{Book Review & Exclusive Interview} His Royal Favorite (His Royal Secret #2) by Lilah Pace (@LilahPace @BerkleyRomance)

The conclusion of Lilah Pace’s racy, romantic male/male duology following His Royal Secret...
 
James, Prince of Wales, is making history. He's decided to come out to his subjects—and the world. However, telling the truth means exposing his relationship with lone-wolf reporter Benjamin Dahan. Although Ben never wanted commitment, the unexpected depth of his feelings leads him to join James in the media's harsh spotlight.
 
When the news story explodes across the globe, Ben can endure the mockery and dirty jokes. But after his tragic past is cruelly revealed, his life begins to implode. Can even his love for James be worth this?
 
James has it no easier. His revelation divides the country and sparks turmoil within the royal family. He must struggle to defend not only himself and Ben, but also his younger sister, who hovers on the brink of a breakdown that could endanger her life.
 
Is Ben strong enough to survive the onslaught and stand by James' side? And will James have to make a choice between Ben and the crown?

​James has made the life changing decision to tell the world who he really is.  And he’s going to do it with Ben at his side.  Even though it may mean leaving behind his birth right and everything he knows, it’s time for him to finally be free to live his life in the light. 
 
He’s placed all of his trust in the people of England and that they will understand why it is so important that they know the whole truth.
 
If only it were really that simple.

The queen apparently wanted to steer the conversation back to more familiar ground. “In my youth, this was the sort of thing people handled more discreetly. Have you never even considered that?”
​
All those years he’d lived a lie with Cass— as close as he’d come to marrying her, all the while knowing that both he and she would seek to have secret lovers to complete their lives— and still the queen could ask him this question. James sighed. “The truth is the only answer. I believe that absolutely.”

​Ben Dahan has been thrust into the eye of a storm that he never saw coming. He thought he understood exactly what kind of scrutiny he would be placed under as the partner to the Prince of Wales.  He couldn’t have been more wrong.
​
Everyone in the world now wants a piece of him and betrayal lurks around every corner.  The freedom that he desperately craved for himself and James is turning out to be nothing more than a gilded cage in disguise.
 
So he thinks about everything that he stands to lose – his job, his independence and his anonymity – will he really be able to walk away from it all for the sake of true love?

Then Ben said, “It comes down to this. I got involved with you because you were the only person who fit a very narrow set of requirements. You may have had different requirements, but still, that’s why you got involved with me too. We created a relationship built on limits.”

It stung, mostly because it was true. “Aren’t we past that?”

“I thought we were, but—”
​
“It’s not enough,” James finished. “Even being in love isn’t enough on its own.”

​His Royal Favorite is yet another contemporary masterwork by Lilah Pace! She continues to explore both the fragile and enduring nature of love while her characters struggle with extraordinary circumstances.
 
She’s fashioned an intimate look at what it means to live and love without regret, without shame and without compromise.  And in the end, she renews your hope in the possibility of genuine acceptance and positive change in the world.  Truly a   Slanket for the soul…

Our Exclusive Interview With Lilah!

1. What inspired you to venture into writing M/M romance?  You write it so well!
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I'm so glad you've enjoyed it! As much as I'd like to give some high-minded reason or literary justification for writing M/M, the truth is—one hot man is hot, so two hot men are also hot. To me the emotions don't feel that different; if the love is there, the sense of deep physical and emotional connection, that's what counts for me.

2. What kind of research did you do to find out the protocol for the Royal Family and the English phrasing used by your characters?  I’m quite a fan of sultana bran myself ;)

I lived in Great Britain for a while, so that provided a lot of background. However, it's been a few years since then, so my friends still in the UK answered questions and sent over some current tabloids to make sure I could get the voice right. The single biggest royal watcher I know is one of those friends' elderly mum, who is this depthless font of information about the kings and queens back to about Aethelred the Unready. But there was no way we could ask her any of this outright; she Would Not Approve of my writing erotica. (Of anyone's writing it, really.) So my friend just asked her mum a few fun "what ifs," over tea, and that's how this woman wound up betaing an erotica duology without ever knowing it. Next time I'm over there, I'm taking her out to dinner—no explanation provided.

3. Your books always seem to deal with a contemporary or controversial subject matter.  Is that a conscious choice on your part?

Not really. I don't want to write controversy for its own sake. It's about the relationship—but I think we respond strongly to relationships where the obstacles and dilemmas feel very real. These days, obstacles are harder to come by. Back in Jane Austen's time, the social divide between Elizabeth Bennet (gentry, lower income) and Fitzwilliam Darcy (gentry, higher income) could seem insurmountable. Not anymore! So I guess I look for barriers to knock down. If I ever find myself putting the "issue" before the people involved, however, I'll have to stop writing that second.

4. Who was your favorite character to write (in any series) and why?

Probably Lady Cassandra Roxburgh—aka Cass, aka "Randy Sandy"—in the HIS ROYAL SECRET duology. She's "the beard," which is a pretty thankless role a lot of the time. It was fun to dig into the sacrifices she'd make, the fun she'd have with the deception, and the strength of the friendship she and James would have to share in order for this to work. One of my favorite scenes is the one in which she admits to Ben that she did, in fact, think of marrying James and becoming queen. Not only was it fun to see her side of it, but what Ben takes from that is so important.

5. What’s up next for you?
 
I'm about to give my editor three proposals in the next couple of months – two M/F, one M/M. So the rest is up to her! 

For James and Ben - 

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