As much as I appreciate #NetGalley providing this audiobook, I sadly couldn’t stand this one. I think I am just over this story line. The inspiration drawn from the real life royal family was taken too far and I found myself unable to imagine the characters as anyone other than their real world inspirations. While this would be great for a historical fiction book, it was very frustrating in reading this. I normally love a good royal romance/mystery, but maybe I just need more separation between reality and reading.

Heavy with thinly veiled references to the British royal family this book was set to be a fantastic mystery and thriller. While I did like the characters and found them very personal and engaging the 'mystery' element of the book was focused towards the end of the novel and very hastily concluded. I wish there had been a bit more build-up.

Interesting read! Very reminiscent of the drama between the Firm and Princess Diana, as well as Prince Harry and Meagan Markle. The pacing was a bit off for me, sometimes I felt like the storyline was rushed and then others it lulled and I wished it would speed up. Overall though I had a good time reading it!

I really enjoyed this listen. It highly reminded me of Prince Harry, Megan and Princess Diana. I liked the back and forth of the POV's and loved that there was some mystery along with a love story.

First, a huge thank you to Blackstone Publishing for granting me access to the audiobook and to Linda Keir for providing me with a new royal read! We all know I love all things royal! I may or may not be a bit obsessed with Kate and her mysterious surgery at the moment. Give me a break, it's intriguing!

The Royal Game was a great! I loved the audio narration and found myself really wishing I were royal, until I very much was reminded by Linda Keir how painfully under the microscope these folks are and how rigidly constructed their lives are from their greetings, to their body language, and dress.

I did not expect to get a mystery wrapped up in this love story, but boy did I get one. Also, it's totally listed in the description on NetGalley, I just missed it in my draw to the cover and the fact that Royal was in the title.

Jennie and Hugh are a delightful duo. I was drawn in by Jennie's transition from stage fame to royal fame and the differences those worlds carry. Jennie's adorably supportive family was also a joy to read on the pages. I love me a curious gal who needs to know the truth and that is exactly who Jennie is. She's stumbled upon information about Hugh's mom (Penny) and as she learns more about the beautiful complex woman, Jennie can't shake the feeling something more happened to snuff the light out of Penny.

I highly recommend this book to all of you royal lovers!

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!!

I was initially really drawn in by the characters, descriptions of the grounds, and the overall premise. However, when we started getting more details about the characters, I realized just how closely this mimicked the real English monarchy. I found it to be unimaginative and really just a retelling of real life events with a slight spin on it. I did like how the story bounced back and forth between the past and present to show just how similar the events were though. I would have liked even more explanation on Penelope's story because it was really interesting and captivating. Overall, I would have liked this to be a bit more unique and less like the real life events that happened to Princess Diana and Meghan. Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

The Royal Game was very middle of the road for me. I couldn't stop reading (well in my case listening), but at the same time, it felt a little too close to reality for it to be a fun lighthearted rom-com. If it hadn't used real locations and very specific events that paralleled reality, I think it would have been more enjoyable. Instead, it was more of a distraction.


I think I stayed interested because I enjoyed both narrators! I've listened to Barrie before and have always been a fan, but this is the first time I've heard Shiromi and now want to check out what else she has narrated.

3.5⭐️ I'm really torn with this book for a number of different reasons. And I will start by saying I didn't read they synopsis of the book (I usually go into books blind) - so my initial impression was only from the cover/title and I wasn't entirely sure what to expect. I listened to the audio version which was very well narrated and definitely did the story justice.

Overall, I thought the story was fine - but maybe I read this too soon after watching some of The Crown - this book was essentially a fictionalized version of Harry and Megan, with some other royal family members thrown in. There were some parts that were just blatantly following the arc of the royals real-life story with just small changes to fictionalize. And that felt a bit jarring to me. I wanted something that felt a little more creative for a narrative.

I did think the mystery element was fairly interesting - although that too was very close to some of the conspiracy theories that are very easy to find about the royal family behind closed doors. This wasn't as much of a romance as I was expecting, the romance plot line was pretty shallow and high level. The mystery plot line was a little more developed. Overall, a light and fairly entertaining read - especially for anyone who is a fan of the royal family and/or contemporary fiction based on the royal family.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ALC. All thoughts in this review are my own.

Jennie Jennson is playing in Abesithza when a mysterious handsome stranger comes in demanding she plays her most famous song. This is the start of her love story with England's Prince Hugh. The story of their love is told through past and present as tragic events of the past seem to be playing out again in the present. This book seemed like an alternative version of the current English monarchy's relationships. I did truly enjoy the writing. The journal entries from the past made the book feel more authentic. I was genuinely emotional multiple times during this book. There was a little bit of drag, but overall I enjoyed the book.

The Royal Game by Linda Keir
Narrated by Sharomi Arserio (Jennie) and Barrie Kreinik (Penelope)
For a strict mystery reader who spurns anything classified as "romance", I thoroughly enjoyed this tale! I was enthralled from the "meet cute" which was so charming, and early in the book. This is preferable to me as an impatient reader; I detest having to slog through the minutiae for several chapters to get to the meat of the story; multiple chapters spent droning on about how alone the protagonists are.
As I (possibly in the minority) have never watched The Crown, this book was fascinating to me as a lover of all things British. Behind the scenes was one aspect, but behind the scenes from the eyes of an American was an added draw. There was a nice mixture of American-isms and British-isms.
Although I don't normally do much more than endure the requisite romance in most mysteries, I found myself engaged in Jennies story. Who doesn't love a good down to earth rags to riches tale? While Jennie isn't wearing rags, she is certainly not rich. She is absolutely down to earth, and just likeable! She has a good head on her musical shoulders as well, and doesn't go racing off into dark basements or trusting the questionable rogue. For an American, she's very respectful of most things British as well, and I felt like she stepped into her role as Princess-to-be admirably.
Jennie is trying to piece together Penelope's story and the possible reason for her death as she finds notes hidden by Penelope in some of the late princess' possessions. We, as the readers, have the full scoop as Penelope's narrative is given to us in her chapters, often in her own words as written in her journal. This gives a nice duplicity to the story, and lets us see where Jennie gets it right, and where she gets the wrong idea.
I decided early on this was more of a behind the scenes glimpse of Royal life than a real mystery. That said, I was drawn in by that glimpse, especially from an American pov. I will most definitely be recommending this title and this author to everyone and checking out more Linda Keir novels!
A big Thanks to NetGalley and Blackstone Publishing for this digital review copy in exchange for my (always honest!) review!

I enjoyed this book, but wish I had known going in that it would be a fictionalized account of the actual Royal Family with Princess Diana and Meghan Markle. It felt very un-exciting because it tracked real life events in many ways, and the twist at the end didn't feel very twisty. But I really liked the narrator and thought she did a great job. If you go in knowing this is basically a fictionalized telling and it's definitely not a romance, I think you'll enjoy this more than I did.

2.5 Rounded

This was a miss for me. The biggest miss is due to the marketing. This was sold as a royal romance, but it isn’t. We get the whole “whirlwind romance” from first meeting to engagement in a few paragraphs in the opening of the story. Due to this glossing over of the building of their relationship I had zero buy in nor did I believe their love story. If this had been marketed more as a mystery then I think I would have better set my expectations.

The second miss for me was the first half of this book didn’t feel original. Everything that happened felt ripped from the headlines. I didn’t feel like the author was adding anything more to the drama until almost the last quarter of the book.

I enjoyed the narrators for the audiobook even if I wished at times their voices were a little bit more distinct.

I didn't particularly enjoy this one. I didn't think it was a thriller or a romance. I would have enjoyed it more if it had stuck to one genre. In this case, in trying to do both, it succeeded in neither. It might be a me problem, but definitely not the right book for me

I will say the beginning of this one was a bit tough to get through for me. The time jumps and POV changes were super abrupt and hard to keep track of but once the book hit its stride it was so good and I could not turn it off. I really enjoyed the narrators and thought they did a wonderful job. The ending wrapped up nicely and I felt like all questions were answered. I would recommend this one for those who like a little mystery not a ton.

I think this is incorrectly marketed as a romance. We don't actually get to experience them falling in love or even hardly interacting. The mystery is intriguing, but the parallels to princess Di is too close to not detract. I found myself thinking more about what I could remember about Di and Charles and less time thinking about the book except to compare the two.

I will say the moment we heard the pub order my jaw dropped as I made the same connection our FMC did and I did not see that coming.

Base too closely on Princess Diana and Meghan Markle's stories. The author changed car crash to plane wreck yet the concept is the same. Well written yet the plot is very predictable: Creative mystery for those who enjoy the Royal Families saga.

Thank you #netgalley and #lindakeir for allowing me to listen and review this book!

Copied from Goodreads:
The Royal Game borrows heavily from the English royal family and it is much the worse for this. The plot is intriguing--a would-be marriage between a pop singer and the Prince of Wales is threatened when the bride appears to be the victim of threatening behavior. I wouldn't say it was a thriller, but the mystery was solid. However, the royal backstories, individuals' initials, the dead mother-in-law, tension between older and younger generations... They were so clearly the Windsor family that I was distracted from the book. Changing the setting or the royal family would have made this a much more interesting and engaging book. Unfortunately, the aped Sussexes of The Royal Game do not make for interesting reading.

The Royal Game was released in the U.S. on January 30, 2024. Thanks to Blackstone Publishing and NetGalley for this audio ARC given in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

I love the royal Romance/celebrity trope. And this book did not disappoint. it was very reminiscent of the English monarchy and Harry and Megan. Overall a good read.

I love a good royal story, so I was stoked to read this novel. “The Royal Game” did not disappoint. It also features a pop star coupled with a royal, so it was extra entertaining in that regard. It is a bit reminiscent of Harry and Meghan, which is a plus for me. I found this novel to have romance, fun, and intrigue. This book is a 3,5 rounded up to 4 stars ⭐️ for me. Thanks to the publisher and Netgalley for the advanced copy for review.