A Royal Pain

Starred review from August 6, 2012
Mulry debuts with a delightful love story between Bronte Talbott and her modern-day duke. Bronte loves everything pop culture, including—perhaps especially—“royal gazing,” mostly because it annoys her intellectual father. After a disastrous relationship with “Mr. Texas,” for whom Bronte moved from her beloved New York to Chicago, advertising exec Bronte meets Max Heyworth, a “lovely young gentleman from England” and doctorial student in economics at the University of Chicago. It’s not long into their whirlwind romance before Max wants to marry Bronte. Only two problems stand in their way: Bronte doesn’t know that Max, who lives like a pauper, is actually the 19th duke of Northrop, and Bronte has some serious issues to work through, not the least of which being, once she does find out, deciding whether she even wants the life of a duchess. This delectable story, a little reminiscent of the movie The Prince and Me, is all about second chances and every girl’s secret fantasy of marrying the perfect guy. Mulry creates a completely fleshed-out character in Bronte, with her insecurity issues and her envious good luck. She and the other characters make this charming book worth reading again and again. Agent: Allison Hunter, Inkwell Management.

September 15, 2012
Career woman Bronte Talbott never intends for sexy Brit Max Hayworth to be anything other than her TMtransitional man. But as the Duke of Northrop, Max wasn't raised to be the love-'em-and-leave-'em type that has burned Bronte in the past. The two meet in a Chicago bookstore eight weeks before Max finishes his doctoral work and has to return to England to assume his title. Max is reluctant to reveal his lineage when he discovers that Bronte is obsessed with the royals, but the sudden death of his father reveals his secret, and Bronte realizes that it is she who will be making a transition. Mulry, a newcomer to the romance genre, moves between the perspectives of Max and Bronte with perfect timing, and their relationship is believable in its idiosyncrasies. Though the premise may be that of a fairy tale, the very human characters keep the plot fresh, funny, and engaging, with Mulry's lavish descriptions of fashion an added bonus.(Reprinted with permission of Booklist, copyright 2012, American Library Association.)