A Royal Mile

De: Samantha Young

Narrado por: Shane East, Zara Hampton-Brown

A steamy enemies-to-friends-to-lovers romance from New York Times Bestselling Author Samantha Young.

It’s hard to stay in the friend zone when the attraction is this hot…Going into my senior year of university at war with a member of the British royal family wasn’t in my carefully laid plans. Sebastian Thorne might be the grandson of a princess, but it’ll take more than a royal pardon to get me to forgive him for pretending to be someone he’s not.

But Sebastian is determined to be my friend. Even if it means signing up to a psych experiment just to get me to talk to him. Who knew a sincere apology and him saying my name in that posh English accent would make me weak in the knees?

This year was supposed to be about my dissertation and graduate school. Only, Sebastian has thrown my ordered world off kilter. He makes me bolder, more confident. A braver version of me. Yet every lingering glance and stolen touch has me realizing one thing…I’m falling for my best friend. There’s just one problem. Sebastian has demons, ones that make him determined to keep me in the friend zone no matter the cost. And even when temptation sends his walls tumbling down, the beauty we’ve found might not survive against the powerful will of outside forces…

©2025 Samantha Young (P)2025 Samantha Young

Oh, this was just DELIGHTFUL.

* enemies to friends to lovers
* so much mutual pining
* he's a (distant) member of the royal family trying to live his own life
* she's a psychology major at university who also has a podcast with her sisters
* such genuine connection between our MCs

This is book 2 in the Return to Dublin Street and I enjoyed it so so much! So much complexity in our characters and I really enjoyed watching these two go from friends to more - their connection was so genuine and electric, you couldn't help but route for them!!

Rating: 4.5 stars

Thank you to the author for an e-ARC of this book - all opinions are my own!

Another fun Samantha Young book

I absolutely love Samantha Young books. Not only are they fun but all intertwined with her other characters. I actually took a trip to Scotland to see some of the sights that she writes about. Cannot wait to start another book.

A swoon worthy royal

I loved Sebastian, and I loved how much he liked Lily from the beginning! I’m a sucker for a curvy FMC, it makes it so real! I was entranced by their story and felt every moment so vividly. Sebastian had to do some grovel to explain why it seems he betrayed his friend. But although he feels this huge attraction for the most beautiful girl his ever met, and he is part of the royal family, he can’t commit. The more he knows Lily, the more he enjoys their friendship. Lily felt friend-zoned since the beginning. She enjoys her time with Sebastian and agrees to a friendship. Love friends to lovers trope, because the best couple starts as friends. Beautiful story, loved seeing the cameos from the other books! Can’t wait for the next book in the series!

These narrators made me feels like I was inside a movie

4.5 ⭐️
2.5 🌶️

Slow burn, enemies to friends to lovers

The second book of the next gen series didn’t disappoint. I read this and then downloaded the audio immediately after on release day.

Lily is a psychology student and has a dating / advice podcast with her friends. Sebastian is a student of royal decent (30th in line to the crown) and a regular on the rival podcast. These two start out rocky when his participation in the podcast is revealed. It builds on already existing trust issues. I enjoyed seeing them make their way back to friends. Sebastian was determined to do right, nearly to a fault, by Lily. While Lily is the introverted, studious one with past insecurities, I liked that she put herself first and showed her strength when Sebastian was working through his issues. Sebastian comes across as confident but he’s anything but. He struggles to do anything for himself that would cause joy because he’s punishing himself for his past. It’s riveting as his past comes to life.

Shane East and Zara Hampton-Brown are one of my favorite narrator pairings. They nailed these characters. Zara’s sweet tone is perfect for the shy, introverted Lily. She has the ability to switch to the male POV and other characters seamlessly and believably. Shane is Shane. He has perfected the confident swagger Sebastain shows on the outside but delivers ALL the emotion as he struggles with his past and figures out how to move forward.

I really enjoyed Sebastian and Lily’s journey to a happily ever after. This story continues to give all the banter, angst, humor and heart you expect from this series. I love revisiting characters from the first generations series as well. It’s like coming home again. I look forward to the next in the series.

Sebastian and Lily

5 ⭐ 3 🌶️ 5 🎧

Another fantastic addition to our return to Dublin street! I loved Lily from the moment we met her in Loverose Lane and Sebastian was her perfect pairing. I loved how they got off to a rocky start, but ultimately became best friends before giving into their chemistry. Besties to lovers is one of my favorite tropes and I loved watching these two overcome their hurdles and find their happy ever after.

The third act threw me. I was not expecting that level of betrayal and how it came about. But I was so proud of the way Lily and Sebastian handled it though and know they grew stronger because of it.

The audio was great. Once again, Shane East and Zara Hampton-Brown were wonderful and I absolutely loved this listen.