TITLE: Royally Screwed
GENRE: Adult - Contemporary Romance
Grey’s Anatomy meets The Royal We: When Gemma catches her royal fiancé shagging her sister, the British surgeon is torn between double-crossed duty or star-crossed love. She can forgive Prince Cheating and embrace castle life or chuck crown and surgical gown to go au naturel with her lumbersexy, not-so-steady ex.
The photogs flanked Gemma’s wedding-cake-white townhouse as she stepped from her glossy-green Range Rover, stretching her legs to reach the ground. For once, the firing squad of cameras aimed their lenses at her face rather than her Burberry-coated backside. The paparazzi loved chasing Gemma Roundbottom’s tail—her world-famous, perfectly-curved, set-a-glass-on-it bum.
Roundbottom. Junior Doctor Gemma Rowen-Batten iced a smile. She was even less likely to shake off that beastly moniker than she was to shed her press tails. Gemma held her breath as if that would freeze them in place, but they pelted her with a barrage of bright flashes. Good thing they couldn’t X-ray through her dark shades or the floppy hat she’d popped on her jethead hair, the wind weaving her long sable strands into a makeshift veil.
She’d caught a flight home early to surprise Danny—although it wasn’t easy to pull one over on a prince. Nor could the sharpest surgeon in the operating theatre resuscitate the dead mobile shrouded in her trenchcoat pocket. Gemma’s sigh made London fog of the cold December air. She could do with some recharging, too. After a three-month medical mission to Africa, she was knackered. All she wanted to see was her fiancé and the inside of her eyelids.
Little sparks surged up her spine at the thought of Danny’s regal charms. Gemma was rather keen on the whole royal treatment, if not the worldwide stage. She’d rather leave that to her sister. But the flashbulbs came with the fishbowl.
Love your voice! Fun and quirky. I have only one nitpick for you. The "stretching her legs to reach the ground" in the first sentence made me scratch my head. I wasn't sure why it was included (i.e. how else would she get out of the car?) so if it was meant to evoke more, it was lost on me.
ReplyDeleteOther than that, there was just lots to enjoy. I loved the whole "Roundbottom" thing, especially since she's an accomplished doctor. She seems like a heroine I want to spend time with and can root for.
And you do a great job of slipping in info (like how you let the reader know her fiance is a prince). Really nicely done.
I'm hooked. I'd turn the page. Good luck!
Wow! This is great. Log line is fantastic.
ReplyDeleteIt reads so well and definitely makes me want more. I loved how you combine her medical abilities with the phone. Nicely worked into the writing. Thumbs up.
Lovely. I also stumbled over "stretching her legs..." but other than that, the prose was clean and fun to read.
ReplyDeleteWow - there is a lot to like here! Your voice and pacing remind me of Janet Evanovich - and that can't be a bad thing.
ReplyDeleteSo I am picturing Gemma as Pippa (famous backside) and I am sure she is about to walk in on the couple in the act.
This also reminds me of "The Little Lady Agency" books. I would keep reading.
The voice is wonderful here--I would definitely read more! I have an excellent sense of the character, and anticipate how she'll react to catching her fiance cheating on her. Really nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThe voice is wonderful here--I would definitely read more! I have an excellent sense of the character, and anticipate how she'll react to catching her fiance cheating on her. Really nicely done.
ReplyDeleteThis is a great first page and I love the premise. One small detail though, your first line is really long. You have a great voice, I think a shorter, really catchy first line will make this page really shine.
ReplyDelete