Love is never easy. It comes with its ups and downs, challenges and hardships. But when 
said love stems from a royal romance the challenges seem overpowering. Adelard should never have been king. There were countless lines in place, all of whom would rule before him, so no one batted an eye when he was betrothed as a child to as the daughter of a minor earl. Yet fate and happenstance intervened, and all too soon Adelard found himself next in line to the throne. Adelard was forbidden to marry the woman he had grown to love. But the story of Adelard and Hyacinth is not all it appears at first glance. Upon his death, Hyacinth dictates the truth of the events shielded from the public eye, revealing for the first time the secrets within they royal and noble houses her husband did not want to remain hidden.
Love, Royal, and True is a romance novella by Ronnda Eileen Henry. It follows the blossoming young romance of Hyacinth and Adelard as they attempt to overcome the obstacles thrust into their path by life and ill-wisher alike. It is written at a steady third-person pace, starting at the end of the story with Adelard’s death, and a request she let the truth of their hidden life be known. Through the course of the story, Hyacinth dictates her tale, and you are told of their hardships and blossoming love, and the devastation life places in their path. Theirs was a bittersweet romance with hardship, challenges, opposition, and adversary. Those opposed to their wedding plotted, and even committed and accused acts of treason to ensure the two could never be together. Deception, schemes, and heartbreak advance the tale as you come to wonder the truth of their love, the true story of the children born out of wedlock, and the secret life they led. All answers are given but, personally, I didn’t feel as invested in their romance and characters as I would have had this been written as their adventure as it occurred, I feel if I had watched them fall in love and lead their lives it would have given more opportunity for development than the reflections on past events allowed. All in all, it was a good read, with some sweet and heart-breaking moments.
Book link:
K.J's Athenaeum 