THE ROYAL GAME

An American singer-songwriter finds herself thrust into the spotlight—and danger—when she falls for a prince.

Jennie Jensen is an up-and-coming singer-songwriter who so far has one hit song and is hoping for more. She’s focused on her solo acoustic tour of the Mediterranean, not on finding love—that is, until Hugh, Prince of Wales, attends one of her shows. The two embark on a whirlwind romance, and he soon proposes, meaning that Jennie will be part of the royal family. For a girl from Illinois, being married to the future King of England is unbelievable. But life among royalty isn’t all glamour—the press doesn’t always love Hugh’s unpolished American fiancee, and not everyone in Hugh’s family is welcoming to an outsider. But she soon starts to suspect that more than snobbishness may be involved when she receives a threatening note claiming that Hugh’s mother couldn’t survive in the royal family, and neither will Jennie. Hugh’s mother, Princess Penelope, died in a private plane crash when Hugh was just a teenager, and Keir alternates Jennie’s point of view with Penelope’s thoughts, including entries from her private diary. Penelope, as it turns out, was also not necessarily adored by some members of the royal family—and, as Jennie begins to suspect, that plane crash may not have been an accident after all. As the reader discovers in Penelope’s diary entries, more sinister forces may have been at work—and soon, Jennie realizes that those same forces may be out to get her, and they won’t stop until she’s far away from the royal family. By adding in some murderous intrigue, Keir freshens up the frequently used royal-romance trope.

A compelling read that’s mysterious, romantic, and perfect for anyone obsessed with the royal family.