In this feel-good meet-cute, Carter Ogden is just scraping by: almost 30, recently heartbroken by a cheating ex-boyfriend, making ends meet (barely) as an "Associate Event Architect." He likens himself to St. Patrick's Cathedral, "silly and theatrical," and wants nothing more than to find a sense of purpose and meaning in his life that could live up to the spirit of Ruth Bader Ginsburg, whom he idolizes.
Prince Edgar, also known as the Crown Prince of England, is one of the few "out dreamboats on such an international level." Unlike Carter, he is put together, polished and just about perfect in every way--or so it appears to those outside his inner circle.
The cross-Atlantic relationship between the two--condemned by everyone from Carter's Broadway-loving best friends to the actual Queen of England--forms the center of Paul Rudnick's Playing the Palace, as sparks fly, hearts grow and an international media storm kicks up around them. It's a "guy next door falls for royalty" story that's been done in other ways, but in Rudnick's capable hands, the story feels fresh and exciting. A playwright, screenwriter and essayist in addition to a novelist, Rudnick (Gorgeous; I Shudder) imbues every page of Playing the Palace with a sense of humor and quick-witted snark. It combines the best laugh-track pacing of a sitcom with the big-hearted story arc of a romantic comedy. The over-the-top storylines and characters are guaranteed to leave even the most cynical readers rooting for an improbable happily-ever-after. --Kerry McHugh, blogger at Entomology of a Bookworm