The Royal Treatment by Lindsey Leavitt

Summary/Cover Image from Author's Website:

Desi Bascomb’s job as a princess substitute has gotten a whole lot more glamorous now that she’s advanced to Level 2 within the Facade Agency. Magical make-up, roller-skating celebrities, and the chance to see Prince Karl again are just some of the major perks. Not to mention, she’s landed the role of Fairy Queen in her school’s production of Midsummer’s Night Dream (opposite her best friend’s crush. Which is a little weird, but at least he wears a donkey head during their kissing scene). Life should be perfect, but Desi can’t seem to shake the feeling that there is more going on with the agency’s magic than she’s told. Like why is this mind-bending power exclusive to royals? Is it possible that there could be a bigger way to make an impact in both parts of her life?

Review:

After the adorable and Disneyesque Princess for Hire, I couldn't wait to read more about Desi and her future princess shenanigans. Luckily, The Royal Treatment, the action packed sequel, delivered exactly what I wanted: a sweet and quick read for a lazy day.

The Royal Treatment picks up a few months after Princess for Hire left off. In that time, Desi has been quickly  freshening up on details she'll need for her next assignment such as public speaking and European courtly dances. After a few months of this grueling work, she finally lands a new princess gig. However, taking the places of these new princesses won't be nearly as simple as she thought it would. Not only will she run into a certain handsome prince and be caught up in an international scandal but also she will find out some pretty big secrets about the high-ups at the Princess for Hire agency. That's not even adding in the fact that she's sort of crushing on her best friend's crush! Will everything work out in Desi's way in the end, or will everything go down the drain sooner than later?

In The Royal Treatment, Desi's grows greatly as a character. She's quickly maturing, and in the process taking a stand for the things she thinks are right, even when they don't necessarily lead to the easiest ways out. What I liked most about this addition, though, was seeing Desi continue to bloom in her own life. I really enjoyed seeing her friendship with Reed grow, especially when it lead to some pretty dramatic moments, as well as seeing Desi and her mother come to a sort of truce during the book.

Plus, The Royal Treatment provided just a fun and drama filled plot a the first one. From the princess gigs to Desi's rise in the Facade Agency to the surprising new twists she discovers, they're wasn't a moment where I wasn't flipping the pages, eager to find out what would happen next- especially when the said scene involved a certain prince as well as a certain friend. What surprised me post about this book, though, was how it took a somewhat serious turn towards the end. Nothing too serious of course, but still something that brought a bit more substance to the book in a positive kind of way.

The only aspect I wasn't too keen about in this was the lack of development in some plot lines and characters. Sometimes I wished more development was to given to Desi's real life as well as the people in it. However, by the end, it wasn't the biggest of problems, and with at least one more book in the works, I'm sure more will be divulged eventually.

Just as adorable and fun hearted as the the first one, The Royal Treatment is sure to make waves within the tween and early YA spectrum. And with that shocking twist at the end, I'm sure many will be eager to read the next as soon as possible!

Grade: B

The Royal Treatment is now available!

Source: Publisher via Netgalley

To find more about Lindsey and her books, be sure to visit her website.