The narrator of this audiobook was fantastic, which was definitely the highlight of my experience. Unfortunately, the book itself was a huge disappointment. It felt entirely unoriginal, like a patchwork of stories plucked straight from the British royal family. We’ve got a character named Hugh, who is basically a mash-up of William and Harry, and Jennie, who combines elements of Kate Middleton and, mostly, Meghan Markle. The flashbacks to Hugh’s mom were painfully obvious—clearly meant to be Princess Diana. And let’s not forget about Hugh’s dad, who is a stand-in for King Charles, already sitting on the throne.

Having read Prince Harry’s memoir, Spare, this fictionalized tale just felt like a retelling of all the real stories but with a minimal amount of creativity sprinkled in. I found myself bored and rolling my eyes for most of it, and I even had to speed up the audiobook just to get through it!

In this story, American pop singer Jennie Jensen is set to marry the love of her life, Prince Hugh of England. But someone is determined to stop her from becoming a princess—by any means necessary. To secure her fairy tale ending, she’ll have to navigate the tricky royal game. As Jennie faces royal protocols, intense public scrutiny, and mysterious threats, this charming love story unfolds against a backdrop of thrilling mystery.

While the premise of The Royal Game had potential, it ultimately left me wanting more.

A good mystery, mixed with romance and royalty.

Thank you Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for giving me the opportunity to listen to this!

I received an audiobook copy from Netgalley for an honest review.

The reader on this audiobook was great. The book overall was highly disappointing. This was wholly unoriginal and literally just took stories from the British royal family and combined people; William and Harry into Hugh; a little bit of Kate Middleton and mostly Meghan Markle into Jennie. Then, did flashbacks of Hugh's mom, which was clearly Princess Diana. Then we took out the good Queen Elizabeth II and put Hugh's dad, the king as Charles, already on the throne. I mean, I read Prince Harry's book Spare and this fictionalized novel just felt like retelling all the real stories with only a slight modicum of imagination. I was bored and eye rolling for most of this due to the incredible UNORIGINAL story and I sped up the audiobook just to be able to finish it.

American pop singer Jennie Jensen is ready to marry the love of her life, England’s Prince Hugh. However, someone is determined to keep her from becoming a princess—by any means necessary. To give her fairy tale a happy ending, she’ll have to play the royal game. As Jennie navigates royal protocol, intense public scrutiny, and mysterious threats, this charming love story unfolds against the backdrop of a thrilling mystery. “The Royal Game” is a delightful read that keeps you hooked until the very end! 📚👑

The Royal Game follows Jennie, an american pop star who is ready to marry the love of her life who just happens to be Prince Hugh, the next in line to the thrown. Jennie is thrown into a new life that is what fairytales are made of but when she starts receiving threats, she realises that not everything is what it seems.

First of all, it’s hard not to draw the obvious similarities between the characters and the real life royal family. When I say obvious, I mean down to the fact that he is the Prince of Wales, next in line to the thrown, his mother killed in a crash… like I said, obvious.

I enjoyed the premise and felt that this booo had great potential. I honestly just wish it didn’t feel as rushed as it did to me personally.

I was able to listen to the audiobook of this and I’m glad I did because the narration was fantastic.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for providing me with this audiobook. I received an advance review copy for free, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

Unfortunately, this one just didn't work for me. Didn't hook me, didn't love the narrator, just didn't connect.

The combination of royals and mystery should've been right up my alley, but I just couldn't get into this one. It felt a little too ripped from real life and it made the characters fall flat. Sadly, after several attempts to power through it, I DNFed.

I liked this book. It’s a cute story and a very easy read/listen. It feels a bit like a rip off of a true royal love story but does have unique characters and plot points and you won’t be disappointed if you’re looking for something light and fluffy to keep you entertained.

The Royal Game had a bit of everything, from romance to mystery as pop star Jennie Jensen finds herself on an unexpected path to becoming a princess.

I’m always intrigued by anything to do with royals, and thought it was a fun read overall. I listened to the audio format and it was a compelling listen.

*many thanks to Blackstone pub and Netgalley for the gifted copy for review

i might need to reread this one because it was just confusing to what was going on the first quarter of the book. the storyline wasn't bad over all. id try another book by Keir.

Buckle up for a royal rollercoaster as "The Royal Game" takes you on a thrilling journey through love, mystery, and the glamorous world of American pop sensation and her journey to royalty.

Jennie Jensen, a celebrated American singer living her dream, finds herself on an unexpected course to becoming a princess. England's future king, Prince Hugh of Wales, enters her life at a gig, immediately smitten by her talent and beauty.

Their whirlwind romance leads to an enchanting proposal, and just like that, Jennie is thrust into a new realm of royalty, complete with its intricate web of rules and royal protocol.

However, not everyone in England is thrilled about an American joining the royal family. As Jennie encounters hostility and receives ominous threats, she becomes intrigued by the tragic fate of Princess Penelope, Prince Hugh's mother. Penelope's life, shrouded in mystery and cut short by a plane crash, mirrors Jennie's own challenges in adapting to her royal role. Are the threats against Jennie connected to Penelope's past? Was Penelope's death truly an accident?

If you're captivated by anything royal, especially the modern royal family, "The Royal Game" is tailor-made for you.

This novel reads like royal fan fiction, delving into the dynamics of the famous royals of our time. It's a tale that switches between the present and the past.

This fun, light, popcorn mystery interwoven with romance is a treat for those who relish royal family narratives.

Thank you so much to Blackstone Audio for my gifted audiobook in exchange for my review!

Sadly, I didn’t get a chance to finish this audiobook before it got archived. I don’t know why it came off my app even though it was currently listening to it but-
I will make sure to get a copy or the audio version, myself to give a review on my socials.

For what I had the chance to listen to it was a really good story, I was looking forward to get to know the characters more.

I loved the flashbacks and parallels between the current royal family. The story was very well blended between the actual royal family and the fictional characters within this story.

Despite generally LOVING any romance book involving royals, I unfortunately had a hard time getting into this one. The story felt spread thin by trying to be both a romance and a mystery off sorts which just led to it falling flat in both aspects. It fairly closely mimics the story of Harry and Meghan which most romance books about royalty do lately and that left me wishing for something new.

This book was a delightful journey into a world that skillfully blends reality with fiction, crafting a compelling and mysterious plot that kept me engaged throughout. While I appreciated the nods to real events, I found the dramatic twists and turns added by the author to be particularly thrilling.

However, I couldn't help but wish for a bit more gradual development in the romance department. It felt like the story leaped into romantic entanglements rather abruptly, leaving me yearning for a deeper buildup. Despite this, the sporadic cute moments provided a charming respite from the main narrative.

What truly captivated me was the fact that the romance, while present, didn't overshadow the central storyline. As someone who typically prefers narratives driven by plot rather than romance, I found this refreshing. Overall, I thoroughly enjoyed the book and found it to be a captivating read.

I love reading books that are about the royal family and this book definitely gave me all the royal vibes. I felt a little Harry & Meg, mixed with Princess Diana and it hit all the right spots! The book switches between current day and 1996, when Princess Penelope was still alive and facing the realistic life of living as a royal. An amazing book that features all too similar situations, yet told it’s own story!

I'm always looking for cute, innocuous, PG-rated romcoms for my classroom and this one fits the bill. The story is pretty weak, and there are a lot of holes and gaps (and a few drawn out scenes), but overall, it's a quick, easy read and would work for some of my lower level students who aren't looking for a challenge or something to analyze.

I certainly don't think this is the best of its genre, but it's also not the worst. The narrator frequently seemed a little bored, or a little exaggerated, not much in the middle.

Thank you to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for the ALC in exchange for my honest review.

DNF at 15% I just wasn't connecting with the writing style.

Despite bowing out early, it’s clear that Linda Keir is setting up a sophisticated tapestry of characters and secrets, which could very well unfold into a compelling tale for those who stick around for the later chapters. So, if you have the patience to watch the game unfold and enjoy a plot that takes its time revealing its hand, "The Royal Game" might just be worth a revisit. For now, though, it remains a tale of potential royal entanglements left unexplored, at least in my brief journey through its pages.

"The Royal Game" by Linda Kier is a thrilling blend of mystery and royalty, keeping readers on the edge with its intricate plot twists and suspense.

Super interesting book! I love how it basically combined parts of princess Diana's story with Meghan Markle's. I also loved the mystery of who did it and going back and forth with each point of view until there was one common detail in both. Such a unique telling of a love story and how life of the royals were incorporated.