[REVIEW]Royal Holiday, by Jasmine Guillory

(Buy it HERE.)

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As much as I love Black romance, this is somehow the first book by Jasmine Guillory I’ve ever read. As romances go, this one is pretty standard. Social worker Vivian gets the chance to accompany a relative to the UK for Christmas–while they work hard styling royals, she plans to read, drink tea and eat scones on a country estate. (Wait…is my name actually Vivian?…nope, ok, moving on…😜) However, there’s a distraction from her plans– Malcolm, a charming, handsome member of the Queen’s personal staff who introduces his new favorite American to mushy peas, quarter horses, and luv. Add in some holiday shenanigans and it’s a fun, pleasant holiday read, although a bit predictable.⠀
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Like I said, there’s nothing unusual about this girl-meets-boy story unless you count the fact that Malcolm and Vivian are both in their mid-fifties and Black. It’s nice to see a sweet, sparky romance featuring a passionate mature couple. It’s also nice to see the culture differences between Black American and Black British people acknowledged and enjoyed. (I’m a Black American who lived in the UK for 6 years and met plenty of Black Brits. Trust–we are not the same. Distant cousins, really.) It’s always nice to see Black people in love, living happy, stable, successful, wish fulfillment lives in print–I love when we tell stories about ourselves that feature more joy than trauma.⠀
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By the way, don’t let the over-50s info fool you–there is a surprising amount of steam in this book. There’s quite a bit of build up and then suddenly there’s remarkably attractive 50-something year old 🍆 all over the place. I didn’t mind it at all, but if you expect over-30s to just hug on the doorstep promptly at sunset and then go sleep alone in narrow separate twin beds–perhaps this is not the book for you. Or perhaps it is–someday you’ll be middle-aged too. 😁⠀

4 stars and a platter of mince pies to Royal Holiday.

(Fellow readers, beautiful people, and fellow Christmas romance fanatics…if you want to read this book, find it here. If this isn’t quite your cup of tea but you are in the mood for a different Christmas romance, check out my list of diverse romances for the holiday season here. Do be aware that this blog has affiliate relationships and any purchases made at sites you click through to may result in a commission being earned. Peace(and Happy Holidays!)