At first glance I was not the biggest fan of The Royal Matchmaking competitions. I felt I couldn't connect with the mfc and her naiveness. However after going back and doing a little more research of the intended audience and style of writing the author was going for ("Takes place in a fantasy High Renaissance era. Intended to be a light-hearted and playful read.") I was able to reevaluate and regroup. I can see a preteen audience falling right into this book.
As for older ya fans, for example fans of the selection or The Damsel, I feel as if this book would not hold interest.

Over all a good debut book.

The best way to describe this is...Medieval fantasy meets The Bachelor.

I really wanted to love this book, but I never felt connected to the characters. The premise of the book is really interesting. It was slow at times, but I couldn't have guessed the ending.

Thank you to the author, and to NetGalley for the eARC.

Might contain spoilers:

This book is...rough. I admittedly was slow to get into it until the arrow scene and then the horse race. My interest was piqued, but then the centaurs seem to be an after thought until the end. The bachelor chosen didn't surprise me, however, the lead up to it did. I'm surprised there will be follow-up books as the plotline was very one and done and the epilogue wrapped up the story enough I don't have interest in a sequel. I can't imagine a sequel with the main character's son, either, as it seems they are very young and the epilogue ends on the wings of a revolution.

In the chapter 20s, the pacing of the story began to not make sense and scenes jumped from one to the other without transition. I don't know if this was a stylistic choice of the author, but it was very difficult to read some chapters as like 10 things happened at once. I was stuck rereading a lot of things because I couldn't figure out what was happening.

A lot of my students enjoy this trope (I enjoy it myself, too) but despite the relatively pg-13 nature of the writing (Qloey reads like a 12 year old who just found an issue of Cosmo, and I had to keep reminding myself she was supposed to be 20), I would be hesitant to add this title to my class library. The Empress is incredibly triggering, bordering on abusive, and how it's written it is difficult to process.

I did think it was neat that the characters are drawn, however, I felt it was a bit out of place when a page of Qloey's diary was included.

I really appreciate being given the chance to read this ARC.

It was so good! I loved the story, all of their dynamics. It was funny, with a bit of suspens. I loved all the plot twists, didn't see them coming! The ambiance and atmosphere were amazing. My favorite book this month, for sure!

I was not a fan of this book. I didn’t realize it was YA when I requested it, but I should have assumed given the premise. The writing is stiff and clunky, a lot of telling and not showing. I found the main character insufferable, and there were too many side characters to keep track of. I would go so far as to describe this book as problematic. I don’t normally leave such harsh reviews, but I can’t find a single good thing to say about it. Thanks for the arc nonetheless!

Writing:4/5
Character Development: 4/5
Romance:5/5
World Building: 4/5

Warnings: None

Themes: Fantasy, Romance

Qloey’s story in The Royal Matchmaking Competition was so much fun to read. The magical world Zoiy G. Galloay created had me absorbed in the world of royalty, elfs, dwarves, and many other fairytales. It was an interesting twist on the usual royal competition story with having 12 bachelors compete for the heart of the princess. Of course I had my favorites I was rooting for. Plus the additional drama of a potential assasin among the competitors made this story that much better.

I would recommend this book to anyone who loves a strong princess wanting to do the right thing against all odds while trying to pick her future husband among the many wonderful, and terrible, bachelors trying to win her heart.

I received a free copy of this book and I am leaving an honest review voluntarily.

Overall, the author made it a point to be as descriptive as possible when the setting and characteristics are involved. It has an interesting plotline (Hello Bachelor retelling set in a fantasy realm), however, the characterization of the main cast themselves are under developed. I understand this is just the first book, but the book ended with the Crown Princess still indecisive and irritatingly infatuated with the idea of love. And not only that, the plot twist was lodged few pages before the book ended abd I was like - that's it? I waited for 40 chapters for this Bachelor ro be chosen? I felt like the author intended to have an underlying story somewhere but there were no transitions made which in turn, made loopholes on the plot as well.

I went into this with really high hopes and my emotions went on a roller coaster ride throughout the course of the book. The description tempted me with The Selection vibes and I am a sucker for these royal bachelor/ette plots.
Our heroine is Princess Qloey, I'm assuming her name is pronounced like Chloe, but I could be wrong, and she is participating in the Royal Matchmaking Competition to find her future husband. At first, I actually found Qloey to be very shallow and judgemental. However, throughout the course of the book she experiences wonderful character development and while I found her to be a bit fickle in the end, I genuinely grew to love her.

A few thoughts I had throughout my reading journey:
* I really liked the addition of the bachelors pictures before each date. Let me just say, Edgar is EXACTLY how I pictured him.
* The world-building was a tad bit underdeveloped for my liking. I actually didn't even realize the story was taking place in the 16th century until the end of the book when one of the contestants mentioned it.
* I love love love who she ended up with. Honestly, I loved every boy Qloey loved... but ultimately I love the bachelor she ended up with the most.
* Also, I have no idea how any of these guys were so understanding and kind... I would have been fuming if I was pursuing someone and they were out kissing multiple other people and snuggling it up. I expected more drama, truthfully.

Overall, I really enjoyed this read and thanks to the prologue for the next book I think I am going to enjoy it even more than I enjoyed this one!

This review is posted on Goodreads as of October 21, 2022.

This truly is a medieval fantasy The Bachelor. Princess Qloey is eager to get to know the twelve young men competing for her hand in the traditional Royal Matchmaking Competition (RMC for short). There’s the night one introductions (complete with over-the-top entrances), one-on-one dates (painting, picnics), and group date competitions where some of the men rely on smoldering looks compared to the others who are actually good at archery. Oh, and also a secret plot that might be orchestrating Qloey's assassination.

Alongside the romance, the larger world of politics is pretty expansive, with several kingdoms and regions vying for power. The twelve suitors are introduced in an overwhelming flood, and it took some time to remember who was who. Qloey waffles between mature/pragmatic royal heiress (evaluating the suitors' political connections and resources) and blushing teen (giggling over the boys' good looks). My advice - don't take it too seriously and go along for the ride. I loved the character art interspersed throughout, and despite the dramatics and wonky editing (in some sections, what even are verb tenses?), I can say that I truly didn't guess the ending.

**Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC**

(My review is live on Goodreads and my blog, links attached)

This book was a great change, when it comes to royal matchmaking competition books, it is usually a prince having to choose from numerous ladies. This gave a different view, and I liked the Qloey's character, her compassion really was big in the book. Her family, cold hearted, I could not stand her mother. I did chuckle a few times, especially when someone had an embarrassing incident on a date. It was not just romance, there is a mystery as well. A whodunit, someone is trying to get her killed. I will admit that the one who she married was my first choice but not her's. She had different pros and cons with each of them. I'm happy with how it ended and I'm for the second book.

The Royal Matchmaking Competition (referred to as RMC in the novel) follows Princess Qloey as she hosts 12 bachelors from across her empire, one of which she’ll choose to become her husband. Qloey is a very well developed character. At the beginning of the book she seems to be the ignorant royal that her mother, Empress Ezmorelda, has brow beaten her to be. As the plot unfolds, we come to learn that the royal family is being targeted by an assassin. I truly did not know who the identity of the assassin would be until right before they were revealed, which is very impressive in my opinion for a Young Adult novel. Princess Qloey grows into her compassion bestowed upon her by her fairy goddess mother by listening to all of the bachelors, regardless of their race or class and uses it to better her realm. The book has great court politics, world building, and commentary on emotional abuse that makes it suitable for older readers as well. I would absolutely recommend this book to anyone who loves The Selection series by Kierra Cass. The only criticism I have was that there were several grammatical errors sprinkled throughout the text. Overall, it was a cute and cozy novel to relax and escape to. Can’t wait for the upcoming sequel!

I have just finished reading this arc and sadly I did not get anything I was promised from the blurb. I thought this book would have contained a fast paced well developed and exciting story line and plot however I felt it was extremely predictable and a bit of a let down. The main character felt very bland to me which I was pretty upset to discover. The main characters parents were the typical royal “I hate my child” parents however there was no resolution or development between these characters. Also I feel like I have to mention that there was no resolution or closure to the book it’s self, it ended just like that with no real outro that I would expect from a book. I feel like the whole book could have turned out differently if the main character had a little bit of a back bone for the things that really mattered. I do think the author put a lot of hard work and effort into this book and I really do applaud them for that and feel like to the right audience this book could be an enjoyable read however I would sadly not recommend this book.

I love me a good royal romance book and this one did not disappoint! 😏

It had humor, mystery, romance and drama, very enjoyable read 📚

Pros: I liked the FMC from the beginners and my fondness kept growing with each chapter! Cons: It was a really fast paced book and I cant help but wonder if I would have enjoyed the book more if there were less characters but they were more developed? Don't get me wrong, 12 bachelors competing for 1 woman thrope sounds right up my alley 😂 but I felt discontinued to lots of them and wondered why the heck they are even there 🙉

It had some unexpected twists that surprised me and the jokes were cracking 😃



PS I've posted my review (the same) on goodreads

And would love to leave one when is available on amazon ;)

This was somehow everything and nothing like I expected it to be. It was bizarre and had The Selection type element I was wanting but I don’t understand anything else that happened. Having a first cousin as a love interest was so uncomfortable, the descriptions for kissing were super cringe and the main character was really immature. I just need to accept that nothing will ever live up to The Selection series.

I really wanted to like this book more than I did. It kept me interested enough to make it through the whole book, but just enough. I loved the worldbuilding, the plot, and the characters. I really liked Qloey as a character and her development through the story.
I personally would have liked a little more understanding of why her parents have certain feelings towards her, specifically her dad. Unless that information is being saved for a future book, I feel like it just got looked over in the story.
I also just really didn't enjoy the ending. I know all books can't have a HEA, but this really feels like she settled and it's pretty apparent to everyone. I honestly would have rather seen her end up alone until it was safe to be with who she really wanted.

This book was rough. The worldbuilding, the characters, the ending - none of it made sense to me. The premise had potential, but the way it was executed left me super confused. It was a quick read and I genuinely wanted to know what happened next, but that somehow made the end result even more disappointing - not exactly the fairytale ending you’d be expecting. This book just wasn’t for me!

3.5 stars

12 bachelors compete to win the hand of the crown princess in this YA fantasy romance… but is one of them the assassin?

Qloey starts out pretty unlikeable but because of this we get incredible character growth! Her parents - namely her mother - are abusive and cruel and she’s been raised basically in isolation with only them around. Through the Royal Matchmaking Competition she has the opportunity to meet 12 eligible bachelors from around the empire who come from all different backgrounds and help open her eyes. Qloey quickly realises that you can’t judge a book by its cover and that she hasn’t been told the whole truth about life under her parents’ rule. Also someone’s trying to kill her.

The pace is fast and most of the characters are not terribly subtle so it’s fairly clear who is an ally and who is a potential threat. The reveals at the end did surprise me and make sense but I was also left a bit disappointed. I had hoped if she couldn’t have her first choice that maybe she’d figure out a way to not marry anyone but that didn’t happen. There’s nothing wrong with who she did choose but it still felt like she settled.

[arc review] - all opinions are my own

A bachelorette-ish story. Except that one of the bachelors is an assassin plotting to kill the princess and destroying the empire.

Lots of swoon-worthy guys... one very likable heroine.... a fun and sexy story. Really enjoyed it. It took me a bit to get into the story but it was really good once you get into it.

Thanks to the publisher for the arc.