Did you read the first book in the Royals trilogy, Paper Princess?  I have good news for you:  Broken Prince is just as addictive and compelling and its ending is just as frustrating!  Love, blackmail, betrayals – Broken Prince has all those and more.  Happy ever afters?  Not so much.  When the book concludes, you’ll be grinding your teeth because you loved it and once again, you’re going to have to wait until the final book, Twisted Palace, for the answers to most of its mysteries.  But you will be back – because you’ll be as powerless as I am to resist this addictive series.  It’s that good.  Fair warning:  The cliffhanger ending in Paper Princess makes it difficult to review Broken Prince without spoilers – apologies in advance.  If you’re new to the series, most of Broken Prince won’t make sense unless you read Paper Princess first.

Watt wisely opens Broken Prince with a recap of the last time Reed had seen Ella.  He’s on his bed with a naked Brooke (his father’s ex-girlfriend) when Ella opens his door.  Ella stares at the scene before her and then flees.  Through Reed’s PoV, we discover that things weren’t quite as they appeared.  Caught by surprise when Ella opens the door, Reed is momentarily speechless. Shocked by what just happened, he only reacts after he hears the front door slam and he frantically scrambles to prevent Ella from leaving. Just as he’s about to leave, Brooke says something that stops him in his tracks.  Any lingering doubts about whether she is a friend or foe to the Royal family are quickly laid to rest.

The first half of Broken Prince, told in Reed’s PoV, details what happens to the Royal family – and more significantly to Reed – after Ella flees.  In a nutshell, it’s nothing good.  Fans of Paper Princess know that since the death of their mother, the Royal family has splintered; the private school they attend is a cesspool of privileged, spoiled rich kids willing to do whatever it takes to stay at the top of the pecking order;  allusions to foul play in the death of Steve O’Halloran (Ella’s biological father) persist and betrayal is the name of the game.  Brooke’s declaration, before Reed can follow Ella, is yet another nasty twist to this dark story.

After Reed kicks Brooke out of his room, he realizes he can’t find Ella on his own and enlists Easton’s help (the other Royal closest to Ella), to track her down.  After exhausting their leads (Ella knows how to hide), they agree to tell their father – but lie about the reason for her abrupt departure.  Unsurprisingly, Callum is upset and immediately sets his private investigator on Ella’s  trail.  When Reed confesses to Easton why Brooke was in his room and why Ella left, all the Royal brothers turn on him.  And things don’t go any better at school.  With Reed’s singular focus on finding Ella, a power vacuum develops at Astor Park Prep Academy.  Jordan, Ella’s nemesis and greatest tormentor, declares herself queen and David Delacourte, who preyed on Ella in Paper Princess, is given free reign to snare another victim.  Reed’s friends try to convince him to care – and intervene – but Reed is consumed by the search for Ella and how to gain her forgiveness once she’s found.  Things in the Royal household – where Brooke has reconciled with Callum, and at Astor Park, begin to spiral out of control.

Ella does eventually return – but isn’t willing to trust or forgive Reed.  Most of the second half of the novel focuses on his efforts to apologize and explain what happened before she ran and regain her love.  Ella is determined to resist him and doesn’t make it easy.   At this point, the authors change tactics and alternate chapters between Ella’s and Reed’s PoV.  It’s a good move – through Ella’s eyes we see how many things have changed (especially Reed) since she left, and through Reed’s PoV we recognize how many threats still exist.

Reed’s PoV is a highlight of Broken Prince and through it, we finally begin to understand and relate to his character.  In Paper Princess, he was always a bit of an enigma – but that’s no longer the case.  Any doubt about his feelings for Ella are put to rest from the start – he loves her and he wants to be a part of her life.  As the story unfolds, we discover why he became an arrogant, closed-off jerk, and we sympathize with the tough choices and circumstances he’s faced since his mother committed suicide.

Ella, missing for the start of the book, once again takes center stage when she returns to the Royal fold.  What’s refreshing about her – and her PoV – is how honest, sensitive and ‘normal’ she appears against the other characters in the Royal universe.  Her hurt and heartbreak over Reed is palpable and dominates every aspect of her life.  The writers don’t rush the reconciliation between Reed and Ella. Reed is forced to be vulnerable for Ella – to open his heart and reveal his ugly past.  She doesn’t just accept Reed’s faults and rush into his arms but she insists on trust and honesty moving forward, and expects it in return.  I loved the (too brief) time they share as a reunited couple but knew it was too good to last.  True to form, the authors ruthlessly exploit the fragile trust Reed and Ella have with one another in a final surprise twist at the end of the book.

Though I enjoyed Broken Prince and couldn’t put it down, I can only give it a B.  The evolving relationship between Reed and Ella is still a highlight and deserves an A; but as I mentioned earlier, the relationship is the focus of most of the second half of the book – but not all of it.  Unfortunately, Broken Prince has too many other things happening and it’s distracting.  Sibling rivalry, gambling, drug addiction, bullying, blackmail, underground fighting, revenge, hitmen, murder… they all clamor for attention in this volume and after a while, it feels like overkill.  Part of what made Paper Princess such a success was the tight focus on the Royal family as the tie that kept everything together.  This time, so many secondary characters play pivotal roles – it all begins to strain credibility.

I’m confident all the plotlines are leading to more than a few ‘OMG’ moments in Twisted Palace – but I’m skeptical (but still hopeful) I’ll be satisfied when it’s all said and done.  I’m hooked either way – Broken Prince, flaws and all, is still totally addictive.  I’ve enjoyed this Royal ride so far – I’ll be here until the twisted, bitter end.

Buy it at A/iB/BN/K