Beyond Titles & Tiaras (Crowns & Courtships, #7)

by Carol Moncado

[phyllish]

Queen Mothers were supposed to be boring, staid, and old. Her family’s head of security knew she was anything but.

Carol Moncado has created such an intricate world through her books! She doesn’t hesitate to have people from one series pop up in others. From Serenity Landing, Missouri to kingdoms in the Caribbean, the Pacific, and Europe, her novels encompass a large portion of the globe. Her characters from one series (and country!) are bound to show up, oftentimes in surprising ways, in others.

Thor and Queen Eliana have now been in a number of the Crowns and Courtships series stories, with his niece starring in one and her sons the main characters in others. And there was always the hint that their feelings for one another went beyond friendship or, shall I say, co-workers. So I was glad to see them get their own story.

It was so interesting to see Thor’s concerns about a relationship between him and the Queen Mother. Aside from feeling it would be inappropriate because he had no title, he was concerned that having a relationship with her would distract him from his job – protecting the King. I guess it is similar to doctors who won’t treat their own family.

I really appreciated Thor’s integrity. It showed up in so many ways and was part of the reason he was so hard on himself when things went wrong. Harder than he needed to be.

Poor Eliana had so many feelings of insignificance. And so many of the events of this story reinforced that sense of not being important. You would think a queen would be exempt from that, but they are still people with the same flaws we have, right?

If you have been following along in the books, you will be surprised (or not!) at the changes that have taken place in King Benjamin’s personality now that he is out from under Isaac’s thumb. I really enjoyed seeing the leader, husband, and son that he has become.

While the plot was interesting and I really liked the characters, I felt as though I was waiting for something to happen throughout the book. There were hints that things were going to go wrong, and with Thor being the head of security, it needed to be a part of this story. Perhaps it is because I read a suspense story before this, but when the crisis finally did arise, it seemed a bit underwhelming.

If you are a fan of sweet romance featuring royalty, this could be a good choice for your next read.
at Among the Reads""


I was given a copy of this book. I was not required to give a favorable review nor was any money received for this review. All comments and opinions are my own.