ladygrey
This was almost a 2.5 star rating. The banter between Diana and Griffin was cute and the scenarios worked and I really liked the way she told everyone everything instead of it coming out in some horribly embarrassing way. Like full star just for that. But there were other things that drove me batty throughout the whole story until they were resolved at the end. They were admittedly little things about the realism of the book, and I get that this isn't supposed to be especially realistic. But if you're going to use a real country and a real monarchy you have to get the rules right. If you want to make up your own rules about succession and inheritance, make up a country. It's not as if Wilson hasn't done it before.
First of all, don't make his last name Windsor. I get it, she's trying to tie the story to the royal family but the House of Windsor is the Queen's family. Suggesting Griffin is connected means a much more direct relationship than the story establishes. Secondly, dowagers control nothing. The second an Earl comes of age, he controls the estate, the money, the title, everything. The only thing his mother or grandmother can do is frown disapprovingly. Granted, that form of emotional manipulation can be quite powerful but one of the story's conflicts is rooted firmly in the dowager's ability to withhold finances. I spent the whole book arguing with her that she has to get her facts straight. And I get why she did it. I still think the dowager's approval would have been strong enough motivation without taking the money into account, but when the revelation comes out that Griffin doesn't actually lose the title or the estate or the estate's money, just his grandmother's private fortune, it totally deflates the conflict Wilson established.
I also found Diana to be wildly contradictory in several places which was annoying. She's marveling about how she doesn't want anything from him but his company and two sentences lates is convinced he's playing her so she doesn't trust him. I'm sorry but you're totally broke and have no assets or influence. What could he possibly be trying to get from you? Also "he didn't seem like the kind of man who would be cheating on his wife” can't live two sentences away from “he had a child and was obviously married…he was a cheating McCheaterson who also lied.” It comes across as cheap attempts to stir up conflict the but the inconsistency in Diana's thoughts and opinions but comes across as bad writing more than good conflict.
Also, I spotted that the reporter is a reporter immediately. It was TOTALLY obvious and Diana was dumb for not even considering that was giving a total stranger the information she's sworn to keep secret. I understand that the idea of being in the public spotlight was new to her, but she's presumably pumped people for information before so some sort of recognition should happen for her. Again, Wilson needed the conflict but having it directly contradict Diana's experience and supposed “expertise” in conning people undermined the character and the story.
In the end, though, the romance was cute and it's not entirely stupid about the real world that it's set in. And it gets that ratings bump for someone at last being honest in one of these false identity stories which was a considerable relief.