Maggie and I have the same outlook on what we would do in a zombie apocalypse. I agree what is the point of survival.
This was a fun history filled rom -com and I loved seeing the inside lives of people who actually get to live in the tower of London.

I DNF'd this book at around 25%, The story contained far too much introspection and description and I felt like the actual romance took a back burner to the author trying to paint her version of the Tower of London. Her characters and their interactions also bordered on the comical in how they were portrayed and their interactions were just so awkward.

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard was such a fun rom-con. I just loved Maggie, her clumsiness, her passion for history and the Tower, her kindness,… she was very likable. Same with Freddie, I want my own Freddie now.
I loved the setting of the story and didn’t even know people actually lived in the Tower today! The fact that the author actually lives there, makes this setting even more special in my eyes.

I can absolutely recommend this book to anyone looking for a clean romance, with lots of fun scenes and fluffy moments.

Thank you NetGalley and Avon Books UK for providing me with an eARC OF Falling Hard for the Royal Guard in return for my honest opinion.

This is my first read of Megan Clawson and I really enjoyed it! You can certainly tell that Megan has insiders knowledge for living in the Tower of London, it is extremely detailed and made it really easy to picture the books settings (the map at the start of the book helps too!). This book was a really interesting concept and Clawson really do it justice. The characters were flawed, but this made them realistic and relatable. It also gave the opportunity for the main character Maggie to have realistic character development that made her more likeable in my opinion. I really enjoyed the slow burn build of the love story between Maggie and Freddie, there was obvious chemistry and it didn’t feel pushed. I also really enjoyed the stories between the side character including Maggie’s Dad and her horrible experiences with her colleagues and ex.

Overall a really quick and cute read!

This book is the first by this author and I must say I enjoyed it very much.
It has wit and charming characters. I personally like books set in places I know and have been to. Such was the case with this one. The Tower of London is such a beautiful site and I have been there several times as a tourist. With the detailed descriptions in the book, it felt like you were right there.
Sometimes the description was right down to the last detail. Grandiose. I felt like I was getting a real insight into the history of the Tower.

Maggie is a great character who develops a lot over the course of the book, from lonely, sad Maggie to an enthusiastic and lovely strong woman.
Freddie is a bit mysterious and you don't really get to know him, but later on you have a completely different picture of him, and also understand why he did some things the way he did.
The other guards are terrific and wiry, really good friends that everyone wants.

Overall, I think it's a very successful book with ups and downs, with funny parts and serious topics, with romantic love confessions and total asshole behaviour. A good mixture that I can only recommend!

Keep it up!

I was really looking forward to this one because it sounded right up my alley. The premise of a romance set at the Tower of London and falling for one of the guards sounded exciting but the execution fell flat. I couldn’t get into it as the writing style was more telling than showing, with excessive descriptions of the MCs inner thoughts. And the MC herself is annoyingly “quirky” because she’s clumsy but in an extreme sense. In the first chapter alone she nearly flashes a tourist, puts her underwear on backwards, trips and falls, and is late to work despite living in the same place where she works (which is apparently a recurring theme according to other reviewers). I’m over the quirky, clumsy, “not like other girls” trope so for these reasons I ended up DNFing

I really enjoyed this book, it was laugh out loud, sweet and engaging. It had me hooked from the very beginning. The author managed to make waiting for a takeaway hilarious. That takes serious skill.

had no idea such a world existed inside the Tower of London, a place I have visited, but had no idea people actually live there. What an amazing opportunity one our main character has had. The author shares a similar experience to the heroine in this book and the adage definitely proves true here, write what you know. The characters are well rounded and interesting and even better believable.

I highly recommend you give this book a read. You wont be disappointed.

I received an arc of this book via NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

I absolutely love London based books and this was no exception. It’s funny and delightfully entertaining and I loved both characters and their love story! I highly recommend

With Avon being a part of Harper Collins, I will be holding on to my review until the Harper Collins Union is given a fair contract. I look forward to publishing my review at that time.

I wanted to love this book. It has so many things I love, England, History, Guards, the Tower, but it just fell flat. While I enjoyed the characters overall, especially Freddie and the Guards, Maggie, the main heroine, was disappointing. About halfway through the book she suddenly started talking about how awful her body was and how ugly she was (though it is revealed through the book that she's a 5' 9" ginger with tons of curls and weighs 168lb/12 stone). Had the author chosen to focus on her overcoming the manipulative/emotionally abusive relationship she had been in for 7 years instead of her hating her body I might have liked her more and I really thought that's where it was going until about page 160. Maggie is a walking pity party and cannot see all the good things those around her are saying. While that isn't abnormal for someone who's been through what she has, it just felt disingenuous to the character the first half of the book was creating. Three stars for Freddie, the other guards, her dad, the Yoeman, and the Raven Master. Maggie was the weakest link.

If you are looking for a fun romantic tale to sweep you off your feet, Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson is for you! This book has everything you could want in a romance novel: a love affair between a feisty American tourist and a hunky royal guard, a picturesque European setting, and enough drama and flirty dialogue to keep you hooked until the very end.

But what sets Falling Hard for the Royal Guard apart from countless other romance novels? The answer is simple: Megan Clawson's razor-sharp wit and irreverent humor. From the hilarious mishaps and misadventures that pepper the story to the clever banter and sparkling dialogue between the two main characters, this book will have you laughing with the main character.

So kick back, pour yourself a glass of wine, and let Clawson whisk you away on a whirlwind adventure of romance and excitement. Trust me; you won't regret it!

I loved this debut rom-com!

Freddie and Maggie’s unrequited romance was just what I needed. Although there’s plenty of genuine LOL moments in the story there were also heartfelt moments that had my emotions all over the place.

Definitely recommend if you’re looking for a story full of heart and laughs.

Thanks to Avon Books, Netgalley and the author for an ARC of this book. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This book is delightful, but don't let the cover fool you, it's got more depth than you would expect. If you're a bit of a history buff like me and Maggie (the main character) you will love the detailed history of the Tower of London that pops up between the pages of this book.

Maggie works at the Tower in the ticket booth, and her father is a Beefeater, She knows almost everything about the Tower itself and all the of brilliant characters, past and present, that live there, However, she is stuck in a bit of a rut. She's broken up with her domineering and cheating boyfriend, and she's at an all-time low where her self-esteem in concerned. Although her father and her have a good relationship, she misses her mother, who has passed away.

But when she runs into (literally) one of the Royal Guard, a handsome man called Freddie, she thinks her luck might be changing.

I had a lot of empathy for Maggie - she's clumsy but intelligent, attractive but not beautiful and she really has problems seeing her own self-worth. But her heart is open and she is such a warm character that it is hard not to like her as a reader.

I loved Freddie's character as well, although I really wanted to know what was going on inside his head!

This was a charming read, full of laughter and touching moments that I am sure will make it one of the better contemporary romances of 2023.

This story follows Maggie who is twenty-six and looking for love in the most unlikely place; the Tower or London. I loved Maggie's character and loved getting to know the fun group of men she becomes friends with. I enjoyed the story but the plot seemed to drag at times. The details about the Tower of London were fascinating but almost too much. I enjoyed this book but it did fall a little flat for me overall.

Two interesting characters, a well plotted story, a romance that made me root for Maggie and Freddie.
Entertaining, compelling, very funny.
Recommended.
Many thanks to the publisher for this arc, all opinions are mine

Thank you to NetGalley for the advanced reader copy in exchange for an honest review. Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson.
I really enjoyed this book and felt like it was a delightful read. It took me time to get into the story, it is definitely a slow burn romance. I’m glad that I kept on reading!
The main female characters woes through online dating are funny and relatable. The main male character is charming, and kind. I enjoyed reading their story and selfishly would have loved more.
The setting is the Tower of London and I feel like I learned things that I didn’t know before. The main point being that people live on the grounds!
I look forward to future books by this author!

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard was a great book! I loved the main characters and really enjoyed reading about the people who lived in the grounds of the Tower of London. It was interesting to find out about the guards and what goes on behind the scenes.

The book was well written and a joy to read. It left me with a warm fuzzy feeling, it was very romantic and I would recommend it.

'Falling Hard for the Royal Guard' was an interesting read because it was both a slight disappointment, and a total delight in equal measure. It delighted me for reasons I wasn't expecting and slightly let me down in other ways.
The book follows a young woman named Maggie, a history buff who lives with her Dad who is a Yeoman Warder at the Tower of London. She gets to drench herself in the most gorgeous, historic and interesting landmark in London, making friends with ravens and also the veteran soldiers who make up the Beefeaters. She literally lives in a palace, however her life is anything but royal. Maggie lost her mum several years before which she's never really gotten over and has a lukewarm relationship with her typically emotionally stunted but well-meaning Dad. Her history passions are wasted working at a Tower ticket office where she is bullied by her cartoonishly evil coworkers, and worst of all she has recently split up with her boyfriend of several years who clearly spent a long time emotionally abusing and gaslighting her, to the point where her self-esteem is at zero and she has nobody in her life she can talk to because he isolated her from all her friends. Enter Freddie, a strong-and-silent type Grenadier Guard, who seems to see Maggie for who she really is, and likes her for it.
My main disappointment stems from the cover and title of the book- the cover illustrates Maggie as a gorgeous plus size woman, and I do admit it is the main reason I wanted to read the book- I've been looking for body positive plus-size romances for ages and I was hoping this would be one. However, Maggie does describe herself as plus size several times throughout the book- mentioning her big tummy, breasts and behind- but somewhere towards the end of the book mentions what her height and weight is, which is very firmly on the healthy side of thin, and would nowhere near resemble the lady on the cover. Overall I feel like it's yet another case of a character insisting they're a total mess, but actually all they need to do is brush their hair and smile and they're suddenly a goddess.
In addition, the title suggests that the romance with Freddie, the royal guard, is the main focus of the book, which couldn't be any more misleading. I found the main plotline to be Maggie's adjustment to being single and the modern dating world, while also grappling with her self-esteem issues and mental health. The romantic plotline is only very gently sprinkled throughout before becoming the main focus of the story about four fifths of the way through the book. While I did find the whole story of the book very interesting, I do wish it had been paced a little better and Freddie be a bit more fleshed out rather than being so mysterious. 
However, I found the setting of the book (the Tower itself) to be incredibly interesting, you can really tell from the details that the author lived there herself and her passion for the history of the place really shines through without ever being boring. If you haven't ever been to the Tower of London, this book will make you desperately want to go. Also Maggie's foray into modern dating was both hilarious and relatable. 
Overall I really enjoyed this book while being a little disappointed at parts. I feel like it could have been twice as long with the storylines running concurrently rather than having the stuff with Freddie happen right at the end.

3.5 ⭐

Thanks to social media, I discovered Megan Clawson from her Instagram page! I’m a history buff and love British history. When she announced her upcoming debut novel, I was so excited and knew I had to read it. My bookshelf is loaded with books on royals and their palaces.

What a delightful read - especially for anyone looking for a clean romance! It was the perfect mixture of history, humour, and romance. I learned so much about this unique postcode and the wonderful people who are fortunate enough to call it home.

I’m British and I loved the expressions - ‘skive off’, ‘earwigging’, and ‘ten minutes of kip.’ I’m sure those will have many running to Google!

I laughed out loud at her rope burn experience and was saddened by the lack of privacy - a trade-off for security - for those who call this home.

I can’t wait to see what Clawson has planned next. I hope it’s a sequel.

I was gifted this copy by Avon Books UK and NetGalley and was under no obligation to provide a review.

I spent the entire book falling in love with Maggie instead of the guards. From the moment she collides with Lord Lamppost to having a pint with her guardsmen family, I loved following her journey in discovering such an intense sense of self-worth.

The romance here is the buy-in, but please do stay and follow Maggie as she processes old traumas, fends off a manipulative ex, and braves the ghostly corridors of the Tower of London.