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Wedding Date Series, Book 4
From the publisher:
From the New York Times bestselling author of The Proposal and a “rising star in the romance genre” (Entertainment Weekly) comes a dazzling new novel about a spontaneous holiday vacation that turns into an unforgettable romance.
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?
Guillory has given us a holiday gift with her latest, especially for women of a certain age? The heroine is the mother of one of the characters featured in a previous romance, and I must admit, it really hits home with me seeing a man and woman find happiness, even after their children are grown. Everyone knows someone who married, or usually remarried, later in life, but those types of couples are woefully underrepresented in romance novels. Many years ago, Ann Patchett’s mother, Jeanne Ray, wrote a few books centered around middle age and older couples. My favorite was her first, Julie & Romeo, loosely based on Shakespeare but contemporary, with a middle aged romance at the heart of the story.
Vivian and Malcolm are wonderful characters, fully brought to life on the pages of this sweet book. I thought this story was going to be more of a mother-daughter story, but that was not the case. The romance was front and center, and I was delighted.
I love this time of year, when all the holiday romances start popping up, although I’m still waiting for a Chanukah romance! This is another terrific addition to Guillory’s series, one of my favorites.
9/19 Stacy Alesi, AKA the BookBitch™
ROYAL HOLIDAY by Jasmine Guillory. Berkley (October 1, 2019). ISBN 978-1984802217. 304p.
Stacy Alesi's BookBitch.com™ 
Another one I’m adding to my shelf. Thanks for another great review.