Member Reviews
While this is a adult contemporary romance there were really was very little romance. I liked the characters but felt the love interest was barely even in the book until the very very end so I kinda felt cheated on the romance part. I did enjoy the history in the story. 2.5 stars for there really being minimal romance in a romance book.
Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.
loved this romance and her trying to find love and finding herself. loved the friends and and the romance. I would read this author again. I really enjoyed the pacing and how the story and the character worked things out.
Thank you Netgalley for giving me a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review.
Oh man. This was so cute until it wasn’t.
Maggie is so self conscious and constantly thinks she’s a giant and no man could ever love her, yet everyone loves her.
I get that she has gone through so much trauma, but she felt for a man who was a board. Like zero emotions.
I really wanted to like it, but unfortunately just wasn’t for me.
This was a cute rom-com that I would definitely recommend!
I received an e-ARC from the publisher.
Maggie lives in the Tower of London and she has a job there selling tickets. She hates the other employees so much. She meets a Beefeater that is very attractive.
This book gives a lot of British history that I didn't know about.
Thanks to NetGalley for the ARC and to the publisher Avon.
I wanted to love this book but I sadly did not. I just wasn’t feeling the romance between the two main characters. There was some type of disconnect for me. I also found it a bit confusing to read at times. It was an ok read.
This was really cute and overall I really enjoyed it. I thought the whole ending plot point was pretty predictable and I wasn’t super keen on the whole tinder dates thing. I loved Freddie and Maggie though. Absolutely lovely characters, both separate and as a couple. I can’t wait to read what she does next in this Tower of London world.
#Netgalleyarc I wanted to love this book but I couldn’t for the life of me get into it. I started it, put it down for a bit, went back to it and still couldn’t get hooked. The writing was fine, the story was a bit eh and I just couldn’t connect to the main character. It’s probably a great book for someone else but it wasn’t the book for me.
This was new to me author! I enjoyed this sweet, fun romance. It was a slow burn with lots of history! I adored Maggie and Freddie! Maggie is a history buff who works at the Tower of London ticket booth. She’s a little clumsy too. She loves with her dad. They’ve moved a lot in their lives. Maggie also had an obsessed ex she’s avoiding! Freddie catches Maggie’s eye. Freddie has a secret and keeps disappearing when Maggie os feeling all kinds of cozy relaxed around him. He’s a guard. I love that Maggie has some awkward moments that are so relatable! I enjoyed these two as they fell in love! Such a great story!
This was a fantastic fun and lovely read. I loved the romance and journey of self discovery. I also found the backdrop of the Tower of London a wonderful setting. The history and passion for the adventure is amazing. I loved hearing more stories and feeling like I’m living in the area. It was a fun and cute read. Would recommend,
I was intrigued by the plot of this one, but it didn't grab me right away. I hope to come back to this one soon as I visited the Tower of London in 2018 and am interested to know more about those who live within its walls.
This book didn't work for me unfortunately. I wasn't a fan of the lead heroine but I did like the lead hero and the other cast of characters quite a lot. As a romance, it wasn't for me, as a cool story about a "family' living at the Tower, it was nice.
A good book for anglophiles. I loved the setting in the Tower of London. Lots of historical tidbits mixed into a light romance.
Almost DNF’d this because the plot was all “woe is me” and it bored me to death. The romance was super slow and the chemistry was non-existent. I felt like they were better off just friends as truly nothing spectacular happens between them to justify Freddie’s epiphany and Maggie just feels too dependent upon him to actually grow up and mature by herself.
First off I thought this book was really good for a debut author. I loved the setting of the Tower of London and all the facts we learn about it. The main character Maggie lives with her Beefeater dad and works and lives within the tower. She has had a bad breakup from a long term relationship and lost her Mom several years ago. I loved her friendship with the guards but I think Freddie should have told her about himself earlier in the book. This is a clean slow romance book. I will definitely read her next book
I love London (I lived there and am a huge history nerd) so I was so excited for this book. I find it fascinating that the author based it on her experience living at the Tower of London and knowing people who worked as the guards there. I loved learning more about life at the Tower.
Maggie was not it for me. I was confused from the start and it did not get much better. Why was she ALWAYS late for work? Every third chapter she would be waking up after her alarm (which she always turned off for some reason). That got irritating to read after a while. She was also too clumsy and had a lot of internalized misogyny where every female character was evil except her and her mother (who has passed away). I also found it strange how her ex-boyfriend would show up every day at her job and she would then leave to go talk with him as he grabbed her arm. I am surprised she wasn't fired.
The love interest, Freddie, was a very confusing character as well. I still don't fully understand any of their interactions and his habit of leaving abruptly.
I had to stop reading this one.
If you're a royal watcher, history buff, romcom lover, or just enjoy a charming, original, and humorous tale, Falling for the Royal Guard is a book I recommend adding to your reading list.
Did I want to toss Freddie into the Thames a few times? Yes, but there were also other times when I wanted to hug his sweet self. Did I think Maggie needed a good therapist? Also, yes but who wouldn't after what she'd been through? Was I tempted to sneak a foul substance into the tea cups of her boss and co-workers? Of course. Or wish a dreaded tropical disease on her jerk of an ex? Well, that goes without saying. But did I also adore Freddie's fellow guardsmen, Maggie's dad, the other wardens, and the raven woman? Yes, yes, yes, and yes. All of Clawson's characters are so well developed, flaws and all. It makes them realistic and relatable, people I can cheer - or jeer - with untethered enthusiasm (I did a lot of both). Did I root for Maggie and Freddie through the sweet and the sour? Yes, I did. Both had some growing to do, and challenges to overcome, before they could claim a happy ending but I never gave up on them. Through the laughter (and there was a lot of laughter), tears, poignant moments, sweetness, screwups (Oh, Freddie, how could you?), and unexpected resolution, I was right there nudging them on.
Just as important to this story as the characters was the setting. Who knew families actually live in the Tower of London? I didn't. The author of this novel however knows it well. The daughter of a Yeoman Warden (Beefeater), and girlfriend of a member of the Royal Guard, Megan Clawson lives in the Tower of London, just like Maggie. She walks the moat, talks to ghosts and ravens, and revels in the history of the Tower, also like Maggie. It lends an unassailable authenticity to her book and characters. It's no wonder that I could vividly picture each detail - haunted dungeons, hidden staircases, secret rooms, and more - in my mind as I read Clawson's descriptions on the page. And it pushed the Tower to the top of my must-see list when I travel to London for the first time later this year.
If you're looking for a charming story bubbling over with humor, history, British traditions, quirky characters, cringe-worthy Tinder dates, and hard-won happy endings, give this one a go. I enjoyed it.
Note: If you're on TikTok, check out the account of Megan Clawson London UK for historical tidbits and an insider's peek at life within the Tower of London.
*ARC received for fair and unbiased review.
I want to thank NetGalley and Harper Collins Publishing for giving me an arc of this wonderful book!!!
I follow the author on TikTok and when she announced that she was writing a book, i knew that I had to read it!
When I was approved for this book, i literally screamed!
This book follows our main character, Maggie Moore, who lives in the Tower of London with her beefeater dad (just like the author in real life!) When one night after creepy safe duty, she literally slams into a man on her way home. This man is Freddie Guildford, and one hell of a heartwarming story follows!!
This is everything I have ever wanted in a romance novel! We have redheads (like myself!), cute soldiers, snark, witty banter and hilarious friends!
This was such a fun easy read and it takes place in one of my favourite cities.
The pacing was a little off, it did start out kind of slow for me but I liked the love interested Freddie and all of his guard friends. I wish we would have got to see Maddie and Feddie's relationship flushed out a bit more.
I really enjoyed learning more about the Tower of London, I had no ides people lived in it.
Thank you to NetGalley and Harper 360, Avon for this copy.
Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson is a slow burn rom com. I’m not usually a fan of slow burns, but yet I loved this book. I loved all of the characters especially Maggie and Freddie. The history told in this book was amazing and actually contains quite a bit of history about the tower of London. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more from this author!