Broken Prince (The Royals #2)
Author: Erin Watt
Published: 2016
On Goodreads
My Rating: 
Rated S for secrets and strength to overcome them.
From wharf fights and school brawls to crumbling lives inside glittery mansions, one guy tries to save himself.
What began as a love-hate relationship, if you could call it that, turned into something hot and steamy which then turned to ash for Reed Royal and Ella Harper. Feeling foolish for actually believing that Reed loved her, Ella is out. Out of this elitist world, out of the Royal lifestyle, and out of the Royal house.
She’s run away and has washed her hands of the Royals but they haven’t washed their hands of her. Brought back against her will, she’s determined to stay away from Reed. She doesn’t want him anymore. She’s sure they’ll only destroy each other. She might be right, but Reed doesn’t care. He’ll do whatever it takes to get her back.
However, it may be something else entirely that could destroy them. Something nobody saw coming…
The Royals series is 1 of 3 that I am rereading as a part of my New Year’s Resolution. This is 2 of 5 books.
Ella is on the run! It’s my favorite part of the entire book, It’s a chance for her to get out on her own and it’s nothing like before when she was in a club. I do wish it had lasted longer and that she’d been smarter. I mean, she’s very intelligent and knows how the Royal family works. You think she would’ve hidden herself better…if she didn’t want to be found. LOL.
I did find a strong distaste for Callum this time around which is saddening since I imagine Justin Hartley of This is Us portraying him. He crossed an ugly line that just really pissed me off. Gotta love when that happens. It changed the entire way I look at him and made me realize where the Royal boys get their ruthlessness. My hopes that he really was above using dirty tactics against those that didn’t deserve it was squashed. It just wasn’t very guardian-like of him to threaten Ella rather than try to get to the bottom of her reasoning and find understanding. Threw me right off my axis.
I was beyond stoked, yet slightly repulsed to finally experience Reed’s POV. I know it sounds negative, but I promise it’s not. It’s just a very mixed feeling. While I love getting into the head of other characters, he was…to the point without much thought. Vulgar and blunt and careless. I didn’t hate it but it had me making some twisted faces.
With snark and sarcasm still on point. Still gripping me with that A+ drama! If anything, it cranked up to a whole other level. Still in the land of make-believe because I highly doubt any of this would actually happen, in any realistic sense. But the secrets coming out of the woodwork had me eating these pages up! For real! Like a damn soap opera. My jaw was always hitting the floor when Ella stepped up and when Reed would get confessional. Both actions aren’t typical of them. It was surprising.
Astor Park has definitely taken on a new wave of chaos. All of the little students there are like lost little piggies, lambs, and lemmings without their Royal decree. It was making laugh so hard. God help them if they were ever forced to go to a public school or when they get out into the world. LOL. These rich kids just blow my mind. All I can do is shake my head at their antics.
Overall
I really liked this installment. I didn’t think it could get wilder and out of control, but I stand corrected. There were parts I didn’t find to be my favorite like Reed’s soul-deep belief that Ella belonged to him almost like a piece of property, not allowing her any space or chance to move on. The Royal men seriously have issues with boundaries and respect, with the exception of Gideon, I believe. I just can’t get over that hump. It makes me so uncomfortable with how they nearly cross the line of assault, and I don’t mean the dock fights the boys enjoy. Just creepy and makes me suck inside out. Yet, the devotion they have that meets it is like a weighted blanket oof safety. It’s so complicated! Plus, as I’ve said before, this really is a series you can’t allow yourself to get super invested in. Character growth is minimal if any at all. There’s not some underlying message toward current issues in today’s world. You walk into this series and you get to escape the world for a while and you will definitely forget to breathe for one reason or another. Guaranteed. It’s truly a Read-At-Your-Own-Risk deal.
Quotables:
“My instincts had screamed at me that she was trouble. My instincts were wrong. She wasn’t trouble. I was. Still am.” (Reed, p. 13)
“He told me to stay away.
He told me I didn’t belong.
If only I’d listened to him.” (Ella, p. 88)
“It’s a whole new era at Astor Park, Ella. The Royals don’t call the shots anymore. I do. One word from me, and every single student in this school will be happy to make your life miserable.” (Jordan to Ella, p. 110)
More to come soon…
-K.
P.S. Song today? For the First Time by The Script.
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The Scarlet Reader 
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