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ramcsok's review against another edition
emotional
funny
relaxing
medium-paced
- Loveable characters? Yes
5.0
eesh25's review against another edition
4.0
4.5 Stars
Royally Screwed is a book told from dual point-of-view, that of Nicholas—Crowned Prince of Wessco—and Olivia, the owner of a small cafe in New York, where the two of them meet. And while their first meeting doesn't go pleasantly, soon they both find themselves swept in a romance under the constant eye of the paparazzi. Fun, right?
It was fun. I'd been very excited for this read. Not because I'm into princes, but because I like the author and the little snippets sounded awesome. And I was not disappointed.
This is a very funny book. Not as funny as Sustained, but I imagine that's not something easily attained. But it is funny, and very cute, and sweet, and entertaining and I really enjoyed reading it. It's also quite short. So that's a plus for all of you who aren't fond of bulky reads.
Both the protagonists are awesome and they have great chemistry. I loved watching them meet, talk, and develop the relationship that they did. I was really rooting for them both. This was one of the rare cases when I wasn't annoyed with either of the main characters. Or any one the side characters. I'm kind of surprised that I wasn't pissed of even once during this book. I was mostly smiling, laughing, or sad (because sad shit happened).
This was a well written novel, the dual perspectives was handled very well, the pacing was great and so was the story. Sure, it wasn't the most realistic story and it had its part of cheese, but honestly, the book has a literal prince in it, how do you not get at least a little cheesy? Also, no matter how much I try, I can't bring myself to give one flying fuck about realistic-ness. Sue me.
Overall, this was a great read that I really think you should check out. I, myself, am looking forward to the next book in the series which features a different prince.
kathydavie's review against another edition
3.0
First in the Royally contemporary romance series about a royal family in Wessco. The couple focus is on Olivia Hammond and Prince Nicholas.
My Take
It's all about the commoner girl who falls in love with the prince, who hates the PR crap he has to do, and whose family wants nothing to do with her. And it begins when Chase sets up her protagonists — Olivia and Nicholas — before she has them meet up. And it was a pip of a meeting, lol, in this character- and action-driven Cinderella tale that Chase sends us spinning through.
Chase uses first person dual protagonist point-of-view from Olivia's and Nicholas' perspectives. It gives terrific insight into their thoughts and problems. One of which is what to wear on a date with a prince. Lucky for Olivia, Bibbidy comes through!
That Nicholas is quite the cocky guy. That bit about him being above the archbishop and pope was a crack-up. For all that, he's quite compassionate, as Livvy learns after their first date, and he hates that there is so much he doesn't deserve...he also hates his day job. I do believe that day job has influenced those thoughts Nicholas has about, ahem, journalistic integrity. God knows, that's pretty much gone by the wayside in too many ways.
I adore Franny. She knows what's what and wants to help Olivia survive "this cesspool the rest of us swim around in every day". Wait'll you read the litany of the horrible men and women in the Wessco upper classes! Henry's issues stem from that good-cheer visit to a military outpost, and what turns out to be a very expensive photo op. And it inspires one helluva speech from Nicholas about making lives count...and not in the usual tenor.
There are a few betrayals in here. Olivia's dad. Lucy's stupidity. Nicholas' too-quick reaction to what he sees as a horrible betrayal, and rather stupid. Why wouldn't they do their research before berating Olivia?
Not only betrayals lurk within, as there are a variety of conflicts: the bitchy people in Nicholas' everyday life, the Queen's nastiness, and Nicholas' future plans. Those plans...well, I can see how he'd think he could stave it off, but not that he could put it off forever. Which only makes Olivia's future bleaker.
Still, it's a chance of a lifetime for Olivia, and it's a mixed blessing of vicious wanna-be brides and Nicholas.
Remember: perception is reality. And this was quite the fun read!
The Story
It's a fairytale summer for Olivia. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have some fun. She knows this affair will come to an end, but she intends to enjoy herself and Nicholas.
The Characters
Olivia Hammond is doing her best to keep the family business afloat. The very smart Ellie is Olivia's sister, a bouncy seventeen-year-old, who helps herself to her sister's stuff. Bosco is a mix of Chihuahua, pug, and Shih Tzu. Their mother is dead, and their father, Eric Hammond, is a drunk. Grandma Millie preferred the Italian Salute.
Amelia's is...
...the family business, a coffee shop that specializes in pies, named for Olivia's mom and being hit with foreclosure. Marty Ginsberg is the waiter/dishwasher/bouncer/repairman. Marty has three baby sisters, triplets: Bibbidy (a receptionist at City Couture), Bobbidy, and Boo. Mm-hmm... His dad is a rabbi from Queens.
Mrs McGillacutty is a ninety-year-old customer who walks over for her exercise. Pete is the "pervy Garbage Man". Jack had been Olivia's high school boyfriend. His current fiancée is Jade. Stan Marksum is with Willford Collections. David is the butler at Nicholas' New York hotel suite. Freddie is one of the boys at The Boys' Home in the Bronx, one of the charities founded by Nicholas' parents. In Olivia's sophomore year in high school, Coach Brewster was embarrassed by her scam to avoid being beat up by Kimberly Willis who found out later about Tara Hoffman. Damian Clutterbuck is the putz Henry met up with.
... a small country with a constitutional monarchy ruled by Queen Lenora, Nicholas' grandmother. Her husband had been Edward. His Royal Highness Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, a.k.a., His Royal Hotness, lives in Guthrie House, the official residence of the heir apparent, his private apartments at the palace. Fergus is his condescending one-eyed butler. Bridget is his personal secretary. Logan St James is the head of his security team which includes Tommy Sullivan (he has a younger sister, Janey; Brandon was a boy she'd been crushing on), and James.
The Prince and Princess of Pembrook, Thomas and Calista, had been Nicholas and Henry's parents who died thirteen years ago. Prince Henry is the randy royal and Nicholas' younger brother. Cousin Marcus is in line after Henry, and he's an imbecile, married to an imbecile, with imbecilic children. Great-aunt Miriam.
Christopher is the Queen's personal secretary. Alastair is her personal butler. Mrs Everston is an upstairs maid while Mellie is the maid assigned to Olivia's room. Winston is the head Dark Suit. The bitchy Jane Stiltonhouse is the Palace travel secretary. Sabine is the stylist.
Lady Esmeralda "Ezzy" has been a friend since their school days. Simon Barrister, fourth Earl of Ellington, is one of the few friends whom Nicholas trusts; his family owns Barrister's, the largest department store chain in the world. Simon married Frances "Franny" Alcott last month, Lady Frances. She doesn't like Nicholas...and she's taken up sewing. And ya gotta read why she doesn't like him! Lucy, Lady Deringer, is quite the snot. Briar House was Nicholas' and Henry's school. Hannibal Lancaster has terrific parents. He, however, is a class-A jerk. Sarah and Penelope are sisters and both are the Ladies Von Titebottum.
The Pembrooks are descended from a northern British general, John William Pembrook, who married the daughter of Robert the Bruce and then left to form their own nation, Wessco. King Clifford II sounds like he didn't have all his marbles.
Teddy Littlecock is a television journalist, Palace Approved. Macalister owns the Horny Goat, a pub that is the oldest wooden structure in the city. Meg is Macalister's daughter who works at the Horny Goat. The Summer Jubilee is a ball held every year at the palace. Sir Aloysius is the jerky head of parliament. Castle Anthorp is on the seaside. Emperor Himura is visiting from Japan.
Brent and Kennedy Mason (pregnant with twins) of the Mason Foundation are the hosts for the party. Their foundation supports programs that actually help real people. Vivian Mason is their daughter.
The Cover and Title
The cover is yummy with a shirtless Nicholas lying on his 18th birthday bed, a nice-looking six-pack pulling my eye down to those low-fitting pants. He's obviously thinking, his right arm bent, a finger on his lip, as Nicholas looks off to the upper left. The title is a mix of hammered gold serif and purple sans-serif with a tiny info blurb below it and the author's name in a sans serif black below that. A faint gray coat of arms backs all the text. It's a lovely mix of colors from the bed's purplish black with the deep gold painted border against the gold wall, a gold that reflects Nicholas' skin in a smooth contrast with those creamy sheets. Yum.
The title is Nicholas' apology, for he Royally Screwed up.
My Take
It's all about the commoner girl who falls in love with the prince, who hates the PR crap he has to do, and whose family wants nothing to do with her. And it begins when Chase sets up her protagonists — Olivia and Nicholas — before she has them meet up. And it was a pip of a meeting, lol, in this character- and action-driven Cinderella tale that Chase sends us spinning through.
Chase uses first person dual protagonist point-of-view from Olivia's and Nicholas' perspectives. It gives terrific insight into their thoughts and problems. One of which is what to wear on a date with a prince. Lucky for Olivia, Bibbidy comes through!
That Nicholas is quite the cocky guy. That bit about him being above the archbishop and pope was a crack-up. For all that, he's quite compassionate, as Livvy learns after their first date, and he hates that there is so much he doesn't deserve...he also hates his day job. I do believe that day job has influenced those thoughts Nicholas has about, ahem, journalistic integrity. God knows, that's pretty much gone by the wayside in too many ways.
I adore Franny. She knows what's what and wants to help Olivia survive "this cesspool the rest of us swim around in every day". Wait'll you read the litany of the horrible men and women in the Wessco upper classes! Henry's issues stem from that good-cheer visit to a military outpost, and what turns out to be a very expensive photo op. And it inspires one helluva speech from Nicholas about making lives count...and not in the usual tenor.
There are a few betrayals in here. Olivia's dad. Lucy's stupidity. Nicholas' too-quick reaction to what he sees as a horrible betrayal, and rather stupid. Why wouldn't they do their research before berating Olivia?
Not only betrayals lurk within, as there are a variety of conflicts: the bitchy people in Nicholas' everyday life, the Queen's nastiness, and Nicholas' future plans. Those plans...well, I can see how he'd think he could stave it off, but not that he could put it off forever. Which only makes Olivia's future bleaker.
Still, it's a chance of a lifetime for Olivia, and it's a mixed blessing of vicious wanna-be brides and Nicholas.
Remember: perception is reality. And this was quite the fun read!
The Story
It's a fairytale summer for Olivia. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to have some fun. She knows this affair will come to an end, but she intends to enjoy herself and Nicholas.
The Characters
New York City
Olivia Hammond is doing her best to keep the family business afloat. The very smart Ellie is Olivia's sister, a bouncy seventeen-year-old, who helps herself to her sister's stuff. Bosco is a mix of Chihuahua, pug, and Shih Tzu. Their mother is dead, and their father, Eric Hammond, is a drunk. Grandma Millie preferred the Italian Salute.
Amelia's is...
...the family business, a coffee shop that specializes in pies, named for Olivia's mom and being hit with foreclosure. Marty Ginsberg is the waiter/dishwasher/bouncer/repairman. Marty has three baby sisters, triplets: Bibbidy (a receptionist at City Couture), Bobbidy, and Boo. Mm-hmm... His dad is a rabbi from Queens.
Mrs McGillacutty is a ninety-year-old customer who walks over for her exercise. Pete is the "pervy Garbage Man". Jack had been Olivia's high school boyfriend. His current fiancée is Jade. Stan Marksum is with Willford Collections. David is the butler at Nicholas' New York hotel suite. Freddie is one of the boys at The Boys' Home in the Bronx, one of the charities founded by Nicholas' parents. In Olivia's sophomore year in high school, Coach Brewster was embarrassed by her scam to avoid being beat up by Kimberly Willis who found out later about Tara Hoffman. Damian Clutterbuck is the putz Henry met up with.
Wessco is...
... a small country with a constitutional monarchy ruled by Queen Lenora, Nicholas' grandmother. Her husband had been Edward. His Royal Highness Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, a.k.a., His Royal Hotness, lives in Guthrie House, the official residence of the heir apparent, his private apartments at the palace. Fergus is his condescending one-eyed butler. Bridget is his personal secretary. Logan St James is the head of his security team which includes Tommy Sullivan (he has a younger sister, Janey; Brandon was a boy she'd been crushing on), and James.
The Prince and Princess of Pembrook, Thomas and Calista, had been Nicholas and Henry's parents who died thirteen years ago. Prince Henry is the randy royal and Nicholas' younger brother. Cousin Marcus is in line after Henry, and he's an imbecile, married to an imbecile, with imbecilic children. Great-aunt Miriam.
Christopher is the Queen's personal secretary. Alastair is her personal butler. Mrs Everston is an upstairs maid while Mellie is the maid assigned to Olivia's room. Winston is the head Dark Suit. The bitchy Jane Stiltonhouse is the Palace travel secretary. Sabine is the stylist.
Lady Esmeralda "Ezzy" has been a friend since their school days. Simon Barrister, fourth Earl of Ellington, is one of the few friends whom Nicholas trusts; his family owns Barrister's, the largest department store chain in the world. Simon married Frances "Franny" Alcott last month, Lady Frances. She doesn't like Nicholas...and she's taken up sewing. And ya gotta read why she doesn't like him! Lucy, Lady Deringer, is quite the snot. Briar House was Nicholas' and Henry's school. Hannibal Lancaster has terrific parents. He, however, is a class-A jerk. Sarah and Penelope are sisters and both are the Ladies Von Titebottum.
The Pembrooks are descended from a northern British general, John William Pembrook, who married the daughter of Robert the Bruce and then left to form their own nation, Wessco. King Clifford II sounds like he didn't have all his marbles.
Teddy Littlecock is a television journalist, Palace Approved. Macalister owns the Horny Goat, a pub that is the oldest wooden structure in the city. Meg is Macalister's daughter who works at the Horny Goat. The Summer Jubilee is a ball held every year at the palace. Sir Aloysius is the jerky head of parliament. Castle Anthorp is on the seaside. Emperor Himura is visiting from Japan.
Washington D.C.
Brent and Kennedy Mason (pregnant with twins) of the Mason Foundation are the hosts for the party. Their foundation supports programs that actually help real people. Vivian Mason is their daughter.
The Cover and Title
The cover is yummy with a shirtless Nicholas lying on his 18th birthday bed, a nice-looking six-pack pulling my eye down to those low-fitting pants. He's obviously thinking, his right arm bent, a finger on his lip, as Nicholas looks off to the upper left. The title is a mix of hammered gold serif and purple sans-serif with a tiny info blurb below it and the author's name in a sans serif black below that. A faint gray coat of arms backs all the text. It's a lovely mix of colors from the bed's purplish black with the deep gold painted border against the gold wall, a gold that reflects Nicholas' skin in a smooth contrast with those creamy sheets. Yum.
The title is Nicholas' apology, for he Royally Screwed up.
_sylviareads_'s review against another edition
4.0
"We're royalty. That means...we're forever"
4,5 Wonderful Stars
Ohhh I loved it!!!
I have read a lot of books about love, but I have not yet read any of the royal family. And although it was unrealistic book, I still lost myself in it completely.
The royal family in the modern world. A brilliant idea for a book.
Each girl once in her life was dreaming about Prince Charming. Of course, this was usually a fleeting moment in childhood, then we grow up and reality smack us in the face and we forget about those great moments.
Reading this book it was great to just get lost in this fairy tale and become again this naive little girl. So thank you Emma Chase for this.
The story may seem simple. Outrageously handsome prince who may have any woman in the world, meets a simple girl who does not falls at his feet. They fall in love and overcome obstacles placed in their way to be together.
But as usual, what is most important in the book, is a journey of two people from the moment they meet to the last page. And it was a fabulous trip. Filled with an laughter, melting your panties moments in royal bed sheets, there was also a small drama, which added a little bit of tension.
It was just perfect.
I highly recommend this book and I can not wait for the next part of this fabulous series.
lollscoloredglasses's review against another edition
5.0
5 absolutely brilliant stars! Emma has this incredible style that she brings to every book she writes. It draws you in and takes your breath away. I read this novel in one sitting. I couldn't get enough. Once again, you've hit it out of the park, Chase. Lovely!
kerithesmutslut's review against another edition
5.0
I didn’t expect to catch all the feels with this book, but I absolutely did. The writing style took me a bit to get into, and some parts were a a bit
tfpeel's review against another edition
4.0
Quattro stelle piene.. Storia molto carina e un bell' epilogo!!! Vado sul 2 di corsa
dunder_mifflin's review against another edition
1.0
i can't force myself to read this anymore, i gave it until i was 20% of the way through to see if things got better and they really didn't.
i usually wouldn't rate a book if i dnf'd it because i haven't read the whole thing but the jokes about serious mental illnesses just weren't funny, and the way nicholas thought about women made me feel nauseated. i did not like him, and the only character i liked was olivia but i don't like her enough to trawl through the rest of the book for her, especially when i know she'll end up with nicholas.
i usually wouldn't rate a book if i dnf'd it because i haven't read the whole thing but the jokes about serious mental illnesses just weren't funny, and the way nicholas thought about women made me feel nauseated. i did not like him, and the only character i liked was olivia but i don't like her enough to trawl through the rest of the book for her, especially when i know she'll end up with nicholas.
starfire_rhexia's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
3.5
Content Warnings
Graphic: Sexual content