The Reluctant Royal 2025 Movie Review Trailer

 As an unseen enemy closes in, a royal bodyguard must choose between duty and love. Risking his life to save a princess is part of the daily job for Sergeant Joe Wenlock, a personal protection officer assigned to protect the royal family. After months of recuperation following his brush with death, Joe is ready to return to duty. But Alejandro Fuente-Sastre, as infuriating as he is fabulous, is the latest royal Joe wants to be assigned to.

Alejo isn't exactly the kind of queen the British royal family is used to, but when Joe learns that Her Majesty's stepson is also drag bombshell Paloma Picante, his job becomes a lot harder. But is there more to Alejo than grumpiness and sequins?

Stars: Emilie de Ravin, Elizabeth Moynihan, Andrew W. Walker

When Alejandro's life is threatened by an unseen tormentor who moves from internet trolling to arson and violence, Joe must keep his charge safe from harm.

Joe begins to discover his true self by living in close quarters with the man he shouldn't be falling for. But, as Alejandro's enemy draws ever closer, he must make the impossible choice between duty and love.

Reader Warning: This book contains examples of homophobia and homophobic language, cyberbullying and threats, stalking, terrorism, drug use and abuse, Islamophobia, and suicide. There are mentions of domestic abuse, including physical, emotional, and psychological manipulation.

I've been an avid reader of Curzon and Hartstead's work from the beginning and I always get so excited when I read a new book from the dynamic duo. Anyone who follows the blog regularly knows, I think, how much I love Catherine Eleanor's work. But, and I hate to say it, I feel terrible even thinking about it, The Reluctant Royal felt a little flat to me compared to her previous books.

I felt like something was missing. I don't know what it is, but the spark of yesteryear that we loyal readers love so much seemed to be missing, but despite that, I enjoyed it. I can't say I loved it, but it's a lot of fun - it's escapism from the real world, which is exactly what we all need.

The Reluctant Royal is part serious thriller and part romantic comedy. I liked the combination of the two. I felt it was much more of a tongue-in-cheek comedy than the romantic suspense it was supposed to be and I think more time could have been spent on the big plot question of "Who is Leviticus?", but then again, I guessed the identity pretty quickly - as soon as my first suspect was hung, he was quartered and dismissed as nothing more than a thug. This has nothing to do with the writing, but more to do with the fact that I watch too many detective shows and tend to be suspicious of everyone. But, even I was surprised not only that I got it right, but also that I knew who was behind all the threats against Alejo.

I admit that I was in two minds, which believe me is very unusual for me when it comes to books by these authors, but there were some elements of the story in general that didn't work for me. The relationship between Alejo and Joe seemed very rushed, for some reason they didn't work as a couple for me. I think they worked better as good friends who understand each other than as a couple, which I think is a shame because they had great potential, but for me it was how fast everything happened between Joe and Alejo - a slower and calmer pace would have been better, since that way they could have gotten to know each other better.

However, I loved them as individuals. Joe is gay and I think there is a lot of confusion in him when it comes to accepting who he is and being honest about the fact that he likes men. He is in a loveless marriage of convenience with a selfish woman who only thinks about her career. I felt that there was a lot of unhappiness in Joe's life and that struck a chord with me. While Alejo knows who he is and is more than happy within his skin and in the skin of his other character, the drag queen Paloma (who in my opinion is the star of the whole book, this exotic, glamorous and talented creature who dazzles Joe and the reader), I would have liked to see Paloma used more throughout the story.

Aside from the romance between Joe and Alejo, I liked the suspense element of the whole plot, the intrigue behind the threats to Alejo's life. The homophobic abuse, attacks and online harassment are written with the utmost care and sensitivity to a very relevant topic and I would have liked a bit more depth in that part of the story.

Overall, The Reluctant Royal is not the best love story, but it is fun, flirtatious and very ironic. It reminds me of a Carry On film: a light-hearted, fun comedy that doesn't take itself too seriously, but can be enjoyed by everyone.

Watch The Reluctant Royal 2025 Movie Trailer