Review – The Frog Prince

The Frog Prince
By Elle Lothlorien 
Genre: Romantic Comedy
Rating: 2 Stars

“It was his pheromones that did it. With one sniff, sex researcher Leigh Fromm recognizes that any offspring she might have with the mysterious stranger would have a better-than-average chance of surviving any number of impending pandemics. But when Leigh finds out that the handsome “someone” at her great aunt’s wake is Prince Roman Habsburg von Lorraine of Austria, she suddenly doubts her instincts–not that she was intending to sleep with the guy. The royal house of Habsburg was once completely inbred, insanity and impotency among the highlights of their genetic pedigree. (The extreme “bulldog underbite” that plagued them wasn’t called the Habsburg Jaw for nothing.) It doesn’t matter that his family hasn’t sat on a throne (other than the ones in their Toilette) since 1918, or that Austria is now a parliamentary democracy. Their lives couldn’t be more different: Roman is routinely mobbed by paparazzi in Europe. Leigh is regularly mocked for having the social skills of a potted plant. Even if she suddenly developed grace, charm and a pedigree that would withstand the scrutiny of the press and his family, what exactly is she supposed to do with this would-have-been king of Austria who is in self-imposed exile in Denver, Colorado?

A handsome prince, gut-busting laughs, love, dirty ballroom dancing, pathetic commoners, sex factoids, Vienna palaces, cursing in German, random hilarity, little to no frogs. See why tens of thousands of readers have fallen in love with this Amazon bestseller! Because someday your prince will come…sort of.”

MY REVIEW

This book has been sitting in my “to read” queue for quite some time now and I just recently discovered that it is now available on Audible. I absolutely love being able to fit books into my daily routine as I take my walks, drive, or perform mundane tasks at work (sssshhh don’t tell my boss). Oh c’mon…you know you do it too!

Anyway, on with the review!

Unlike so many of the other reviews I found The Frog Prince by Elle Lothlorien to be a book that tries way too hard to be witty, and that’s saying something because I have been dubbed with the superhero name of Sarcasma by those who know me. I can appreciate sarcastic, witty and pithy one-liners with the best of them and completely enjoy myself. But, there is a fine line where natural wit crosses over to dialogue that feels old, forced and overdone. Sadly, that’s what I experienced with The Frog Prince. The dialogue just felt as though Ms. Lothlorien tried far too hard to make this book funny…and it failed for me. Honestly, I didn’t laugh once. Not a titter, snort, guffaw and certainly not a gut buster.Truth be told, I grew tired of Leigh Fromm (our main character) constantly complaining and over-thinking ev-er-y-thing. Sure, I can see a bit of that happening. After all, she is introduced to an environment with a host of “almost royals” from all over the world that is completely foreign to her, but jeeze chick…roll with a few things without thinking it to death every now and then. Have some confidence. And seriously, if you are invited on a posh weekend with “almost royals” wouldn’t you make sure what you pack you can actually wear with success?

There’s far too much fuss about a cocktail party were Leigh ponders over whether she should wear a gown or a cocktail dress. Which is better? Taping her boobs in or taking the time to do an up-do? Oh and apparently she managed to bring the most dangerous pair of heels ever created (even though she bought them herself mind you)…and she’s going to be an utter disaster walking around in them. See what I mean? Utterly ridiculous; stuff like this comes across to me as nothing but filler.

Honestly, I didn’t find Leigh appealing. She’s the kind of woman I’d walk up behind and smack on the back of the head when she won’t shut up or over-thinks (just ask my friends, I’d do it.) And I didn’t find Roman appealing enough either to compensate for Leighs shortcomings so I had nothing to root for in this romantic comedy.

But, on a good note…I love this cover! Kudos to the graphic artist; It is fun, whimsical and did grab my attention. Unfortunately, I really didn’t find any laughs to be had “gut-busting” or otherwise as advertised. This frog stayed a frog for me; I give it 2 stars…just because I liked the cover.

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