***The Starry-Eyed Revue***: Royalty

Title: Recklessly Royal

Author: Nichole Chase
Series: Suddenly #2
Publisher: Avon
Publication Date: March 25th, 2014
Source: Gifted PB, Purchased Kindle
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Catherine has spent her life being the perfect princess. She’s kept her hands clean, her head down, and most importantly—men at arm’s length. After all, most men are after only one thing, and for Cathy there’s a lot more at stake than her bed; she has to worry about the fate of an entire nation. But at the rate she’s going, Cathy is afraid she’ll give the Virgin Queen a run for her money. She is tired of waiting for someone good enough to come along. She has a plan, and it all hinges on seducing the one man who seems utterly unimpressed by all things royal. The one man she is tempted by more than any other . . .

When David arrives at the royal wedding of his friend, the newly ordained Duchess Samantha Rousseau, he expected to feel uncomfortable and out of his element, but he wasn’t prepared to be targeted by Prince Alex’s gorgeous younger sister. With Cathy’s giant blue eyes, killer figure, and sense of humor, it won’t take long before he gives in. But when he finds out just how innocent the crown princess really is, will he play the part of knight in shining armor or the dashing rogue?

A long time ago I read Suddenly Royal. Such a cute book. I didn’t blow me away, but I adore anything involving royalty so it was right up my alley. I later found out there would be more books, following the royal brother and sister of Prince Alex.

Recklessly Royal follows Cathy, his beautiful younger sister. I loved her in the first book so I was excited to get my hands on this one. April at Good Books and Good Wine knew this and kindly sent me the paperback version. (she is the sweetest) I ended up buying the kindle version on sale before getting to it and read that copy because I'm lazy. It's currently on sale again for 99 cents because the next one, Reluctantly Royal, comes out tomorrow!

One of my favorite things about this one was that we got to see more of Sam and Alex’s wedding. That was one of my complaints when it came to Suddenly Royal. The book wrapped up and little of their wedding was mentioned. I was so happy to see that Chase added those bits to the beginning of Recklessly Royal.

Cathy is sweet, I loved her character. She falls for David, Sam’s friend from the states. Now I loved him. Don’t get me wrong, but both Jess and I felt that he did not quite fit the person he was in the previous book. (Jess and I buddy read this one) In Suddenly Royal he was kind of quiet, kept to himself, and just kind of grumpy I think. Now all of a sudden he is a fun loving outgoing guy and that struck me as odd. But aside from that, I think he was a good fit for Cathy.

Recklessly Royal was a cute follow up, and I’m anxiously waiting the story following their brother. The whole royalty laced world they live in is just so fun to read about.

About the author:

Nichole Chase is a daydreamer. No, really, just ask any of the math teachers that had the misfortune of seeing her name appear on their class schedule. For years she has had story lines and characters begging for attention, but she resolutely pushed them aside to focus on more normal (read, boring) jobs. Well, no longer! She is currently heeding the voices in her head and frantically writing their stories. Nichole resides in South Georgia with her husband, energetic toddler, super hero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not devouring novels by the dozens, you may find her writing, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.

Find Nichole:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads

Labels: avon, nichole chase, Recklessly Royal, reviews, Royalty, Suddenly Royal

Title: Royally Lost
Author: Angie Stanton
Series: n/a
Publisher: HarperTeen
Publication Date: May 6th, 2014
Source: received from publisher via Edelweiss
Purchase: Amazon | Barnes & Noble

Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

When I first heard of Royally Lost, I knew I had to read it. I’m that 34 year old woman who still wakes up every morning wishing she could be a princess. Sad but true, and since that reality will never happen, I just spoil my five year old daughter instead. I guess my point is that any book involving royalty, I’m all over it!

This one was cute! It really was. If you are looking for a deep read though, this isn’t it, but it's fast and it's fun! I breezed right through it. Becca is on vacation with her family and she does not want to be there. Her dad is a bit wrapped up in his career, and her step mom is the last person she wants to spend time with. I thought she came off as a bit spoiled and bratty, honestly. It didn't bother me too much, but other readers it might.

Nikolai is a Prince who just wants to get away from the stress and pressures of Royal life. He feels his country is in need of change, and everyone is stuck in the old ways. So he sneaks out of the palace and heads out to hide in peace for a few days. I liked him, I probably liked him a lot more than I liked Becca.

The story is told from both POVs, which I love. Fate throws these two together a few times and before you know it, there is a romance blooming. I thought they were adorable together. I think Becca learns a lot from spending time with Nikolai, and he learns a lot from her.

I did think their “love” for each other came on a little too quickly, but for this kind of light fluffy read, it fit. Royally Lost was really fun. It didn’t stir up any crazy feeling for me, but I was thoroughly entertained. I think it makes the perfect summer read. No one wants to be bawling on the beach. It left me feeling happy when I was done.

About the author:

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books, she wanted to be a Rockette. However,
growing up in a rural setting with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn't work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head she began to write them down and the rest is history.

She loves dipping french fries in chocolate shakes, all natural disaster movies and Broadway Musicals. Angie is a proud double finalist of the 2011 National Readers Choice Awards for Love 'em or Leave 'em, as well as a finalist for the Golden Quill Award. When not writing, Angie is concocting ways to make more dreams come true, whether it be tickets to a Broadway show or convincing her family they should rent an RV and travel the country.

Find Angie:

Website | Twitter | Facebook | Goodreads