Reviewed for Blackravens Reviews
Publisher: Dreamspinner Press
Image courtesy of Dreamspinner Press
Genre: GLBT, Alternative History, M/M
Length: 255 pages
Stars: [rating=2]
Summary
Crown Prince of the United Kingdom of America, William Samuel Davis, has recently been outed by the press. Worse yet, he’s been thrown into an arranged marriage with one of the stuffiest people he knows—one Lucas O’Malley-Hamilton. It’s a match made in hell, and William fully intends to make everyone see the error of their ways and send Lucas back home on the first available flight.
But things quickly get more complicated than William had thought possible as the anti-monarchy crowd uses his outing against him. As he is forced to face the realities of his position, he finds himself drawn to sides of Lucas he hadn’t known existed. Tensions rise throughout the country and in William’s world. While the situation absolutely refuses to improve, it can and will get worse.
Review
Matters of Courtship by C.M. Jackson chronicles the courtship of Crown Prince William Samuel Davis of the United Kingdom of America and Lucas O’Malley-Hamilton of Ireland. The two young men find themselves engaged to marry after one of William’s escapades. When the royal family announces the engagement, William and Lucas barely know each other and Jackson spends much of the book building a relationship between them.
While the characters are likable, Matters of Courtship is essentially boring. I found it hard to warm up to William and Lucas. William seemed a little bratty, while Lucas came off rather hapless. I never felt that I got to know him, since William dominates the scenes.
The story takes place in an alternate history where the United States of America is instead a royal kingdom. I was never certain of what time-period the book took place. One minute characters are throwing on tee shirts and jeans, and next they are looking for robes to cover night clothes. The focus of Matters of Courtship is the relationships between William and Lucas, and William’s family and friends. Some anti-monarchy activities cause some drama in the story, but not enough to relieve the overall boredom of the novel. This one gets 2.5 stars. I did not really like the storyline.