Leaving behind her royal life should have solved most problems for Rachel of New York. While wandering the Royal States buys her peace for a while, her sister’s suicide drags her back into the cutthroat world she’d left behind.
The RPS hunting her down to deal with her sister’s body is bad enough, but one nameless bachelor at a wedding in Illinois changes everything.
Again.
With the help of a sole RPS agent, Rachel attempts to build a new life for herself in the west. With her mental health crumbling under the pressure of remaining in hiding and dodging a crown she doesn’t want, she’s running out of time. If she doesn’t choose her future, someone will choose it for her.
She never anticipated how far Ethan of California would go to win her—or that behind the fiery beast lurking within her is a talent that will forever change the world.
Content advisory: this novel contains potentially triggering subject matter, including the realities of suicide, depression, and other mental health issues. Proceed with caution.
Susan Copperfield is the royal romance, urban fantasy loving alter ego of award-winning & USA Today bestselling novelist R.J. Blain.
Under the super not-so-secret identity of Susan, the Royal States of America is explored, where the work of sixteen founding royal families preserved the United States from destruction and civil war when magic swept over the world.
In the Royal States, life, love, and magic always finds a way.
I’ll start by saying that I love this author and this series. However, this book was subpar. The plot was so slow it felt like I was wading in molasses, the characters were extremely one dimensional, and the political opinions of the author were stated so many times it became repetitive. These are supposed to be romances. This was not a love story by any stretch of the imagination. The relationship felt forced, as if magic made them love each other. The “loving” couple actually spend all of maybe 3 days together in the book. The rest of the time they don’t know each other and are completely apart.
Also, she touches on a lot of mental illness and abuse in this book. While I appreciate that she didn’t downplay the horrors in the main character’s life, she made it such a big deal that I felt like I was reading a possible case study of a person with any number of therapy issues, not a novel. As a result, the love story felt unhealthy and wrong. The main character is not ready for a long term, healthy marriage. She’s certainly not ready to rule a kingdom.
This was poorly written and I’m sad because I’ve been looking forward to the book.
Perfectly serviceable UF/romance. The characters are somewhat annoying, the plot is somewhat silly, but I still read them. Always loads of joking about kidnapping and instalove. I question my taste reading these, cause I can't really say they are good, and the humour is at times painful. But there is a certain something. This one goes in the "OK" column again.
If you like painfully bad humour, loads of jokes about women kidnapping men and having their way with them (yeah this author jokes about that A LOT) and heroines who either are sassy or intelligent (or the author wants us to think they are at least, I'm honestly not super convinced) this series might be for you.
But look at me, I'm reading them even though I don't think they're actually that good so they have to have something.
I still like this author. It's just that the dialogue, while humorous, seems to be taking over the entirety of the book. Much of the plot just happens in the dialogue. I don't want to just "hear" the characters talk about various happenings, I want to experience the plot through the characters' eyes.
Since the last book I purchased by Copperfield/Blain had the same issues, I am afraid this seems to be a new trend. I wonder if her works are being edited. She seems to have many books coming out this year, all of which I've preordered. I clicked on each order button with such anticipation and now I'm worried that I've just made a series of mistakes.
Over the course of this book the heroine only has one problem, that she's being paid below a subsistence income thanks to her host country's immigration discouragement policies and she's unwilling to take advantage of the literal millions of dollars she has access to. I mean yeah, she needs to get over her delusion that she needs to wear a bag over her head to protect humanity from her facial imperfection but that's just a pretext for the men in her life to flood her with positive affirmation; which they are perfectly willing to do.
The one moment when it looks like something interesting might happen because she'll finally encounter her estranged parents turns out to be literally nothing. The ten million dollar bounty they put out for her? Nothing. Her epic estrangement and escape from her parents's tyranny? Happened before the book. Her potentially revolutionary study of whether the monarchy is a good idea that should shake the underpinnings of their society? Never finished. The threatened uprising in her homeland? Averted without having to do anything except come out of hiding.
So what do we get instead of anything interesting happening? Well, a lot of gushing about exotic pet care. Yay.
My favourite cover artwork so far. This one didn’t grip me as much as the others. Dealings with immigration systems and raising rats. This one pretty much resolved itself. I liked Vince and The rat guy. Favourite part was the beginning with the wedding and then the tigers.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
It's a little different from some of the other Royal States novels. No assassination attempts, sinking tankers, plane crashes, mystical ancient stuff, etc. To me, it's about a woman's journey to her best self. Rachel is part of an abusive family, and has very low self esteem. She ditches the family and leaves. From the outside, we, (and the other characters), can see that she's a pretty wonderful person. I particularly like her pet rats Snookums and Flamingo. And the kittens and cats. And the hot prince in jeans. It was a thoroughly satisfying book and I look forward to reading more about these characters.
Nothing makes me happier than waking up to the release of a new Susan Copperfield (R.J. Blain) book, and this next in the Royal States series makes me very happy indeed. As always the characters are well written, complex and engaging, and the storyline well paced and satisfying. Highly, highly recommended.
I really didn't like this book. It had hints of promise. It was huge sections of exposition overload, and parts of forced attempts at comedy. The story felt rushed and slow at the same time, and the ending was very abrupt. This novel disappointed me because I wanted to read Rachel's story, and this felt like an unfinished draft. This ranks with Huntress as the weakest books in the series. Please bring back the brilliant storytelling showed in the other books.
2021 bk 334. A runaway princess - one tired of her family using her as a bargaining chip, tired of the drama, and wanting to be on her own - finds her way to California and enters as a refugee under a different name. But the King of Montana was concerned and running away involves an RSP agent following at a distance, a prince of California believing she is the 'one' manipulating events, and a pair of rats. Another excellent read with upsets, empathy, challenges, happy moments, and laugh out loud episodes.
The beginning was promising. The rest, unfortunately, fell off like so many of the more recent books by this author do. Instead of having any kind of interesting story line, this book is mostly filled with author showing off some minor research that she did on couple specific points. In this book it's mostly rats. Other than repetitive talks about rats and 'bad people treating other people badly' hardly anything happens at all.
I have read this book before and I still love it. While this book is different from the others, Rachel’s journey feels just as important. While characters in the other stories were facing external issues that they needed to fight or overcome, Rachel’s biggest problem is how she sees herself.
Facing emotional abuse from a young age, Rachel only sees herself the way her parents did, not pretty enough, not smart enough, she sees herself as worthless or as a bargaining chip for others to use.
Rachel decides to take fate into her own hands and has run away from home and her royal duties to become someone new. With a little help from her Rat Guy, The Lusty Prince and a menagerie of therapy animals, Rachel takes a journey to discover her self worth, find out what she is capable of and learning to see herself as she truly is and not just as her family judged her.
This story is sad at times and funny more often. I love all the characters and the banter between them. I really enjoyed reading this book again and I’m looking forward to reading more in this series.
This is in some ways a difficult book to read. Princess Rachel of New York has been the victim of long term systematic emotional abuse since she was a small child, as has her siblings. Taught that she was worthless, ugly and had no redeeming qualities whatsoever Rachel runs away from New York only to emerge after her sister's suicide in order to claim the body. Her parents then disown her for refusing to return home and taking up her official position within the monarchy. Rachel moves to California where she manages to live under the radar for a number of years, unfortunately these years have not been kind to her. When Prince Ethan meets her Rachel is severely malnourished with absolutely no self esteem or self worth. Ethan intends for Rachel to be his bride and is willing to do whatever it takes, unfortunately New York has decided they want Rachel back so time is now of the essence. I said at the beginning this was a difficult book to read, it's well written but to read how Rachel views herself is painful. A difficult subject handled remarkably well.
Another terrific offering in the Royal States series. Once again Susan Copperfield has crafted story with living, breathing characters. They are relatable. Alongside the humor as Rachel and Ethan navigate their romance (in a very light, comedic way), you see the damage done to a person when the people they should be able to count on the most, their parents, instead treat them like a commodity to trade. Less than human. And you see the incredible beauty of a person who chooses to not allow the circumstances of their birth to dictate who they become or how they live their lives. There is a joyful message in this story. [And no. Not in some preachy way] Just read the darn story. You will not be disappointed.
This is a fun speculative fiction series that focuses on a number of societal failings. Magic and the fall of the USA has lead to the formation of a coalition of kingdoms loosely organized into the Royal States of America. The stronger a person's magic, the higher their caste is, and the monarchs have the most powerful magic of all. Those without any magic are considered to be the lowest of lows and are treated abominably. This series focuses on many human rights issues; this one has a focus on the rights (or lack thereof) of refugees. I was sure I was going to hate it but, instead, I freakin' love it! If you are expecting high literature, give this a miss, but if you need some good, old fashioned escape, Susan Copperfield is a great investment of your time.
Cold Flame is one of my top contenders for my favorite of this series. For those who are concerned about the trigger warnings, Susan Copperfield handles the incidents with tact and care and they do not appear on the page. While those situations made me sad, I am so pleased by the hope and strength and determination of Rachel. I am not giving spoilers, but there were some surprises that made me laugh, and one demonstration I HAVE to figure out how to do it real life. It's just THAT GOOD. The rest of the characters I enjoyed as well. This book is a keeper, and I am going to be reading it again in the next few days.
What an extraordinarily good book! From the beginning I was hooked on leading lady Rachel. She is such a strong and excellent character. Which is to be expected of any of this authors books. A gifted lady who had been emotionally mistreated when younger. Before I new it I was seeing the world through her eyes. I truly felt what Rachel was experiencing. This is great writing. Do yourself a favor and read this book. No, read all the books in the series. You won't regret it!
Susan Copperfield's characters are superb. Rachel is so real that it hurts to follow her through her journey of avoidance and self-healing. I have read of caring people who keep getting kicked in the heart to the point that they give up on life. As much I want to believe that people would not be that cruel, abusers exist .... and so do survivors. Rachel is a victim who overcomes and becomes stronger for the childhood abuse that she endured. She and Eve Dallas and Roarke would have a lot to talk about.
This is a nice continuation of the series. As usual, I enjoyed the snark and sarcasm. But type of humour (without being mean). I like all the various series from the author. This one usually has a focus on relationships, inner growth, finding your voice and/or purpose, social injustice... This world has magic in a modern setting with shifter and elemental type characteristics. If you like non-stop action, outside proponents, physical action etc, check one of the other series. This one is ‘gentle’, but still provides action. And magic. And animals. And humour and snark.
This book is a wonderful read! It deals with depression of sorts ,along with the main character Rachel Ambrose having growing up being abused by her parents and her RPS agents. She has no self-esteem and thinks she is ugly and unlovable. The reader is treated with a front seat how of how people who truly love her go about trying to convince her about her worth. You have humor along with therapy animals, and you will never guess what kind they are! I love a GREAT book with a happy ending!
This book will mess with your sleep schedule!! I couldn't put it down. I stayed up all night and finished it about 5 o'clock in the morning. You will love this book!! I was hesitant to read it since I usually don't like books where the main character is royalty but I am so glad I picked it up. This is a different kind of royalty and a different kind of states. I highly recommend this book and all of this author's books whether under the Susan Copperfield name or R. J. Blain or her books under Bernadette Franklin. You will not be sorry if you picked any of her work!
While the books in this series are all delightful reads, when you pay attention, they delve into muslch more series problems, hiding behind a sense of humor. Sex trafficking, underage marriage, forced marriage. Old, white men deciding how woman should handle their own health care and decisions. Single parenthood. Suicide. And there are other issues too. I have read a book a day not bothering to attend to stuff at home I should be doing, because I found this series to be worth letting it pile up.
Rachel is an amazing and realistic heroine! She shows the compassion everyone should have and is super intelligent. She also is the definition of abused and acts as expected because of it. She’s got an amazing RPS agent guarding her and trying to help her however he can. She’s got therapy rats and gains even better therapy animals. Best of all, she gets the hero who has been in love with her for over 20 years. Ethan is patient and compassionate and everything Rachel needs. He’s willing to put her first to the point of abdicating his claim to the throne.
Rachel has her share of difficulties, but this is a fun and adorable read. I almost didn't read this, because of the mention of suicide and depression in the description. Don't let that scare you away. "A Guiding Light" was painful; this book is delightful. This book is saner and more believable/relatable than the wildest romps in this series. Definitely one of my favorites, together with "Iron Unicorn" (the first one I read). Rachel's rats are just too cute! (The author really could do with a better editor for a final polish, though)
She has written another wonderful book. I love the Royal States Novels. Actually I have not read a bad book from her. She has a wonderful imagination and I love every book she has written under whichever name she chooses to write under. This one is about a princess from New York who runs away from her horrible parents and crosses the country to California. Loved it.
Most of the time issues such as emotional abuse are handled in a preachy way that tends to turn most people off. This book deals with it in a way that is both humorous and hopeful. That is not to say that the issue is funny or not serious, but instead it shows how one woman learns how her childhood has scarred her, but she still manages to lead her life and not the one that was being forced upon her. Really good read.
Every time another book comes out in the royal states world I cannot wait to devour it! Cold Flame delivered solidly in continuing to build out the world and characters, while it can be read as a standalone reading the books leading up to it help gives additional depth to the politics and characters involved. Either way, on its own or as chapter Susan Copperfield keeps putting out wonderful with!
The overall world that she has created is really intriguing, but I can't get past the amount of repetition. For example, we learn about the main character's rats feeding habits at least three times in the same chapter. The paragraphs are almost identical and they are not short.
I just finished he story, and the only thing that sticks with me is about rats.
I am ALWAYS excited to have a new Royal States novel. And this is a great one!
Rachel is new, but her situation is created by characters in the previous instalments. But it's a wonderful ride of a tale. Her situation is sad, but there are a lot of laughs along the way. Enjoy!
As usual in this series, the characters are fairly well defined and likeable. The plot, however, is completely missing in this installment of the series. There is no substance to the story at all. It appears to have been churned out with little thought or planning. Sorry... read it if you like the series..