AJ's Reviews > Royally Screwed

5 ROYAL STARS!

OMG, I love this book!

Funny, romantic and seriously steamy with a unique, realistic, chemistry-filled, fun, sweet, sexy love story that absolutely captivated me. I was literally squeeing with glee, and bouncing up and down in my chair while I read. This is Emma Chase at her best, I absolutely loved it!

Prince Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook is the next in line to the Royal crown of Wessco. ‘His Royal Hotness’ is a favourite of his people (and of the worldwide media)- confident, gorgeous, and charming, he carries his responsibilities well, hiding his wicked sense of humour and keeping his bad boy tendencies far away from the watchful eye of the public. The man is used to getting whatever, and whoever, he wants, but while on a visit to the United States he meets his match in Olivia Hammond – the first woman he has met who doesn’t fall at his feet. Challenge accepted.

Olivia is a hard-working girl, trapped in a seemingly never-ending monotony of running her family’s coffee shop. She has no idea who Nicholas is when he enters her store, but he doesn’t make the best of impressions – even though he’s the hottest man she’s ever seen with an accent that makes her knees weak. He offends her, she shoves a pie in his face, and that’s the end of it. Until he comes back - asking for forgiveness and turning her world on its head.

She has no idea who I am … Her ignorance is rather…thrilling. There are no expectations, no hidden agendas, no reasons to pretend – what she sees is what she gets. And all she sees is me.

Oh my God, I cannot express my love for these two enough. Individually, they are fantastic characters, but together they are absolutely sensational! Every moment of their relationship is full of chemistry and even though their situation is unique, there is a feeling of reality about them together – I could feel everything that was happening between them and it felt so right.

From their initial flirtation…

“I…don’t…date.”
“Good God, why not?” I ask, horrified. “That’s a bloody sin.”
“A sin?”
“You’re stunning, obviously clever – you should date often, and preferably with a man who knows how it’s done.” I rest my palm on my chest. “Coincidentally, I happen to be fantastic at it. What are the odds?”

…to the exhilaration of exploring their chemistry …

“This is crazy,” I whisper against him. “It’s crazy, right? It’s not just me?”
Nicholas shakes his heads. “Bloody insane.” His hands are on my ass again – a final quick grab. “And fucking fantastic.”

…to falling for each other and acknowledging that what they have is something spectacular.

She straightens, and runs her finger over her lips, gazing down at me. “Did you feel that?”
The spark, the electricity. The desire that feeds on itself, relishing the relief of contact but always wanting more.
“Yes.”
She takes my hand and places it over her breast – where her heartbeat throbs wildly in her chest. “And do you feel this?”
My own chest pounds with the same rhythm.
“Yes.”
“Some people go their whole lives without feeling that.”

I relished every single moment of this love story as Nicholas and Olivia give themselves over to everything that is developing between them, and I fell in love right alongside them.

But every romance has its ups and downs – imagine the added complication that royalty brings to the equation! Nicholas has a life that Olivia can only imagine, including royal responsibilities, security detail, constant scrutiny by the press and public, a playboy younger brother who has no intention of calming down his party lifestyle, and a stern, feisty grandmother determined to marry him off to a member of the aristocracy. With their lives being so different, and with Nicholas’ responsibilities threatening to crush everything they have found together, how can they ever have the happy ending that they both want so badly?

“I love you, Olivia. I love you. And I don’t know how to do this. I don’t know how to let you go.”

This book is a wild ride of fun, flirting, totally hot (and slightly dirty) sexy time, love, and the dramas of family and a life of responsibility. And it’s all absolutely brilliant. The love story is passionate, intense and fun yet still plausible, the drama is well written and (again) very plausible, and the side characters bring so much to the story – I loved the dynamics between the characters (the Queen Prince Henry in particular were a highlight), and Nicholas and Olivia’s siblings and friends are an absolute riot!

I also really love the way the royal life was written, and that we get to see the ‘other’ side of the story which I imagine is all too accurate. I thought it was handled really well by the characters, and by Emma Chase in telling her story, and the love story intermingled within that world was wonderfully done.

I cannot gush enough about this book. I devoured it, I was captivated from start to finish and I want to read it all over again! I can’t wait for Henry’s book up next.

5 massive stars!

An Advanced Reader Copy was generously provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review.