I find it slightly unfair to give a rating to a book I didn’t finish, but I suppose the fact that I chose to put it down, does hold down consideration.

I had high hopes for this, thinking that it would be cute and quirky, and while it did fit the expectations in this regard, I just felt so far removed from the characters that I had a hard time staying invested. It’s not that I need to feel connected to the characters or see myself reflected back at me, it’s more that my mindset is entirely different than the characters involved. I didn’t like the constant negative self-talk that Maggie inflicted upon herself, and unfortunately, for me, she came across a bit whiny and flat in the personality department.

I tried to keep reading, but I just couldn’t get into the plot. Ultimately, I never finished it, so I don’t know how this one ends and it could have completely redeemed itself, but I’m not feeling like I’m missing out either.

~👩🏻‍🦰

This is the first book I've read from Megan and I enjoyed it alot.

I'll definitely be read more of her books in the future.

Maggie lives in the Tower of London with her dad who is a beefeater. She works at the ticket counter, where she doesn't like her colleagues, and she broke up with her boyfriend recently. She is not having a good time. Until she meets one of the Royal Guard, Freddie, who she has an instant connexion with and introduces her to his squad. They dare her to get a Tinder profile and go on five dates. This book was enjoyable. I didn't laugh out loud but it was light and I read it quickly.

Sadly this was a DNF for me around 50%
I tried I forced myself to read through until the half mark and after I got the feeling the story won't change much and I won't like it any better. Didn't like the MC and I couldn't say more about the love interest who was MIA half of the time. Don't even understand how he became the love interest, but it's not me who needs to tell who should the MC like.

Thank you for the arc and I am sad it didn't work out.

This was a ldelightful story, being set within thw Tower of London made it even more appealing. Lots of appealing characters, they all seemed very real and a cmpelling love story to finish it off. love conquers all!

I absolutely loved the idea of this book, and J especially loved that it was written based on the author's experiences. Being able to live in the Tower of London is literally the coolest thing, and I really enjoyed the insider perspective!

There was a lot about the book that I didn't think was necessary, such as the five date challenge and in particular Freddie's weird need to be distant in group settings... But I didn't not enjoy it, I just thought perhaps it wasn't needed in the book, as it didn't seem to progress the story line.

Overall this is a cute romcom, but I'd recommend it for the lived experience that shines through in the writing, as well as the fun history that is scattered throughout.

5☆ Uplifting and Heart-warming story

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard has to be my favourite read for 2023.
I loved everything about this book and I can't wait for the next installment!!

I have been in a reading slump since covid hit and this book lifted my spirits.

I loved the mystery and history of the Tower of London, I loved the humour and disastrous dates,
I loved all the quirky characters, even the Ravens with their cheeky personalities.
But most of all I loved the budding romance between Maggie and Freddie...who I was routing for the whole way through!

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard is an Uplifting and Heart-warming story, that has a little sprinkle of everything, and a few juicy twists I didn't expect.
Megan Clawson has left me wanting more and I can't wait to see what happens next!

I was really really excited about this book and thought it was going to fuse some of my favorite British aspects with a little romance. However, it ended up falling short, the character development just wasn't there for me. It was evident that Clawson knew what she was talking about regarding information on the Royal Guard and that was super interesting throughout.

The Tower of London captivated me all throughout this book. Main character Maggie was almost overshadowed by the amazing setting this book was set in. Maggie lives in the Tower of London with her father and runs into a guy that is easy to fall for and in the guard. The peep into the lives of these men who stand all day was fascinating. I loved being brought in to this secret world that I knew nothing about. I was captivated by the party that Maggie interrupts in the Library. I wanted to be there myself.

I was a bit distracted by the crows and their friendship throughout the novel as well as the cameras everywhere. Both items could have been either scrapped or explained more. Why are all the cameras around and why are people just watching them all day? It may be because we don’t have ctv here in the states- that I don’t quite understand it. The crows were also a bit confusing for me was it a Cinderella theme or is this really a thing in the Tower of London.

Overall, a fun read but it felt a bit disconnected at parts. I liked both of the main characters and really loved the setting. It was an escape from a Minnesota winter.

Such a great book, thoroughly enjoyed it.

Thank you NetGalley for my complimentary copy in return for my honest review.

This is a cute very slow burn rom com - there were some great laugh out loud moments.

Thank you for the ARC

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard is not just a romantic comedy but a story that takes you behind the scenes of The Tower of London!

Maggie is such a brilliant and relatable character as she is your everyday young adult trying to find their way in the world.

I really enjoyed this story especially the culture and historical facts that were detailed naturally into the story - it made it such a unique book. I was rooting for Maggie to find love after the relationship with her toxic ex boyfriend.

I am already looking forward to “Love at First Knight”.

My Top 5 things from this book:

•Tower of London Setting
•Factual References
•The Guards
•Tinder Dates
•Laugh out Loud Moments

’I find it fascinating that the ways we organise twenty-six of the same letters in black and white on a page can actually change you, can make you feel something.’

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson is a really lovely debut story from this Author. We weren’t sure what to expect, but loved the synopsis and we were feeling in the mood for a light romance read and that is just what we got. However, we got so much more than that, we got a history lesson and newfound knowledge. We’ve both visited The Tower of London several times, but we never knew people lived there!

’I knew that falling for someone like you was always going to hurt. I knew that I would always have to live with the fact that I am just not good enough.’

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard was not at all what we expected and normally we’re not huge fans of romance where we’re told rather than allowed to experience and feeling like it’s a history lesson, however, we actually ended up loving this part of the story more than the romance, which became a secondary thread. It‘s really hard to explain as this book is not like our typical romance reads and on paper, we shouldn’t have enjoyed it as much as we did as the romance aspect was a tad underdeveloped and scarce.

What absolutely wowed us was the detailed description of life in the Tower of London and the history of the guards, nobles, and royal lines. And we know this to be absolute as the Author actually lives in the Tower and her dad is a Beefeater. We urge you to go to Instagram or Tik Tok and follow Megan Clawson to find out more. Absolutely fascinating stuff!

Stories only make sense when you stick around for the ending.’

This story had copious laughter, high emotion, and a sweet slow-burn romance. It was engaging, fascinating and so very lovely at times, with sweet Maggie, a heroine we can all relate to. They always say to write what you know, and that is just what this Author did. A wonderful debut from Megan Clawson.

I thought I would love this, or at least enjoy it, but unfortunately I really didn’t. This was pretty boring; it was a lot of her being down on herself and the romance portion came pretty far back. This just wasn’t a fun read for me. But, the historical facts, descriptions of the Tower and life for those who live there, and all that was amazing. Thanks to NetGalley and Avon Books UK for this ARC! All thoughts and opinions are my own.

Did not finish, the tone was a little off for me and everything seemed overexplained. I liked the premise but couldn't get into it enough to continue.

This book wasn't fantastically well written, and the story wasn't without its flaws, but IT MADE ME SO RIDICULOUSLY HAPPY that I do not care.

The enjoyment factor combined with all the warm fuzzy feelings make this one of my favourite books of the year, so far.

I love the Tower of London. I love ravens. I love history. Military history. Top notch banter with a bunch of soldiers. Men in uniform. Falling in love. Imperfect people finding their happy ever after. Found family.
If you love these things too... Then read it! You get it all in here.

*happy sigh* I want to read it again. I want to bottle the feelings reading created so I can trot them out again whenever I need a boost... I could read another few books about Maggie and Freddie.

Absolutely delightful!

Cute qnd sweet read. This was just the right amount of sugar. Thank you to NetGalley for the opportunity to read.

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard by Megan Clawson is a really lovely debut story from this Author. We weren’t sure what to expect, but loved the synopsis and we were feeling in the mood for a light romance read and that is just what we got. However, we got so much more than that, we got a history lesson and newfound knowledge. We’ve both visited The Tower of London several times, but we never knew people lived in there!

Falling Hard for the Royal Guard was not at all what we expected and normally we’re not huge fans of romance where we’re told rather than allowed to experience and feeling like it’s a history lesson, however, we actually ended up loving this part of the story more than the romance, which became a secondary thread. It‘s really hard to explain as this book is not like our typical romance reads and on paper, we shouldn’t have enjoyed it a much as we did as the romance aspect was a tad underdeveloped and scarce. What absolutely wowed us was the detailed description of life in the Tower of London and the history of the guards, nobles, and royal lines. And we know this to be absolute as the Author actually lives in the Tower and her dad is a Beefeater. We urge you to go to Instagram or Tik Tok and follow Megan Clawson to find out more. Absolutely fascinating stuff!

This story had copious laughter, high emotion, and a sweet slow burn romance. It was engaging, fascinating and so very lovely at times, with sweet Maggie, a heroine we can all relate to. They always say write what you know, and that is just what this Author did. A wonderful debut from Megan Clawson.

First off I thought this book was really good for a debut author. I loved the setting of the Tower of London and all the facts we learn about it. The main character Maggie lives with her Beefeater dad and works and lives within the tower. She has had a bad breakup from a long term relationship and lost her Mom several years ago. I loved her friendship with the guards but I think Freddie should have told her about himself earlier in the book. This is a clean slow romance book. I will definitely read her next book.

Megan Clawson’s debut novel is an entertaining read. She provides historical facts and details about the protagonist’s (Maggie’s) home, which happens to be within the London Tower. I really appreciated these details because I love history. The humour was spot on, which had me giggling and overall, I enjoyed reading this novel.

What I will say about this book is that it’s marketed incorrectly. This book is centrally focused on Maggie’s insecurities, her mental health and her very unique home and surroundings. Her character arc is well developed but this wasn’t a book that centered around her budding feelings with love interest, Freddie. A lot of the relationship development was missing as Maggie and Freddie barely see each other throughout the entire story, so I couldn’t buy the ending all that much. What also contributes to this conclusion is that the title, while so adorable (and of course, the charming cover!), doesn’t fit in with the main plot of the story. It makes the reader think this is a romance novel when really it’s a women’s fiction novel, which contributes to confusion and dare I say, a bit of disappointment. I would say this falls in-line with Sophie Kinsella books that are hilarious in itself, but expect the romance to play a backseat to the protagonist’s character arc.