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Once upon a time, there was a princess locked in a tower, guarded by an obnoxiously attractive dragon with a superiority complex.

Her crime, you may ask?

A single, topless, crowd-surfing incident. Which was photographed, published by multiple news outlets, and “jeopardized” her father’s high profile election campaign.

Faced with the threat of being cut off—and forced to rely on her non-existent life skills—the princess had little choice but to accept her punishment: house arrest at the family estate for the duration of the campaign.

A campaign which will last eight. Freaking. Months.

As if all this wasn’t terrible enough, the princess’s only company—the dragon—was even more unpleasant than the punishment itself. He hated her at first sight; most likely for the crime of being pretty, and rich, and way better than him at literally everything.

Mean, condescending, and a total turd, the dragon seemed to want nothing more than to assert his authority over the princess. She believed—quite rightly—that being insanely hot doesn’t give you the right to treat people that way.

It wasn’t long before the princess decided her only recourse… was war.

416 pages, Kindle Edition

Published April 25, 2026

119 people are currently reading
4370 people want to read

About the author

Cleo White

17 books1,243 followers
Cleo White's affinity for all things dramatic and hopelessly romantic began the day she was born, which happened to be in the middle of a record-breaking snowstorm on Valentine’s Day. Her love of literature came soon after, and she spent the better part of her childhood with both a book and a notebook full of unfinished stories in hand. Later in life, she found a love of writing spicy books with complicated characters and dysfunctional family drama. Cleo currently lives in Vermont with her husband and two daughters. When not writing, she can be found hiking, gardening, painting, and consuming excessive quantities of caffeine.

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Displaying 1 - 30 of 380 reviews
Profile Image for Kealyn.
615 reviews177 followers
April 25, 2026
Revelation (Royally Forbidden, #2) by Cleo White

4/5 stars

The second book in this series was just as fun and enjoyable as the first book. Blair and Damien carry this story beautifully and I was instantly swept up in their beautiful love story.

Blair is the daughter of the prime minister and she is the wild child that puts a blemish on his chances to keep the position. After topless photos of Blair leak her father cuts her off and forces her to stay at Thornhurst mansion for eight months. He forces her to study and get her life back together.

Meanwhile Damien left his position and his family at the royal court and he is jobless. His aunt, Princess Araminta, gets him a new security position at Thornhurst and one of his jobs will be to 'babysit' Blair and keep her in check. He really doesn't want to, but Araminta forces him to take it.

Both hate being at Thornhurst and they can't stand one another. Blair does try to be nice but Damien harshly lets her know he is not there to be her friend. They immediately argue and bicker and Blair's new favorite pastime is taunting Damien. But even though they dislike each other, their attraction seems to intensify every time they are in each other's presence. Lust flares through their veins and Damien tries his hardest to push it all down. But the harder he tries to ignore her, the more she taunts him and the closer they get to detonate together.

But things aren't as they seem. Both carry secrets within them and soon they cannot hide the truths they carry within themselves.

This beautiful book is about falling in love, learning who to trust and both their families play a huge part in this book. Do you feel secure and grounded with the people who raised you? And do they truly have your back?

My favorite part is Blair's obsession with tiny ears! Haha. I just giggled at that scene so hard. That really cemented my love for her as a lead character.

4 huge stars from me for this stunning book by Cleo White.
Profile Image for Jessica .
2,699 reviews16.1k followers
April 30, 2026
4.5 stars

Cleo White killlllls age gap romances, so I knew this one was going to be good. And this world makes me so nostalgic because it reminds me of movies like Princess Diaries, The First Daughter, and Chasing Liberty. The heroine is the daughter of a really rich family and her father is running for Prime Minister. She's lived off of her trust fund, but she was recently photographed topless by the tabloids, so she's called home and put on house arrest until the election is over. Her father also hires new security and tells the new man to watch over the heroine to make sure she stays out of trouble. He's 42, she's 26. But there's an obvious attraction...

While this one was an age gap, forbidden romance, what I love about Cleo's writing is that her characters have so much depth to them, and these two were no different. The heroine has never felt really loved or valued by her family, and she's struggled with Dyslexia her whole life, which is what makes taking classes and going to college so difficult for her. The hero is the secret child of the late king, and the current king is his brother...and there are lots of unresolved feelings there. So while they're falling for each other, they confide their secrets in one another and work through their own life problems, and I just loved it!

Seriously, this series is a favorite of mine and Cleo White is such a slept on author. You need to read this now!!!
Profile Image for Lolina ⋆ .
1,181 reviews271 followers
Review of advance copy received from Author
April 25, 2026
*+:。.。 2.5 stars 。.。:+*

Ok, so let's get into it.

I feel like my thoughts were completely all over the place when reading this. To be chronological about my feelings, I'll split my review into two: The first half of the book, & The second half. Because let me tell you, they were very different.

As a quick overview, I didn't love the book-



Don't come for me 😭 The first half of the book was a pretty rough read for me, but I did actually end up enjoying the second half, and the ending, which is why I'm so conflicted and am so unsure on how to rate this. If you see me constantly changing my rating, let's all look the other way. I think overall it came down to humour and certain characters and how they were portrayed.

I'm not going to lie, I did put off reading this when I first got it: simply because I had an inkling that this story might not be for me (from the tone of some of the teasers).

However, I came into this with a completely blank slate, wanting to love it, because on paper, the tropes and storyline are SO up my alley. I'm also a big CW fan, and I usually adore her writing.

So the fact that I didn't end up enjoying this is so disappointing 😭. But let me preface, it completely came down to personal preference. And I genuinely mean it when I say this, because I knowww people will eat this book up. I'm just really picky with humour in books.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

Let's get into the details:

*+:。.。The first Half 。.。:+*



I mean, to be honest, I might even push it further and say 60% ish 🏃‍♀️‍➡️🏃‍♀️‍➡️.

Linking back to what I said earlier about the tone, this book went heavy on the banter between the MCs, which I would typically love, but in this half of the book, it really didn't work for me.

With the h, she's written to be this quick-witted, snarky character, who always has some sort of comeback; however, her humor was not it 😭. I don't know if I'm the problem, but I didn't find her comebacks funny, and sometimes cringed at the things she would say. And she kept saying them.

There was this weird, constant obsession with 'poop-related insults'. It felt like a tough read in the beginning. For example, lines like:

"You're a sadistic, crusty turd who enjoys watching me suffer."


or
"Screw you, you oversized, sadistic, turd canoe!"




I'm sorry, typing that took me out 😭

Anyways, speaking on the h, I found her quite unrelatable, again especially in this half of the book. That's not to say you need to relate to a character to like them, but she came across as very ignorant at times.

Usually, with the type of MC's that you don't have the best initial impression of, your perception of them changes as you read. In a general sense, for me, it did, but not enough to counteract those initial thoughts.

Her character in the beginning was written as quite shallow (which was this front she put on), and I think it was done a little too well. And I say this because I felt like she didn't have much going on for her?

I obviously understood why she acted the way that she did. But I wish we got to see more development (ie, with her interests).

With the romance, I think my thoughts on it were heavily affected by my preference when it came to the banter. I liked them as a couple in theory, but some of the dialogue wasn't working for me.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘

*+:。.。The Second Half 。.。:+*

This is where I start to go slightly crazy because I got HEAVY whiplash 😭. The MC's relationship in the beginning is very back-and-forth/ tense and bickery in a hostile sense; however, after a revelation about the h (no pun intended), it felt like their relationship did a complete 180.

I'm not going to lie, I enjoyed this new dynamic between the MCs, eventhough it admittedly did feel very abrupt. When they sort of cut the hate part between them, their banter felt a lot more natural. I just initially couldn't get behind the insults.

On the note of insults, eventhough the H felt guilty and switched up for all the things he said about the h, I don't think there was nearly enough grovelling or remorse 😭.

Speaking of their relationship, I was also really surprised by how their story was wrapped up, which I really did like. It was satisfying, and a lot more toned down than I was expecting- which worked nicely for the MCs at that point in their relationship.

I think in this case, I liked the MC's a lot more when they were together as opposed to individual characters by themselves.

I also really enjoyed the setting of the story. It felt very modern-historical-esque and was very dreamy.

∘₊✧──────✧₊∘


Ok, anyways, I'm going to call it a day. There's so much more I could get into (when I say I'm conflicted, I mean it), but, again, in the end it really just came down to preference and humour: I can definitely see people loving this story.

I'm disappointed that I didn't like this as much as I had hoped for, but the ending was still really sweet.

*Lots of love and thanks to Cleo White for the ARC 🖤
Profile Image for Cleo White.
Author 17 books1,243 followers
Read
April 24, 2026
Revelationis now live!

Once upon a time, there was a princess locked in a tower, guarded by an obnoxiously attractive dragon with a superiority complex.

Her crime, you may ask?

A single, topless, crowd-surfing incident. Which was photographed, published by multiple news outlets, and “jeopardized” her father’s high profile election campaign.

Faced with the threat of being cut off—and forced to rely on her non-existent life skills—the princess had little choice but to accept her punishment: house arrest at the family estate for the duration of the campaign.

A campaign which will last eight. Freaking. Months.

As if all this wasn’t terrible enough, the princess’s only company—the dragon—was even more unpleasant than the punishment itself. He hated her at first sight; most likely for the crime of being pretty, and rich, and way better than him at literally everything.

Mean, condescending, and a total turd, the dragon seemed to want nothing more than to assert his authority over the princess. She believed—quite rightly—that being insanely hot doesn’t give you the right to treat people that way.

It wasn’t long before the princess decided her only recourse… was war.


Download today or read for FREE with Kindle Unlimited https://bit.ly/3OCruO7

Goodreads: https://bit.ly/4qPnRBW
Profile Image for Britt.
627 reviews73 followers
April 24, 2026
Ever since Coronation, book 1 in the Royally Forbidden series, I claimed Damien Mallory. (Sorry y’all, he’s mine, better luck next time 😘) So you can imagine how invested I was in making sure he lived up to my MMC expectations in this book…Guys, he was fantastic! BLAIR was fantastic! This is a must read for anyone who likes cheeky, spicy, and earned happily ever afters!

Let’s start with my girl Blair. (Yes, I know she’s the other woman, but I don’t even care; she’s amazing!) First and foremost, I loved her creative insults and name calling, especially towards Damien. She was a master at verbal sparring and always had me cracking up!! I mean, let’s be for real here, he earned at least 90% of those insults and definitely should have been nibbled on by a bear at one point. I also just loved how she was genuinely a good person. Despite being dealt a very disappointing family (emotionally), she still became a good person to her core. While she could be “wild” in the public eye, she was always authentic and wholly herself, as well as a beautiful soul.

I loved how Damien was very strong-willed and responsible, but I really loved when he let his hair down; at first to fight with her, and next to be with her. While there were times that he was tougher on her than he should have been (especially in hind sight), he definitely made up for his transgressions and grew from his mistakes like an MMC should. I also really loved how when he learned about Blair being dyslexic, he researched and adapted on his own accord. He didn’t do it out of necessity or force, but because he legitimately wanted to communicate with her and work with her in ways that made her life easier. When I read that he subtly switched from texts to voice memos when he communicated with her, I about died from how proud I was of him!

I absolutely loved Summer, the American student who also happened to be Blair’s replacement housekeeper. I loved that Summer saw Blair for who she was and appreciated every ounce of her personality, instead of judging her as another spoiled heiress. I adored when Blair was so wrapped up in their conversations that she would end up helping Summer clean the house, and I loved that they went out to do things together. I have a theory that Summer will end up with Leo in book 3, because Summer is an artist and Leo loves art. Also, they have the Blair/Damien connection, so why not? Am I on to something 🤔

Finally, oh my goodness, that BIG secret!! I am definitely not going to spoil anything, but I didn’t see that coming by a long shot! The guilt that consumed Damien was so gut wrenching once we knew what was leading to it, I just wanted to hug him!! My poor baby 😭 I’m so glad my girl Blair could help you through these intense emotions and navigate your way back to your family.

Thank you so much to Cleo White for the eARC! The thoughts and opinions expressed above are honest and my own.
Profile Image for Kristen ♡.
468 reviews61 followers
May 5, 2026
┈ TROPES ┈
✦ Enemies-to-Lovers
✦ Grumpy x Sunshine☀️
✦ Age Gap (16)
✦ Bodyguard x Heiress
✦ Royalty 👑
✦ Forced Proximity
✦ MF Romance👫
✦ Opposites Attract
✦ Dyslexia Representation

┈ THOUGHTS / NOTES ┈
- Cleo White is one of my favorite auto-read authors ❤️ Everything she writes is so good! If you like age gap romance, she is the gal for you! I’ve read the majority of her books, even the novellas you won’t find listed on Goodreads and I’ve loved every single one.
- The drama, suspense, and angst was chefs kiss!!
- Her father is a Lord who is running for prime minister. While him and his wife first appear as cold and uptight, I had hope that they might care for their daughter in some regard. Nope. They’re just self-serving assholes, and not the kind of asshole like when Blair calls Damien an asshole but he’s really a cinnamon roll with an ooey gooey center. Her siblings are equally awful. I was hoping that her sister might have a change of heart, but it would appear not. Sidenote: I kind of wish CW let us know what happened with her sister’s engagement to the Duke of whatever, it would appear that it was called off and I wish she would’ve wrote about it because that would’ve been satisfying to hear that it was canceled.

What I Liked:
I really liked the enemies-to-lovers aspect of this story. Their hatred for one another, and the cruelty that they inflicted on one another was laced with so much sexual tension🔥 Their first kiss and sex scene were so good, but I was glad that they didn’t immediately become a couple after sleeping with one another. Everything didn’t magically align and they were together, there was still a lot drama, hurt feelings, and emotions that they needed to work through. Damien’s groveling was also pretty good, I rate it an 8/10.

There was so much fun banter and shenanigans between these two especially during their early morning workout sessions. These two would get into the most entertaining arguments (I loved the mud fight😅) with lots of witty comebacks and sexual tension.

I loved the age gap/power dynamic. Damien was so bossy and controlling and while it was annoying and frustrating at times, it was also hot. And I like how even though Damien started off super controlling after things changed with their relationship he learned to be more flexible. They would still play around with the power dynamic but at that point he was so obsessed with her that he couldn’t care less about the job and his secret, prioritizing her happiness and wellbeing instead.

I think Cleo White did a good job with the dyslexia representation. I had an inkling that Blair had a learning disability but the way CW wrote it into the story was so well done that there was no overt hints to it. You could really feel Damien‘s anguish when it was revealed😢 The way her disability was disregarded and ignored really emphasizes the neglect she received as a child from her self-absorbed parents, there are plenty of ways they failed her as parents but this is borderline child abuse IMO.

🚫What I Didn't Like:
I was really hoping that Damien would’ve changed his mind and decided to make his parentage public so that he wouldn’t have to keep his relationship with his family members a secret. It just seems like they’re getting all the ramifications of being a royal and none of the benefits. What are they gonna do when their kids are older? It just seems like they’re making it more complicated than it needs to be. I feel like it would be big news and would create a bit of commotion when it was first released, but I feel like it would die down and people would move on.

They all have such a wonderful relationship in close bonds with one another and they have to treat it like it’s some dirty little secret. I understand that this is something he wanted when he was younger, having grown up out of the spotlight, but I would’ve hoped that after everything that went on with Ben and eventually Blair that he would’ve changed his mind.

Damien feels bad about inadvertently putting Ben and his heir in the position of extreme responsibility as future king/queen. The best way he could help lessen the blow is by acknowledging his parentage publicly and having Ben legitimizing him. He could then take on a more senior role and help remove some of the pressure off of Ben and Zelda.

Overall Thoughts: I really enjoyed this book. I was especially happy that there was no third act break up. It was fast paced with lots of witty banter, and tension! The open door spicy scenes were also top tier!

┈ MAIN CHARACTERS ┈
Heroine/FMC: Briar Porter
〰️Features: Red-blonde hair, green eyes, pointed chin, plump tits, beautiful, curvy, subtle muscles from running
〰️Occupation: Heiress, unemployed
〰️Age: 26
〰️Nickname(s): Princess, brat, good girl, love

Hero/MMC: Damien Mallory
〰️Features: Thick and wavy medium brown hair, square jaw adorned with a low dusting of stubble, dimples, broad chest, muscular, tattoos
〰️Occupation: Head of Security for the Porters, on a leave of absence as the Head of the Royal Guard (educated at Burgess, served as an officer in the royal navy with special training in the intelligence corps)
〰️Age: 42
〰️Nickname(s): Satan, demon

┈ OVERVIEW ┈
Emojis: 👑🔓🏃‍♂️🏊💻📖💰
Pacing: 4/5
Characters: 4/5
Intimacy Level: Open Door, Spicy/Steamy
Spice: 3.5/5
Overall: 4.25/5
Cover Art: 4/5
Book Format: eBook(ARC)
POV: Dual 👥
Would I Recommend? 👍
Read Again? 👎
📍Setting/Location: Takes place on a fictional small island nation of Stelland (near Scotland)
TW/CW: Childhood neglect
H/h virgin? No
First kiss💋: 43%
First time they have sex: 48%
First time they say "I Love You": N/A
Noteworthy Chapters🔥: 18, 25, 27, 29
✔️Smut List: Praise, dirty talk, no condom, spanking, biting/marking, cum jammer, forced orgasms, hair-pulling
OW/OM Drama? No
H/h cheat? No
Time apart? No
Did I cry, laugh, or swoon? Laugh & swoon
Ending: HEA 🥰
Standalone/Series? Yes to both
Epilogue? Yes + Bonus Epilogue
Profile Image for ♥ WishfulMiss ♥ .
1,478 reviews115 followers
April 24, 2026
I'm convinced Cleo White can do no wrong. Every book written by Ms. White that I've read, I've obsessed over. Revelation is book two in the Royally Forbidden series, following Coronation. Damien is the illegitimate half brother/royal guard who finds himself reluctantly taking on a job to secure wild child, Blair Porter for eight months.

When I say these two get on the wrong foot immediately upon meeting, imagine the worst case scenario and multiply it by 10!

Going into this I knew Blair was going to be bratty but she takes it too a whole new level. It took a bit longer then usual for me to really warm up to her. She is definitely reckless and the type to act first, suffer the consequences later. Which is the polar opposite of Damien, he thrives on rules, control and always staying away from the spotlight.

Their mutual antagonism is in large part to assumptions made and their own pride. It leads to some really memorable banter and snappy dialogue that had me smiling and laughing at times but also made this one a tension filled slow burn. Blair excels at pushes all of Damien's buttons and Damien fails miserably at resist temptation. He's high and mighty attitude in the beginning started to grind my gears! However, once their walls fall, these two were your typical Cleo White romance - that is to say, perfect, lovable and steamy! The epilogues really clinched it for me!

Definitely recommend if you like steamy romance with heart. Ms. White writes relatable characters who will charm you every time. The age gap/forbidden aspect is a bonus!
Profile Image for Claudia.
99 reviews6 followers
April 23, 2026
I was so surprised by how much I loved Revelation. This is book two in the Royally Forbidden series, and it follows Damien, the illegitimate son of the late king, and Blair, a silver spoon heiress who is anything but what she seems.

The banter in this book?? Elite. I was laughing out loud at the creative names Blair comes up with for Damien 🤣 but underneath all that humor, there’s so much depth. Both of these characters are carrying heavy emotional baggage. Damien is dealing with the fallout of his decisions, while Blair is stuck in a truly horrific family situation. This woman is silenced, controlled, and completely unloved. Reading her inner thoughts and how she views herself was honestly heartbreaking. I felt so protective of her and definitely teared up more than once.

At first, Damien hates Blair and everything he thinks she represents, but once he actually sees her for who she is everything shifts. And when I tell you this man stepped up! he became exactly the kind of MMC Blair needed. Protective, supportive, and fully in her corner.

I loved how everything came together in the end, it felt satisfying and emotional in all the right ways. And the side characters?! So good. The Ben, Zelda and Leo cameos, Summer, all of it just added to how addictive this world is. I need Leo’s book ASAP!

Huge thanks to Cleo for the eARC! 💚
383 reviews7 followers
May 9, 2026
Revelation was a charming, funny and spicy story about Blair Porter and Damien Mallory. He is the hot-grumpy middle aged security guy and she is the wild child socialite. to be honest I skimmed past a
good amount of Blair’s bratty parts to get to the irresistible attraction parts. Characters were well written and story nuanced enough to hold interest. Not a fan of evil narcissist parents getting their upcomeance theme. Damien’s secret was little cliche too.
Profile Image for Cindy.
82 reviews10 followers
April 13, 2026
Revelation was at the top of my anticipated releases for this year and I am so thrilled, and not surprised in the least, that it exceeded my expectations. When Coronation was released last year I was immediately obsessed. The first full length novel from Cleo was every bit as wonderful as her novellas and it quickly became one of my favorite books. So, of course, once she released more details on the second installment of this series, I knew I was going to love it just as much. This book was filled with the Cleo spice and humor that you always expect, but it also packed an emotional punch that had me forgoing sleep because I needed to know what happened.
This story follows the brother of King Benedict, Damien, as he ventures away from his family and job he had become so comfortable with. Starting the story there was already a shock to me because what do you mean my precious boys are not together? So right from the jump I was invested in knowing what had happened in Stelland since we last visited. Because he has this leave of absence away from the royal family, he reluctantly accepts a job as the head of security for the future Prime Minister’s daughter, Blair, who everyone already has preconceived notions of. Due to what the media has only shown of Blair and the obvious differences in their upbringing and lives, the dislike Damien holds for her is not even the least bit subtle. Despite putting her best foot forward after a recent night out made headlines, she's now stuck under the same metaphorical roof as the grumpy man who's almost twice her age.
After only a few chapters into the story, I became extremely protective of Blair. She has put on an act for everyone, including her family, that only hides the hurt she has endured her whole life. She is deeply self loathing and it's obvious that it is only because of the lack of help and love from around her that she feels this way. But what made it even more unbearable is Damien believing she wasn’t worth much either. He is so stubborn and hard headed in his ways (typical man) and will not even allow some semblance of kindness to show towards her which made me want to pull my hair out. We usually see books marketed as dislike/hate to lovers and it's very light and over before we’re even half way into the stories. However, I love that this was a true “please get away from me or I might kill you” relationship. The antics, insults, and banter that transpired between Damien and Blair are so comical and deeply frustrating, and I mean that in the most complimentary way. Once these feelings start to teeter the line of regular tension to full blown sexual frustration between the main characters, things start to heat up. It’s a classic “will they, won’t they” situation, but we know Cleo will deliver, and oh boy does she.
When the dam breaks, it is so incredibly hot. Their intense feelings towards one another translates to some of the most heart racing, brain melting, swoon worthy spice and I was on the floor for most of it. Blair and Damien have the most insane chemistry and so it's beautiful to see that go from surface level want to something much deeper. They are trying to keep each other at an arms length, despite their own desires, and it’s almost too much angst to handle. They both yearn to belong to someone wholly and without condition and it’s the most heartbreaking and moving thing to read about. I was screaming for them to just feel what they felt because when they were gentle to each other and talked about how they really felt, I was on my knees sobbing. He’s protective and kind and thoughtful, all the things she needs. And to him, she’s understanding and patient and graceful. Their stories are emotional and heartbreaking and I felt the strongest urge to jump into the pages and give them the biggest hugs. But of course, this is a romance and a happily ever after is always in the cards and we get to see these two complicated and real people get everything they so rightfully deserved from the beginning - freedom and an unconditional loving family.
This book pulled more reactions from me than I thought possible and I was loving every second of it. Cleo created another amazing and complex book with layer upon layer of emotion. I went from crying to laughing to screaming in just a few pages and none of it felt out of place or oversaturated with gimmicks and nonsense. I’ve always loved how Cleo has been able to create the most complete stories in her shorter writings, and so it’s no wonder she does an even more amazing job when those stories are extended. This series has quickly become one of my absolute favorites and I cannot wait to see what’s in store for Leo and the future of Stelland!

Thank you Cleo for this eARC in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Booksandmeforevermore13.
240 reviews16 followers
May 6, 2026
I was really looking forward to Damien's book after reading Coronation, and because I'm a fan of Cleo's books, but this one, sadly, wasn't it for me.

Blair was really not a likeable character in any sense. I don't understand the point of having an FMC like her. I genuinely can't justify her behaviour or actions with any kind of reasoning because she was just a spoilt, bratty rich girl who was absolutely useless at everything except spending money. There really was no substance to her character until the end. There's no real character growth or self-discovery for her character. How can you make me like her character even with some tragic backstory of how her rich parents didn't have time for her or love her? On top of that, Damien kept insulting her time and time again, and she still constantly kept getting horny even thinking of him and wanted to bone him. Girl, have some pride, some self-respect for the love of God!!!

Also, I honestly couldn't get behind the whole poop-themed insults that Blair kept coming up with for Damien. I guess it was done to make her seem quick-witted and sassy, but it just made her seem even more childish and immature. It almost made me want to DNF the book right then.

Damien was someone I really liked in Coronation, but his character was just meh. His reasoning for being so cold and cruel to Blair made no sense. The way he treated her just made me like him lesser and lesser with every chapter. There was very little to no grovelling on his part for his actions either. I just couldn't see him as someone 42 years old. He was acting like a man in his early 20s ffs. His reasoning for distancing himself from his family wasn't much of a reason in my opinion. Yes, it wasn't a great situation but not as grave as he made it out to be. Though I did like his relationship with his brothers, Zelda, and his niece.

The romance didn't connect with me. In the first 60-65% of the book, the two are at each other's throats, hating each other yet still fucking. Damien keeps treating Blair terribly, but as soon as he realises her secret, his feelings for her change almost immediately. To me, that transition didn't feel believable, nor did it feel justified after the way he treated her up until then. He really needed to work harder to earn her forgiveness, which didn't happen. I did like their dynamics and banter after they got together, but there seemed to be a significant disconnect between the first 65% and the rest.

The spice was well written for sure, but I couldn't really connect with it much because of the animosity between the MCs during the majority of these spicy scenes. I couldn't understand how Blair would be even remotely interested in any sort of intimacy with Damien after the way he constantly kept demeaning her.

The side characters weren't really a huge part of the book and felt like mere props to be added as fillers. Although I liked Summer, her character didn't feel too fleshed out for me to feel like the close bond she suddenly formed with Blair was justified.

I did like seeing Ben, Zelda, Leo, and baby Alice again, and Ben managed to steal the show whenever he was present.

Thank you to Cleo White for providing me with the ARC in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Lina.
720 reviews24 followers
May 3, 2026
I really wanted this story to be what I imagined. But you know what? It literally exceeded my expectations. It was so mesmerizing and addictive, and I just want to read more and more of it. I never wanted it to end.

Blair is the daughter of a famous English Lord. Sadly, there was a situation in which paparazzi took a picture of her almost topless that gave her father a negative press in the middle of his election campaign. Her punishment for this is her being shipped to one of her father's estates until the scandal goes down. That's not all — she was going to be watched by a personal bodyguard — a handsome, older and sexy bodyguard. This is where the fun starts.

From day one, these two were like a cat and a dog. Always arguing and irritating each other. The thing that got me a little mad, was when Damien agreed to work for Blair's father, he got himself an opinion about her, with the lies her father told him. This only made him treat her like a spiked brat and not see that she was different from what he was told. But she was literally awesome considering his attitude. She was standing up for herself and was teasing him to make him mad. All of this sadly had consequences for her. Even though she wasn't showing it, he was hurting her with her words, but she was taking everything in her heart. The thing was he was irritated by her, because he was attracted to her. She was getting under his skin. Bit by bit, he started seeing the real her. His attraction was getting bigger and bigger and contrary on everything, he started to fall in love. When he found out all the lies about her, he was angry at her family. She was a beautiful person that deserved his love. He also had his own demons, and she was the one that helped him overcome them. Both of them were perfect for each other and I loved them so damn much. I thought that I didn't like the bodyguard trope, but Blair and Damien showed me that the story was worth it. Of course, after loving it so much, I had to buy the paperback version. This book has to stand next to Ben and Zelda's book on my shelf ♥️.

The love scenes... OMG… they were so, so damn hoy. All the smut between them was flaming hot 🥵. I knew from the moment they got in bed together, all of this pent-up tension and passion would literally make them burst. There was plenty of kink (let's not forget the age-gap trope here 😉), which made everything even more spicy. I wanted to read even more sexy scenes with them.

The epilogue was really cute, all together with the Bonus epilogue 6 years later. The flame between them was still burning, and now they had this cute little family ♥️.

***I received an ARC from the author and my review is given voluntarily***.
Profile Image for jade.
285 reviews13 followers
May 3, 2026
the day cleo stops writing age gap romances is the day i die.

THIS WAS SO GOOD. i think cleo put crack in the pages of this one because i swear once i started i could not put it down

blair truly was such a me character. this outwardly confident care free character had so much going on inside and she had my heart strings pulled every chance she could.

the romance and banter between damien and blair was SO much fun. their dynamic was a true game of cat and mouse and when the truth started coming out and damien realized blair was not who he thought all bets were OFFFFF!!! and don’t even get me started about the spice. WHEWW

i loved this one so much and i am so excited for the next book in the series

thank you cleo for an advanced copy xoxo
Profile Image for Midnights Bookclub.
119 reviews
April 24, 2026
Revelation Review 👑💸

I received an ARC for this book, so I want to thank Cleo White and Valentine PR for sending this to me.

I absolutely loved the first book of this series, so I was looking forward to this one, and unfortunately, I can say the same about this book. It wasn’t the writing at all, but the characters were just not doing it for me.

Blair is a spoiled brat, I am sorry to say it, but she is. I understand that her family is one of the worst, her mother doesn’t care for her, her father do it even less, only caring for his political career. But even beside that, she is spoiled beyond that, only caring for herself, and her things.

Damien, was a bad surprise. I liked him in the previous book, he is a good brother we can’t deny that, but he just abandoned his job in the royal family with no explanation, and when Blair’s father offered him a job in his state security, I couldn’t imagine he would be so cruel.

And he is cruel without any motivation. He is cruel with his words and is cruel with his actions.

So a spoiled girl, with a cruel man, we have the perfect couple.

The best part of this book was when Leo, Zelda and Ben appeared. I will give this a 2.5 ⭐️, and pray for the next book to be better.👑💸
Profile Image for Rae.
315 reviews
May 13, 2026
RTC once I've read the final version, but this may be my favorite cleo book yet??

"God, who needs drugs when you can force Damien Mallory to confront his attraction to you? 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘳𝘶𝘴𝘩."

Every time I read a Cleo book I think, "This is it. It cannot possibly be better than the last one." Revelation?? It is the best yet. I am such a sucker for a brat and her protector so this book was kryptonite for me!

If you haven't started a book by her yet, first of all why not?? But also, read this ASAP.
Profile Image for Laura Fabian.
682 reviews55 followers
April 26, 2026
ARC kindly provided for the author in exchange for an honest review

Blair & Damien were so much better than I expected, their story broke my heart at times, it made me love them both and it was also so much fun thanks to Blair. Plus, I loved reading about Zelda, Ben & Leo again.

Blair is one of those characters I want to hug and defend at all costs, it really broke my heart to read about how her family treats her, how she feels about Damien’s initial attitude and how she thinks of herself, I think that’s why I loved reading about her finding a real friendship with Summer, confronting Dam in the most fun ways and her sincere, funny, and beautiful personality, without a doubt my favorite character from Cleo!

I loved Damien! I really enjoyed learning more about her personal story, the secret he keeps and the beautiful relationship he has with Ben, Zelda & Leo. And although his attitude towards Blair isn’t the best at first, I have to say I could never hate him, especially because I really liked how he acted when he discovered the truth, how he accepted his mistake and supported her from that moment on.

Blair & Dam don’t have the best start, but they do have a very funny one: Blair gets caught up in a naked scandal and Damien is in charge of keeping her safe in the house arrest imposed by her dad, but because Dam sees her as a privileged and spoiled girl, he immediately dislikes her AND a great fight for control begins, one that quickly turns into sexual tension that’s even better when it finally explodes. Plus, Blair gives Dam the funniest nicknames, she knows how to get him to do what she wants, and I loved reading about him getting to know the real Blair, deciding to be vulnerable with her and willing to do anything to protect her and make her happy.

👑Blair: 5/5
👑Damien: 5/5
👑Plot: 5/5
👑Love story: 5/5
👑Secondary characters: 5/5
👑Universe: 5/5
👑Cover: 5/5
🥵4/5

ARC amablemente proporcionada por la autora a cambio de una reseña honesta

Blair & Damien fueron mucho mejor de lo que esperaba, su historia me rompió el corazón por momentos, me hizo amarlos mucho a los dos como personajes y también fue muy divertida gracias a Blair. Además me encantó leer a Zelda, Ben & Leo de nuevo.

Blair es uno de esos personajes que quiero abrazar y defender a toda costa. Me rompió mucho el corazón leer la forma en la que su familia la trata, como se siente con la actitud inicial de Damien y cómo piensa de si misma, creo que por eso me gustó tanto leerla encontrar una amistad real en Summer, enfrentar de las maneras más ingeniosas a Dam y si personalidad tan sincera, divertida y hermosa, sin duda mi personaje favorito de Cleo!

Damien me encantó! Me gustó mucho conocer más de su historia personal, del secreto que guarda y la relación tan bonita que tiene con Ben, Zelda & Leo. Y aunque su actitud no es la mejor con Blair al principio, tengo que decir que nunca pude odiarlo, especialmente porque me gustó mucho como se portó cuando descubrió la verdad, como aceptó su error y la apoyó a partir de ese momento.

Blair & Dam no tienen el mejor inicio, pero si uno muy divertido: Blair se ve envuelta en un escándalo desnudo y Damien es el encargado de mantenerla protegida en casa, pero gracias a que Dam la ve como una chica privilegiada y malcriada la detesta de inmediato y empieza una lucha de poder buenísimas que rápidamente se convierte en una tensión sexual que es aún mejor cuando por fin explota. Además, Blair le da a Dan los apodos más divertidos, sabe cómo lograr que él haga lo que ella quiere y me encantó leerlo a él conociendo a la verdadera Blair, decidiendo ser vulnerable frente a ella y dispuesto a todo para protegerla y hacerla feliz.

👑Blair: 5/5
👑Damien: 5/5
👑Trama: 5/5
👑Historia de amor: 5/5
👑Personajes secundarios: 5/5
👑Universo: 5/5
👑Portada: 5/5
🥵4/5
Profile Image for Liz.
2,242 reviews15 followers
April 26, 2026
The second instalment in the Royally Forbidden series but Revelation, didn’t quite live up to the strong impression left by the first book. Centring on Damien Mallory, the Ashwell royal family’s secret son, and his reluctant role as bodyguard to the rebellious Blair Porter. In reality, though, he’s more of a glorified babysitter as her father, who is standing for Prime Minister, has grown tired of her rebellious behaviour making the front pages and his solution is to remove her trust fund and isolate her in a remote country estate for the duration of his campaign, with Damien as her only company, something Blair isn’t happy about and she doesn’t hide her antagonism towards him. But while the premise is intriguing, the execution left me feeling a little disappointed.

My main confusion lies with Damien’s character. In the first book, he seemed so close to his royal brothers, yet here he is distant and withdrawn from them. While his sudden emotional distance is explained later on, it doesn’t feel fully justified, as nothing significant appeared to change between books to explain such a shift. Blair initially comes across as immature, relying on crude toilet humour and defiance, but as her backstory unfolds, it becomes clear that her actions, are a defence mechanism masking deeper pain. Neglected by her family, her actions are really a cry for attention. This gives some understanding and depth to her character, especially in the latter half of the book when Damien begins to understand her struggles, though not before causing her considerable hurt and guilt stricken, he tries to find ways to support her, giving their story a more emotional layer.

Despite the popular bodyguard and enemies-to-lovers tropes, the chemistry between Damien and Blair feels lacking. Their connection seems more rooted in mutual loneliness and a desire for family than genuine romantic development, which makes their relationship less compelling. On a positive note, the supporting characters remain a highlight. I especially enjoyed revisiting Ben and Zelda and seeing their story progress, and there are clear hints about a future book, possibly focusing on Leo and a certain art student. Overall, while Revelation has moments of emotional depth and a strong supporting cast, it falls short of the engaging chemistry and charm that made Coronation such a promising start to the series.
Profile Image for Sarah.
124 reviews3 followers
April 26, 2026
Blair is an heiress being banished to her family's country estate because she's out of control and putting her father's campaign for Prime Minister in danger. So Damien is brought in to stay at the estate with her and keep her in line.

These two have a rough start, but OMG they were so fun!! The banter....Blair's name calling.... Damien's inner monologue.... It all had me laughing and giggling. But also waiting for them to FINALLY give in to what they wanted! There was so much delicious yearning and longing buried underneath all that denial and restraint!

If you looked up "there's a fine line between love and hate (and lust)" you'd see a picture of them! Damien doesn't trust her or like her and puts up his walls to keep her out. And Blair is used to her dad throwing money at her so she'll go away, so she's stubborn and combative.

But you just know eventually their underlying feelings are going to erupt, and when they do holy buckets Batman these two were hot AF!!

After they break through those walls, they truly see each other and confide in one another. They build a strong foundation and it was all so heartwarming and beautiful!

I loved Blair's sassines and wit! And Damien had me swooning with his protectiveness for not only Blair, but his whole family. I was so happy to see Ben, Zelda, baby Alice, and Leopold! I can't get enough of this family and hope to be back with them soon!

5/5 ⭐
3/5 🌶️
Profile Image for han ♡.
284 reviews4 followers
April 27, 2026
"how does it feel to need someone so badly it drives you out of your mind?"

i usually love cleo's books, but this one missed the mark for me. i found the fmc to be really immature, especially with her insults toward the mmc...like how many poop related insults can you make until it gets old? the mmc was honestly mean and stepping into bully territory, which is okay for a bully romance, but this isn't that. he's basically a glorified babysitter for the fmc, and the reasoning for that is a bit ridiculous in my opinion, but i digress. his attitude competely changed after a certain thing happened/was revealed, and i get why, but he was genuinely awful to her for no reason. he had preconceivned notions of her character and personality, and made no effort to get to know her side of the story or her as a person, thus why i think his attitude toward her was completely unwarranted.

after a certain thing was revealed, i was able to connect with both characters more and become more invested in their story. i flew through the last 30% because i was so locked in and invested. i will say that the spice was delicious, definitely one of the best parts of this book, and i liked the cameos of certain characters from the previous book.

♕ Dyslexia Rep
♕ He Falls First
♕ Forced Proximity
♕ Enemies to Lovers
♕ Heiress/Bodyguard

thank you to cleo for the e-arc!
Profile Image for jas ꩜.
83 reviews
April 24, 2026
3.5⭐️

I was in a really bad reading slump because the book I read before this one was an absolute nightmare😭😩 so maybe my review won’t fully do this one justice lol so don’t trust me😛


꧁ ༺ ⚜ ༻ ꧂….. ꧁ ༺ ⚜ ༻ ꧂…. ꧁ ༺ ⚜ ༻ ꧂


Because I was in a slump, I was bored out of my mind during the first half. It took me foreverrrrrr to get into it and I honestly thought it was going to be another miss. BUT then the second half? Oh it got REAL good, hmmm now that’s what I’m talking about 🤏🤏🤏

This book definitely leans more on the lusty side than the slowburn , but I’m not complaining because the spicy scenes delivered real hard specifically, the second time they got intimate like damn the tension, the chemistry, the intimacy!!!ATE😋 and to think it wasn’t even some kinky shit just them and their unspilled feelings, it was fireeeee 😮‍💨

That being said, I couldn’t fully take the characters seriously sometimes because what do you mean a 40 YEAR OLD GROWN ASS DUDE was beefing with a 26 YEAR OLD 😭 I’m sorry but the enemies-to-lovers setup had me side eyeing hard because WHYYY are we acting like this? Be serious plss😭 Still, they were cute together so I’ll give them that.

Overall, I liked it just fine. Not amazing, not terrible, just a fun decent read once it finally picked up✨

Thankyou for the ARC💖
Profile Image for Xeli.
154 reviews1 follower
April 23, 2026
I thought book one was really good, but this one is easily my favorite so far.

Damien and Blair are 🔥. Their banter was just addicting. I’m absolutely obsessed with these two.

Cleo gave us an FMC that feels so refreshing to read about. She just stands out in such a unique way. And then there’s Damien… watching him work through his past and while also seeing his character growth and the person he becomes was honestly so good.

I loved this story so much and their love. Once again, Cleo does such an amazing job wrapping up the conflict in her stories in the most satisfying way. PLEASE tell me we get Leo’s book next!?
Profile Image for Jessi.
606 reviews109 followers
April 28, 2026
I enjoyed this so much. I loved how snarky and mean Blair and Damien were to each other, really proving how thin the line is between love and hate. It was so satisfying to see them finally give in, and for Damien to trust her with his secrets. Blair’s family was the worst, and the way they treated her was beyond cruel. I loved watching her grow and realize they didn’t deserve her. This was a great read, and I’m already waiting for Leo’s story.
Profile Image for Emily.
1,566 reviews20 followers
May 2, 2026
Book 73 of 2026

I loved the first in the series & was excited to get my hands on this one. The characters in this one, just like the first, show a lot of growth, especially Blair. You start the book kind of being annoyed with her immaturity & end the book loving her. I feel badly that the author has had a disappointing release week with this book not hitting anticipated numbers, but I didn’t find it disappointing at all!

Format: ebook (KU)
Profile Image for Diana.
183 reviews5 followers
May 6, 2026
Dare I say I liked this even more than Coronation ( which I loved )

Cleo White is a master of the age gap - bossy romance. Her characters are three dimensional and the story always is easy and enjoyable. And fun! And again, just like Coronation, I feel like I could have kept reading this story. I wasn’t ready for it to end!

Damian and Blair were a couple I loved right from the beginning- the banter and fighting and flirting was so well done!!!!! And their spice was so good! ( I really like Damian )

Of course I will be reading book 3 as soon as it is released.
332 reviews
May 7, 2026
5 ⭐️

The tension between Damien and Blair was palpable and I loved how it didn’t disappear once they got together. Also Damien‘s backstory was really intriguing and a very believable hurdle to their relationship. The ending felt a little bit rushed and I’d love to have gotten more of their happy times together but it didn’t take away from my enjoyment of the book.
Profile Image for Dara Butler.
275 reviews
April 25, 2026
ARC Review: Thank you to Cleo White for sending me an advanced copy of Revelation to read and review.

If you want hate-to-love done right, this book is for you. There’s also a JUICY age gap. Damien, the former head of royal security, and Blair, the aristocrat’s daughter. He’s already made up his mind about her before he’s even met her, and boy, does she like to push his buttons.

I would consider this a slow burn with sexual tension so thick you can cut it with a knife. Once the tension broke, it was HOT!
I really enjoyed how Cleo White gave us little bits about Damien’s past as the book went on. I also enjoyed how Blair’s character was written. There’s so much more to her that you realize in the beginning of the book. I always love it when the MMC has secrets, and he decides that he’s not hiding anything from the FMC anymore. I can’t wait for the next book in the series!
33 reviews
Read
May 6, 2026
I need another age gap.. AND I NEED IT NOW
Profile Image for Sara Adams.
112 reviews5 followers
May 3, 2026
Hot damn this was sooo good! You’re It has always been my favourite story by Cleo but I think this has knocked it off the top stop.

There’s so much going on with this, not only is it incredibly funny- smiling at the page whilst reading and not realising you’ve got a shit eating grin plastered to your face funny, but there’s also some heartbreak in there too. It’s full of emotion and the characters are so unbelievably god damn good.

This was an absolute joy to read from start to finish and may even be Cleo’s best work to date. This will absolutely be one of my recommended reads for this year!

🌟🌟🌟🌟🌟/5
🌶️🌶️.5
Profile Image for Sarah.
180 reviews12 followers
April 24, 2026
Thank you to the author for this early copy of Revelation. I finished in less than a day. At this point, it’s obvious that if Cleo writes it, it’s going to be 5 stars. I don’t know how she manages to write a steamy spicy book while also flawlessly weaving a emotional character arc that makes me want to cry at the same time. I love Cleo’s writing, I love the emotional journey she takes me on, I love the spicy scenes, I love the characters, and I love the banter between Damian and Blair.
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