Discover His Royal Secret by Lilah Pace—a gripping tale of love and duty where a closeted British prince and a confident reporter navigate a forbidden romance.

Disclosure: I received this book for free from the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. This post contains affiliate links. That means we receive a small commission at no cost to you from any purchases you make through these links.

I loved Lilah Pace’s Asking For It series.  It was controversial in its subject matter and incredibly erotic.  I was happy to hear she had a new series coming out and His Royal Secret is no less controversial, though the focus is a completely different one.  Imagine if the heir to the throne of the British Empire was gay and firmly in the closet.  As in the future King of Great Britain.  Even in this day in age, it would make any of us pause in acknowledging what a difficult situation such a prince would be in.  Lilah Pace creates a brand new British royal family in His Royal Secret and the heir to the throne is James, the Prince of Wales, grandchild to the current King.  While in an overseas locale, he has a chance meeting with Benjamin Dahan, a business reporter who is gay and comfortable in his sexuality.  James has rarely let his guard down, having only had a rare lover.  The instant attraction between these two is impossible to resist and they fall easily into each other.  It looks to be a once in a lifetime one night stand until Ben is transferred to London for work.  When they initiate their affair again, each of them lays firm boundaries.  James doesn’t think the British Empire is ready for a gay king and his sister has troubles of her own that would make it cruel to abdicate to her should the public and the Church not accept him.  As each day passes, however, Ben and James forge more than a physical relationship.  Both are faced with the reality that at some point, they will have to walk away from each other or face a reality that seems almost impossible.

Kudos to Ms. Pace for compelling me to read this story at breakneck speed.  I don’t know how the author intended us as readers to picture her characters, but as they are parallel to real life figures, it was hard for me not to make comparisons in my head.  Prince James is likeable and handsome, a strong figure, while at the same time remaining vulnerable in his relationship with Ben.  He is a kind and caring figure, one I could easily picture as king,  Ben is the more worldly of the two, but no less sexy and commanding.  They are able to switch and play off of each other with ease, leading to scenes that made my mouth run dry.  Insane chemistry!  I felt as if I had fallen into their little secluded world of clandestine meetings.  The sex is explicit, raw, and beautiful.   My heart ached for them.  There are so many things I hadn’t considered about what it would be like if the British monarch were gay, from dealing with the Church’s acceptance (as he is the head of the Church of England), to the acceptance of other countries of the Commonwealth, as some are still very much entrenched in homophobia, to the problem of a future heir.  Ms. Pace delved into the emotions involved in such a heart wrenching situation beautifully.  Having just made a trip to London myself, I also enjoyed recognizing a few locations in the city.  This was a fantastic book and I am ecstatic that the second is out next month.  His Royal Secret ends happy, but on a cliffhanger.  I can even see some spin offs involving other royal family members.  I hope so for my heart’s sake!  I need to see Indigo with an HEA!

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