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A review by dogoodwithbooks
Royal Valentine by Jenn McKinlay
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? It's complicated
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.0
I’m not going to give a plot summary since the book description gave away most of the book, so I’m just heading straight to my thoughts on the book.
This novella isn’t too bad. I know that this is the second book I read by Jenn McKinlay, but this feels a bit different from the other book I read by McKinlay and something tells me that novellas aren’t her strongsuit.
While Royal Valentine had an interesting plot concept and there was a consistent pacing throughout the book (which makes for a good narration since I was listening to the audiobook), McKinlay’s character work wasn’t her greatest. From too many characters introduced in the first two chapters (which ended up in too many characters to decipher which were actually important side characters as well as mixing up their names) to actual side characters with little depth to them. Additionally, Molly, while a somewhat relatable MC, she definitely seems full of contradictions (but not in a good way). I felt that she overreacts over the smallest of things and jumps to conclusions, so much so that it ends up making her kind of a jerk in the second half of the book.
As for the relationship itself, it’s fine… but it almost felt too insta-love. I can’t exactly go over why it was necessarily so without revealing spoilers, but I felt that between Molly’s somewhat unpredictable nature over the status of their relationship and Jamie trying to break down the stone walls that Molly continues to put up, it’s a bit hard to read on-page.
With this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I know this isn’t reflective of McKinlay’s work, but I don’t think I would be reading any more of her novellas.
This novella isn’t too bad. I know that this is the second book I read by Jenn McKinlay, but this feels a bit different from the other book I read by McKinlay and something tells me that novellas aren’t her strongsuit.
While Royal Valentine had an interesting plot concept and there was a consistent pacing throughout the book (which makes for a good narration since I was listening to the audiobook), McKinlay’s character work wasn’t her greatest. From too many characters introduced in the first two chapters (which ended up in too many characters to decipher which were actually important side characters as well as mixing up their names) to actual side characters with little depth to them. Additionally, Molly, while a somewhat relatable MC, she definitely seems full of contradictions (but not in a good way). I felt that she overreacts over the smallest of things and jumps to conclusions, so much so that it ends up making her kind of a jerk in the second half of the book.
As for the relationship itself, it’s fine… but it almost felt too insta-love. I can’t exactly go over why it was necessarily so without revealing spoilers, but I felt that between Molly’s somewhat unpredictable nature over the status of their relationship and Jamie trying to break down the stone walls that Molly continues to put up, it’s a bit hard to read on-page.
With this, I wasn’t a huge fan of this book. I know this isn’t reflective of McKinlay’s work, but I don’t think I would be reading any more of her novellas.
Content Warnings
Moderate: Infidelity, Car accident, and Death of parent
Minor: Bullying