[Blog Tour] [Portia’s Review]The Sinful King by Claire Contreras (Naughty Royals #1)

If you had any ties to Marbella, it was impossible for you not to have heard the stories about Prince Elias and his debauchery.

Every summer he arrived with his security detail and friends in tow and rented out a row of cottages near the water.

Cottages that belonged to my family.

Each of those summers, my parents sent me away – summer camp and later, boarding school. Anything to keep me away from the royals and their partying.

I hadn’t been home in years, but when I finally come back for the summer, I see that not much has changed. Like all the summers I’d been gone, Prince Elias is back, but this time with an incognito security detail and no friends.

This time, there is no partying, no noise, no crowds. No reason at all to even think he was there.
I’m given strict orders not to talk to him, not to even look in his direction, but he makes this an impossible task.

I may be doing everything in my power to stay away from him, but there is no one in the world who can say no to the future King of France.

I received this book for free from Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Its no secret that Claire Contreras is one of my favorite authors. One of the things I love about her is how fearless she is – in her life and in her writing. In her romance novels, she has covered suspense/thriller, sports, second chance romance, mafia…. And is all over the new adult and contemporary spectrum. She has jumped head first into all of these ideas and written what felt right for her, and she has done it again by jumping into royals romance. 

Honestly, I have never been a fan of royals romances. Politics typically isn’t very sexy to me. But obviously I was going to read this because Claire wrote it. But I was thoroughly impressed. In this short novel, we saw depth and growth from characters. We were shown how hard it is stay away from someone with such a deep, intense connection, that time and distance couldn’t take it away. Then add in the politics that have to be tip toed around, and the entire different world that royals live in, and you have fairy tale fit for a princess.

A chance meeting at a masquerade set this plot in action. Adeline was young and hopeful, bright eyed, and then knocked down by society. So she needed to escape and heal. Let time pass. That lead her right back to the guy that never left her memories. Prince Elias was so swoon worthy. He was determined, insisted on doing anything to have what… or WHO… he wanted, but still kind and intelligent enough to understand what he needed to change not only in himself, but in his country as well, in order to have what he wanted.

Everything about them exuded need and desperation for one another. It was sweet, sexy and charming. This was such an easy read, and everything just flowed so smoothly. I would love to read some side characters stories as well. I think there is a lot of potential there, especially with the royal siblings.

I appreciate Claire’s note at the beginning: This is a fairytale. Just go with it. So that’s what I did. I didn’t stop to consider any of the possible reality of it, or whether or not it was far fetched or unrealistic, I just read it and accepted it for exactly what it was. And that is exactly what I hope everyone does when they go into this book. 

Claire, keep doing what you do. You never fail to impress.

Portia

Hi, I’m Portia! I’ve been an obsessive reader and pop culture addict my entire life, with a particular passion for horror and thrillers. I love being a part of the book community and can regularly be found working various book events. I’m an admin here at Ideally Inspired Reviews!

When I am not binge reading or obsessing over true crime podcasts and shows, I am a bar manager by night and a mom and wife by day. If I find any time after that, I love to travel, spend time outdoors, and fit as much live music into my life as possible. You can find me on Instagram @Ideally.Portia or TikTok @itsportiabitch.