There is mischief afoot in Brevalia: destroyed property, confusion, and murder. Who is behind all of the heinous crimes? Anika, the independent daughter of an apple cider farmer and former lady, sets off to get the answer to the happenings of Brevalia through prayer and determination. Anika friends the newly returned Prince Val, and it is not long before the two began to feel more than friendship. There is more than just Prince Val’s duty and the customs of Brevalia that keeps the two from a wedding. Anika is determined to set things right, even if she has to go it on her own.

Royally Entitled by Melody Delgado has the heroin, the prince, and the villain to make you question it all. A powerful love story with adventure, Delgado builds a real world through her characters.

What Did Work: Royally Entitled is a moderately sized book that touches all the tropes of the “Heroine's Tale”: prince finding the one peasant to love, the heroic maiden well before her time, the prince who is bounded by duty over love, and you have the unexpected villain. Royally Entitled does it right with other plot twists that supports the main conflict. It does this well by not being too convoluted with details. Delgado gives the readers something to look for until the final chapter, leaving few unanswered questions.

What Didn’t Work: While well written, I did get to the point that I no longer cared about the story. There are many stories like this in books and movies. Once all the main characters were introduced it became evident how and why things would develop the way that they inevitably would. The plot was easy to guess. When that was developed, the who was easy to figure out as well. You have already read this story, I assure you. The cunning plan of the prince brought all the pieces to light but I felt in the in it was betrayed as if he had figured it all out and not our heroic Anika. It would have been nice if Anika had delivered the final blow to the conflict, adding to her personality of a woman who breaks the molds of the time’s customs.

Two points about this book that is neither a plus or a negative: it is a part of the Clean Reads Program and there is a lot of talk of God and prayer. As a spiritual person who loves books in general, these things did not bother me or take anything away from the story. Clean Reads is a publishing company with the goal of offering great stories with no guilt. Royally Entitled fits that bill with merely a kiss shared between characters. The story has a powerful Christian-tone as our heroine encourages prayer often and seeks God’s counsel as she determines what she should do to solve the many problems that arise.
(Side Note: Clean Reads publishes various genres, including those without religious tones). Though this practice is discussed in the latter part of the book and eventually offers a solution in a comical way, it is not a major plot point of the story. So if you are not a Christian or otherwise spiritual person, this element should not distract you from the story. It only adds personality to the two main characters.

If you want a happy ever after tale I recommend Royally Entitled by Melody Delgado. It is a wholesome book for readers of teenager and up. Be on the lookout for other books by Delgado in the same setting in the “Brides of Brevalia” Series.

I give Royally Entitled 3.75 / 5
open books for its well-developed storyline.

Happy Reading and Enjoy the Cider. ( )