What do you think?
Rate this book
The Royal Affair
After a disastrous love affair, Peta Sheppherd was "off" men - with a vengeance. Therefore, she was in no mood to put up with her new boss, Lee Merril, his sweeping changes and his assumption that everyone was going to jump to his bidding. Peta certainly wasn't...
- GenresHarlequin Romance
158 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1976
About the author
Kay Thorpe
185 books65 followersKay Thorpe was born on 1935 in Sheffield, South Yorkshire, England, UK. An avid reader from the time when words on paper began to make sense, she developed a lively imagination of her own, making up stories for the entertainment of her young friends. After leaving school, she tried a variety of jobs, including dental nursing, and a spell in the Women's Royal Airforce from which she emerged knowing a whole lot more about life - if only as an observer.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
In 1960, she married with Tony, but didn't begin thinking about trying her hand at writing for a living until she gave up work some four years later to have a baby, John. Having read Mills & Boon novels herself, and done some market research in the local library asking readers what it was they particularly liked about the books, she decided to aim for a particular market, and was fortunate to have her very first, completed manuscript accepted - The Last of the Mallorys, published in 1968. Since then she has written over seventy five books, which doesn't begin to compare with the output of some Mills & Boon authors, but still leaves her wondering where all those words came from.
Sometimes, she finds she has become two different people: the writer at her happiest when involved in the world of books and authors; and the housewife, turning her hands to the everyday needs of husband and son. Once in a while, she finds it difficult to step from one role to the other. She likes cooking, for instance, but she finds that it can be an irritating interruption when she's preoccupied with work on a novel, so the quality of her efforts in the kitchen tend to be a little erratic. She says, "As my husband once remarked, my writing gives life a fascinating element of uncertainly: one day a perfect coq au vin, the next day a couple of burned chops!"
Luckily Kay has daily professional help with her housework, and that leaves her time to indulge in her hobbies. Like many other Mills & Boon authors, she admits to being a voracious consumer of books, a quality she shares with her readers. She likes music and horseback riding, which she does in the countryside near her home. But her favorite hobby is travel - especially to places that will make good settings for her books.
Kay now lives on the outskirts of Chesterfield in Derbyshire, along with husband, Tony, and a huge tabby cat called Mad Max, her one son having flown the coop. Some day she'll think about retiring, but not yet awhile.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
June 16, 2024
No, "The Royal Affair" by Kay Thorpe does not concern the Royal Family rather just the "Royal" hotel in a small town in England. The hero is the new hotel manager and immediately butts heads with the PA heroine, who remains loyal to her old boss who has been ousted in favor of this new arrogant go-getter. The heroine cares about her co-workers and some of her antagonism towards the hero comes from her anxiety over people losing their jobs over his ruthless methods. The hero bickered with her endlessly but came to respect her on a professional level at least. His eventual marriage proposal (made between puffs of his cigarette lol) didn't have that magical quality that I sometimes get at the end of one of these charming novels.
Read
February 15, 2022This one started off well enough. The "Royal" of the title is the name of a hotel in Cheshire. Business wizard Lee Merril has been placed in charge of turning around the fading hotel after its acquisition by the Hale Group. Peta Sheppard is a local girl who returned home after a disastrous love affair in London, and who now works as personal assistant to the hotel manager.
When her boss gets encouraged to retire early and she must now work for Lee, Peta is resentful of the changes. For his part, 30-something Lee considers 24-year-old Peta to be a mere child and questions her ability to serve as his PA. The book opens well and I found myself getting sucked into the workplace dramas of the Royal. I thought this had promise to be a fun enemies-to-lovers romance.
However, about a third of the way through, the work tensions started to have too much petty bickering and not enough romance. And then, almost out of nowhere, Lee morphed into a bully who was too much into punishing kisses and physical assault (at one point grabbing Peta's hair). That rather put me off the story and I gave up on it.
One last word of clarification - the "1990" in the title is the number of the book in the Harlequin Romance series, not the year of publication. This one was published in 1976.
When her boss gets encouraged to retire early and she must now work for Lee, Peta is resentful of the changes. For his part, 30-something Lee considers 24-year-old Peta to be a mere child and questions her ability to serve as his PA. The book opens well and I found myself getting sucked into the workplace dramas of the Royal. I thought this had promise to be a fun enemies-to-lovers romance.
However, about a third of the way through, the work tensions started to have too much petty bickering and not enough romance. And then, almost out of nowhere, Lee morphed into a bully who was too much into punishing kisses and physical assault (at one point grabbing Peta's hair). That rather put me off the story and I gave up on it.
One last word of clarification - the "1990" in the title is the number of the book in the Harlequin Romance series, not the year of publication. This one was published in 1976.
pback-to-read
July 8, 2022After a disastrous love affair, Peta Sheppherd was "off" men - with a vengeance. Therefore, she was in no mood to put up with her new boss, Lee Merril, his sweeping changes and his assumption that everyone was going to jump to his bidding. Peta certainly wasn't...
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews