Review: Royal by Rebel Shaw (Club Pivot #1)


Note: An advance reader copy (ARC) was provided by the author via Give Me Books Promotions.

Royal is my first read from the writing duo of Rebel Shaw, although I have read some of their previous work as co-authors and solo authors under their names, Kaylee Ryan and Lacey Black. I'm guessing that Rebel Shaw  labeled stories are on the hotter end of the heat spectrum, based on what I read between the covers. This book is also the first in the Club Pivot series AND their debut release. If this series starter is a sign of things to come, then sign me up for the next releases in this series because not only was I left impressed by book one, but I'm also now curious as to what may await readers in book number two.

When tragedy strikes, thirty-four-year-old Finnegan Royal finds himself the sole guardian of his three-year-old niece, Hadley. At an absolute loss as to how to take care of her, he immediately recognizes the need for a live-in nanny, which is where his assistant's niece comes in. She's younger than he expected, and she has a bad habit of making him feel guilty and putting him in his place, but twenty-six-year-old London Ashford quickly connects with Hadley. She's a godsend, but she's also a temptation, one he tries to avoid. He hasn't allowed himself to become attached to anyone for over a decade and a half, but in a short amount of time, Finn can no longer remember life before Hadley...and London.

This book had both heart and heat and Rebel Shaw balanced both quite nicely. While the story tackles some heavier issues such as grief, guilt, and developing feelings for your employer (or alternately, for your employee), there are lighthearted moments throughout the book. I appreciated London's ability to make a stand, especially when it came to Hadley, and not kowtow to Finn's demands, but it was truly Finn's evolution from a rather cold and detached man focused on the club he co-owned to the one he became after London and Hadley became a part of his life. As I was reading their story, I felt myself becoming more and more invested in the outcome, and that sort of emotional investment is always a must for me, and that's part of the reason why Royal gets 4.5 stars.

Release Date: 10 May 2022

Date Read: 06 May 2022

Learn more about Rebel Shaw.

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