Loved the book, honestly couldn't get enough of it, My only regret is that i was 5% off from finishing. Would've loved it more if Jenny had her music career come into more play. Thanks to NetGally for the ack, but due to certain things (My TBR) I didn't finish it.

I really enjoyed this book. It was different than anything else I've read recently. I couldn't put it down! I will keep an eye out for this author's future work!

The Royal Game occurs after pop star Jennie Jenson and England's Price Hugh get together and are happily in a relationship when Jennie starts receiving threatening notes that mirror those sent to Princer Hugh's mother, who was mysteriously killed in a plane accident. Perfect for any fan or person who is fascinated by the Royal family, "The Royal Game" is more mystery than romance. Still, the mystery is fascinating and so interesting to dive into. Throughout the story, Jennie looks further into her fiance's mother's death and the mystery surrounding it by looking at her journals and other artifacts and comparing them to her own experiences in the modern day.

Jennie Jenson is an American singer who unknowingly meets English Prince Hugh at a performance which leads to their engagement. At first Jennie is thrown into the royal life and quickly has to learn the formalities surrounding the throne all while it's clear that someone does not want Jennie to join the royal family. As Jennie seems to be increasingly in danger, she tries to find out what happened to Hugh's mom, Princess Penelope, as it seems to be connected with her current predicament. Overall, The Royal Game is more of a mystery/suspense rather than a romance and seems to focus on what happened to Princess Penelope and how it parallels Jennie's experience. It was interesting reading about Princess Penelope's experience in the flashbacks. Fans of the English royal family will be interested in this one.

Thank you NetGalley for the ARC. I was expecting a romance but it was much more complex than that. A singer gets engaged to a prince whose mother died mysteriously, and receives a letter telling her fate will be the same. Of course the inspiration was obvious, but still, I enjoyed reading it. The writing was clear and had quality. Thanks.

I would recommend Linda Keir's new book, The Royal Game. She is one of my favorite authors. Wonderful story for everyone to enjoy. I received an ARC of this book courtesy of NetGalley and the publisher. All opinions expressed in this review are my own and given freely. Happy reading!

Jennie is a singer, and loving the gigs that she is performing at. One night a strange man comes with body guards, requesting songs she has already played. She plays for him, only to discover that this is Prince Hugh, the future King of England.

As their engagement rolls on, things start to happen to Jennie. Things that are fishy, and not coincidences, things that Prince Hugh's mother, also has happen to her, but no one believed her until it was too late.

I am here for all the things related to the Monarch, and throw in a Princess Diana conspiracy-like plot - give me it!!

This is a royal romance with a murder mystery thrown it. It is enchanting and a must read! I could so see this a a hallmark movie. I could not put this book down! I will be buying a physical copy of this for my to keep shelf.
I just reviewed The Royal Game by Linda Keir. #TheRoyalZoo #NetGalley
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With similarities to current royals, this romance/mystery keeps readers turning the pages and features an appealing heroine and hero, along with interesting secondary characters. Jennie Jensen is an American singer on tour when she meets Prince Hugh of Wales, and their lives will never be the same. Recommended.

Linda Keir takes inspiration from the real life Meghan Markle and Princess Diana headlines in her new novel, The Royal Game. In this romance/mystery hybrid, the Crown Prince of England has set his sights on ... you guessed it, an American songstress. If you have followed the Prince Harry and Meghan Markle saga, you know how this goes. Not everyone is quite pleased with the Prince's love choice, and some will even go so far as to threaten the future Queen's life.

Jennie Jensen, an American pop singer, has fallen in love with none other than the heir to the British throne - Prince Hugh. Known for upholding longstanding traditions, the Royal Family is not exactly pleased that Hugh has chosen an American (and an adopted one at that) as his future wife, but at the surface level, they seem to be supporting the future King.

When Jennie begins receiving ominous correspondence, she delves into the past of Hugh's mother, Princess Penelope, who was cast out of the Royal Family and later died suspiciously in a plane crash. Jennie uncovers that the Princess feared for her life long before her deadly fate, and as Jennie and Hugh's wedding date inches closer, Jennie also begins to fear for her own.

Keir's The Royal Game is a mixed bag with some elements that really work, and others that fall flat. I really love that this book was inspired by Meghan Markle and Princess Diana, as the former has recently taken the media by storm with her claims of abuse she received at the hands of the Royal Family. However, as far as this book goes, I can say that truth is stranger than fiction because Keir's tale of Royal outcasts has nothing on its real-life counterparts. The actual stories of Meghan Markle and Princess Diana are quite scandalous and drama-laden, and what happens to Jennie in this novel pales in comparison. Keir didn't take risks with her novel, keeping everything relatively even-keeled, and never pushing the envelope too far. I expected this to be a juicy read, but unfortunately found it to be rather vanilla when compared to real-life.

On the other hand, I really enjoyed the flashbacks to Princess Penelope's life. Keir deftly showcases how the Princess's life closed in around her over time, drawing believable comparisons to Princess Diana. However, when it comes to Jennie and Hugh's relationship, Keir completely misses the believability mark. There is very little chemistry between the two, and Hugh reads more as a cardboard cutout than a flesh and blood prince.

This book will appeal to those fascinated with the Royal Family with the caveat that the characters in this book have nothing on the actual Royals.

This royal novel is more of a thriller than a romance. In the lead-up to her wedding to England's Prince Hugh, American singer, Jennie Jensen, is having trouble fitting into the royal family. When she starts to receive death threats, she starts to see the parallels of her life with the late Princess Penelope. #gifted by Blackstone Publishing.

Why We Like it: The female lead is a mash-up of Meghan and Kate, but it's the thriller/mystery element that makes this story stand apart from most royal reads.

I wanted to read this book because i thought it was a romance book. This turned out to be a mystery. It was about Hugh and Jennie and the run up to their wedding. This was a thinly disguised royal conspiracy book about Princess Di. We never got much time with the romance of Hugh and Jennie. That saying, i never guessed who was trying to stop the wedding. Jennie was being stalked and she was at the same time trying to figure out what happened to Hugh's mum, Princess Penelope. Jennie found letters and Penelope's old diaries and wanted to help by finding out what happened and because it seemed like a repeat of what was happening to her. It was a bit of a slow read for me but enjoyable none the less. Just don't expect it to be a romance about Hugh and Jennie.

I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased review.

The honest review is that I could not finish this book, it felt dry and lacked the depth to captivate me to finish reading. I gave it until the 50% mark but once I got there and still wasn't loving it I gave up.

That is not to say that the writing was not great, because it was written well, I just could not connect to the story. And that's okay because not all stories are for everyone. I will however look for the next title by this author, because maybe I will relate more to the next.

It’s very obvious what this one is inspired by, and if you are someone who is curious about what really happened to Princess Diana, and also the Crown’s treatment of Meghan Markle with her marriage to Prince Harry, as an American celebrity, this story is essentially a factionalized version of that. Of course, it takes it’s own, with creating a mystery of sabotage and murder, that really gets you thinking. I will say that while the book had some romance, it was more of a background plot. Hugh and Jennie are very obviously in love, but that’s already a cemented plot point. There’s not too much building or deteriorating on it, aside from the stress that Jennie’s (justified) paranoia causes. This book very much leans more on the mystery category to me, and I enjoyed it, but I will say know that before going in. If you are someone who loves all the genres anyway, then you will love it just fine :)

Thank you NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the early copy!

This was an entertaining royal romantic suspense story steeped in the Prince Harry/Meghan Markle experience. I enjoyed this book, it was fast paced and kept my interest. I liked Jennie and Hugh together but was sad we didn't get to see them falling in love. I could tell they cared about each other, but their relationship wasn't really relevant to the plot except that their relationship was the reason Jennie was involved with the monarchy. For this to be a true mystery romance I would have wanted their relationship to be a large part of the plot.

I was interested in the mystery of who wanted Jennie gone and how they were threatening her without leaving many clues. I did think it was interesting to hear Penelope's story at the same time. I think this story will really appeal to people who always wondered if Princess Diana was murdered and love royal conspiracy theories.

Love reading about the royals? PICK THIS ONE UP! Thank you to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for my advanced electronic copy.

I am a sucker for books featuring Royal main characters, but this was my first thriller with royal characters. I went into this blindly and I am so glad that I did.

Jennie Jensen is an American singer with one top hit to her name. While on tour, she captures the attention of His Royal Highness Prince Hugh of Wales and the two begin a whirlwind, secret relationship. When the two announce their engagement, a sinister force begins threatening their relationship. Family secrets and hidden pasts force Hugh and Jennie to wonder if they’ll ever get their happily ever after.

One of the highlights of the book were the dual timelines that allowed readers a glimpse into Hugh’s mother, Princess Penelope, and her similarities to Jennie. I found the premise to be intriguing, but I wanted more from the story. The pacing was also off in places, with some spots in the story dragging more than others. I do want to note that despite the cute and colorful cover, this is not a romance, but a suspense/thriller novel.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ARC!

This was heavy on the Megan Markel royal romance Diana references, good but not great and just a quite fine read

The Royal Game follows Jennie Jensen, an American pop singer whose life has been turned upside down as she prepares to marry Prince Hugh of England. Jennie struggles to adjust to royal protocol and the intense public scrutiny that comes along with joining the royal family. She becomes fascinated with the story of another royal outsider, Hugh's mother, Princess Penelope, who died in a mysterious plane crash when he was young. When Jennie starts receiving threats likening her to Princess Penelope, she begins to wonder if her death was a tragic accident after all. The Royal Game alternates between Jennie's POV and Princess Penelope's diary entries.

To be completely transparent, I think that this was just not for me. I wasn't a fan of how heavily inspired the book was by the actual lives of Princess Diana, and the Duke and Duchess of Sussex. At some points, it felt a little like I was reading about real life events, just with the names changed. I think that I would have needed a bit more of a separation between the story being told and the real life inspiration for this to have really landed for me. I also went in expecting there to be more of a focus on Hugh and Jennie's love story, and was disappointed when it felt like an afterthought compared to the dual mystery plotlines. Honestly, I probably would have classified The Royal Game solely as being in the mystery genre.

Due to Penelope's story being told primarily through her dated diary entries, the timeline in her POV is pretty easy to follow. In Jennie's POV, there aren't any dates to help keep track of the timeline and I did find it confusing in several places due to time jumps. Overall, the quality of the writing was great, though I thought the lyrics written out for one of Jennie's songs to be a bit cringeworthy. The mystery of who was targeting Jennie and what caused the plane crash that killed Penelope was captivating enough to keep me reading until the end.

If you are a fan of the Royal family and high stakes mysteries, this is the read for you.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the eARC to review!

This was a fun read. Story moved along fast and had enough romance, mystery and royal drama to keep you engaged. Would recommend to anyone! I’d definitely welcome a sequel!

Thank you Blackstone Publishing for the eARC in exchange for an honest review. All thoughts are my own!

This story follows American pop singer Jennie Jensen as she falls for the prince of England, Hugh. He finds her at one of her shows and it is a kind of a whirlwind romance. However, as the public finds out it becomes cruel to Jennie. Tasked with trying to fit in to the royal court, Jennie can't help but wonder if this is where she belongs. However the love for Hugh just keeps growing. However, when small nuggets of information about Penelope (Hugh's mother- former queen of England) Jennie cannot help but wonder if she is in danger.

I really liked Jennie as the main character. I am a sucker for royal romances or spins off of royalty. Fans of American Royals would most likely enjoy this one. I thought that the drama was intense and the whole time I just wanted Jennie to fit in and be safe. The only thing I did not love about this book was there was no falling in love romance shown on the page. It was like the prince came and said yes I want her and that was it. I felt like it was a missed opportunity to show more about how Hugh feels about Jennie. However, I could also see where that maybe more accurate of a depiction of what falling for a royal may be like. (I wouldn't know?)

Content: poisoning, lies, media scandals, swearing, detail dating history mentioned

Read if you enjoy:
American Royals
Royalty love stories
Drama
Family drama