**I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.**
By Royal Appointment by A. O'ConnorPublished by Poolbeg Press on March 2019
Genres: Fiction, Historical
Pages: 450
Format: eBook
Source: ARC
Goodreads
In 1861 nineteen-year-old Bertie, Prince of Wales, began an affair with the Irish actress Nellie Cliffden. By Royal Appointment is a fictionalised account of their story, based on true events.
In the years following the Great Famine of the 1840’s, Queen Victoria has become deeply unpopular in Ireland. In 1861, as an official visit from the monarch is planned to win over her Irish subjects, her son Bertie is dispatched to County Kildare for military training as part of the charm offensive.
Bertie has undergone a life of duty, protocol and a harsh educational regime. As a frantic search is under way to find him a suitable princess to marry, he relishes the prospect of freedom from court life in Ireland. There, he is quickly introduced to a life of decadence and soon presented to the notorious actress Nellie Cliffden.
Nellie is as famous for her shocking behaviour as her beauty. A famine orphan who has climbed the ladder of society by any means she could, even she is shocked to find herself in the company of the Prince of Wales.
When Bertie and Nellie fall in love, the royal family is engulfed in a scandal threatening the future of the monarchy and Nellie becomes a pawn in a dangerous world of power, politics and blackmail.
The dialogue was well written with a quick pace that keeps the reader interested and included historical points that helped orient the reader to the proper time period. That said, I found the quick pace around the meeting and romance of Bertie and Nellie made it hard to imagine the flame of the relationship reaching such a point that the two almost brought themselves and the monarchy to a ruin. I would have liked to have more time spent or just a specific instance showing us why the two were so enamored with each other. I was unable to truly understand the characters and more than once I tossed my phone to the side, aggravated by the naivety of Bertie and Nellie. That said, it is entirely possible this is an accurate representation of how these two fools would have acted and the author certainly succeeded in provoking me to continue reading even if it was just to enjoy the disastrous end we all expected.
By the end of the novel, I found myself relieved to be finished if for no other reason than to save my phone from being tossed across the room again. I am disappointed that I was unable to find a character that didn’t irritate me but that comes down to personal preference. The novel was easy to read and incorporated relevant historical points that were interesting. While I don’t plan on reading this novel again, I do plan on seeking out other work by this author when I plan to read in this genre again.
*I voluntarily read and reviewed an advanced copy of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.
