Thank you NetGalley for the prerelease of this audiobook.

Overall, I really enjoyed this story. The plotline was compelling, and I enjoyed that it was centered around Valentine's day. Holiday-themed novels are always a delight! I really appreciated the novel setting (a museum of literature) and I always love it when the main character as a unique (non-stereotypic job) - in this case, a registrar at the museum. The chemistry between characters was swoon-worthy. The only thing that bummed me about the book was how quickly it ended. I didn't want my journey with the characters to end. This story would make a wonderful movie!!

Sweet, quick love story. I definitely would have enjoyed if this had been longer and fleshed out more! But it hit the spot for something quick and fun.

I just wish a narrator who could actually do an English accent had been chosen. That was a little frustrating.

This book was cute. It was exactly what you would expect from a Royal rom com TBH.

My issue with the book was that I found Molly kind of annoying. I hate when people say that in a review but honestly that’s the best I can come up with. She was just a little too whiny and bland for me as a character.

If you want a cute short insta love Valentine's Day romance, this is the one. It is really short and doesn't take long to get through it. The premise of it was cute and Molly is an introvert that gets introduced to Ed/Jaime (a viscount) by crazy circumstances. They fall in insta love and then he disappears after a month of seeing each other. By chance they meet again and found out he is Earl. There she struggles to forgive because he lied about who he really was. With the help of close and honest friends, she finds out that she is just afraid and really wants to be with him.
Not sure why it's called a Royal Valentine, in the book they even mentioned that they have a title but they are not royal.
If you don't over think it, this is cute. But you spend a good part of the time with Molly the main character rejecting Ed/Jaime for lying. The romance itself felt like the shortest part of the story. She is upset, lets not deny that she herself spent a good part of time lying to her best friend. It took a lot of butt kicking for her to get over herself and to forgive.

Aim High (in dating) that’s what Molly’s friend Bri tells her when they go to their work party on Valentine’s Day.

Molly meets Albert (Al) in her office when she is trying to escape the party early (an introvert after my own heart). Al isn’t really the aim high type Bri had in mind for Molly, or is he?

The premise of the book is what drew me in, and knowing there was a twist coming at some point kept me wanting to learn more about Al and Molly. I enjoyed the way the two got to know each other and had their relationship develop. I also really liked that Molly did not instantly forgive Al and really thought about the issue and then came to her own conclusion.

Overall I enjoyed listening to this audiobook, found it to be a cute charming Rom-Com.

Thank you NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for a copy of this audiobook. This is my honest voluntary review!

Jenn Mckinlay is one of my auto buy authoris but I typically dislike novellas so I was afraid to try this one. It had some of the same issues that I have with novellas, it felt rushed and very insta love. I wanted it to just slow down and savor the characters. I loved how the characters interacted and I just wanted more. But otherwise it was a sweet love story that I flew thru. The audiobook was well done and easy to follow.

Much like the others and their reviews, I found that this was too short. Other than that it was good for a quick read/listen.

This was epically bad. I only finished it for the same reason that people slow down to gawp at a car accident.


Review copy provided by publisher.

Fans of the classic 90’s rom coms will swoon over this fun and flirty read! Jenn McKinlay delivers a fresh twist on the classic “hidden identity” romance trope. Even though this story was quite clean on the “spice” rating, (which is something I love in romance), I didn’t mind - the characters were so likeable and their chemistry was undeniable, I didn’t mind this hallmark style romance! It covers all the cliches of a typical romance, and I am here. for. it. Sometimes you just wanna pick up a predictable happily ever after!

My only “awe man” was that this book is only the length of a novella, and not a full novel. I would have loved to have had time to explore the characters more, and their story line moved incredibly fast to fit in the setting of a novella. This book has full potential to be a full length feature (or perhaps a series?)

I received a copy of this audiobook from Netgalley and Dreamscape Media. All opinions are my own!

If you're looking for a quick, fun read for Valentine's Day, this is definitely the book for you! I really enjoyed how cute it was and how much depth it had even for being so short. It still showed so much growth with both main characters even in the little amount of time it had, and it made their relationship really mean something.

I also really enjoyed the way that they got to see New York and really had the classic tourist experience. It added to the experience of the book and made it that much more fun to imagine their relationship in action.

Everything about this book was super cute and fun, and I would highly recommend it to romance lovers!

I won't be finishing this book because life is too short to spend it on self-loathing female characters written by misogynist female writers. I made it to the end of chapter 2.

First strike: white female lead refers to her Asian bestie as "the yin to my yang" 🤔. Not a total deal breaker, but has me treading lightly

Second strike: character refers to herself as an introvert, but it's clear that she is introverted because she suffers low self-esteem over her looks. She has frizzy hair and is apparently overweight which we can gather from her childhood flashback trauma about being moo'd at. Also the repeated mentions of how her boobs won't fit into her dress, and then the irrational hatred she has for her tall, skinny coworker.

Third strike: "That sort of self-assurance was just not normal"... This is how she describes her tall, skinny, 'scary', non-conforming co-worker. Literally just say you hate women and go.

I have no interest in spending time with a woman who hates herself for being how she is and also hates other women for not being her. It's not fun.

Also, the narrator for the audio cannot do a British accent, and it's a problem since the male lead is British.

I loved everything about the concept of this book. The Jane Austen comparisons and allusions were cute and as an Austen fan, I was so happy at every reference. Molly is cynical and doesn’t believe in happily ever Afters, but all that is put to the test when she runs into Al, a man hiding in her office during a museum gala who she thinks is a doctoral candidate but is actually part of the British peerage. Their whirlwind romance, while a little over the top, is cute and fun. I did get pretty frustrated though with Al when he went back to Bath and I really don’t think he did enough to make up for his mistakes. Why he goes back makes sense but how he treated Molly in that transition isn’t something I’d easily forgive either. I think there was a lot of instances where just a little more communication would’ve done so much for the book, Molly keeps her whole romance a secret from her best friend and I just wish she’d open up more. It was hard hearing her be upset while also feeling as a reader so much frustration that no one was really talking to each other clearly. There were a lot of great moments too though, Molly give Al a grand tour of New York, and I just thought all of that was adorable and I wanted to explore the city with them.

2.5 stars

Royal Valentine is a pretty cute romance novella that condenses what could easily be the plot of a full length book into something very short. If you're looking for a quick to read, sweet royal romance, this might hit the spot. Though I wouldn't go in with particularly high expectations. It is quite cliche, glosses over a lot of major plot points, and does this thing I dislike where it doesn't adequately address the conflict it has set up. In this case it's that the heroine hates lying and needs trust in a relationship. The hero has lied about his identity. The solution is that she realizes she's been lying to herself about not being in love with him? Ummmm.....okay, I guess? So not something I would push people towards, but also something that might be a great palate cleanser if you just want a quick, fairly cute romance. The audio narration is pretty good, though the British accent is only mediocre. I received an advance audio copy for review via NetGalley. All opinions are my own.

2.5 stars.

Pros:
* it’s the perfect length for a quick listen,
* the narrator, Sara Young, was great,
* MC is a book curator of rare books and attends work parties in regency dress,
* the love of books in this one shines through
* I like the author’s other works I’ve read

Cons:
* I found this a little too quick in parts, too slow in others,
* I just couldn’t believe in the love story, because it didn’t seem like one to me
(spoiler alert just below)
* I could not root for the MCs, Molly, who is so adamantly pro-honesty, but then she lies to her best friend, justifies her own lying, and yet still stands firm on her position when it comes to other people lying. MMC’s weak excuses for not contacting MFC? Nope.

An adorable feel-good story just in time for Valentine’s Day. Jenn McKinlay is a great at creating characters that we can all relate to: bookish, socially awkward, and perfectly flawed. Molly is a lovable main character; the rest of the characters are just as charming. This story was cute but a little too short. I would have loved more time to explore the relationship between Molly and Al, and, of course, the library.

2.5 stars
Royal Valentine is a short and sweet royalty romance novella. Although it has a really cute premise and some strong tropes, I found it to be overly cliche. Additionally, there were some bold choices made in terms of pacing. The first quarter-third of the book was just the set up, but then crucial moments like the main characters falling in love, breaking up, and grovelling were all done over montage. Although I enjoyed this novella as a quick and easy read, it isn't one that I'll think too much about after finishing. I wouldn't put someone off of reading this book, I can't say I'd recommend it either.

Thank you to Jenn McKinlay, Dreamscape Audio, and NetGalley for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.

I thought this was a very cute story and it was a very short audiobook. In all honesty, it could have benefited significantly from extending the story to give more backstory on the characters and their individual "stories."

All in all, this was a very cute story but I would have enjoyed it much more if it was longer and more detailed.

I look forward to hearing more from Jenn McKinley!

This story was absolutely adorable 🥰, I loved it and appreciated the story of Molly who works for a Museum of Literature and they get some amazing books to display for a Valentine’s Gala. She is not super excited to be in a regency dress and decides to hide in her office to find a cute stranger named Albert who is hiding from the crowd.

Albert and Molly leave the gala and walk around NY on Valentine’s Day and just talk. She thinks he is a cute poor student and they start spending time together. He then disappears about a month later. She wonders why he ghosted her and she is worried that something may have happened.

She gets assigned to take the books back to England and finds out that her Albert is actually a Lord! She can’t believe he lied and he is trying to win her back. It was an adorable quick read and can’t wait to read more books from her

More like 3 and a half stars!

A huge thank you to NetGalley and Dreamscape Media for my advanced listeners copy of Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay!

Royal Valentine is a novella so it was short and sweet.
I was entertained and really enjoyed listening to this book.
Royal Valentine was narrated by Sarah Young and I think she did a great job.

The only downside and why it didn’t get a higher rating - because this book is so short the plot and characters didn’t require a lot of development. Things moved very fast which was expected but I think the author could have done so much more with it if it were a full length novel.

Overall- Recommend but not to everyone. Still very excited to read more by the author.

"Royal Valentine" by Jenn McKinlay is a cute, sweet Valentine's Day Novella!

Molly Graham and her BFF & co-worker, Briana Cho, must attend a regency period costume fundraising event on Valentine's Day to celebrate the opening of the Jane Austen exhibit. As employees of the Museum of Literature in NYC, they also need to mingle with the guests.

Molly, an introvert, thinks it's bad enough that she's single on Valentine's Day and dreads attending this event. Briana, an extrovert, is excited for the event and also mentions to Molly they both need to aim higher when meeting men.

At the event, Briana has stars in her eyes for an attractive man who sweeps her off her feet almost immediately. All Molly can think about is sneaking out, going home to a cup of hot tea and a good book. Then, upon leaving she meets handsome Brit, Albert George...

This is a cute, sweet Rom Com with a little too much sugar and not enough humor. It has interesting and likable characters but I had trouble connecting with Molly. She is that 'do as I say, don't as I do' kind of gal. She has a low opinion of herself and yet is a bit of a know-it all with an unbending personality. Yep, I had a devil of a time figuring her out but I do want to give her a big healing hug!

The audiobook is pleasant and narrator, Sara Young, handles the voicing fine. But as I think about it, maybe the narrator's voicing as Molly gives her the snarky feel that doesn't suit the story. Perhaps the eBook would be a better choice for me? Just an after-thought.

I like this story, but I don't love it. It's a cute, sweet Rom-Com where I want less and more! Do check out other reviews as I believe I'm a bit of an outlier here. If you're looking for a quick seasonal read this may be one for you!

Thank you to NetGalley, Dreamscape Media, and Jenn McKinlay for a free ALC of this book. It has been an honor to give my honest and voluntary review. This audiobook is now available.