Abigail Drake

Abigail Drake ranges across contemporary, paranormal, and internationally set romance. A Royal Pain is a romantic comedy about Chloe Burke, an impoverished New York socialite drawn into danger after helping a visiting prince. Her encounter with the prince’s bodyguard, Nicolai, turns the incident into a test of trust because Chloe is protecting a secret that could undo her reputation. The novel won the 2024 Stiletto Prize and opens the Park Avenue Princesses sequence, connecting Chloe’s story to a broader romantic setting. Drake studied Japanese and economics before writing fiction and has drawn on travel in several of her series, including Passports and Promises. Published in 2023, A Royal Pain combines that interest in cross-cultural encounters with action, family pressure, and the comic reversal of a woman whose worst day creates an unforeseen chance to rebuild her life. The royal visitor provides the public spectacle, but Chloe and Nicolai’s decisions keep the story focused on personal responsibility and earned confidence.