2.75 out of 5 stars
E-book. Kindle Unlimited. 218 pages. Published March 11th 2021
Blurb:
Loyalty is Lieutenant Owain Morgan’s watchword—loyalty to England’s Queen Elizabeth XII, to her daughter the Princess of Wales, and to the Royal Navy in which he serves. When his loyalty leads him into danger, an unseen something—or someone—lends a helping hand. Is he imagining it? Could it be a guardian angel? Or is it someone—or something—else?
Enter the intriguing Benjamin Fletcher. Owain knows that sharing a drink and a steamy afternoon together doesn’t have to mean anything, but Benjamin’s quiet charm works its way into his heart…. Until Benjamin turns up in the Earl of Essex’s retinue, that same Earl who, rumor says, is angling to marry the Princess of Wales and make her power his own.
Every encounter with Benjamin binds Owain’s heart more tightly to this enigmatic man yet tests his loyalty to Queen and Country. Will Owain be forced to choose between love and loyalty?
The Young Man’s Guide to Love and Loyalty is part of the Magic Emporium Series. Each book stands alone, but each one features an appearance by Marden’s Magic Emporium, a shop that can appear anywhere, but only once and only when someone’s in dire need. This alternate history contains princesses, palaces, steam trains, fumbling lovers, and a guaranteed HEA.
Likes:
- Alternate historical setting.
- Women in positions of power.
- Owain was an interesting character.
- Lots of hints about what was going on behind the scenes.
- The non-romantic plot.
- Watching Owain try to figure out what was going on.
Dislikes:
- I have no idea why Owain was pulled into the central plot.
- There isn’t much romance.
- Anyone who knows who Mab is figured things out much sooner than Owain.
- Owain and Benjamin don’t spend much time together.
- The emporium item wasn’t as special as others in past books.
- HFN ending, not HEA like blurb promised.
I’m definitely a little disappointed in this book. A big part of that is because the story didn’t meet my expectations. I expected this to be a romance set in an alternate historical timeline. In reality, the romance, what little there is, is far from the most important thing going on.
Owain was an interesting character to follow. He’s a relatively normal guy for all that he’s a naval first lieutenant. He has no idea about anything supernatural or mystical, except for the fact that he gets repeatedly saved by a mysterious force several times within the first 8% of the book.
Despite this, Owain doesn’t think to look into that mysterious force. He just does his job, reporting to the higher ups about his latest mission. When he meets a handsome guy who seems interested in them, they waste no time sleeping together, and while Owain wouldn’t mind doing it again, there’s nothing that ties them together.
I think, if this story hadn’t been a part of a romance series, and was instead presented as an alternate history with a dash of romance, I’d have been happier. Because the non-romantic plot was interesting. Political plots, assassination attempts, betrayal and double crossing, mystical forces, and poor unaware Owain caught up in the middle of it all. I’m not sure why he was brought into things. Him being asked to help protect the princess seemed to come out of left field. Especially because he spent almost the entire book trying to piece together what was going on.
But Owain’s involvement with the princess did allow him to see Benjamin again. They didn’t spend a lot of time together, and there was none of the typical ‘getting to know each other and falling in love’ of a typical romance novel. It was more like Owain couldn’t stop wondering what was going on with Benjamin. Just one more mystery added to the list of things Owain didn’t fully understand.
Everything was explained eventually. Of course, any reader familiar with who Mab is figured out the basics much sooner than Owain did. Unfortunately, with how long it took for Owain to understand everything fully, the ending suffered. It’s definitely not a happily ever after. More of a happily for now. Which, again, I wouldn’t have minded if it wasn’t that the blurb guarantees a HEA (happily ever after).
My final gripe about the book was the item that came form the emporium. In all the other books, the item has been something seemingly random but super specific. Something that, without which, the happy ending couldn’t have been achieved. The item in this book could have been replaced with dozens of other things. In the end, it was nothing more than a distraction, instead of being of vital importance.
A part of me feels like I’m being too harsh on this book. It wasn’t bad. It just didn’t do what it promised. And honestly, it felt out of place in the series. Like maybe it had been written already and the emporium elements had been shoehorned in.
Love is Love Reviews 