Her Royal Highness
by Rachel Hawkins
Young Adult/Romance/LGBT
274 pages
Published May 2019

This is the sequel to Royals, which I reviewed a little while back. At the time, I wasn’t terribly enthused by Princess Flora, and that actually stuck through this book. I do, however, really like Millie. And I LOVE Rachel Hawkins. This woman writes sweet, fluffy romances that you know will have a happy ending, and makes them a joy to read. To see that approach with LGBT representation – lesbian and bisexual, in this specific case – is fantastic. Give us more! Hawkins still has several characters she could write stories about in this world, including the most eligible bachelor, Prince Sebastian. (Flora’s brother.) She could also write a prequel about the other Prince, since the first book was the romance between the Prince Alex’s fiancée’s sister and one of Sebastian’s best friends. Prince Alex and his fiancée were already a thing when the series opened. Daisy and Miles, the couple from the first book, do make an appearance in this one as well, as do Seb and the rest of the “Royal Wreckers.” (His posse of noble scoundrels.)

I liked that Millie explicitly likes both “lads and lasses, in the general sense” in the book; it’s not just implied. Far too often we’re just left to wonder, when a character dated or was married to one gender, but is shown loving a different gender, whether it’s because they discovered the new gender is their actual preference, or because they are bi/pan. Plenty of homosexuals were married to an opposite-gender partner before coming out. So it’s really nice to see explicitly bisexual rep!

I may have liked the side characters more than I liked Princess Flora. Lady Sakshi Worthington, especially, was great, and I may have been cheering more for her romance than for Millie and Flora!

My dislike of Flora aside, I really enjoyed this book. It was a quick, fun read, and Hawkins had better get working on the next story. I NEED Seb’s book!

From the cover of Her Royal Highness:

She’s her friend.
She’s her enemy.
She’s her . . . crush?

Millie Quint is devastated when she discovers that her sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend has been kissing someone else. Heartbroken and ready for a change of pace, Millie decides to apply for scholarships to boarding schools . . . the farther from Houston the better.

Millie is thrilled when she is accepted into one of the world’s most exclusive schools, located in the rolling Highlands of Scotland.

The only problem: Millie’s roommate, Flora, is a total princess.

She’s also the actual princess. Of Scotland.

At first, the girls can’t stand each other, but before Millie knows it, she has another sort-of-best-friend/sort-of-girlfriend. Princess Flora could  be a new chapter in her love life, but Millie knows the chances of happily-ever-after are slim. After all, real life isn’t a fairy tale . . . or is it?