To Be Royal: A guest post by Toni Shiloh

There’s something about a royalty romance that resonates in the hearts of readers. Is it our secret desire to find out we belong to royalty? Is it the fairy-tale aspect of the read that offers an escape from our own troubles? Is it simply because so many of us don’t have a monarchy in place, so the mystery of it all holds our intrigue?

Whatever draws the reader to royal stories, the author feels the need to offer a royal expectation.

In writing my own royal stories, I thought creating a fictional country would offer the best of both worlds. I could create my own rules but base it on enough realism to make the story seem believable.

Another big fixture in a royal romance is the cast of characters. There’s always one person who hates being a royal and can cause some havoc—which makes for interesting reading, in my opinion. There’s the royal we’re rooting for, either because they just found out they’re royal or because they’ve been thrust into an unsettling situation. Then there’s the head of the family we either love or love to hate. Of course, there can be many more characters. The bigger the family, the more fun for the readers.

Can I mention my favorite aspect about royal romances? It’s the clothing. I love the descriptions of their everyday dress all the way to those special occasions that make them put on full regalia. If there’s a dressmaker involved in the process, even that aspect can be fun for me as a reader and a writer.

What I love the most is seeing how royals are just like everyday people. In my novel, In Search of a Prince, my princess grew up in New York City and was a middle school teacher. Yet her everyday experience gives her a unique perspective to run a country. Of course, royals have a heavier workload than most, but sometimes it’s fun to change what their tasks are. In To Win a Prince, I take a royal and turn his life upside down. He has to learn how to live like a commoner but learns how to be noble in the process.

Readers often forget that royals have the same hopes and dreams we do. Sometimes the excessiveness of their pocketbooks prevents them from having the basics, like love, because they aren’t sure who they can trust. In both of my books, love is at the center of the equation and gives each royal pause. What do they know about their potential mate, and what do they know about love?

Experiencing these doubts is no different than the average reader questioning their own dating life. It’s one of the reasons reading a royal romance can be so entertaining. We get to experience a whole new life and walk a mile in a royal’s shoes. I encourage you to pick up a royal romance and discover the joy for yourself.

Always reading,

Toni Shiloh