Lindsey Duga

Princess Ivy has one goal—end the war against the Forces of Darkness. Ivy’s magic is more powerful than any other Royal’s, but she needs a battle partner who can help her harness it. Prince Zach’s unparalleled skill with a sword should make them an unstoppable pair—if only they could agree on...well, just about anything. But Ivy’s magic can only fully unlock with Zach’s help, and he’s not exactly cooperating. Zach believes Ivy’s magic is dangerous. Ivy believes they’ll never win the war without it. Two warriors, one goal, and the fate of their world on the line. But the more they argue, the more they fall for each other. And only one of them can be right...

Kiss of the Royal

Lacy W

A special thank you goes to Entangled Teen and Netgalley for allowing me to read this eARC early. All thoughts and opinions are my own.

tw: unwanted sexual innuendos

I really debated about the rating of this book. I sat here for a good 10 minutes, thinking about how I wanted to rate this. For a little while, after reading, I just left it unrated because I wouldn't make up my mind. The middle of the book is when it really started to pick up. The ending alone really made me want to give it 4 (four) stars. But the beginning just felt so slow. 

One of the biggest things is that I just couldn't get fully into the book. The concept was awesome with the use of Kisses providing protection and strength. It's seriously unique. But I just wasn't the biggest fan of Ivy and Zach. I liked them together, just not apart. Both felt just dull with very similar personalities. 

I think what my problem was that it was more fantasy driven then I thought it was going to be. I thought the use of magic was going to be like in the Kingfountain series, where it was there but it was more set in the background. So it definitely took a while for me to get over that. 

One thing this book does well is the female/male friendships. Bromley and Ivy are very best friends, nay family. I love seeing this in books, especially YA. Although one could argue that there is some power imbalance as Brom is Ivy's page. But I don't really think that was an issue here. Ivy treated Brom like an equal.

Overall, this wasn't bad. This rating is the highest of 3 (three) stars. As much as I loved the ending, it couldn't boost the rating up to 4 (four) stars. But I think a lot of people who enjoy fantasy would like this book.

Candyce Kirk

This story started off strong and very interesting. To a certain point it's not nothing new in the sense of a Kingdom having to go to war again something evil. Except this author has given in an unique turn. The Royals have a Kiss that can help with battles, healing, etc. As long as they have a partner that is Royal, they can make things happen. I loved how dedicated Ivy was to her Kingdom. No matter what she was planning on fighting with or without a new partner. There were definitely elements of humor in this story and it was fun seeing Zach and Ivy annoy each other. For me this book was centered a bit too much around Ivy and Zach's relationship. While reading I definitely understand why, Ivy does start realizing her people's way, may not be the only way, but I wish we would've gotten a bit more background information. In the beginning more is told over the Evil Witch and the Dragon they have to beat, but that wasn't enough for me. I would've loved a bit more worldbuilding, that eventually does pop up later on in the book. Kiss of the Royal has a few plot twists I didn't see coming or really expect while reading. I loved that I didn't see it coming. Kiss of the Royal is also amazing in the sense that we really see the characters change. They both become more open minded and willing to listen to the other. In the end, working together and maybe realizing not everything you learned is true, helped in a big way. I definitely recommend this book and hope that this author gives us more books!

Mags

Loved the concept but it could have been done better. Still worth the read!

Danni’s Badass Books

⭐ 5 Stars ⭐

I heard a lot of good things about this (mostly booktok XD) and I can actually say I liked loved this book! 

Although I wasn't sure about it at first I ended up enjoying it, and it wasn't as generic as I first thought so that's a plus. The author's writing is great! It's super descriptive and immerses you into the world she creates. 

At first I wasn't keen on the characters but I warmed up to them and by the end loved them. I did kinda jokingly guess one of the twists but it still shocked me so it's all gooood. 

Omg can we talk about that epilogue though! It honestly boosted my rating ½ a star XD Added very nice closure and was super cute! 

All in all this was a great read and I recommend to anyone that loves fantasy and romance.

Liz Griffin

Great action scenes! Well developed characters! A breath of fresh air that could make one believe in true love.

Kiss of the Royal

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