What an enjoyable book this was to read. I loved the fact that it was written by someone who'd actually lived in the Tower, you could almost see them reliving their own life through the main character. Good characters and a good storyline to keep you reading on until the end.

Thank you to NetGalley for giving this ARC, and this doesn’t influence my review. This was a good read, funny at times and romantic. I recommend it

Although a little slow and overblown in places, I really enjoyed the setting of the Tower of London and the interactions with the guards. You can tell the author really knows their stuff- both historically and being able to explain the differences between the different regiments… I’ll look more closely next time I’m at the Tower of London! Enjoyed this read - although I could have done without her revolting colleagues 😂
3.75 rounded up to 4

This is one of those books which you stumble across by accident or in my case, the Instagram account of the author. The fascination of living in an iconic British Landmark had me captivated and when I found out a book had been written too then I was even more pleased.

Although it is clear that Maggie our protagonist is not Megan, I think there might be some similarities throughout the book, exaggerated for comedic and effect. But you cannot but help love Maggie.

Maggie has ended it with her boyfriend, she swears off me for the foreseeable future that is until she stumbles into the path of another one. Freddie. Standing guard at The Tower of London. Not just Maggie's workplace but her home as well.

A friendship forms between the two, with tales of ghosts of the tower and life in the guards but there is something more about Freddie that Maggie knows and it takes a while before we find out what he is hiding. The thing with Maggie though, is what you see is what you get and everyone knows what she is up to, even in the most secure buildings in the land!

This book whilst packed full of interesting facts about the Tower of London, the Beefeaters, the Guards, the Keys ceremony and even the Ravens is ultimately a modern romantic tale. A lot of current terminology which I was not familiar with (god I have got old!) but still a lovely diversion with a bit of history chucked in. Think Bridget Jones and Mr Darcy but with uniforms. I was wondering though, as the author has her own royal guard and does in fact live at the Tower, how much of this book is autobiographical? It will be interesting to see if more books follow.

i was really enjoying this book what happened🙁

started out so cute but by the end it felt like the love interest was absent for half the book and the author spent time and energy writing everything but the romance. (like why did i have to read pages and pages about the main character's horrible dates when her & the love interest could barely go five minutes without getting interrupted😭)

plus i liked the main character in the beginning but things kept spiraling and getting increasingly more dramatic & annoying with almost zero growth in the character.

had a good potential but the story ended up doing too much without actually doing anything? that being said the writing style was pretty good so🤷‍♀️

2-2.5 stars

FALLING HARD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD started out okay. Quirky, down-on-her-luck heroine has disastrous meet cute with a Royal Guard. But then, it started to unravel.
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It got very, verrrry slow. I got 31% in and almost nothing had happened. Just a rundown of her going to work every single day, her coworkers being awful to her, and her saying nothing in return.
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I've heard other reviews talk about female heroines that were "too dumb to live" and I was like, "Geez. That seems harsh." But now I understand.
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Maggie is silly, immature, a doormat, and gets embarrassed by literally everything. Her ex calls and texts her all day, every day, and into the night...so she turns off her phone—which makes her late for work the next day. JUST BLOCK HIS NUMBER.
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The same ex shows up at her work and physically assaults her repeatedly and she does nothing about it. No strong words. No restraining order. She just runs away crying each time. WHAT IS THIS MAIN CHARACTER?

At one point in this book, the main character THIN-SHAMES another woman. She comments on the other woman being too thin and being able to see her bones and CAN WE JUST NOT SHAME WOMEN'S BODIES?!
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I finally gave up reading. FALLING HARD FOR THE ROYAL GUARD just isn't for me.
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DNF 31%

I absolutely devoured this book, there are not many books that I sacrifice sleep for but this one had me up until nearly 3am.

I really enjoyed my time reading this story, it's just so British. I imagine American readers might find some of the terminology a bit odd but I loved it! The setting for the story is so well written, you can tell the author genuinely knows this story and its location inside out. It's full of life and brimming with character, the history bits were really interesting too - it all makes me want to live in the tower myself. (I've found out after that the author does really live in the Tower of London so it actually is her life!)

Maggie is a bit of a mess and honestly, I found myself relating to her an awful lot. Freddie is so sweet, I wish we'd seen a bit more of his personality come out but it makes sense why he's quite buttoned up. I really liked the gang of guards too and all the different characters living at the Tower, it's a genuine community even with its drawbacks and I think the story gives a lovely insight into what life is like there.

I'd definitely recommend picking this book up if you fancy a cute romance packed with character and British charm. It's the perfect slow burn and I'm interested in seeing what Megan Clawson writes next!

This has an excellent, and swoony, premise and romantic interest. The setting is also so vivid and crucial to the story. It’s truly the author’s love letter to the Tower of London, and a fascinating one at that.

It’s a clean romance and the ending is sweet, but it would have been nice to have more of the main characters once the angst is all sorted out!

This was a fun read. As with most romantic comedies, emotional and deeper scenarios were handled with a cover of humour and gently handled.

I loved the informative insight to the Tower of London and having been there when I was younger I could very much picture the public locations described. I also enjoyed learning the history and culture which were woven into the story, and the close relationships those who live there seem to have.

I did wonder whether this was set under the current British monarchy with the mention of King Charles, but other members of the Royal family were not included so I am still non the wiser, however this didn't stop me enjoying my reading.

Maggie was very much a loveable character; clumsy, late and someone I wanted to give a hug. Freddie was brilliant too - down to earth, friendly and one of the lads. I enjoyed learning his true identity and felt it really added depth to the scene with the location when the secret was revealed.

This gave me a comedic 90's, Bridget Jones vibe which I thoroughly loved and would recommend to anyone looking for a great read!

This was such a fun read! Super cute and set in the Tower of London. I adore books set in London since it’s once of my dream destinations. This book all together was fun and definitely a book I’d recommend to others.

I really enjoyed reading this book it is not something I would usually read but I loved how it was set in the Tower of London and I loved the glimpses of history mentioned in this book. The story of Megan and Freddie was so cute and I love how everything wrapped up and ended.

My first thought on this is: cute. Not in an eye-roll way, but genuinely. If you are looking for a light, Hallmark-esque type of read, this is the book for you. If you are looking for some spice in your life, I would recommend looking past this one until a later time.

One of the things I loved most about this book is how much I learned from it. Within the first ten pages, it had me Googling what a ‘beefeater’ was, which led me down a rabbit hole about the Tower of London. The book itself continued to spare no expense on anecdotes of those from prior centuries and history of the place; and I ate up every word of it, spoken from the clumsy, history nerd of the main character. I also loved the simplicity of it. Aside from venturing off into the city on some disastrous Tinder dates, the story rarely left the grounds of the Tower.

I was surprised by the first plot twist we come across. I was expecting the classic third act breakup/conflict, but this beat it to the punch! Some may have seen it coming from a mile away but I certainly did not. And I am okay with that— it’s what keeps things interesting for me.

In summary, Maggie is a 26 year old who lives at the Tower of London—yes lives. Her father is a beefeater and she lives with him, spending her days working at the ticketing booth. One evening, she bumps into Sir Lamppost (inside joke for now until you read), and from there everything changes. From surprise (planned) bump ins, a persistent ex who provides Freddie with knight-in-shining armor opportunities, tragic Tinder dates (which while unfortunate, provide some great laughs), and great personalities of support characters (minus her Twiddly Dee and Twiddly Dum co-workers), this book provides a great lighthearted read that will leave you smiling—and maybe shed a tear or two. Also a great bonus that it’s semi-based off a true story! The author has in fact lived in the Tower of London and fell in love with a Royal Guard.

Thank you to Avon Books and NetGalley for this ARC in exchange for an honest review.

From the first page I was hooked, not just by the romance but with the history woven into the pages. The protagonist, Maggie, lives with her father, who is a Yeoman or a "beefeater" in the Tower of London. Yes, people do actually live there. Maggie represents those of us who after a broken heart, trhoguh romance or grief, is questioning everything in her life: her rambling to rambling, dashing in dark corridors away from ghosts and permanently running into hot guards of his majesty.
With every possible drop in action there is a joke that makes you smile or an ounce of history to add to those lost nuggets of history that you may not have known about.
The writer tells in the foreword that she has or does live in the tower and that is clear from everything revealed about the character, even the geography of London and the tower, rather resembling the works of Ben Aaronvitch- despite those being works of fantasy they are nearly always geographically accurate.

I look forward to reading other books that Clawson may write in the future.

I received a complimentary copy of this book from #netgalley , thank you. Opinions expressed in this review are completely my own.

Despite being a Londoner, it has never occurred to me that there would be people living in The Tower of London, let alone a whole community, that is so different to the rest of the capital. So this was a rather eye opening and fascinating book from that point of view.

And it is clear the author loves her history as we kept being treated to snippets of various things that have happened in the towers in the past, and thus is was clearly well researched too.

And I enjoyed getting to know Maggie, who seems rather accident prone, and seems to enjoy the company of the Ravens than other people, well until she runs into one guard that changes things.

I loved the growing friendship between Maggie and Freddie, and seeing if they could overcome multiple obstacles in their way. They are from two very different backgrounds, and I really wasn't sure how this would progress.

A very enjoyable debut novel, and I'm very curious to see what the author will write next.

Thank you to Avon and Netgalley for this copy which I have reviewed honestly and voluntarily.

I loved entering into Maggie's world in the Tower of London! The map at the start was super helpful and would be even handier in print form rather than digital!

I loved that Mhari wasn’t painted as an evil love rival but had her own story too!

Freddie was just a tad frustrating for me at times but I’m happy Maggie got her happy ending!

// 2.5 ⭐️ //

When I received this arc from NetGalley (in exchange for my honest opinion, duh) I had really high hopes - not just because the cover is super cute but because the premise sounds like a movie I‘d happily watch. However, there were a few things in this book, that made me want to dnf it a couple of times, so let me tell you about them.

The plot:
After being cheated on by her douch-ey ex-boyfriend, Maggie moves in with her dad, who lives and works in the Tower of London because he is a beefeater. Maggie herself lives a very uneventful and unhappy life, until one night, when she accidentally collides with a man, who turns out to be one of the royal guards and soon starts to shake Maggie’s whole world.

Let’s talk about what I liked first:
I love history and lore, which is the main thing that kept me going throughout this book. I really enjoyed the setting, as well as the quirky characters of the Tower of London. My favorite thing were the stories woven into the narration and the descriptions of life at the tower. You could really feel how passionate the author feels about this special place and thus the story feels like a little love letter to the tower.

Which brings me to the main issue I had with this book. THE ROMANCE. I did not feel it at all. To me, Freddie felt distant from the very beginning and in my opinion the plot twist would have worked better, if there would have been little hints throughout the story, not just in the beginning. Unfortunately his behavior and friendzoning of Maggie lost me almost immediately.

Onto Maggie. Unfortunately she was one of the most boring, annoying and stereotypical characters I have ever read about. There was a lot of subtle internalized misogyny which not only manifested in her bitchy co-workers and the lack of female friendships in this book. What was worse was Maggie’s constant self-doubt and the fact that she mentions how ugly, clumsy and uninteresting she is in every third sentence. This one of those tropes, where the female protagonist is the only one who can’t see her worth and I really don’t like it because honestly - it’s 2023 and we don’t need any more literature that is putting down women - fictional or not.

I was waiting for Maggie’s character arc, which FINALLY manifested at around 90% into the book, but only after she experiences an extremely emotionally hurtful event at the hands of a man, which felt so unoriginal, I almost couldn’t believe my eyes.

My rant aside, this book felt very personal and I think that there are definitely people out there who will enjoy this more than me. There is a reason I finished it after all, which for me, were the quirky details about the Tower of London and the knowledge of its history. I also can’t deny that I had a few good chuckles because some elements of the story were straight up comical. All in all I would have wished to like this more than I did, but you can’t have it all I guess :)

Started off great with a hilarious meet-cute but couldn't feel any spark along the way.

Sorry to say but this book isn't for me.

Thank you Netgalley and publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed this book! It’s a light sloe burn romance with the main setting being The Tower of London where the main character, Maggie, lives. I liked the fact that I found this book really easy to follow along and read, there was information and facts about the Tower but it wasn’t overwhelming and it was fun to learn new things about it.

I liked Maggies character but I think it would have been nice to learn a bit more about her other than what we see as we see this part of her life. That being said I liked Maggie! I also liked Freddie but I think he needed a bit more page time because I think there is so much more to him that I wish I had seen!

Also the twists, I think they definitely added an extra ‘thing’ to the story, especially the one about 85% in - I did NOT see that coming!! I’m glad about how it turned out but it was definitely a moment I did not see coming at all, it really upped the love stakes!

I also really enjoyed Mhairi’s character and I really would like a spin off book about her and her life!

Overall, I found Falling Hard for the Royal Guard a light, easy read and safe to safe I enjoyed it! I am giving this book 4 stars!

I originally requested ‘Falling hard for the royal guard’ because of its colourful and attractive cover, what I didn’t expect was the laugh out loud startling beginning. Maggie embodies so much of what I believe it’s like to be a single mid-late 20s woman. Reading the book was like going back down memory lane (minus the cheeky royal guards), but in an upbeat and more interesting way.

I enjoyed this book immensely and it really spurred on my current reading binge. The last few pages had me crying, but my heart had never felt lighter and heavier at the same time. I want to congratulate a Megan Clawson on her first book and hope that it’s the first of many.

I really enjoyed this book - though I wouldn't particularly call it a rom com. Sure, there are some comedic moments, but to me it wasn't a laugh out loud story.

I liked that I could picture the setting of Maggie and Freddie's story (thank you documentaries and google images hahah)

I liked Maggie, a lot. She is a wonderful leading lady, and she is an every girl. She is not perfectly model beautiful. She has her flaws, she has body image issues like we all do.. She wears her heart on her sleeve.

Freddie was lovely, then I hated him, then I loved him again.

Maggies workplace is toxic and every single one of her coworkers needs to have a permanent itch that they just can't scratch. I hate, hate, hated them all.

There is a great lot of secondary characters that just made this story even more enjoyable, and some that I would like to meet more of in the future.