Now Presenting

Royal Misadventures #1

by Elizabeth Stevens

One tattooed girl.
Three frustrated tutors.
A whole lot of accidents waiting to happen.

It’s time for me to join my dad and older sister in Gallyr, to dust off the cobwebs and leather jackets of a normal person’s life and don the mantle of Lady Tatiana Bethany Penrose.

For the first time, all eyes are on me and I have to be presented to society at a ball in my honour. So begin the lessons; dancing, dress, dinner etiquette.

Now, all I need to do is not spill my beer on or set fire to my date; the youngest son of my dad’s best friend, the Gallyrian King.

Not even Heaven can help me now.

The first in the four-part I'm No Princess novella series.
Part One: Now Presenting
Part Two: Lady in Training
Part Three: Three of a Kind
Part Four: Some Proposal

Please be aware that this story uses Australian English spelling and syntax.

Genres: Romance, Contemporary, Young Adult, Royalty, New Adult, Fiction

200 pages, Paperback

First published December 8, 2018

About the author

Writer. Reader. Perpetual student. Nerd.

I started out writing fantasy. But, I like to write anything, honestly. These days, I mainly stick to YA and there's always at least a sprinkling of romance, if not a 'whoops, I dropped the whole packet in'. Almost all my books are set in my home state of South Australia, either in real or fictional places - gotta write what you know - with Netherfield being the only current exception.

Like most writers, I love to read. Although, time for reading at the moment is hard to come by. When I'm not too busy writing, I'm usually reading a number of authors. Some of my favourites are Rick Riordan, Jane Austen, Kate Forsyth, Cecilia Dart-Thornton, Kasie West, John Flanagan, Terry Pratchett, Isobelle Carmody, Christina Benjamin, Emily Rodda, and many more.

I'm an avid fan of Marvel, DC, Doctor Who, Supernatural, Red Dwarf, IT Crowd, and pretty much anything similar. I've recently discovered Richard Ayoade's Travel Man and it's brilliant. I love watching soccer (go Gunners) and thoroughly look forward to seeing Eurovision every year. Celebrity crushes include Anna Kendrick and Chris Evans, because they are wonderful.

I live in Adelaide with my husband and a menagerie of animals – a cat reliving her (sixth) youth, a cowardly Beagle-Cavalier who thinks he’s smaller than he is, one meeping guinea pig who thinks any plastic bag has his greens in, two chickens who are terrified of free-ranging, and a turtle with a penchant for sticking her head up her filter pipe.

I have a Master of Arts (Writing) from Swinburne University of Technology. I also have a Master of Arts (Editing and Publishing) at University of Southern Queensland and, am now working towards my PhD. I also hope to one day undertake a PhD in Creative Writing - perpetual student, am I.

I also organise the Sleeping Dragon Emerging Fantasy Writers’ Collective writing group. The group self-published their anthology Tales from the Sleeping Dragon in 2012.

You can also find me on:
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NB: I'm usually happy to discuss review copies of my books. A track record of reviewing is preferable, but not completely necessary.

Reviews

[Alaina · Rating 3 out of 5]

cute

Honestly had no idea what I was going to get with this book when I chose it on my kindle. However, I did end up liking it - so I guess it was a win-win?

Now Presenting is the first book in the I'm No Princess series. In it, you will meet Tatiana. This book definitely reminded me of the princess diaries. However, she actually knew that her life would be different once she became and adult. Whereas Mia had no flipping idea that she was a princess.

Tatian's father is a duke to a European kingdom of Gallyr. So she knew that she was going to have to switch from her mundane life in Australia... to a Lady in this kingdom. Unfortunately for her, there's a ball for her debut - yikes. So now she has to go through all these training lessons so she can't screw anything up at this ball.

The humor in this took a while for me to appreciate. It might've been the atmosphere of where I was reading this book, aka work. Honestly, it's not fun dealing with a whiney boss, busy work load, and trying to sneak in some reading time. Mostly the whole whiney boss thing was getting on my nerves which can sometimes make me like or hate a book that I'm reading.

Oops?

Besides the humor, I didn't really see the romance part of this book. I guess it was there but it was nothing spectacular about it. Overall, I liked getting to meet this character and dive into a new series. I might dive into the book but I make no promises right now.

[Booktastically Amazing · Rating 4 out of 5]

Let me get this straight, there's a possibility (albeit really improbable) that my parents are part of royalty and I have never known?? AHAHAHA, no.

Don't play with my heart like that. It's not nice.

P.S: Dear Parents, if I was switched at birth, be sure that I love you... but come on, once again I must ask.

Where is my dang crown?

Or yet even better, *squints without eyeglasses because somehow every princess suddenly becomes hotter without them* where are the princes??

[Paula Phillips · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you love books like The Princess Diaries and movies like What a Girl Wants, all those ones where the female discovers she is a princess or has to learn what life like a royal member of the country is like, then you will love Elizabeth Stevens series. In Now Presenting, we start in Australia with Tatiana who is living with her mother and now that she has finished high school and is turning eighteen, it is time for her to head to where her Dad lives. He happens to be a Duke of a small European country called Gallyr. Now Tatiana must learn as her older sister has done to become part of the royal family and be presented as Lady Tatiana. The thing is though that there is nothing ladylike or royal about Tatiana. She is clumsy, accident-prone and prefers casual jeans and a T-shirt over dresses and she doesn't have a filter on her mouth and more so not a pushover. Life for the palace and the princes is about to get more interesting as they won't know what has hit them with the whirlwind that is Tatiana. When Tatiana arrives at Gallyr, she is met with disdain by the younger prince and it looks throughout the book that they bring out the worst of each other. What will happen though when it looks just as the Prince is starting to show feelings for Tatiana, he discovers he has a few other guys to compete with for her heart? Can Tatiana learn the royal way of being a Lady of Gallyr by the end of the book?
I am now looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series by Elizabeth Stevens.

[TSN ☮ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Re-read August 2024
3.5 stars

Cute.


Although the story is about New Adults, the target group is undoubtedly Young Adults.
I like Elizabeth Stevens writing style, and have really enjoyed reading about Lady Tatiana and her experience with moving from Australia to a life as a noble in Gallyr.

Note: When I started reading it, I thought that it would be about some kind of a tomboy. It is NOT. She is "girly" enough, no doubt about that. She is just very, very accident prone.

[RB Mueller · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cute Reluctant Princess Story for Teens/YA

Tatiana grew up an average, tomboyish Australian teenager but always knew she'd be part of a not so average world as an adult. Soon she is to be introduced as the younger daughter of a duke to the society of fictional European kingdom of Gallyr. As if being a teenager with bi-cultural parents weren't complicated enough, there will be a ball especially for her debut, which means that the Lady-to-be needs to work on etiquette and finding her place at court without spilling food all over Gallyrian nobility.

I liked the tongue-in-cheek narrator's voice and the humorous approach. It's an entertaining novella, featuring well-known elements of the genre and focuses on Tatianas education and adaptation process. A little romance, too, but like other storylines Tatiana's romance storyline is not resolved in this story. I guess this will be picked up again as the series goes on.

I received this as an ARC and voluntarily leave this review.

[Andrea Heltsley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun

I enjoyed this fun princess story! Great characters and I cannot wait to read the next book! Hot princes? Yes please! Five glittery stars!

[Rebecca · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

That poor clumsy girl. The prince needs to be honest with her if he ever what’s anything to happen between them

[Mayra Biggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this story, how Anya is relatable, she is funny and has a hard time shutting up. But they way she approaches life is fun. She has a good read on people . A fun and light read . Very much the lines of the princess diaries ( the movie not the book) .

[Sara · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was lucky to beta-read this book and it was great!
Review coming soon.

[Loyalhistorian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Part One of I'm No Princess. I'm not really one for princess books, but I am a fan of Elizabeth Stevens. So despite the fact that it's not my normal genre to delve into royalty, princes, and something like fairy-tales coming to life, I most definitely knew I was going to read it because of Stevens. It has an interesting premise and one that I bought a lot more than I normally would when someone is whisked up into a royalty situation. Tati (or Anya) is the daughter of a duke, the best friend and right-hand-man to the king of Gallyr. Anya has grown up in Australia with her mother though. Her parents are divorced, yet friends with each other, and she has been raised out of the limelight of the royal court. Once she turned 18, she decided to join her father (and her older sister, Lia) in his native land of Gallyr and plans to attend university there. Now that she is in Gallyr, she is Lady Tatiana and must learn the ins and outs of its customs and pomp-and-circumstance. I think the author does a good job of throwing you into the new world, immersing you along with the character. It's also fun that she gives us a little "Gallyrian" language in the book that melds similar words from other languages, so you can recognize basic words and phrases that are used in the text occasionally. Don't get me wrong...it's not like she's creating a whole new language like Tolkien did, but it's still neat to include, and I appreciate the extra effort. It helps you buy into this fictitious country of Gallyr even more. Whereas her sister Lia has molded well into the posh culture the few years she has lived in Gallyr, Tati is not so sure the royal life is for her. Tati is extremely lovable, but is more rough-around-the-edges, headstrong, slightly edgy, and very clumsy. She might be finding the transition difficult but is one hundred percent trying. I honestly really like the main female character, Anya/Tati. I admit that I can be fairly critical of female characters in books. I often find them too whiny, or needy, or a pushover, or flat-out crazy. I'm not having that with this character, thankfully. She's very true to herself even as she is having to live by a whole other world's standards. She's a smart, independent, strong female, yet still feminine and vulnerable at times. It's a really good mix. Of course the story has our possible love interests in the form of the three handsome princes: Dmitri (Mitya), Konstantin (Kostin), and Dominic (Nico). Part One tells the tale up to Anya's Presentation Ball to officially introduce her to Gallyrian society. As usual, Stevens' writing is great.

[Anna Theurer (Anna's Bookshelf) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now Presenting is the 1st novella in Elizabeth Stevens’ “I’m No Princess” series. This humorous, YA/NA story is about a young woman , Tatiana /Tati / Anya, whose father’s best friend is the king of Gallyr and she goes to live with him upon turning 18 years-old. She has no experience on etiquette or court politics and so begins her adventure to trying to adapt into a world of royals and nobility. First off, I love the storyline. You have a broody prince and a comical disaster of a heroine. I loved the characters - including the secondary ones. Anya is super klutzy and tends to march to the beat of her own drum. In a lot of YA/NA novels, I find that the characters are really immature or they have the wisdom of a 30 year-old. Not so in this book. The author does a good job depicting Anya with that budding maturity that you seen in a young adult as they try to navigate the world, also some of that immaturity that you see among those starting off in college. She is a fun character and reminds me a bit of myself so I found her pretty relatable. Prince Dmitri, the eldest, is my favorite type of hero - good looking, a bit arrogant, broody . . . and sometimes looks at Anya with cold indifference or disdain. The chemistry between the two is palpable and I look forward to seeing how their relationship evolves.

I also liked the other two brothers and enjoyed reading about how different all of them were. Nico is that funny playboy whose incessant flirting cracks me up and I would love to know about Kostin as he is so interesting. Admiral Arnell is definitely something else. He would be what I categorize as a crusty villain with quit the superiority complex. I really enjoyed Now Presenting and was sad when it was over. The novella moved at a good pace, had likable characters that were well developed, and it kept me entertained until the very end. I am really looking forward to the next novella. I received this as an ARC and I voluntarily leave this review.

[MaLoBe · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great, funny, easy read!

4,5 stars

From this first instalment of the series "I'm no Princess" looks like we will have a pleasure to read series more like "Ugly Duckling" that "Cinderella" kind of story. I'm a sucker for this kind of love stories in the royal world. We are meeting whole family and every single character is developed very skilfully. They are all likeable, I felt instant connection with all of them. We get a lot of action, funny situations, great banter and in all of this our heroine is not the only one who is klutz. Dimitri is also klutzy but with the way he shows and talks about his feelings and his interactions with Tati. There is connection between them, there is chemistry and obviously there is jealousy, there is pull and push. However hero and heroine are trying to deny their instant connection,... for now.
I really enjoyed reading this book and I can't wait to read rest of the series. It will be interesting, I'm sure.

[Cheryl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Elizabath Stevens never lets me down. After reading a not-so-good book, I just needed something to put a smile on my face, and I knew this author would not disappoint.

This book definitely had The Princess Diaries vibe, but it also had its own refreshing, unique take on a familiar story. Tatiana is so relatable, even her reactions and behavior to the three princes she gets to know. I absolutely love her relationship with her dad. Even though she's not the typical lady who comes from royalty, he loves her and insists she never changes.

The pacing was actually perfect, in my opinion. She has an attraction toward a certain prince, but they gradually get to know each other. It doesn't feel rushed at all, and it felt very realistic.

The ending is kind of abrupt and everything is left pretty open-ended, but that just makes me want to dive into the next book in the series.

Solid 4 stars for me! Onto the next book :)

[Arceli · Rating 5 out of 5]

*I have received an ARC in exchange for an honest review

What an amazing first installment to a great series! I loved how the heroine isn't the typical good girl. I love how the heroine is snarky and she is tattooed especially in YA. We need more heroines like her. The author did a great job portraying her vulnerability but showing that she is a strong and kickbutt heroine. In addition, I really liked how the high school romance and drama was strong, but wasn't over the top. There was a nice balance between character balance and romance. I also really liked how the novel touched on important topics such as stereotypes, breaking social norms, and other things many adolescents go through.

In summary, go one click this novel. It is a nice short novel that has a great second installment.

[Christy Bailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book was just amazing! Once I started reading I just couldn't put it down! I really wish I could get a feel on what Dmitri was thinking and feeling! He is such an intriguing and mysterious man! I love how playful and fun Nico is and Kostin is so down to earth. It's awesome how each brother has their own personalities and offer something the other doesn't. I absolutely cannot wait to read part 2!

[Kimberly · Rating 4 out of 5]

The book is a good teen and young adult romantic comedy read. The characters are good, likable, relatable, and they have good chemistry. The story has a good story line, moved at a nice pace, and is an entertaining read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Deb · Rating 5 out of 5]

A humorous story with a laugh out loud storyline. The main character is so fun and well written I felt like she was real. The dialogue and prose put the reader right into the mix of things and I found myself enjoying the camaraderie and connection between old friends and family. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series. Highly Recommend

[Tanya · Rating 5 out of 5]

She is good she needs to have her debut so she is back home where she will need to learn so much so she can be presented. She also has a date but she is fully expecting it to end in disaster. Will it be as bad as she thinks? Will she be surprised? See how she gets on

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Kelly McAnally-Kern · Rating 5 out of 5]

Taming of the princess

Holy moly! Suck me and then.... argh. Such a great read. 3 princes- 1 uncultured Lady and a coming out ball. I fell in love with Tatiana’s brass mouth and clumsiness while she found her place among the royals.

[Rachael · Rating 5 out of 5]

Definitely recommend!

I am so glad this will be a series of books. I am truly enjoying this story. As of the end of the story, I am rooting for Nico. I believe there is much more to him!

[Tiffany · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really like Stevens’s work. It really draws one in. Royalty books aren’t my favorite but Anya is a fun character. This is just the first part of the work so there isn’t much going on plot wise but it is still a fun read. Contains: some language

[Ace✨ · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a really cute book and I really enjoyed it!! I’m so excited to read the next one! It was such a cute and creative spin and reminded me a little bit of the Princess Diaries… the chemistry though 🥵 it was so good!!! Agh! You have to read this!

[Karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intriguing romance story. Amazing characters. Good likable well-written book. It was a pleasured to read and review it.

[Patty · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great writing style. Loved the protagonist. I laughed a lot.

[A witch's Secret Bookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great start of a nice cutsy series.
Love the tension and humour.

[Lissa Hawley · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 princess diaries lite. Cute and fun.

[Kaity · Rating 5 out of 5]

Outstanding read

I enjoyed embarking on this adventure with Tatiana. Princess Diary vibes mixed with Want a Girl Wants. The princes are definitely trouble, but all the best kind.

[cierra · Rating 4 out of 5]

Loved the attitude and royal shake up!

[TimetoFangirl · Rating 2 out of 5]

"I could apparently look the crown prince in the eye after basically shouting, ‘Shagging,’ at him. But, his parents? People who had already shown they accepted me no matter what? That was a no."

This was a really cute, if admittedly wildly unrealistic, story of a girl leaving a double life as an almost-royal. Kind of like the Princess Diaries if Mia had been in on it the whole time, was a Duchess, and there was several hot princes.