What a treat to get an audiobook of Rags to Royals. Narrator Connor Crais makes Cian even more of a rascal and charmer than he appears on the printed page. He’s self-confident to the point of cocky (he is a prince, after all!), but totally smitten and determined not to let his lady get away and Crais lets that all show through. He makes you laugh and definitely makes you swoon. Amelia Hugh is the perfect Scarlett, whether it’s Scarlett being Scarlett as her grumpy, moody, and boring self, or Scarlett pretending to be Ruby, the fun twin. Whoever she is, narrator Hugh convinces us that she has quite a thing for that prince. This is one of those books that is already so extraordinarily good you can’t imagine it being any better, until you listen to two extraordinary voice actors do their thing. Thanks for the audiobook! I voluntarily leave this review; all opinions are my own.
Oh my, oh my, oh my. This was such an amazingly entertaining book, one of those you pick up and instantly know your day is now “booked” – you aren’t going to be putting this one down until you have reached the happily ever after end. My brain was asleep or something and I somehow missed the first two books in this Royals Gone Rogue series, but honestly, Cian is so adorable I’m not sure I could love any other character more. (I will be going back to catch up, anyway!) Seriously, the description of the book on any retailer site should be all you need to entice you to read it, but if not, let me tell you why I loved it so much. Beside the cover that just perfectly captures his happy, sweet, sexy, devastating, irresistible self. That smoking hot smile and all the rest . . . .
Cian O’Grady and Ruby Gale met at a club where Ruby was doing a strip dance. He was instantly mesmerized and she didn’t look very comfortable doing her dance, so he paid for the rest of her evening and they – nope, not that! – went to have a burger. And then spent three wild, steamy, wonderful days together. Not just wild and steamy either. Talking, sharing dreams and ideas, just nice days together, and feelings started to develop. Except Ruby was really Scarlett; she told him Ruby was her stage name and told him bits and pieces of semi-truth, but she knew she wasn’t really the carefree, adventurous woman she was pretending to be and she had no choice but to sneak away. That weekend with the young, handsome, charming, perfect guy would just be a memory to keep her warm – or frustrated.
He wasn’t pretending about anything, and Cian O’Grady really was Prince Charming: Prince Cian O’Grady of the Kingdom of Cara. He fell in love with her then and he’s in love with her now and has been looking for her for almost two years. He’s finally found her and he’s not leaving. A real Prince Charming wants to marry her, so why doesn’t she just swoon at his feet and give in?
Lots of complicated stuff going on. Scarlett was pretending to be Ruby, the fun twin. She’s not glamorous or sophisticated or even nice most of the time, definitely not princess material. She’s moody and grumpy and boring. She’s a single mother raising a 15-year-old daughter. They’re back in Scarlett and Ruby’s hometown because Scarlett feels the need to make amends for her horrible behavior to everyone when she was a teenager and under the influence of her father the evil pastor. She hasn’t forgotten Cian for a second, but not only will he not want her when he finds out how she lied – he’ll hate who she really is. Well, Cian thinks he does still love her, wants to learn everything about her, wants to marry her. And by the way, if he marries Scarlett he doesn’t have to marry the woman his grandfather the King of Cara chose to honor the pact made long ago.
Rags to Royals is hilarious, but there’s a lot more going on. Cian is serious, not just smitten but a determined man in love and willing to work to get her to agree. He’s well-educated, well-traveled, experienced, a good son, a good grandson, a good man. He cares about her daughter and her sister; he works tirelessly to convince her she really did show her true self to him and that’s who he loves. She takes a step forward and then a step back because she still feels guilty about what she thinks of as the sins of her youth. And yes, he’s a few years younger than Scarlett but she’s not an old cougar and their attraction is scorching hot and absolutely impossible to resist. He makes her feel alive and free and like her real self, or the self she could be, full of confidence and hope for the future. If she would just let herself see it.
Author Erin Nicolle has created a huge cast of characters you will fall in love with and a story sprinkled with both ridiculous moments and serious issues to be confronted. Cian is adorable and quite the talker, especially in those private moments. Scarlett is full of fear and guilt but so generous with an overflowing heart, raising a strong teenaged daughter and loyal to her sister, and confesses only to herself that she loves Cian too. Of course this will work out. It has to! Rags to Royals is delightful in every way and made me eager for the next book in the series and determined to go back and start from the beginning, because I want to see everyone get their HEA. I thoroughly enjoyed this book and recommend it without hesitation. I voluntarily leave this review and was not compensated in any way; all opinions are my own.