Review: The introduction of Wynn is delightful
Rating: 2 out of 5
Date: 04 16, 2013
In my last review, I indicated that I was torn and the review of this book is no different; however, I have realized the source of my vacillation.  Let's start with the Pros of this book and author:Pros* I fundamentally like the heroine.  She is refreshing in that she genuinely cares about Sander regardless of his title, and frankly, would prefer if he were just the cabin-living, head of security guy that she thought she met.  Though, if he were that, would she consider giving up her life in Seattle to stay in Latvala to be with him?  We will never know because he is the crown prince.* I like Sander, as he reminds me of a princely version of MacGyver.  He goes from being prince, to outdoorsman, to protector, to man on the street, to rock star, with just the change of clothes.  I also like the way his alpha male persona, that's not overpowering, but used when needed.* I like the supporting cast including Mattias and Wynn.  We did not get to see much of Mattias in the second book, more is the pity there, but we were treated to a new character in the form of Chey's best friend Wynn.  This is a no nonsense kind of girl who added a fresh perspective to the novels.  I actually want to gush more on Wynn, but this is Chey's story, so I won't go there.  However, I would not mind seeing a series about Wynn finding love in Latvala.* I like the flow of the book, in that you want to keep reading despite some of the flaws.  The author does a good job of not dragging the book down with "filler" material to meet a page count.* Finally, I just like the story.  Two people who are trying for love at all costs, and in the case of Chey, it could mean her life.Above, I have listed the good, and it reflects why I would recommend reading the second book.  However, below I will list the Cons, to serve as caution for someone to consider if they even want to start this series or even consider going forward.Cons* While I like the heroine, she is irritating in that she lacks ambition and drive.  While this is not necessarily a bad thing, in her case, she comes off as what in the past has been the stereotypical "American" abroad.  By my calculation, this book has covered about two months in Chey's life, for which Chey has spent 8 weeks in Latvala.  She has not made any attempt to learn a single word or even study the customers of the country.  In the first book, Chey discovers a massive library in the castle, yet, she did not attempt to ever go back and peruse the shelves.  She is in love, not only with a man from Latvala, but with one who is a prince, yet she had not made an attempt to learn his ways.  In the first book, a housekeeper tried to kill her, so this is all the more reason to learn the language to see if she can pick up any other attempts on her life.  Sander, on the other hand, has spent time learning about her.  It took Wynn coming into the story for Chey to even look at a newspaper or map regarding the country.  This I find completely unbelievable.  It is almost as if the author had to make Chey a photographer in order to get her to Latvala to meet royalty, else she would have been the stereotypical cocktail waitress or comparable profession.  Chey's character has not grown from book one to book two and I can see her moving from loveable to irritating if this were to persist in book three.* Why hasn't Mattias or Sander made some recommendations to Chey about learning more about the country and language?  Sander did say that if their relationship were to work out, Chey would need to learn things like language and protocol, but why hasn't he spent some time doing so?  For the amount of time they spend in bed, surely he could have taught her a few words, if nothing else, how to say the words for the food that she is eating?  Instead, when he brings her back to Latvala, he tells her to feel free to rearrange the closets, which she proceeds to do.  Howe about, here are some books to read to become familiar with my life?  It's as if he wants to keep her nave forever.* Because of the flaws I mention, I can't see how the world from Chey's perspective can continue in the later books.  There was a scene after intimacy between Chey and Sander, where Chey couldn't sleep so she summarizes some things in a diary.  Just unexpectedly, she starts to write in a diary again.  This seemed like filler to me, and if the story gave us insight into others, we could have had a scene with the king talking to his wife about how he can further control his sons.  Instead, we got some ridiculous diary writing.  I truly would love to see into the minds of the other wonderful characters (both good and bad) the author has created.* I guess there are some Seattle colloquialisms that I am not aware of that the author keeps using that are irritating.  What is a low tail?  Is this the standard type of ponytail typically seen on a man?  Also, with all of the hair being scraped back, it's a wonder the main characters aren't bald.  Just once, I would like to see the phrase, "she pulled her hair back in her favorite ponytail."* Furthermore, another challenge in telling the story solely from Chey's perspective is that it is starting to come off as somewhat shallow.  How many different times can you say, "he took his shirt off and there was a golden expanse of chest."  Yes, Sander is ridiculously hot and swoon worthy, but coming up with other phrases, "once again, she delighted in looking at his sexy chest" or something, would be so much better.  We get great detail on clothing, the castle, and Chey's makeup routine, but we lack details in other areas (culture, etc.) to provide real depth to the story.  After two books, I don't know much about Latvala except that it is a monarchy somewhere in Europe.  How was it settled and why are some of the siblings blonde and blue-eyed, but the other have dark haired?  Is the queen the king's second wife?* Finally, this is a romance novel and the intimacy scenes leave a lot to be desired.  I think the author needs to research how to approach these scenes to provide satisfactory detail without delving into the erotica level.Well, this is a rather long review and I hope it is helpful to others.  The author has a good voice and creates some wonderful characters, she just needs to grow and do a bit more research to better bring out her talents.  However, the book is easy to read and lighthearted and based on the selling rank, people love it.  Finally, for $4, I am entertained sufficiently, despite my laundry list of issues.  Happy reading if you decide to continue!  The good news is that ending is quite satisfactory.