My Royal Showmance by Lexi Blake

From New York Times bestselling author Lexi Blake, discover The Park Avenue Promise Series...

Three young women make a pact in high school—
to always be friends and to one day make it big in Manhattan.

My Royal Showmance

Anika Fox knows exactly where she wants to be, and it’s not on the set of a reality TV dating show. She’s working her way up at the production company she works for and she’s close to achieving some of her dreams. The big boss just wants one thing from her. She’s got a potential problem with the director of The King Takes a Bride and she wants Anika to pose as a production assistant and report back.

As the king of a tiny European country, Luca St. Marten knows the world views him as one of the pampered royalty of the world. It couldn’t be further from the truth. His country is hurting and he’s right there on the front lines with his citizens. When he’s asked to do a dating show, his counselors point out that it could bring tourism back to Ralavia. It goes against his every desire, but he agrees.

When one of the contestants drops out at the last minute, Anika finds herself replacing the potential princess. She’s sure she’ll be asked to leave the first night, but Luca keeps picking her again and again. Suddenly she finds herself in the middle of a made-for-TV fantasy, and she’s unsure what’s real and what’s simply reality TV.

Don’t miss our reviews of the rest of the Park Avenue Promise series!
For book one, Start Us Up, click HERE.

 

 

Book 2
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Audiobook (US)
Narrated by Kitty Bang

 

 

“Ani, you’re my best producer. Do this for me and I’ll green-light your movie. The silly one about… What was it about?”

“It’s the story of one of New York’s first woman firefighters. Her life and struggles.” It is my dream project, and it certainly isn’t silly. It’s about empowerment and the fight against discrimination in the workplace.

Jess’s surgically perfected nose wrinkles slightly. “Could she be fighting aliens?”

I growl. It’s an alpha sound I’ve worked on over the years since no one takes a small blonde woman seriously in my business until they catch sight of our three rows of teeth.

Not that I’m like that in my normal life. I’m a regular young woman. I try to be nice and kind to everyone around me, and if they cross me, I will bury them and no cop will look in my anime eyes and think me capable of murder.

Sometimes the patriarchy works in my favor. Not that I want to give up bodily autonomy and equal pay just so I can murder someone a little more easily. But for now I’ll take what I can get.

“Fine.” Jess has her hard negotiator expression on. “What’s the budget?”

I can do it for ten million, but she’s sentencing me to six weeks of dealing with women who think they are going to end up being queen. It will be spray tans and claws, and I will hear the words “the right reasons” so many times. “Fifteen.”

Her eyes narrow like she knows exactly what I’m doing.

I sit and wait. Like she taught me.

Don’t show a minute of your emotions, Ani.

“Fifteen,” she agrees. “And you’ll be fast-tracked. If you get this done, I might even be persuaded to tell publicity they have a slightly larger budget.”

She really wants this.

I wish I could talk to my friends, but I know what’s at the end of this conversation. I won’t be able to explain why I’m taking a crappy assignment. Ivy has her own issues and won’t question it. She’ll be all “rah-rah, girl power,” but Harper likes a mystery, and, even more, she loves to point out when things are going wrong.

Still, I’d like their advice, but I’m not going to get it.

I’m on my own. “I’ll do it.”

Jess smiles like she would have gone to twenty.

She wouldn’t have, but I give her a frown because it’s always good to let the boss think they’re still in control.

“One more thing, dear,” she says, sliding a stack of papers my way.

Yep. There’s the very long and binding nondisclosure agreement. My mouth is going to have to stay closed. But my eyes will be wide open.

 

 

 

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
I enjoyed the idea of this book and the first meeting between Anika and Luca. They met in a bar and ended up talking late into the night.

I wasn't crazy about the game show idea (I don't watch those reality-type shows), but I did enjoy the friendships Anika made while she was a contestant.

As I said, I enjoyed the story and if you are into reality TV, this book is for you.


Ruthie – ☆☆☆☆
This is the second book in the series about three longtime friends who promise to support each other through the vaguaries of life. Ivy met her true love, Heath, in the first book, now it is Anika's turn to be in the spotlight.

Working in production, Anika is ready to move up and get her own works created, but an offer from her mentor of promised funding if she goes and makes sure that a onetime bad boy director has truly reformed, has her going down a pay grade and working on a reality show. These are her own particularly hated genre of TV, but the lure of doing her own project is just too great.

Thanks to NDAs, she cannot reveal much to her two besties, but has one last evening out before she gets sequestered. She leaves them early though, due to meeting a guy she is very attracted to... even if only for one night.

Roll forward and we find ourselves on set with the mystery guy being the king of a small principality in Europe. He needs the TV show funding and publicity to save his country and has agreed to choose a wife from the 13 contestants.

As the crazy of this world is revealed to the reader, and the tunnels of the mansion enable friends to meet and promises to be made, we also have the underlying question of is the director a bad guy. As everything unravels, there is a clever twist and a move from the trip of girlfriends which saves the day.

Implausible to the extent that one can imagine it is true, I was highly entertained by the characters in the royal showmance TV show and behind the scenes.


Avid Reader – ☆☆☆☆
M/F Romance
Triggers: Click HERE to see Avid Reader’s review on Goodreads for trigger warnings.

Anika is a fantastic character. From the very beginning you saw how honest and real she was. She works hard, loves hard, and is loyal. I loved her mind set about her job, family, friends, and life in general.

Luca had amazing reasons for wanting to do this show. He wants his people to succeed and thrive. It’s a curve ball for him when he realizes that his heart could truly get caught in the web of love.

These two together are fun, witty, and lovable. You won’t be disappointed in their story. I think the only thing I wished for was more on the protagonists. I wanted to see them squirm.

 

 

 

New York Times and USA Today bestselling author LEXI BLAKE lives in North Texas with her husband and three kids. Since starting her publishing journey in 2010, she’s sold over three million copies of her books. She began writing at a young age, concentrating on plays and journalism. It wasn’t until she started writing romance that she found success. She likes to find humor in the strangest places and believes in happy endings.

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Facebook Group: Lexi’s Literary Universe

 

 

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Reviewers on the Wicked Reads Review Team were provided a free copy of My Royal Showmance (The Park Avenue Promise #2) by Lexi Blake to read and review.