Being a fan of royal romances, I really wanted to love this book. The premise sounded great, and the writing was done very well... but unfortunately, I personally found myself struggling to get into this story. This is the second book in the series, and I had not read the first book yet, so I feel like that was definitely a contributing factor for me. There were a lot of characters introduced and I was struggling to keep everything straight so that I could really just connect and enjoy the story. I do think that if I'd read the first book, I might have been more familiar with everyone and that would have been a lot easier. I'm also very much a mood reader, so it could have just been timing too. While I found myself unable to connect with/get into the story right now, I enjoyed it enough that I'm planning to come back to it later (in a different mood and after reading the first book) and give it another shot.

**I received a complimentary copy via Netgalley for consideration. All opinions are my own.

This was funny, loving, and just all around made you wish you knew this royal family too. There was so much banter with mostly all of the characters and even though you go into this type of book assuming you know how it will end, I still found this story to be unique and a great read.

this was interesting! i thought the comparison of cinderella and falling for the step sister was a bit odd but it was a fun book! i like the writing and plot but it kinda fell flat

Royal Retelling is the second book in the Love in Laandia series by Holly Kerr. I read the first book in the series and really loved it (highly recommend) and the female lead, Camille, so I was very happy that she popped up in this book as well. I was a bit worried that this book wouldn't be as good, but it really is and Stella is just as wonderful a heroine as Camille was in book one. I adored Gunner too, in fact he was my favorite of the main characters. Our H & h met and played together as children, but a bitter divorce between Stella's parents cut those ties to the royal family. I do wish this part of the story had been pursued more, but it was covered and resolved, just not to my liking. This book is excellent and a 5 star read to me, I cannot wait for book 3. Thank you NetGalley and Holly Kerr for an advanced copy.

Cute, loose Cinderella retelling. The prince’s character was superficial and not as likable as the FMC, supposedly the “wicked stepsister “.
3.5🌟

this was a strong sequel in the Love in Laandia series, it had that element that I enjoyed from the previous book. The characters were what I wanted and enjoyed the overall feel of this. It had that romance element that I was looking for. Holly Kerr has a great writing style and thought the overall feel worked, it had that writing style and enjoyed from this genre. It had that romance element perfectly and can't wait for more.

While I really appreciate the Cinderella retelling, where the main character is actually a “wicked” stepsister, this could have been executed in a better way. The idea is there, the world building is there, even the characters are there, but the story itself lacks in pacing. The development of the relationship from hate to love is not very believable or logical, like the feelings of the main heroine changing after two encounters. Then the big impactful moments from the past, that shaped our heroes futures, are distilled to small misunderstandings or errors in judgment. It just feels off, all of it. My favourite part of the book was Gunnar, who was open, communicative and honest, even when it was uncomfortable for him. Well, except for the reason behind his non-cheating situation, there we get mysterious “trust me, i didn’t do anything wrong there”.
Overall I find this book quite all right and I recommend reading it to the fans of cute fairytale-like stories. 3/5

I really enjoyed this dual POV story. I love seeing both partners perspective as they are developing a relationship and ultimately falling in love. Stella and Sophie had the cutest sister relationship that reminded me of my own with my sister. The romance was sweet and I loved the characters, setting, and plot. I want to check out more from this author!

I received an ARC copy of this novel for an honest review.

This was a very straightforward read but just wasn’t for me.

There is a long time spent introducing the idea of a history between the protagonists but doesn’t really give any examples of this. For saying they were close there are few memories that are looked back on. We are told they were once close rather than this being developed in the relationship and actions of the characters.

Additionally, a lot of time is spent on explaining the links between the families/step relations that leaves the main relationship somewhat underdeveloped and rushed. Similarly, the relationship between Stella, Sophie and Duncan seems rushed and without the closure/any resolution with the mother.

The whole character of Daphne (initially nice, naive and idealistic) seems to have been abandoned by the end in favour of a plot device, which I found a disappointing scale goat to get to where the author wanted to be.

I’m also very confused by the cross tropes of this series - more in terms of the characters - the Prince and the daughter of the trusted advisor, who’s fathers just happen to have been rock stars as well as a king and his trusted right hand man? I think this adds to many layers of tropes for me personally.

Overall this was quick read that I’m sure is suited for some readers but just really didn’t suit me.

This novel offers a fresh and imaginative spin on traditional royal narratives, weaving together elements of history with modern-day sensibilities in a way that felt both unique and engaging. The main characters, with their distinct voices and compelling personal journeys, drew me into the story from the very beginning. Their interactions are rich with depth and realism, driving the story forward with a mix of drama, humor, and romance. The setting, infused with both historical and contemporary details, created a vivid backdrop that enhanced the overall storytelling.

After reading the first book in the Love in Laandia series, I had always been intrigued with Gunner so you can imagine my surprise when I realised that the second book, Royal Retelling, was based around him and a character we’d yet to really meet.

I went in with reasonably high expectations after flying through the first. The denial the two characters had from the start was highly amusing but made the journey between them even more enjoyable!

Dual POV was a positive as I loved seeing both sides of them falling in love with each other.

The relationship between Stella and Sophie was cute because it’s so refreshing to see such a healthy sibling relationship where they support each other and I would say they are more best friends than just sisters. I loved them!

But Gunner and Stella … *sighs* I fell in love with them from the beginning. Stella was very stubborn but around Gunner, he slowly chipped away any of the hardness she’d built up over the years from her Mother influence and revealed her soft center. The writing played a big part in me being able to read through this so fast! The writing flowed so easily and I felt connected with majority of character (excluding a certain step-sister of course.).

I think I will definitely pick up another book from this author and I cannot wait for another Love in Laandia tale, hopefully it’s soon.

Interesting premise of the book and for the most part I did enjoy the book. But not enough to continue the series. I found it a little to soap opera like .

A Roayl retalling is a nice mix of action and romance, it is absolutely well paced. The architecture of the story is keeping the reader on toes, I truly enjoyed reading the story and it was difficult to guess what would happen in the next chapters. I even had very serious doubts about a happy ending. No spoiler here, you'll have to read to see for yourself. A book to offer as a gift to escape the routine ! I hope it is the first of a series, the characters are really likeable and the author really knows how to make a story memorable.
All opinions are mine, thank you to the author and to NetGalley.

👑 Dive into Royal Rom-Com: "Royal Retelling" by Holly Kerr 🌟

💫 Rating: ⭐️⭐️⭐️💫 (3.5 Stars)

👑 The Lowdown: In this charming royal retelling, Prince Gunnar finds himself in need of a date for his brother's wedding. Enter Stella, his childhood friend turned sworn enemy. As they navigate old grudges and new feelings, they discover that sometimes love hides in unexpected places.

💖 Why You'll Love It: "Royal Retelling" offers a fresh twist on the classic Cinderella story, with delightful banter, swoon-worthy moments, and a dash of enemies-to-lovers romance. The dynamic between Gunnar and Stella is both entertaining and heartwarming, making this a perfect read for fans of sweet royal rom-coms.

👑 Key Tropes: Enemies-to-Lovers, Royal Romance, Cinderella Retelling, Childhood Friends, Wedding Date

📚 Unputdownable Moments:

The tension and chemistry between Gunnar and Stella
Exploring the complexities of family dynamics and past friendships
Heartfelt moments of self-discovery and forgiveness

📝 Final Thoughts: While "Royal Retelling" may suffer from a large cast of characters and occasional pacing issues, its heartfelt story and charming romance make it a worthwhile read. With its unique take on a beloved fairy tale, this book is sure to capture the hearts of readers looking for a sweet and uplifting romance.

🌟 Heat Level: 🔥 (Sweet romance with no explicit scenes)

👑 #RoyalRetelling #HollyKerr #CinderellaRetelling #EnemiesToLovers #RoyalRomance 🌟

This book was so cute, seriously! If you're into romance with a Cinderella kind of vibe, this is the one for you. No hot and heavy scenes, just good old storytelling with that whole enemies-to-lovers thing. It totally took me back to A Cinderella Story with Hilary Duff. I felt like I was back in high school again reading this, giving me all the cozy feels. I even caught myself reading it with a British accent in my head, by the way. Some people said there were too many characters, but I don't think so. I think the cast was just right to make the story pop. I really connected with Stella and Gunnar, they were both really cool in their own way. And how about the prince falling for the "evil" stepsister instead of the usual bubbly one? But hey, Stella wasn't evil, just troubled, depressed. She definitely needed therapy after her parents split. And turns out, she wasn't the real evil stepsister after all. I would have liked more longing and romance though. More of that slow burn between Gunnar and Stella. More romance at the end. Even though it's not a hot and heavy read, it would have been even better with that. Overall, I'd give it 4 stars because it was a fun, quick read.

The above review is live on the lavenderblissonline blog! (link below)
I've also reviewed this on Goodreads :)

I also would love to speak with the author!

Royal Retelling by Holly Kerr is a different take on Cinderella, with the Prince falling for one of the step-sisters.

Stella and Gunnar have known each other literally from the cradle and now Stella cannot stand the Prince and he's just living his life, traveling, going to international functions, and not really taking life very seriously.

When his brother gets married he needs a date to the wedding and it sets off his reimmersion in Stella's life.

I enjoyed that she wasn't fawning over the Prince, was a bit surly (just a WEE bit), and that it wasn't an easy love story. Their background together made their falling in love believable and didn't require a lot of build-up, as the history was already in place.

It took me a bit to get all of the characters straight, but I enjoyed them. Each secondary character had something to give to the story and made it a richer book.

I haven't read any of the author's other books, but I'm going to do so now.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for this ARC.

This is a four star for me. It was genuinely refreshing to read a PG romance as it’s been a very long time for me. Something about a slow burn that makes me super giddy- I thought this one was done well. I really like both characters. I liked Gunnar right away. Charming, honest, kind and his POV was easy to read and felt realistic. I enjoyed the way Stella’s POV changed as she started to melt.

The reason for 4 instead of 5 is largely because the ending is rushed. For example, the very short passage about Stella singing at the wedding. That needs build up. Like Camille coming up to thank Stella and Stella says “I’m sorry about Daphne I wish there was something I could do to make it up to you” and Camille jokingly suggests she sing for their first dance and when Stella says “but there is no one to play guitar for me” then queue Duncan offering to play. Would then be nice to add an additional bonding moment between the two. The book is pretty short too so it could use bulking.

In terms of feedback, there is a lot of proofreading needed! I haven’t let this affect the star score on the basis that this is an ARC. However, proofread is absolutely necessary before wider publication. An example would be on page 212 where it says “I open up my mother” when it is supposed to say “I open up my mouth”. I also wanted to mention that I tried to open the file on Kindle and format was unreadable, so you should make sure that is fixed too.

this is a sweet, easy read of unexpected love. a spin off inspired by cinderella except the prince falls for the stepsister instead.

the writing is witty and has a lot of pop culture references making it the perfect YA read.

stella is such a loveable character too and you really do feel for her at times. the book touches on some really relatable topics.

however, there is a lot of characters so it can be hard to follow at times.

regardless, it’s a super fun, light hearted ready that was easily digestible.

2.7⭐️


Me pasó lo mismo que con el libro anterior: me gustó, pero hay algo que no termina se convencerme.




No me gustó que Gunnar sea amiguismo de Fenella (una ex), que estén pegados como siameses y que se vayan de viaje por meses y no es la única ex que se volvió su amiga una vez terminada si relación.

Me cayeron mal los padres de Stella, el padre prefiero un trabajo que pasar tiempo con su hija y su madre se la pasó metiendole mentiras en la cabeza. La excusa del padre para no acercarse a sus hijas fue una tontería, tuvo años para poder recuperar su relación.
La madre es una bruja.


Gracias Netgalley por el ARC.

This story is a play on the story of Cinderella but instead of Cinderella, prince.charming ends up with one of the step sisters. I thought the premise of this book was cute and had some potential but there were some major issues. There were too many characters. It was hard to follow the story because there were so many subplots going on. I realize the author is setting up for multiple books but it made this one feel messy. The romance also felt underdeveloped throughout as well and maybe they were better as friends than lovers. We also didn't get any resolve with Daphne (the Cinderella character) running off with a married man. I'm not sure if that is going to be in an upcoming book or if that is just a plot hole. Overall it was a cute theme and had some sweet moments but the writing struggled a bit throughout.