Book Review: Royal Holiday | Jasmine Guillory

Perhaps one of her best books yet, Jasmine Guillory’s Royal Holiday left me with a smile on my face and joy in my heart! Guillory continues to push contemporary romance into showcasing diversity in the genre, while still maintaining the steamy, fun, sassy, and heart-warming moments that make you forget you are also learning a valuable lesson. Lovely!

About the Book

Vivian Forest has been out of the country a grand total of one time, so when she gets the chance to tag along on her daughter Maddie’s work trip to England to style a royal family member, she can’t refuse. She’s excited to spend the holidays taking in the magnificent British sights, but what she doesn’t expect is to become instantly attracted to a certain private secretary, his charming accent, and unyielding formality.

Malcolm Hudson has worked for the Queen for years and has never given a personal, private tour—until now. He is intrigued by Vivian the moment he meets her and finds himself making excuses just to spend time with her. When flirtatious banter turns into a kiss under the mistletoe, things snowball into a full-on fling.

Despite a ticking timer on their holiday romance, they are completely fine with ending their short, steamy affair come New Year’s Day…or are they?

My Review

Jasmine Guillory’s books are some of the ones I most look forward to. Each book somehow ties loosely to the book before it through the characters. Last year’s The Wedding Party starred Maddie Forest, a stylist in California who is probably my favorite protagonist of Guillory’s books to date. Maddie was tough and vulnerable, and wholly easy to adore in my opinion.

In Royal Holiday, Maddie’s mother Vivian is center stage, and I didn’t realize how excited I would be to read a wonderful, charming story about love over 50. As if that is shocking? But somehow, it is. We rarely see women in contemporary romance older than mid-30s, and a black woman over the typical age range seems almost unheard of.

But as with every book Guillory writes, the diversity is as important as the romance itself. She manages to constantly remind us that love is universal, but the way society treats love stories is not always equal depending on surface characteristics. All of this combines to have me both loving the rom-com of her books, and also feeling more tolerant, accepting, and educated about the struggles faced by people of color.

Let’s get to the story!

When Maddie is hired as the stylist to the Duchess for the Christmas holidays, she and her mother travel overseas to spend holidays in royal fashion (pun intended!). The queen is also at the estate with her private secretary Malcom Hudson (whom Vivian calls “Hot Chocolate” to my delight!). When a holiday romance heats up between Vivian and Malcolm, the attraction is much deeper than just physical.

Of course, with Vivian living in Oakland, CA and Malcolm’s duty to the queen, the romance seems doomed to be not much more than a holiday fling. But perhaps, as they say, love will conquer all—even those pesky thousands of miles keeping them apart!

I felt like this was the type of book that you could love just on the surface, and also for the brilliance of Guillory’s writing. The diversity didn’t feel like it took precedence over the story, but it also didn’t take a backstage to it. It was as much a part of their identities as their hilarious banter and their hearts. I felt that the book both showcases the inherent lack of diversity in the genre, while also making it seem almost silly that we don’t see more age and racial diversity historically in romance books.

And then of course, in addition to all of that, is the message that we should always allow our hearts to be open to love!

Thank you to Berkley Publishing for my copy. Opinions are my own.

Royal Holiday | Other Books to Check Out

If you loved this book, I definitely recommend reading other romance books where love sets in on holiday as our lead escapes life. A few that come to mind are Much Ado About You by Samantha Young and The Unhoneymooners by writing duo Christina Lauren. I also enjoyed how this had a diverse lead and great chemistry! For something a bit steamier, try Simmer Down by Sarah Smith.

Also if you are looking for more from Jasmine Guillory, one of my favorites by her was The Wedding Party, though they are all great.

Jasmine Guillory | About the Author

Jasmine Guillory is a New York Times bestselling author of novels including The Wedding Date, the Reese’s Book Club selection The Proposal, and Drunk on Love. Her work has appeared in The Wall Street Journal, Cosmopolitan, Bon Appetit, and Time, and she is a frequent book contributor on The Today Show.

Jasmine Guillory is a graduate of Wellesley College and Stanford Law School. She is a Bay Area native currently living in Oakland, who has towering stacks of books in her living room, a cake recipe for every occasion, and upwards of 50 lipsticks.