Reviewed by K.J. Simmill for Readers' Favorite

Love is never easy. It comes with its ups and downs, challenges and hardships. But when said love stems from a royal romance the challenges seem overpowering. Adelard should never have been king. There were countless lines in place, all of whom would rule before him, so no one batted an eyelid when he was betrothed as a child to the daughter of a minor earl. Yet fate and happenstance intervened, and all too soon Adelard found himself next in line to the throne. Adelard was forbidden to marry the woman he had grown to love. But the story of Adelard and Hyacinth is not all it appears at first glance. Upon his death, Hyacinth dictates the truth of the events shielded from the public eye, revealing for the first time the secrets within the royal and noble houses her husband did not want to remain hidden.

Love, Royal, and True is a romance novella by Ronnda Eileen Henry. It follows the blossoming young romance of Hyacinth and Adelard as they attempt to overcome the obstacles thrust into their path by life and ill-wishers alike. It is written at a steady third-person pace, starting at the end of the story with Adelard's death, and a request she let the truth of their hidden life be known. Through the course of the story, Hyacinth dictates her tale, and you are told of their hardships and blossoming love, and the devastation life places in their path. Theirs was a bittersweet romance with hardship, challenges, opposition, and adversaries. Those opposed to their wedding plotted and even committed and accused acts of treason to ensure the two could never be together. Deception, schemes, and heartbreak advance the tale as you come to wonder about the truth of their love and the secret life they led. All in all, it was a good read, with some sweet and heart-breaking moments.