Hardworking hospital social worker Vivian Forest takes a long-overdue vacation to the English countryside, accompanying her daughter, Maddie, who's been hired to fill in as stylist to the Duchess during the Christmas holidays. The first morning they are at Sandringham, Vivian visits the kitchen to get some breakfast and discovers not only the cook's scrumptious scones, but also the equally scrumptious private secretary to the Queen, whom Vivian mentally nicknames "Hot Chocolate." The usually reserved Malcolm is astonished to find himself offering to give Vivian a tour, and even more startled when their flirtation grows to include horseback riding lessons, an exchange of humorous handwritten notes, kissing under mistletoe, and a full-blown fling. Sadly, all vacation flings must end, however. ...Musn't they?

I absolutely love that both Vivian and Malcolm are in their fifties. It's so nice to read about characters with established careers and lives, who know who they are and what they like and aren't straining to prove themselves. I so enjoyed Vivian's problem-solving skills and quiet, confident manner in rescuing Malcolm's relationship with his nephew. It did take Vivian a ridiculously long time to decide what to do about her promotion opportunity and Malcolm to sort through his feelings for Vivian, though. But it was probably pretty realistic.

For readers' advisors: character doorway is primary. There is some swearing and sex, although not especially explicit. No violence. The story takes place mostly in England, but also partly in the San Francisco Bay area. It's book #4 in a contemporary romance novel series featuring African-American protagonists, which I didn't realize until after I started reading, but it didn't seem to matter much that I read out of order.

Many thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for letting me read an eGalley copy!

Holiday romances are generally shallow, feel good fluff. In that sense, this doesn’t disappoint. Guillory gets credit for trying to inject several variations to add interest: older black woman and daughter spend a fantasy-like Christmas with British nobility and Mom finds love. That had good story potential. Unfortunately, it felt like someone young was writing about what she thought a romance between 50-somethings would be like. The story fell into the all-too-common trap of telling us about the characters rather than letting them develop and reveal themselves through plot and dialogue, In spite of my hopes, this novel failed to rise up and stand out above all the other formulaic novels that get cranked out on demand for Christmas.

My favorite Guillory title yet. I love the royal setting and the holiday romance. I love the more "mature characters and how they solve the problems that go with being already established in your own life. The ending was a pleasant surprise -- tip over that cliche!

The premise of this latest Jasmine Guillory is good - the mother of the Duchess of England’s stylist flies across the pond for a Christmas visit and falls for the Queen’s private secretary - but the execution is meh. There’s no difference between what should be the very different narrative voices of Vivian and Malcolm (a flaw in her other books too tbh) and the ending was too rushed. Props for having an older couple in contemporary romance though!

This was very cute, but I definitely didn't enjoy it as much as her past books. It wasn't very steamy, and I don't know if it's because it's 50-somethings as the main characters, or if it's because it's meant to be sweet. Either way, I kind of missed the steaminess.

Thanks to Edelweiss and the publisher for the digital ARC.

An extremely sweet holiday fantasy. Vivian’s daughter Maddie (star of the previous book in Guillory’s series) invites her mom to tag along to England for a styling job at Christmas. Vivian has devoted her life to social work and raising her daughter alone, so she jumps at the chance to travel. And whom should she meet at the royal residence but Malcolm, a tall drink of hot chocolate, private secretary to the Queen, who is only too happy to escort Vivian around to see the sights.

I always enjoy seeing older characters get their own story, since so much of romance is dominated by twentysomethings and their young drama. Vivian and Malcolm struggle with many of the same issues (career, trust, love) as their millennial counterparts, only they’re more mature about it. Mostly.

Overall, a delightful read and one that’s sure to be popular for Christmas.

I really liked this book. It was fun to read a book about an older couple falling in love. I liked the long distance romance also.

I just loved this book. I'm almost sad I read it now, in the middle of summer - it really is just begging to be read curled up in front of a fire. The central love story is a whirlwind, but a slow burn at the same time. They're so practical and realistic about their lives, but at the same time they can't deny the chemistry between them. I loved how easily they talk to each other!

Enjoyable little romp set mostly around one of the Queen's homes, Sandringham Castle. I thought a lot of the royal information, servant working life, the ins and outs seemed accurate and interesting. The love story was realistic. I appreciated that the leading couple were in their 50s. Love isn't just for the young ones.

I have loved all the books in this series but I have to say that this one is my least favorite. I think I am just too young to be reading about character's who are in their 50's.

By now I think I would read a training manual if it was written by Jasmine Guillory. I have read and enjoyed all her books. I love the characters she creates and their witty and heartfelt HEAs.

This book is from the emerging Romance subgenre called Seasoned Romance. The main characters of Royal Holiday are in their early to mid-fifties. It was delightful to watch their attraction grow through the handwritten notes and later the postcards they sent to each other. Seasoned Romances show that there is no age limit on opening up your heart to someone and taking a chance on love.

Thank you NetGalley and Berkley Publishing for the ARC

Honestly, I didn't care.

I really enjoyed The Wedding Date and The Proposal, but one thing I did notice at the time was that Guillory's characters didn't seem particularly differentiated - their inner voices all sounded the same to me. As she's written two more books, this problem has only increased. I can't tell her narrators apart. Vivian sounds like Malcolm, even though they're supposed to be very different people in their gender, nationality, profession, etc and they sound indistinguishable from the much younger narrators of her previous books.

My other objection is purely personal, and has nothing to do with the quality of the book, but I'm just generally less interested in late-in-life romance. It doesn't appeal to me - maybe when I'm older!

I love Jasmine Guillory! Her books always make me happy, and Royal Holiday was no exception. Royal Holiday starts with Vivian taking a trip to England with her daughter Maddie. (I believe Maddie was the heroine for The Wedding Date, but I haven't read that one yet; I had no trouble following this book, so if this is your first Guillory you'll be fine.) This is a work trip for her daughter (who is a stylist), so Vivian has time to herself to explore. She meets Malcolm, the private secretary to Queen Elizabeth, and the two immediately hit it off. As an aside, sometimes the way authors approach royals can be weird, but Guillory hit it perfectly, I felt. She makes references to Meghan Markle and Brexit, but I liked the way she didn't focus on them; she lets her characters be the story. I also liked that she was obviously referring to (though not naming) Meghan and Harry as opposed to making up royals, calling them "Reghan and Barry," and having them be overly prominent. Anyway, both Vivian and Malcolm were wonderful, full characters. They were warm and fun, but imperfect. I loved that they both made mistakes but were willing to talk them out. It was also so nice to read a book with 50-somethings who are mature and not overly insecure, and who approached their relationship in a realistic way. This was another fantastic book from Jasmine Guillory, and I can't wait to see what she comes out with next. (Oh and I'm even more excited for The Wedding Date now!)