Well, darn, guess my futile, yet long-cherished, dream of marrying Prince Harry is down the drain. My sincerest congratulations to Prince Harry and Meghan Markle on their engagement! Any wedding, and especially a royal one, is always a marvelous affair, and it’s wonderful they have found each other. Even if it means my last shred of hope at becoming a princess has evaporated.
Synopsis
Twenty-four-year-old Kylie Reed has always been a rule follower. Organized and cautious to a fault, her dreams for life are often filed away for future use – when she has a house, when she meets her future husband, when she has been at her visual display job at a chic Dallas boutique longer… Kylie always has a reason for living her life in the future, not in the present, and not living her life to the fullest and reaching her dream of becoming a fashion designer.
The only exception to rules, of course, would be running away with Prince Harry – Kylie’s ideal man. A hot, fun ginger boy would be worth breaking all the rules for, of course. And Kylie is sure Harry just needs the right, centering woman to settle him down. But living in Dallas and not knowing Prince Harry makes this a non-option. Or does it?
Because when Kylie accidently falls into the lap of a gorgeous ginger boy – yes, even more gorgeous than the real Prince Harry – all bets are off. Could this stranger be the one to show Kylie how to take a chance, to face her fears, and life in the present? And could this stranger be the Prince Harry she has been waiting for? Kylie’s life takes some unexpected twists and turns thanks to this chance encounter, and she knows her life will never be the same because of it.
Review
Laura’s Review
What better day to post a review of Waiting for Prince Harry then on the day when the actual Prince Harry announced his engagement, to an American…that isn’t me. I’m fine, totally fine :). Aven Ellis’ Waiting for Prince Harry does not actually feature an appearance by the beloved soon-to-be-sixth-in-line for the throne, but rather a ‘Harry’ that is a gorgeous ginger who captains the fictional Dallas Demons hockey team.
While Kylie Reed is waiting for Prince Harry (and yes, she knows it’s not a realistic possibility) she ends up meeting her own ‘Prince Harry’ by chance when she literally stumbles into the lap of hockey player Harrison. What follows are some fun ups and downs as Kylie and Harrison (who is only actually referred to as Harry once throughout the entire book) get to know each other and navigate the beginnings of their relationship. Overall, in this story there were a few too many misunderstandings and instances of a lack of communication between the two to seem wholly believable. As I was reading it, I was thinking quite often that if they just had a rational conversation (such as about Harrison’s role is in the public eye and the effect it has on their relationship) much of the messes they deal with could have easily been avoided.
Waiting for Prince Harry is the first in the Dallas Demons series which now includes 5 books. While Waiting for Prince Harry was not my favorite, I have read the subsequent 4 books, and have enjoyed them immensely. The series is a pleasant distraction from the real world and each book builds from the previous one, so Harrison and Kylie have actually appeared in all 5 books. So, despite the trials they face in their own novel, in the world of the Dallas Demons they are now happily married and have a baby boy.
Sarah’s Review
Waiting for Prince Harry is a fun and cheery PG13 romantic comedy in book form. For a romance novel, it is very tame and clean which, for the most part, I enjoyed. There was one huge opportunity involving a penalty box that I would have enjoyed seeing Aven Ellis capitalize on, but overall, an enjoyable read.
Kylie is a competent protagonist and falls into the trap of saying stupid things when speaking to a very attractive man that all young women do which was a refreshing breath of fresh air in the romance department. For the most part, though, Kylie is quite a push over – she lets her boss take advantage of her and holds off on following her own dreams, always waiting for the ambiguous future. I have the habit of letting the same mentality consume me, always hoping that things will get better without me having to do anything to make them so. However, when Kylie finally stands up for herself and her relationship, it’s an incredible moment. She becomes the eloquent and passionate protagonist I hoped she’d be.
While I did enjoy the literary palate cleanser that is Waiting for Prince Harry, I would have liked to have seen a great deal of evidence for why, after only one week, Kylie is convinced she’s going to spend the rest of her life with her Prince Harry. Many of the elements of the romance, in this sense, felt wildly unrealistic. I think I’m just too much of a cynic to throw myself fully into the idealistic soul mate romance.
Rating: Laura: 7 out of 10 stars; Sarah: 6 out of 10 stars
Celebration of Books 