The Royal Mess by MaryJanice Davidson

Par for the course...

I enjoyed the first book in MaryJanice Davidson's Alaskan Royal Family series The Royal Treatment. The idea of an alternate reality where Alaska became its own principality combined with MJD's trademark snarky humor and idiosyncratic characters worked. However, the 2 books that followed (The Royal Pain, The Royal Mess) were, respectively, somewhat joyless and a rehash.

My chief complaint about The Royal Mess is that although it does tie up some loose ends (rather briefly), Nicole, the illegitimate daughter of King Al that he never knew he had from a 2-week stand, was essentially identical to Christine, Al's daughter-in-law. Yes, Christine appears in the book, and she and Nicole aren't exactly best gal pals and their backgrounds aren't the same, but their prickliness, snarky dialogue, and behavior toward the king are pretty much interchangeable.

In addition, as with Ms Davidson's other books, which I enjoy but I'm not blind to the inherent faults, the characterization and plot are weak, and much of the backstory is left out. For example, we never really understand who Nicole's mother was and why she made the decisions she did; everything is mentioned briefly and in passing. Considering how bitter Nicole appears to be, that's a conspicuous lack. Also, still not clear to me is why King Al remains so loyal to the memory of his ex-wife, someone who was unfaithful to him, whereas he never strayed. In any case, there's no real character growth or development, and the storyline doesn't really go anywhere, despite the relationship between Nicole and royal bodyguard Jeffrey.

Ms Davidson has indicated this book is the final one in the Alaskan Royal Family saga. I'm wondering if this is because her writing schedule is so packed that she doesn't have time to write more (a very real possibility; I'd like to know what happens with the youngest royals, though) or if the sales from this series haven't been as great as the publishers would have liked. All pure conjecture on my part, of course.

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