately the structure of the plot and attention to key details fell short.
Louis’ grandmother is the Queen of England and he is next in line for the throne. He has a good relationship with his grandmother and they have some good banter, but Louis is a typical character for this style of book. He has no interest in being the next King of England. There is a lot behind that statement as Louis thinks he can’t come out and he will have to live a lie for the rest of his life and his frustration is clear. However, he assumes this is absolute. Just once it would be refreshing to see a future king find something of interest in being the next king for it seemed that even if Louis thought he could come out, he still had a lot of disdain for his place in life.
When Louis and his troubled sister, Anne, sneak out to a sex club, he meets Xavier and is immediately attracted to him. Xavier has a story as his face is scarred and he prefers solitude. Yet, he makes his living on the edge of the action as a paparazzi photographer and his and Louis’ lives become intertwined. Now, the first two times Louis and Xavier are together, Xavier refuses to take off his shirt. They then see each other regularly in all the stolen moments they can, and this issue is never brought up again until just at the end of the book. And then, finally, the scars on his face are discussed, but it’s never clear what the issue with the shirt was. This was one area that really derailed the book for me as Xavier’s scars were a prominent plot point in the beginning of the book and then it was dropped for almost the rest of the story.
Read Michelle's review in its entirety here.
May 18, 2018
If you have been following my reviews as of late then you know that I have been reading some serious Royal Romance's and I have been loving every single word of it.
I have reviewed for JR before and I was so excited when I was contacted by his PR rep for this book! It was a royal romance and at the time I wasn't sure how I would love that aspect. But boy I loved the story of Prince Louis and Xavier.
Prince Louis is seen as a womanizer who cant get enough of women, whether its in the press or to his friends and family. But he has a surprise that people will be astonished to know considering his reputation. But he knows more than anything that he loves not having a girlfriend. He has enough women in his life he doesn't need one as a companion. Even though everyone is trying to make sure that he marries soon because he is being groomed to take the throne.
The story just unfolds from when Prince Louis meets Xavier a paparazzi, and they build this secret relationship that turns into a fill fledge love story between these two men.
The push and pull of Louis' desires to be noble and follow what his grandmother wants and his desires to love this man that has captivated his attention and has intrigued him. But Xavier has a job to do, and Louis is his next job. The suspense of these two kept me on the edge of my seat and reading like a mad woman to see what happens between them!
I have reviewed for JR before and I was so excited when I was contacted by his PR rep for this book! It was a royal romance and at the time I wasn't sure how I would love that aspect. But boy I loved the story of Prince Louis and Xavier.
Prince Louis is seen as a womanizer who cant get enough of women, whether its in the press or to his friends and family. But he has a surprise that people will be astonished to know considering his reputation. But he knows more than anything that he loves not having a girlfriend. He has enough women in his life he doesn't need one as a companion. Even though everyone is trying to make sure that he marries soon because he is being groomed to take the throne.
The story just unfolds from when Prince Louis meets Xavier a paparazzi, and they build this secret relationship that turns into a fill fledge love story between these two men.
The push and pull of Louis' desires to be noble and follow what his grandmother wants and his desires to love this man that has captivated his attention and has intrigued him. But Xavier has a job to do, and Louis is his next job. The suspense of these two kept me on the edge of my seat and reading like a mad woman to see what happens between them!
October 31, 2019
When I found this, I thought it would be a nice in between read and hopefully a good story. However, I didn't expect too much, so it was really a surprise how much I liked it!
When I read about the Prince of Wales falling in love with a commoner, I will always compare it to Lilah Pace's "His Royal secret" and is clear from the start, it will not be easy to step in those shoes.
But this book about Louis, the future king of England and Xavier a paparazzi was a pleasant surprise, sweet and funny, completely unbelievable but still a great story.
The way those two interacted was endearing and even if this is probably not going on a favorite read shelf, I absolutely enjoyed it while it lasted.
Enough drama to keep the story going but not too much to make it ridiculous, this evolved in a perfect pace, the fact that Xavier worked as a photographer who got paid by the tabloids to exploit the guy he was secretly seeing added some funny details.
With a more serious book I would probably complain about the things that didn't make a lot of sense, but reading this simply as a feelgood story, I didn't really mind.
All in all a good read above average and 3.5 stars for me.
When I read about the Prince of Wales falling in love with a commoner, I will always compare it to Lilah Pace's "His Royal secret" and is clear from the start, it will not be easy to step in those shoes.
But this book about Louis, the future king of England and Xavier a paparazzi was a pleasant surprise, sweet and funny, completely unbelievable but still a great story.
The way those two interacted was endearing and even if this is probably not going on a favorite read shelf, I absolutely enjoyed it while it lasted.
Enough drama to keep the story going but not too much to make it ridiculous, this evolved in a perfect pace, the fact that Xavier worked as a photographer who got paid by the tabloids to exploit the guy he was secretly seeing added some funny details.
With a more serious book I would probably complain about the things that didn't make a lot of sense, but reading this simply as a feelgood story, I didn't really mind.
All in all a good read above average and 3.5 stars for me.
May 16, 2018
3.25 stars!
This was enjoyable. It was both similar and completely different from stories I've read in this arena - royalty - and it didn't fall into a lot of the cliche'd pitfalls that others stories have fallen into before.
For one, Xavier told Louis he was paparazzi when they first met before anything sexual happens, so Louis goes into his encounter with Xavier with his eyes wide open, no trickery or manufactured drama made from Xavier not telling Louis what he did.
Xavier and Louis had really good chemistry and I genuinely enjoyed their scenes together and felt the love they eventually felt for each other. I loved the build up to them falling in love, there was build up in the first place and they didn't just immediately fall into bed together after the first time when they see each other again.
And their happy ending was sweet (if a little abrupt because it ends before ).
But, despite all that, there were just minor issues here and there for me. Like the editing needed to be worked on, and the sentence structure on some, as well as the way sentences were worded sometimes. Sometimes I would re-read a sentence and still not understand just what it was trying to say.
And while there were a few explicit sex scenes, it was a lot of a fade to black which I was not expecting. Their first night together is completely skipped and goes to the morning after and I was like 'WHAT?' Why didn't we get that night? Why didn't we get their first connection? It was not like the writing shied away from sexual things so it wasn't like the author wasn't interested in including sex - so why was there barely any explicit sex? I was just baffled.
There is some heat and steam, for sure, but there was also a lot of fade to blacks and "we fucked and fucked and fucked" and "we fucked a lot" and no description of the actual fuck fests. But also there were times the author decided to be explicit and that was fun and all, but then at random times it was just skipped a lot, where it could have been fun and awesome to read. I feel like if you choose to include smut in your work, there are times to include and times not, and for sure a time to not skip over it is their first time.
There was also just a lot of "days and days passed and here we were" and so we missed a lot of their time together. There were good scenes of them connection, don't get me wrong, but we could have gotten even more with these skipped over days. Like when they turn a little domestic when they're stealing over a week away from the real world, things like that.
Also, the 90 year old Queen of England - and Louis' grandmother - was and I was like...really? It was that easy? I mean it would awesome if we lived in a world like that, especially for royalty, but it just felt a tad unrealistic. Not that she had
Overall this was a good story, I enjoyed it. Just points off for a lack of steam and bad editing. Still recommend though, if people don't care about that or don't mind it. This was a fun read overall :)
This was enjoyable. It was both similar and completely different from stories I've read in this arena - royalty - and it didn't fall into a lot of the cliche'd pitfalls that others stories have fallen into before.
For one, Xavier told Louis he was paparazzi when they first met before anything sexual happens, so Louis goes into his encounter with Xavier with his eyes wide open, no trickery or manufactured drama made from Xavier not telling Louis what he did.
Xavier and Louis had really good chemistry and I genuinely enjoyed their scenes together and felt the love they eventually felt for each other. I loved the build up to them falling in love, there was build up in the first place and they didn't just immediately fall into bed together after the first time when they see each other again.
And their happy ending was sweet (if a little abrupt because it ends before ).
But, despite all that, there were just minor issues here and there for me. Like the editing needed to be worked on, and the sentence structure on some, as well as the way sentences were worded sometimes. Sometimes I would re-read a sentence and still not understand just what it was trying to say.
And while there were a few explicit sex scenes, it was a lot of a fade to black which I was not expecting. Their first night together is completely skipped and goes to the morning after and I was like 'WHAT?' Why didn't we get that night? Why didn't we get their first connection? It was not like the writing shied away from sexual things so it wasn't like the author wasn't interested in including sex - so why was there barely any explicit sex? I was just baffled.
There is some heat and steam, for sure, but there was also a lot of fade to blacks and "we fucked and fucked and fucked" and "we fucked a lot" and no description of the actual fuck fests. But also there were times the author decided to be explicit and that was fun and all, but then at random times it was just skipped a lot, where it could have been fun and awesome to read. I feel like if you choose to include smut in your work, there are times to include and times not, and for sure a time to not skip over it is their first time.
There was also just a lot of "days and days passed and here we were" and so we missed a lot of their time together. There were good scenes of them connection, don't get me wrong, but we could have gotten even more with these skipped over days. Like when they turn a little domestic when they're stealing over a week away from the real world, things like that.
Also, the 90 year old Queen of England - and Louis' grandmother - was and I was like...really? It was that easy? I mean it would awesome if we lived in a world like that, especially for royalty, but it just felt a tad unrealistic. Not that she had
Overall this was a good story, I enjoyed it. Just points off for a lack of steam and bad editing. Still recommend though, if people don't care about that or don't mind it. This was a fun read overall :)
June 12, 2018
Solid 2 star effort
I have no clue why is this averaging higher in the ratings. It's decent, and I didn't want to throw it across the room, but it isn't 4 star worthy. The book as a whole was badly edited, and it took far too long on some parts and rushed through others. The characters themselves also "sounded" the same (which shouldn't happen considering one is a British royal). The pacing was off, and lingered too long on useless and unsexy sex scenes. I would have loved having the story explore the prince coming out to the world and Xavier dealing with that, but it's literally like the last 5 pages, with the other 98% of the book focusing on them avoiding the world and sneaking around and having (unsexy) sex. It was disappointing, even the angst of coming out was rushed, and at each corner "oh I already knew" seeming to be the reaction. The premise of their meeting (a sex orgy brothel?) Was ridiculous, and they went from "great hook up" (which we didn't get to "see" due to fade to Black writing) to "I'm so into you." I don't get why they felt an attraction beyond the physical. There is no chemistry and their interactions are bleh. Overall, the "king consort" is mainly frustrating and unstatiafying, with a story that mostly doesn't actually have anything happen "on screen." It's boring, and I mainly read it to see if there was any justification for the high average rating. Nope. This deserves two stars. Three stars if you can forgive the lack luster everything. I can't.
I have no clue why is this averaging higher in the ratings. It's decent, and I didn't want to throw it across the room, but it isn't 4 star worthy. The book as a whole was badly edited, and it took far too long on some parts and rushed through others. The characters themselves also "sounded" the same (which shouldn't happen considering one is a British royal). The pacing was off, and lingered too long on useless and unsexy sex scenes. I would have loved having the story explore the prince coming out to the world and Xavier dealing with that, but it's literally like the last 5 pages, with the other 98% of the book focusing on them avoiding the world and sneaking around and having (unsexy) sex. It was disappointing, even the angst of coming out was rushed, and at each corner "oh I already knew" seeming to be the reaction. The premise of their meeting (a sex orgy brothel?) Was ridiculous, and they went from "great hook up" (which we didn't get to "see" due to fade to Black writing) to "I'm so into you." I don't get why they felt an attraction beyond the physical. There is no chemistry and their interactions are bleh. Overall, the "king consort" is mainly frustrating and unstatiafying, with a story that mostly doesn't actually have anything happen "on screen." It's boring, and I mainly read it to see if there was any justification for the high average rating. Nope. This deserves two stars. Three stars if you can forgive the lack luster everything. I can't.
June 13, 2018
I love me m/m romance with royalty, and this was so enjoyable. I loved how Louie and Xavier both were immediately attracted to each other. And the circumstances where they met...What an interesting twist.
Louie receives basically an ultimatum by his grandmother the Queen. Complete this tour of Canada and come back to England to pick a bride and marry. Unfortunately for Louie, that prospect makes him hurt inside because he's gay. But duty calls, and he's been groomed on duty and country all his life. He and his sister Anne, who has had her own very visible personal problems, take off for Canada. While on the way there, Anne gives him what she thinks is a gift for him to let down his hair and shake off the mantle of responsibility for a night.
Xavier is a man who has held himself aloof from others due to a disfigurement. He is at the club that Anne and Louie attend, and immediately, despite the scars, Louie is attracted to him. It takes Louie a while to convince Xavier of that, but they end up together, back at Louie's hotel, also despite that Xavier is one of the dreaded paparazzi. Xavier is that rare breed, a paparazzo with morals and ethics. Louie takes a chance and for the first time, goes for what he wants rather than what he should do.
Rumors start to leak about Anne and the club, and ironically, it is Xavier that a prominent gossip site and show want to hire to tail the royals. Knowing that if he turned down the offer, people would be suspicious, he takes the job. The fact that it brings him back into Louie's orbit is serendipitous. And they spend time together, growing closer and closer, realizing the other one is "the one" and knowing that their time together has an expiration date.
I really loved this. Louis was a good and decent man, wishing he could live his own life, but knowing that he couldn't. It had to be him that received the crown, knowing that his sister wouldn't be able to handle the stress. And Xavier, he had such issues with his looks, and I loved that Louis didn't see any of that. He saw the whole man, and grew to love him. And who wouldn't. He was a good and decent man under all that gruff exterior.
There are fun times. The sex between them is hot, and their text messages where they would try to rile the other one up were hilarious. There's definitely times that my heart hurt for these guys, and the resolution for the conflict was an enjoyable one to find out. The secondary characters were great: Doug, Louie's security guy, Anne, the princess, and the Queen herself. Definitely the Queen.
I loved the epilogue, which let me know how they were both in such a good place.
Louie receives basically an ultimatum by his grandmother the Queen. Complete this tour of Canada and come back to England to pick a bride and marry. Unfortunately for Louie, that prospect makes him hurt inside because he's gay. But duty calls, and he's been groomed on duty and country all his life. He and his sister Anne, who has had her own very visible personal problems, take off for Canada. While on the way there, Anne gives him what she thinks is a gift for him to let down his hair and shake off the mantle of responsibility for a night.
Xavier is a man who has held himself aloof from others due to a disfigurement. He is at the club that Anne and Louie attend, and immediately, despite the scars, Louie is attracted to him. It takes Louie a while to convince Xavier of that, but they end up together, back at Louie's hotel, also despite that Xavier is one of the dreaded paparazzi. Xavier is that rare breed, a paparazzo with morals and ethics. Louie takes a chance and for the first time, goes for what he wants rather than what he should do.
Rumors start to leak about Anne and the club, and ironically, it is Xavier that a prominent gossip site and show want to hire to tail the royals. Knowing that if he turned down the offer, people would be suspicious, he takes the job. The fact that it brings him back into Louie's orbit is serendipitous. And they spend time together, growing closer and closer, realizing the other one is "the one" and knowing that their time together has an expiration date.
I really loved this. Louis was a good and decent man, wishing he could live his own life, but knowing that he couldn't. It had to be him that received the crown, knowing that his sister wouldn't be able to handle the stress. And Xavier, he had such issues with his looks, and I loved that Louis didn't see any of that. He saw the whole man, and grew to love him. And who wouldn't. He was a good and decent man under all that gruff exterior.
There are fun times. The sex between them is hot, and their text messages where they would try to rile the other one up were hilarious. There's definitely times that my heart hurt for these guys, and the resolution for the conflict was an enjoyable one to find out. The secondary characters were great: Doug, Louie's security guy, Anne, the princess, and the Queen herself. Definitely the Queen.
I loved the epilogue, which let me know how they were both in such a good place.
August 23, 2018
Finishing this book too me a lot longer than I had anticipated, some of which had to do with the book and part of which had to do with external things going on in my life which limited my reading time.
As for the things that were going on with this book, basically it wasn't as much a book for me has I had anticipated. First and foremost, the main characters kept doing things that were, in my opinion, incredibly foolish and that stressed me out. I'm sure that some people would find the things the main characters did sexy, but they just produced anxiety in me. Basically, the main characters kept Some people find this titillating, but I just wanted them to knock it off.
I also found the ending to be incredibly anticlimactic. Which I suppose is better for the main characters than the alternative, but I felt like the basic premise of the story wasn't true. Not what I was looking for.
The fact that Xavier's facial disfigurement as an issue basically popped in and out of being an issue kind of vexed me as well. Occasionally Xavier would bring it up as something that bothered him and Louis would reassure him that Louis didn't care, and then it would disappear again (I actually forgot about it for a good chunk of the book). I wasn't massively excited about this.
So, it just wasn't my book.
As for the things that were going on with this book, basically it wasn't as much a book for me has I had anticipated. First and foremost, the main characters kept doing things that were, in my opinion, incredibly foolish and that stressed me out. I'm sure that some people would find the things the main characters did sexy, but they just produced anxiety in me. Basically, the main characters kept Some people find this titillating, but I just wanted them to knock it off.
I also found the ending to be incredibly anticlimactic. Which I suppose is better for the main characters than the alternative, but I felt like the basic premise of the story wasn't true. Not what I was looking for.
The fact that Xavier's facial disfigurement as an issue basically popped in and out of being an issue kind of vexed me as well. Occasionally Xavier would bring it up as something that bothered him and Louis would reassure him that Louis didn't care, and then it would disappear again (I actually forgot about it for a good chunk of the book). I wasn't massively excited about this.
So, it just wasn't my book.
August 10, 2018
¸.•´¸★*´¨) ¸.•*¨)
(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤4 1/2 consorting stars.¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★
"You're the prince, and I'm the pauper."<><> ~Xavier
"I was passionate about the work we were doing, but to me, not letting my grandmother down was top of the list, and since Anne couldn't do it for me, I had to be the one. We were out of blood." ~Louis
"Louis had an addictive quality, and he would be my drug of choice. ~Xavier
What a delightful story, given the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan. I needed this story in my life and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. Yes, the ending was a bit rushed for me, but the meat was succulent and juicy. I loved the thrill and the elusiveness. This was like a coming of age, coming out, and freeing tale.
Xavier, paparazzi and the crowned prince meet in an unlikely place, form a bond and begin a relationship that needs to be kept under the covers. These men spent hot steamy times together and managed to elude everyone, even Xavier's boss until the last minute.
I loved the supporting characters, especially Doug and the Queen. There is nothing like knowing happy ever after is right over the horizon.Refreshing and definitely on the books to be read again. Everyone needs a little fairy-tale in their lives.
(¸.★¨*.¸¸.•`★¤4 1/2 consorting stars.¤★¨*.¸¸.*ˑ˞★
"You're the prince, and I'm the pauper."<><> ~Xavier
"I was passionate about the work we were doing, but to me, not letting my grandmother down was top of the list, and since Anne couldn't do it for me, I had to be the one. We were out of blood." ~Louis
"Louis had an addictive quality, and he would be my drug of choice. ~Xavier
What a delightful story, given the royal wedding of Harry and Meghan. I needed this story in my life and I am so glad I got the opportunity to read it. Yes, the ending was a bit rushed for me, but the meat was succulent and juicy. I loved the thrill and the elusiveness. This was like a coming of age, coming out, and freeing tale.
Xavier, paparazzi and the crowned prince meet in an unlikely place, form a bond and begin a relationship that needs to be kept under the covers. These men spent hot steamy times together and managed to elude everyone, even Xavier's boss until the last minute.
I loved the supporting characters, especially Doug and the Queen. There is nothing like knowing happy ever after is right over the horizon.Refreshing and definitely on the books to be read again. Everyone needs a little fairy-tale in their lives.
May 24, 2018
So this is NOT my usual read at all. But I wanted to step out of my comfort zone and King Consort sounded too good to pass up. I have read other genre's with multiple partners where there is mmf but not just mm, so I didn't know really what I was getting into. But I LOVED this story.
Louis is the heir appointed to the English throne. He knows he is gay but has to keep it a secret. No matter what he knows he has to keep it a secret, he is so duty bound to everyone that he comes last.
Xavier is the paparazzi. He is hated by everyone. When Xavier and Louis bump into each other where neither of them should be, the chemistry is off the hook. But this is a slow burn also. It isn't a wham bam thank you mam kind of read either. These two have a relationship that is beautiful.
I love how J.R. wrote this story. It is my first one from this author, but not my last. If you have never read an M/M book before I would suggest starting with this one. I voluntarily read an advanced reader copy for my honest review.
April 30, 2018
Wow! What a royal romance! Prince Louis is under pressure to marry and provide an heir for the monarchy when he meets a hot paparazzi Xavier. There’s so much I just loved about their secret relationship. You could just feel they really wanted more time...more everything from one another. Louis was raised with a sense of duty to crown and country from birth. To have most of your personal choices just taken from you for such a public life...it devastated me. Xavier has his own personal demons that he deals with and he doesn’t feel worthy in his own shoes. He’s an intensely private person and knows their “friendship” holds no future for them except to crush him when the Prince finally provides the heirs the monarchy needs. My emotions were flying all over the place and I really had no idea how this story would end. Such a creative take on all of the royal romances out there and I enjoyed it quite a bit.
May 14, 2018
This was a fun read, kinda like a new age fairytale of Beauty and the Beast. I really like Louis and Xavier. Even when they seem to have nothing in common they were both just dying to find someone where they can let down their guard. I loved that Louis believed enough in Xavier that he was willing to put everything on the line for him. If you ever had to be in the spotlight you’ll understand how much of a sacrifice it can take on a person’s life. I loved side characters, the queen was something else – I love her. They made the story more interesting.
Overall even though this story is something I think would never hold up in the real world I guess that is why we all love to read fiction right? :)
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
Overall even though this story is something I think would never hold up in the real world I guess that is why we all love to read fiction right? :)
***Review copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads Blog***
August 1, 2018
I quite liked this story, and it would have been a five star read if not for the jumping between characters, which was let down slightly by the constant use of third person pronouns rather than using names. I liked the dual point of view, and the first person style, but found myself flicking back to double check whose POV we were reading, which prevented me from becoming fully immersed in the story. I would, however, try another book from this author.
May 28, 2021
I really enjoyed this book. I'm a massive fan of the royal trope and seeing it as an LGBT+ relationship just made it better. It touched on important topics that should be addressed in our society and how the world is changing. The relationship with the characters was profound; you could see the feelings develop for one another as the story went on.
However, I do feel there was some lack of a climax. It seemed to hit a point and stay there. I would have enjoyed if there had been a more drawn out storyline and possibly some more angst between the characters. The issues they had seemed to be resolved too quickly.
Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who is interesting in gay royals! Beware the steamy sex scenes ;)
However, I do feel there was some lack of a climax. It seemed to hit a point and stay there. I would have enjoyed if there had been a more drawn out storyline and possibly some more angst between the characters. The issues they had seemed to be resolved too quickly.
Overall, I would definitely recommend to anyone who is interesting in gay royals! Beware the steamy sex scenes ;)
May 25, 2018
This was a pretty average book, but with a strange writing problem. It was hard to follow the dialogue. The author had too many lost antecedents or confusing sequences. It made some of the parts that should have flowed into very stilted passages for the reader. There were other oddities in the writing that occasionally made me think of google translate. So it goes.
December 23, 2018
Original review: https://myshelfbooks.wordpress.com/20...
I was away from Romance books (and books in general) for several years and when I came back (2018) romance novels with Royals had become a huge deal. One of the current trends for a genre liable to have new ones every single year. Back then stepbrothers were all the rage!! This is my first taste of this flavour of the hour and I must say it wasn’t tasty enough…
In this book we meet Prince Louis of Britain, a womanizer who is going to inherit the Crown sooner or later. His misadventures with multiple women are well recorded in the media, but the truth is he is not the kind of guy who goes through female after female to quench his thirst. Actually, he doesn’t like women at all, but his hmosexuality must be a well kept secret due to the out of date rules of the monarchy. On the other hand; we have Xavier, a paparazzi who is not comfortable at all in his own skin. The attraction among them is very strong, but the relationship seems doomed before starting. Will they be able to make it work?
I’m going to focus first on the good part: the characters. Well, not all of them, but most. Louis has been a nice surprised. He seemed pompous with a stick through his… uuuhm… noble back parts? You get my meaning ;). But in reallity he is a really good guy who wants to make right to everyone surrounded him, especially his sister. The struggle of the Prince is the best part of the book and it makes the reader fall in love with the character quite easily. The guy has to deal with his secret, his troublemaker of a sister and the weight of the Crown. It’s a wonder he is able to keep a good humor most of the time.
With such a co-star, Xavier falls in the short side. It’s not a bad character, per se; but his constant insecurity bores me a little too much. I guess it can’t be easy to handle with the special life of Louis, but Xavier has too many demons that make him blind to what he has in front of him. It’s not all bad, though. His sense of honor and morals is remarkable in a profession that usually works in simple terms of prey and hunter. So, kudos for him!!
Too bad the rather good character are paired with a boring story that goes in circles over and over again and doesn’t even end. Yes, we knew since the beginning the difficult situation for their relationship. That’s chaprter 1. By charpetr 10 I expected the plot to have gone forward, but it was totally stuck. My hope gets renew when they travel to London, but it’s totally crushed with the most unemotional and sloppy ending I have read in a long time. The way everything ends makes me believe that the realtionship has no real future, just wishful thinking…
I can’t finish the review without mentioning the real star of the book and the main reason this book has got one more point in its mark than what it deserves: Doug. The bodyguards steals all the scenes when he has an appearance. His brotherly relationship with Louis and his peculiar way of dealing with Xavier bring always a simle to my face.
I was away from Romance books (and books in general) for several years and when I came back (2018) romance novels with Royals had become a huge deal. One of the current trends for a genre liable to have new ones every single year. Back then stepbrothers were all the rage!! This is my first taste of this flavour of the hour and I must say it wasn’t tasty enough…
In this book we meet Prince Louis of Britain, a womanizer who is going to inherit the Crown sooner or later. His misadventures with multiple women are well recorded in the media, but the truth is he is not the kind of guy who goes through female after female to quench his thirst. Actually, he doesn’t like women at all, but his hmosexuality must be a well kept secret due to the out of date rules of the monarchy. On the other hand; we have Xavier, a paparazzi who is not comfortable at all in his own skin. The attraction among them is very strong, but the relationship seems doomed before starting. Will they be able to make it work?
I’m going to focus first on the good part: the characters. Well, not all of them, but most. Louis has been a nice surprised. He seemed pompous with a stick through his… uuuhm… noble back parts? You get my meaning ;). But in reallity he is a really good guy who wants to make right to everyone surrounded him, especially his sister. The struggle of the Prince is the best part of the book and it makes the reader fall in love with the character quite easily. The guy has to deal with his secret, his troublemaker of a sister and the weight of the Crown. It’s a wonder he is able to keep a good humor most of the time.
With such a co-star, Xavier falls in the short side. It’s not a bad character, per se; but his constant insecurity bores me a little too much. I guess it can’t be easy to handle with the special life of Louis, but Xavier has too many demons that make him blind to what he has in front of him. It’s not all bad, though. His sense of honor and morals is remarkable in a profession that usually works in simple terms of prey and hunter. So, kudos for him!!
Too bad the rather good character are paired with a boring story that goes in circles over and over again and doesn’t even end. Yes, we knew since the beginning the difficult situation for their relationship. That’s chaprter 1. By charpetr 10 I expected the plot to have gone forward, but it was totally stuck. My hope gets renew when they travel to London, but it’s totally crushed with the most unemotional and sloppy ending I have read in a long time. The way everything ends makes me believe that the realtionship has no real future, just wishful thinking…
I can’t finish the review without mentioning the real star of the book and the main reason this book has got one more point in its mark than what it deserves: Doug. The bodyguards steals all the scenes when he has an appearance. His brotherly relationship with Louis and his peculiar way of dealing with Xavier bring always a simle to my face.
June 17, 2018
In light of recent royal fever this book came at the right time! I loved every minute of reading it and I honestly felt so gutted when it was over. This was the story of Louis, British prince who is very much gay and very much unable to tell his grandmother and Queen and Xavier, scarred paparazzo focussed on keeping calm throughout his days and not really looking for love. When the two meet Louis is enamoured but Xavier isn't so sure...Soon the pair have a love affair of epic proportions going on and neither one of them knows whether it will end with Louis's trip to Canada or if it'll become a lasting relationship that'll last forever.
Louis was amazing! He was hilarious! I loved how he was portrayed by the media as a womaniser and his character was the exact opposite of that. He loved using his position as a royal for good and then retreating to play board games (you read that right) with his sister Anna and the Queen! He was this hilarious introvert who was so polite and well mannered (even when trying to send dirty text messages to Xavier) that you couldn't help but love him! He was so sweet and I loved that Xavier would pick at him and try to get him to loosen up!
Speaking of Xavier. I really loved him! He was this paparazzo who stumbled into the career and tried to make the best of it. He was scarred all the way down his face and it made him shy and retreating at times but he was so snarky and feisty in private with Louis that I just knew that they had to be meant for each other. Their attraction just leaped off the page and it was so fun to read! I really identified with his anxiety and it just endeared him to me more. He tried so hard to do the right thing and even if I raised an eyebrow at some of his choices (sleeping with the subject of your mission?) I understood his reasoning.
Anna, Louis's sister was a hoot! She had been given a bad run of things in the media and had suffered from drug addiction but didn't let it keep her from boldly living her life. I really loved her relationship with her brother and his with hers and how they would protect each other at all costs, having lost their parents at an early age.
This book was full of witty banter, boys being boys and a grandmother who knew what was what! I appreciated how each character told the story from their perspectives and how the book ended in a way that I didn't quite expect! Let's just say that the way the differences between Louis and Xavier were resolved was very typical of boys and I really appreciated how the author stuck to that realness!
Anyway gushing aside, this book was a true 5 star read and I have added it to my favourites on goodreads! More please JR Gray!
Go get a copy like right now!
Louis was amazing! He was hilarious! I loved how he was portrayed by the media as a womaniser and his character was the exact opposite of that. He loved using his position as a royal for good and then retreating to play board games (you read that right) with his sister Anna and the Queen! He was this hilarious introvert who was so polite and well mannered (even when trying to send dirty text messages to Xavier) that you couldn't help but love him! He was so sweet and I loved that Xavier would pick at him and try to get him to loosen up!
Speaking of Xavier. I really loved him! He was this paparazzo who stumbled into the career and tried to make the best of it. He was scarred all the way down his face and it made him shy and retreating at times but he was so snarky and feisty in private with Louis that I just knew that they had to be meant for each other. Their attraction just leaped off the page and it was so fun to read! I really identified with his anxiety and it just endeared him to me more. He tried so hard to do the right thing and even if I raised an eyebrow at some of his choices (sleeping with the subject of your mission?) I understood his reasoning.
Anna, Louis's sister was a hoot! She had been given a bad run of things in the media and had suffered from drug addiction but didn't let it keep her from boldly living her life. I really loved her relationship with her brother and his with hers and how they would protect each other at all costs, having lost their parents at an early age.
This book was full of witty banter, boys being boys and a grandmother who knew what was what! I appreciated how each character told the story from their perspectives and how the book ended in a way that I didn't quite expect! Let's just say that the way the differences between Louis and Xavier were resolved was very typical of boys and I really appreciated how the author stuck to that realness!
Anyway gushing aside, this book was a true 5 star read and I have added it to my favourites on goodreads! More please JR Gray!
Go get a copy like right now!
May 27, 2018
3.5 stars rounded up :)
*I received the book in exchange for an honest review*
This is the second book by the author I’ve read…and to be honest, they both feature the same kind of protagonist – someone who needs to hide who he is (my review of the other book, Forsaken, can be found here).
And since it is the time of the royal wedding, the theme of the book seems fitting. It is a nice, easy to read book. I had a few problems with it, but they weren’t *that* much of a problem.
What bothered me the most is, that when one is writing about a character that could be real, as here the heir to the British throne, is that it featured a description of a visiting American President, who was not described…nicely. Some things seemed very specific and gave a very ‘happening-right-now’ feel.
However, a bit longer into a book, this became much less of an issue. I found it really funny that a celebrity would actually fall for a paparazzi. It’s just something…that seems really impossible. I mean, the worlds are exactly the opposite, and however nice some people can be, paparazzi have really bad rep, probably for a reason.
However, Louis and Xavier somehow fall together, thanks to Louis’ problematic sister who takes them away to a party. And they continue their relationship, which they hide from most people. Of course, some people have to know.
I liked the book, it was a cute one with barely any angst, and when I got over the modern references thing, it was enjoyable. It is an easy read, it doesn’t take too long to read, and (even if it is at least slightly unrealistic/idealistic) it has a great ending.
*I received the book in exchange for an honest review*
This is the second book by the author I’ve read…and to be honest, they both feature the same kind of protagonist – someone who needs to hide who he is (my review of the other book, Forsaken, can be found here).
And since it is the time of the royal wedding, the theme of the book seems fitting. It is a nice, easy to read book. I had a few problems with it, but they weren’t *that* much of a problem.
What bothered me the most is, that when one is writing about a character that could be real, as here the heir to the British throne, is that it featured a description of a visiting American President, who was not described…nicely. Some things seemed very specific and gave a very ‘happening-right-now’ feel.
However, a bit longer into a book, this became much less of an issue. I found it really funny that a celebrity would actually fall for a paparazzi. It’s just something…that seems really impossible. I mean, the worlds are exactly the opposite, and however nice some people can be, paparazzi have really bad rep, probably for a reason.
However, Louis and Xavier somehow fall together, thanks to Louis’ problematic sister who takes them away to a party. And they continue their relationship, which they hide from most people. Of course, some people have to know.
I liked the book, it was a cute one with barely any angst, and when I got over the modern references thing, it was enjoyable. It is an easy read, it doesn’t take too long to read, and (even if it is at least slightly unrealistic/idealistic) it has a great ending.
December 11, 2018
This review was originally posted to Jen in Bookland
I loved King Consort! It was such a fun MM royal romance. Xavier and Prince Louis were so much fun to watch fall for each other.
Prince Louis needs to get married soon, but he has a problem - He doesn't like women like that. And no one can know because he will be King one day. So he is a well-known ladies man, only he doesn't get the ladies. He secretly gets the men. And they have to be secret one time things. He can't have a relationship because what would happen if it ever got out?
I loved the way Louis and Xavier met. Xavier is a bit of an introvert because of some things in his past, he doesn't put himself out there that much, but there is just something there between them. They are hot for each other and Xavier doesn't think he will see Louis again, but then it gets interesting. Because Xavier is paparazzi and Louis is royalty. Oh these two were fun. Because Louis might not trust Xavier at first because the paparazzi usually will do whatever for a story. But they like each other and it was so sweet. I loved watching them try to figure it out even if they thought there is no way this can last forever.
The secondary characters were also a blast. I loved Louis' sister and grandmother and everyone really. This was a very entertaining read. It was the first from this author for me, but won't be my last.
I loved King Consort! It was such a fun MM royal romance. Xavier and Prince Louis were so much fun to watch fall for each other.
Prince Louis needs to get married soon, but he has a problem - He doesn't like women like that. And no one can know because he will be King one day. So he is a well-known ladies man, only he doesn't get the ladies. He secretly gets the men. And they have to be secret one time things. He can't have a relationship because what would happen if it ever got out?
I loved the way Louis and Xavier met. Xavier is a bit of an introvert because of some things in his past, he doesn't put himself out there that much, but there is just something there between them. They are hot for each other and Xavier doesn't think he will see Louis again, but then it gets interesting. Because Xavier is paparazzi and Louis is royalty. Oh these two were fun. Because Louis might not trust Xavier at first because the paparazzi usually will do whatever for a story. But they like each other and it was so sweet. I loved watching them try to figure it out even if they thought there is no way this can last forever.
The secondary characters were also a blast. I loved Louis' sister and grandmother and everyone really. This was a very entertaining read. It was the first from this author for me, but won't be my last.
January 2, 2020
Louis is a British prince, next in line to the throne. He and his sister Anne are in the US and Canada on a tour, and Anne surprises her brother with a surreptitious visit to a sex club--and reveals that she knows he's gay. He's promised his grandmother, the current queen, that when he returns, he will marry, so Louis knows this is his last chance to have a fling. He meets Xavier, a scarred paparazzi photographer, and they instantly click and get together. Xavier is an introverted, misanthropic man, who is not thrilled when he's assigned to follow Louis around and take photos. Louis finally starts to trust him, and more and more they spend nights together. But where will it end? Because it has to end...
It took me a while to get into this--I wasn't sure I liked the characters too much, and for some reason, I kept giving Xavier a New Jersey accent (no idea why) that was very distracting in my head! Not the author's fault on that one, I guess. After a while I did get into it, and if the ending was aspirational, well, that's why you read books like this. I liked the sister, and Louis' relationship with her. There were some moments during the book when I was thinking, "Oh no--that's going to come back and bite them in the patootie"--but nothing did. Well, nothing they didn't want, anyway!
It took me a while to get into this--I wasn't sure I liked the characters too much, and for some reason, I kept giving Xavier a New Jersey accent (no idea why) that was very distracting in my head! Not the author's fault on that one, I guess. After a while I did get into it, and if the ending was aspirational, well, that's why you read books like this. I liked the sister, and Louis' relationship with her. There were some moments during the book when I was thinking, "Oh no--that's going to come back and bite them in the patootie"--but nothing did. Well, nothing they didn't want, anyway!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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