Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day...or are they?

Cute, short and a nice holiday read! The characters were a bit in the older side but that didn’t stop me from enjoying this read. The characters appeared charming and absolutely adorable.

This story is just the type of lighthearted romance that you are looking for in a holiday read. The characters were likable and believable. The story itself had lots of emotions yet at the same time was light hearted. A great holiday read.

Finally catching up on some older titles Netgalley was nice enough to grant me access to!

I think I'm the problem here because I just didn't love it. The past couple Guillory books I've read have fallen flat for me and Royal Holiday is no exception unfortunately. Maybe because I have been reading spicier books that this sweeter romance just seems dull to me?

Royal Holiday follows Vivian and Malcolm - two mature black characters in their early 50s. They meet in England over Christmas when Vivian's daughter Maddie (mc of The Wedding Party) gets a job with a Duchess and brings her mom along and Malcolm is the Queen's personal secretary. The story is undoubtedly adorable and sweet and everything I used to crave when reading romance, but I was just bored and waiting for the audio to be over. I maybe should have DNFed, but I was granted access here and own a physical copy - I feel I was obligated to finish.

Royal Holiday is the fourth novel in Jasmine Guillory’s The Wedding Date series. I’ve meant to read this book since I read the first three books when they were released. I read it this summer (2023) and am glad I did. I don’t just read paranormal and dark romances. I enjoy sweet contemporary romance stories too.

Storyline/My Thoughts: If you read The Wedding Party, you’ll immediately recognize Maddie in this book as a secondary character this time. Her mother, Vivian Forest, is the main character now, and she’s about to find love in England when she’s on holiday with her daughter. Maddie is there for work, which gives Vivian time to enjoy her vacation in a place, she’s never been before. She never thought she would find the Queen’s assistant good-looking and great to be in company with, especially when he showed her around while her daughter was busy with the Duchess. Malcolm Hudson is intrigued by the beautiful woman from California, and he can’t seem to stay away from her. Both characters are mature-aged, which was different for me since I tend to read books with characters in their twenties or thirties. I loved that both characters were older and had similarities, such as being divorced from their previous marriages. They weren’t really looking for love at first, but they found it in one another. The issue was they both lived and worked thousands of miles away from each other after Vivian returned to the States.

I loved that this was a holiday romance story where the characters find love internationally and learn from each other different traditions and such. Still, unfortunately, it won’t be my favorite in the series from Jasmine Guillory. It was an okay read, and I wish the story would have been a little longer, such as learning more about the main characters. I had to agree with Vivian, too, towards the end of the book, where she confronts Malcolm about why it wouldn’t work between them since they live in separate countries. Then, the ending felt more like an HFN and not a HEA.

Also, I’m used to reading spicy scenes in books, but this was not spicy, unlike other books I’ve read. It had some steamy to it, but definitely not spicy. (Reminder, I read a lot of Dark and Erotic romance.)

If you enjoy listening to your books instead of reading them, check out the audiobook for this one. I’m picky about audiobooks, but I definitely enjoyed the narrator, Janina Edwards, who brought the characters to life.

Story Rating: ⭐️ ⭐️ ⭐️.5

Steam/Spice Rating: 🌶 .5

Would I recommend this book? I recommend this to readers who have read Jasmine Guillory’s books and enjoy sweet contemporary romance books. I also recommend it to readers who love Hallmark Christmas stories/movies, which this book reminded me of when I read it.

Genre/SubGenre(s): Romance | Contemporary Romance

Trope(s)/Element(s): Holiday/Christmas Themed Romance | Mature Aged Characters | Divorced MMC | Divorced FMC | Social Worker FMC | MMC works for Queen

With the holiday season upon us, I thought it was finally time to give ROYAL HOLIDAY a try, albeit a few years late.
I love all things royal and British so I was eager to see if this one would be a good fit for me. Unfortunately, I couldn't get into the story. I think it is a case of "it's me, not you." I know Guillory has many fans, so just because this wasn't the right book for me, doesn't mean you won't love it!

DNF
At this time, I'm no longer interested in this title. Thank you for the opportunity to read the book and I apologize for the inconvenience.

Jasmine Guillory writes some of the best contemporary romance, and Royal Holiday fits right in with that description. This was so cute and so funny, yet hopeful and sweet at the same time. I have loved every one of the books in this series and I can only hope there will be more!

It is refreshing to see a middle-aged woman at the center of a modern day romance. I loved Vivian in her daughters book but this book seemed dulled compared to the others.

I love a good royal romance. I LOVE an older heroine finding love.

Did I want this to be a little bit ... more? Yes.

Vivian Forest is able to accompany her daughter Maddie on a trip to England during the holidays. However, this isn't just England, but they are staying at a royal home. While there, Vivian meets the Queen's long-time private secretary, Malcolm Hudson. The two begin to spend some time together, which eventually leads to a kiss under some mistletoe. After that, things heat up, but Vivian is soon set to head back home. What will happen with their new romance?

While I enjoy Jasmine Guillory's books, this one was not my favorite.

A sweet, rare romance featuring mature characters. Really lovely to read these two connecting. A cozy and chill holiday read.

As a romantic nut case, any book Jasmine Guillory writes, I'm buying a copy for me and a whole lot for the store. This is my kind of book. Woman, older and over 40, finds romance with funny characters, beautiful settings, traveling to Europe, falling in love with her self and with him, who shall not be named right now. What more can you ask for and what are you waiting for? Buy the book from your local independent bookstore. You will be back for more.

This is the second book I've read by Jasmine Guillory and I think I have a new favorite author. I loved the story of Vivian and Malcolm. This book is wonderfully descriptive and wonderfully written!

This whole series has been fun. They're meant to be cute, mostly fluffy romances and that's exactly what you get.

Although I didn't enjoy this one as much as some of the other's by Guillory, it was a delightful and easy read. It took place in England, and hit some good notes. Romance, a happily ever after, English royalty and some good scenes with good settings. It also took place over the holidays so that was another bonus for reading it over the winter months.

FULL REVIEW ON FRESH FICTION
While the setup is very cute for the upcoming Christmas season as well as featuring protagonists in their mid-50s, ROYAL HOLIDAY by Jasmine Guillory falls flat. Between the near-constant mentions of scones and cutesy notes delivered by footmen, the quick romance between Vivian and Malcolm felt superficial. Additionally, for a character who had never been to the UK, aside from intricately describing royal jewels, the sights and sounds of Great Britain were glossed over and not given a chance to shine. It was also hard to tell the difference between Vivian and Malcolm's points of view - their internal voices sound almost identical. Once Vivian does return home to California, she and Malcolm begin sending each other postcards, and that’s the only way they communicate once they are on different continents, even though they had sent text messages earlier in the novel. There are a couple of side plots - a possible job promotion for Vivian after years of hard work and a seemingly rash decision made by Malcolm's nephew that throws his family for a loop - that were cute but read like filler. After Guillory’s stronger earlier novels (namely The Wedding Date and The Proposal), ROYAL HOLIDAY does not have as much yuletide sparkle as readers will expect.

Adorable contemporary romance! Loved that the characters weren't the typical ages for a romantic=comedy.

Vivian Forest's daughter Maddie will not take no for an answer when she asks her mother to spend Christmas with her in England while she is on assignment to design and dress a Duchess. Facing a possible promotion that will tie her up time-wise, Vivian plans to take full advantage of her stay in England. What she doesn't expect is to meet the charming Malcolm Hudson, the Queen's Private Secretary. The two hit it off right away and the more time they spend together, they closer they become. However, they both know their any relationship they have will be short lived. They both have their own lives to live--and an ocean between them.

Royal Holiday is a sweet holiday romance between two middle-aged people (yay!). Malcolm and Vivian are such nice people. Although I enjoyed their time getting to know each other at the Sandringham Estate, it felt like something was missing. I wanted a tad more complexity--to the characters and their overall story. I think the author attempts that toward the end of the novel with Malcolm and his nephew, Vivian and her promotion and then their sudden realization that their time together is coming to an end--something they hadn't even talked about before then. And yet, I still found Royal Holiday to be a delightful read in it's own way. It made me smile and I wanted to keep reading. I enjoyed my time with Vivian and Malcolm (and especially wish I could sample Julia's cooking!). I have heard the author's earlier books in the series are better, and I look forward to finding out for myself.

This was INSANELY adorable! Featuring two people of color, and both older than the characters I usually read about in romances, this British/American Christmas romance was a breath of fresh air. My first Jasmine Guillory, but not my last. Recommended!