His Royal Favorite is the second book in the His Royal Secret series by Lilah Pace. This book is not a standalone, and picks up after the events of His Royal Secret. If you haven't read that book yet, you will want to start there before proceeding. His Royal Secret ended with a HFN ending, though there was a cliffhanger. I was really looking forward to getting more of James and Ben and couldn't wait to see how things would play out for these two.
James, the Prince of Wales, has decided to let the world know about his relationship with Ben and come clean about being gay. Though Ben and James are in love and ready for the future, James and Ben both worry about how that will change both of their lives. But after the world finds out, things begin to implode as Ben's past is put on spotlight and James' sister's health begins to decline. Can Ben and James prove that love conquers all, or will there be too many things standing in their way despite the love they have found in each other?
I was so happy to see that James was going to come out and that Ben was there to stand beside him. Their love felt strong in the first book and yet neither of them had ever expected to be with each other in the long run. I knew they would have many difficulties ahead of them, and that was definitely true here. Part of that was both of them struggling with their new circumstances, with Ben's whole life altered drastically. I felt for him and all that he was going through, but I will admit that it was frustrating at times to see both of them questioning each other and their future. While their connection and chemistry were still very real, it felt like something was missing and that these two were going through the motions at times. I wanted to see them on solid ground and finding their footing together, but their relationship just felt off kilter through much of this book.
I also felt like this book suffered a bit like the first one did in that the pacing was a bit slow and had a tendency to drag at times. I think that again we got more of the mundane details than were needed, and after reading this book I really feel that this one would have been better off as a single novel rather than a duet. The overall story was good and I liked the characters, but I do think that this could have been a lot shorter and condensed for a much more solid story. I still think that these books are worth the read, especially if you are a fan of contemporary M/M romance. This series didn't have quite the same spark that Lilah's first series did though, so while I enjoyed it I didn't love it. James and Ben were great together though, and I was happy about how things turned out here.
**ARC Provided by Publisher**
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