Tag Archives: Chick Lit

ARC Review: Misadventures of a Good Wife (Misadventures #2) by Meredith Wild, Helen hardt

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Title: Misadventures of a Good Wife
Author: Meredith Wild, Helen Hardt
Publisher/Year: Waterhouse Press 10/03/17
Length:   207 Pages
Series:  Misadventures #2

Overview

Kate and Price Lewis had the perfect marriage–love, fulfilling careers, and a great apartment in the city. But when Price’s work takes him overseas and his plane goes down, their happily-ever-after goes down with it.

A year later, Kate is still trying to cope. She’s tied to her grief as tightly as she was bound to Price. When her sister-in-law coaxes her into an extended girls’ trip–three weeks on a remote island in the South Pacific–Kate agrees. At a villa as secluded as the island, they’re the only people in sight, until Kate sees a ghost walking toward them on the beach. Price is alive.

Their reunion is anything but picture perfect. Kate has been loyal to the husband she thought was dead, but she needs answers. What she gets instead is a cryptic proposal–go back home in three weeks, or disappear with Price…forever.

Emotions run high, passions burn bright, and Kate faces an impossible choice. Can Price win back his wife? Or will his secrets tear them apart?

My Thoughts

First – again a big thank you to the folks at NetGalley for getting me the ARC of this story.  It’s another interesting installment into what’s not a series – but a collection of stories that are actually not at all related.

What we have – as the summary says is a story of couple who had it all, the perfect life together and then it was ripped apart.  Price is killed in a plane crash and Kate doesn’t really know how to get her life back together.  She works sometimes but really lives her life in a fog.  It’s on this island that things change.

Price isn’t dead.  I mean, we should have known that was going to be the case – but oh well.  Anyhow – Price has been living a year in hiding because he had uncovered some information about a company that was doing some shady business, and that company didn’t want him to let their information go public.

Throughout this story we have a few things going on.  One is the reconnecting of this couple – they have so much love and passion for each other that they want to fight against everything to make it work – even when it doesn’t seem realistic that they will end up happy.  Then there’s the idea that there’s so much more going on that Price isn’t telling Kate since he doesn’t quite ever give her the answers that she wants – letting us learn the hard way that life is never going to be safe.

Then there are several characters that are mentioned throughout the story that seem like they are nothing to talk about – but you know that authors often don’t write in characters unless there’s a twist or something significant.  Which is exactly what happens here.

The folks we love are forced to go on the run – Kate & Price, Otis, and even Michelle, and we don’t know who’s going to be discovered first and who will remain safe.  There’s so much anxiety when there are kidnappings and threats on lives – and honestly all you want is for the couple to have their happily ever after – and you just don’t know if it’s possible.  So on that note – you should def try to check this out and i think that i may even have the 3 book in this collection, so i’ll head off to read that one next.  Happy Sunday all!

Review: Tied (Tangled #4) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tied
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 10/7/14
Length:   169 Pages
Series:  Tangled #4

Overview

In the fourth sexy romance by the New York Times bestselling author of Tangled and Twisted, Drew and Kate can’t wait to tie the knot—if they can survive the pre-wedding festivities.

For most of my life, I never imagined I’d get married. But Kate did the impossible: she changed me. I think we can all agree I was pretty frigging awesome before, but now I’m even better.

The road to this day wasn’t all rainbows and boners. There were mistakes and misunderstandings worthy of a Greek tragedy. But Kate and I made it through with our inexhaustible lust, boundless admiration, and everlasting love for one another intact.

That being said, there were some unexpected incidents in Vegas last weekend that could have been a problem. It was kind of…my final test.

I know what you’re thinking—what the hell did you do this time? Relax. Let’s not judge, or call for my castration, until you’ve heard the whole story.

And hold on tight, because you’re in for a wild ride. Did you expect anything less?

My Thoughts

Well this sweet series seems to be coming to an end – although there are so many more characters that we could have gotten stories for.  Oh well.  Anyway – it’s the moment of truth, when Drew and Kate are going to get married, and you know that it can’t go off without a hitch – it just wouldn’t be them.  So here we are, going to Vegas for the joint Bach/Lette parties and well – things get crazy.

If it wasn’t a sign when the flight attendant hits on Drew right in front of Kate,and then she appears at the casino not really willing to take no for an answer.  Then there’s the struggle with Drew dealing with Billy and his lust for Kate – and we see Billy getting laid out by a bunch of guys after he hits on one of their girls.

Then there are the female shenanigans – led by Dee of course.  The threat of a male masseuse, and the Goddess party – and don’t forget the dance at the strip club for Kate.  So all in all, it’s going to get exciting and you can’t wait to see what will happen next.

It’s a sweet end to the story though – you know that there are the best of intentions for this couple, Drew truly is a changed man, but when he’s faced with all the prodding and temptation around him, is he going to be man enough to avoid?  Well, there is a huge chunk of his night that he forgets because of a bottle of Pandora at the strip club, meaning that when he wakes up and a brunette that’s NOT kate is in his shower and Kate is no where to be seen, well, things get exciting.

There’s a marriage, an almost divorce, and a life of change coming for these folks and i think that there’s no better way to send off this series than how we get it wrapped up.  Ms Chase gives us the conclusion that we all wanted for this couple and now i’m off to find something else to entertain me!  Enjoy!

Review: Tamed (Tangled #3) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tamed
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 7/15/14
Length:   272 Pages
Series:  Tangled #3

Overview

In the third unforgettable book by New York Times bestselling author Emma Chase, Matthew Fisher—the best friend of Drew Evans from Tangled and Twisted—wants to settle down, but he’ll have to overcome the mistrust of the vividly unique Dee Dee Warren. Includes a bonus short story, Holy Frigging Matrimony!

Stop me if you’ve heard this one before: girl meets player, they fall in love, player changes his ways.

It’s a good story. But it’s not our story. Ours is a lot more colorful.

When I met Dee, I knew right away that she was special. When she met me, she thought I was anything but special—I was exactly like every other guy who’d screwed her over and let her down. It took some time to convince her otherwise, but it turns out I can make a convincing argument when sex is at stake.

You might know where this story’s headed. But the best part isn’t where we ended up.

It’s how we got there.

My Thoughts

So, we’re back with this group of friends, getting to see how Matthew and Dee’s romance started and blossomed, crashed and burned, and then started up again.  The interesting thing about this series though, is that in book 2, we got several spoilers about this story, so it’s like it was a bit anticlimactic at times since we knew exactly what was going to happen. (although it’s not like we couldn’t figure it out).

Any way – we get to learn a bit more about Matthew, wingman to Drew, and son of one of the partners of the banking firm that they work for.  It’s nice to see that he’s human – while he’s definitely a guys guy – all about the easy hook-up and ot a lasting relationship, he’s got a really sensitive side, especially when it comes to Mckenzie – just like everyone seems to have with this child.

So when Dee walks into his life – well she’s exciting and challenging and different and that means that all his rules are thrown to the wayside.

Dee on the other hand, a wild child, best friend to Kate, and cousin to Billy (Kate’s BF at this point in this story), and well she’s definitely not what she appears to be.  She’s incredibly smart, but likes to have her own personality and throw people off her scent.  she’s also been burned way too many times in the past from men so she’s incredibly guarded and makes it really tough for Matthew to break through.

So what starts as an intense physical thing turns into so much more, which neither are prepared to deal with and that makes things interesting.  They push each other away at every turn and even when Matthew tries his hand at romance, he comes up empty.  The question really becomes not ‘when will they get together for real’, but instead what will it take to make Dee open her eyes that matthew is the one, and will matthew be able to handle it at that point.

So, on that note, we get yet another light and fluffy story from Emma Chase, and don’t take that to be a negative.  it’s the perfect summer reading book while i was laying out on my lawn yesterday getting a tan.  I think there’s another book in this series so i’m going to go and track it down.  enjoy!

Review: Twisted (Tangled #2) by Emma chase

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Title: Twisted
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 3/25/14
Length:   191 Pages
Series:  Tangled #2

Overview

When spontaneous and carefree meets cautious and responsible, falling in love can get just a little Twisted

There are two kinds of people in this world: the ones who look first, and the ones who leap. I’ve always been more of a looker. A planner. Cautious. Then I met Drew Evans. He was so persistent. So sure of himself. He made it easy to leap with him.

Did you think Drew and I were going to ride off into the sunset and live happily ever after? So did I. But life is about choices, and Drew already made his. In fact, he tried to decide for the both of us—but you know that’s not my style. So I came back to Greenville, to spend some time alone . . . sort of.

Because old habits die hard, and sometimes you have to go back to where you began before you can move ahead again.

My Thoughts

Well we knew that happily ever after wasn’t going to last and that’s exactly what we get in this second book of the series.  It’s from Kate’s POV whereas the first was from Drew’s so we get to see a much more emotional side to things.  This story line is full of misunderstandings, misinformation and a clear bit of confusion on where things stand all around.  We’ve jumped 2 years into the future and things are getting interesting.

So, like the first book, we start at a moment in time – present day, but are forced back a series of weeks in order to truly understand what’s going on in the story.  Kate’s found herself back at home with her mom because of something significant that’s happened, and where she goes from there is anyone’s guess.

When we back up, we learn that Kate and Drew truly do have a rhythm.  they are in sync both at work and in life, but there’s always the undercurrent of jealousy since everywhere they go, they run into a girl that Drew has been with and Kate’s about fed up with it.  One night it all comes to a head when Kate just can’t take it and she heads home – which starts a fight of Drew just not understanding women.

Add that to the fact that Kate’s just found out that she’s pregnant, doesn’t get a chance to tell Drew before he thinks that she’s having an affair, and you can imagine how the whole story blows up from there.

It’s sweet to see who in her life comes to her defense, and even who in Drew’s life comes to her defense.  Billy, her ex fiance is now a big time musician who’s nominated for Grammy’s but yet he’s there to help pick up the pieces.  Dee Dee is always there for Kate, and even her husband Matthew (yup – they are married) is forced to defend her.  Even Drew’s father has chosen sides.

I think that my comments here on the depth of the story are the same as they were for Tangled.  It’s sweet, but very much on the surface.  i  don’t know that i care for the internal dialogue that the characters keep having based on how the book is narrated, but i think that it works for the story in general since we’re not supposed to get all swept up into an in-depth storyline here.  And all that being said, there’s no lack of romance, heat, angst etc, to keep it moving.  So all in all, a nice quick read for yet another relaxing summer book.  Have a great day all!

Review: Tangled (Tangled #1) by Emma Chase

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Title: Tangled
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 1/14/14
Length:   256 Pages
Series:  Tangled #1

Overview

When rich, handsome, and arrogant meets beautiful, brilliant, and ambitious, things are bound to get tangled

Drew Evans makes multimillion-dollar business deals and seduces New York’s most beautiful women with just a smile. So why has he been shuttered in his apartment for seven days, miserable and depressed? He’ll tell you he has the flu, but we all know that’s not really true.

When Katherine Brooks is hired as the new associate at Drew’s father’s investment banking firm, every aspect of the dashing playboy’s life is thrown into a tailspin. The professional competition she brings is unnerving, his attraction to her is distracting, his failure to entice her into his bed is exasperating.

How can one woman turn a smooth-talking player into a broken, desperate man? By making the one thing he never wanted in life the only thing he can’t live without.

My Thoughts

I feel like i keep jumping around the series that Ms Chase has written, going from recent to past to even further past.  but i guess it’s all a non issue when it’s all new series right?  The nuance to this story is that we have it from the mindset and POV of our male lead, getting not just his view on things but his full on narration.  like how his brain is processing everything word for word.

So as you can imagine, the plot of this story is one powerful guy who is used to getting whatever he wants, never having a client get away, never losing a woman to someone else, and well, that seems to be happening all of a sudden, all due to one Kate Brooks walking into his life.

The way that Emma chase writes his internal dialogue is entertaining, and i have to say that he’s clearly whipped by how he  feels about Kate, and while that’s sweet and all, it’s not at all like the strength and confidence that we see in the other leads that we have from other series that she’s written.  I don’t mind it, it’s just very different than what we’ve had from everything else.

Then there’s Kate – the woman who’s causing all the ruckus.  She’s fresh in her new job, and starts off the story in a very long term relationship – one where she’s been engaged for something like 7 or 10 years,and where she’s killing it professionally, she’s not getting what she needs personally, so it’s a shock when perhaps Drew is able to do that for her.

As expected, we have maturity issues, trust issues, and the overall question of whether anything good will come out of these two and their chemistry.  They’re put against one another at work to get new clients and that’s fun to watch.  and then they decide to act on their attraction which is also fun to watch.  even more so when it crashes and burns.

So all in all, a very sweet story – one that’s obviously not meant to be all that deep and meaningful but one that’s exactly what you hope for when reading a summer book.  i hope you guys enjoy and now i’m going to start reading the 2nd book in the series.  Have a great day!

Review: Sidebarred (Legal Briefs #3.5) by Emma Chase

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Title: Sidebarred
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 4/24/16
Length:   89 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #3.5

Overview

There was a time when Jake Becker had it all together. He was controlled, driven, ruthless—in and out of the courtroom.

Then, six irresistible orphans and their heartbreakingly beautiful aunt crashed into his perfectly ordered life. They changed everything. They changed him. Now he’s a husband, an upstanding member of society, a father figure—a family man.
And he’s pretty damn good at it.

Sure, he has to referee sibling smackdowns, re-learn algebra, ensure his clients stay of jail, and keep his wife happy—but it finally feels like he’s got it together again….

So, of course something has to screw it all up. It’s huge. Life-changing. Kind of terrifying.

And it will be the most amazing, perfect thing he’ll ever do.

My Thoughts

It’s a sweet novella that we’ve gotten here – and it’s kind of interesting to me that Jake was the chosen on for it since i didn’t really think of him as the ‘main guy’ – but it works.  So we left off his story where he and Chelsea were happy and together, and we saw that they got married in reading Brent’s story.  So what comes next?  life with 6 kids, and maybe one more?  Well, we got the teaser of all that in the third book’s epilogue and that made me really happy.

There’s really no huge depth going on here as expected, just a continuation of what life looks like for them, and how even as a married couple, there are still times when they fight and get mad at each other – Jake’s still never going to give up being over protective and all that – and it comes through quite often in this book.

Emma chase gives us closure here – we get to see how life turned out for everyone – especially in the epilogue type thing that we got here.  It was really a nice touch to see where everyone ended up and how their lives turned out.  Making sure we had no questions about whether everyone was happy or not, who was still around and who was still trying to fight the good fight.

The other nice little treat is that we got a deleted chapter from Brent’s story in here, and it’s one that we got a glimpse into from a comment that Kennedy and Brent made – so it’s nice to see how it all played out.  Anyhow – seems like this series is done for good now – so onto the next.  Enjoy!

 

Review: Sustained (Legal Briefs #2) by Emma Chase

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Title: Sustained
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Gallery Books 8/25/15
Length:   304 Pages
Series:  Legal Briefs #2

Overview

A knight in tarnished armor is still a knight.

When you’re a defense attorney in Washington, DC, you see firsthand how hard life can be, and that sometimes the only way to survive is to be harder. I, Jake Becker, have a reputation for being cold, callous, and intimidating—and that suits me just fine. In fact, it’s necessary when I’m breaking down a witness on the stand.

Complications don’t work for me—I’m a “need-to-know” type of man. If you’re my client, tell me the basic facts. If you’re my date, stick to what will turn you on. I’m not a therapist or Prince Charming—and I don’t pretend to be.

Then Chelsea McQuaid and her six orphaned nieces and nephews came along and complicated the ever-loving hell out of my life. Now I’m going to Mommy and Me classes, One Direction concerts, the emergency room, and arguing cases in the principal’s office.

Chelsea’s too sweet, too innocent, and too gorgeous for her own good. She tries to be tough, but she’s not. She needs someone to help her, defend her…and the kids.

And that—that, I know how to do.

My Thoughts

This really is a sweet series – very much in line with all that we get from Ms Chase in everything that she writes.  We met Stanton and Sofia in the first book and now it’s time to get to know Jake, Stanton’s old roommate and one of the other lawyers in the firm.

Jake is a no nonsense kind of guy – the kind who doesn’t attach himself to anyone or anything since that will just get in the way of his goal to make partner and have a stellar career.  One which he’s got and unfortunately often means that he sells his soul because of the clients he defends.

While he’s defending those who don’t deserve it, he finds himself dealing with a personal issue of a one night stand gone awry (STD thanks), and then gets pickpocketed by a 9 year old, which turns out to be a blessing in disguise – since he sees himself in the kid.

And also learns that there’s so much more going on with that kid.

Then there’s chelsea – a 26 yr old girl from California who finds herself the legal guardian of 6 kids from under a year to 14.  It’s a life that she never asked for and yet one that she’s learning that she can’t live without.

When Jake and Chelsea cross paths, what he hopes will be a drop off, turns into something so much more.  There are things that chelsea brings out in him that he never knew that he had.  The notion of protecting and taking care of someone other than himself.  Emotion and compassion and all sorts of human things that someone like Jake shouldn’t feel.  Chelsea also sees that someone out there cares for her and will be there for her when she needs it, without even asking and that’s something that she hasn’t had in months.  or even longer.

It’s a sweet story – of two people that you know need each other but who aren’t in the mindset or position to really go after what they want.  Jake is stubborn in the sense that things are always about the physical but finds himself falling hard for the family.  Chelsea doesn’t have time to breathe and when time and time again she’s finding herself sick, or at the police station, having the kids threatened, taken away etc, well, it’s Sir Jake who’s coming to fix it.

The thing with this story is that it’s so sweet, that even though we know that there will ultimately be the point of tension that tears them apart, we don’t mind.  To be honest, there was even a moment when i thought that Jake was going to lose chelsea for good – at the hands of another man that we’ve met in the story, and how Ms Chase writes that into the mix is really nice.  There’s good chemistry here and good passion.  Where sofia was really independent and mature in the first book, there’s a naive quality, a youth that chelsea has here that gives it another feeling in this story.  She’s got energy that’s almost childish, but not in a bad way.

So on that note, we are left at a turning point for this group of friends that’s teased in the end of this story – positions in the firm are in question when a resignation is tendered – and we hear that someone owns a building which leads to something interesting i’d imagine.  So on that note – i can’t wait to jump into book 3 later on and see what’s next. Enjoy!

Review: Royally Raised (Royally #2.5) by Emma Chase

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Title: Royally Raised
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Ever After Romance
Length:   20 Pages
Series:  Royally #2.5

Overview

A Royally Series short story set in the future after Royally Matched.
My Thoughts
Well i thought that we were going to get the continuation of the story with Nicolas and Olivia’s baby, but what we have instead is a bit of the story 19 years in the future, with us getting to see bits of life for Henry and Sarah, and their children.  many many children.
Well, if you had any idea of what to expect of Henry and Sarah’s children, we get all that and more.  We focus on their eldest daughter, the crown princess and heir apparent, the role that Nicolas was raised to play, and yet the one that got shifted to Henry when his brother chose love.  If you thought that Henry was going to get a reprieve just because he married an angel and he turned his life around, well you were wrong.
This is a brief glimpse into life, with Jane, their 19 year old daughter who’s taking on reporters and doing so with poise, but with a blatant sense of entitlement, which is not a good thing in a country that needs to love their future leader.  This is a lesson that Henry decides that he needs to sit her down about and talk sense to her, yet she’s not having any of it.  It’s like looking in a mirror for him because he knows that he made life tough for his grandmother the Queen, and yet it’s not helpful at all for him now.
The sweet bit of this story is that Henry really gets no resolution here, he’s trying to remind Jane of the position that she needs to take now, and the way that she handles people and respects people even though she’s deigned to rule the country.  she knows that she’s got more power and ‘stuff’ than anyone else in the world almost, and uses that to make herself happy.
The only hope that we have is that Sarah who’s the constant voice of reason, and Henry who is learning from his mistakes figure out a way to get her back on the right path, and they come up with an idea that seems like it could have legs, if only they could bring it to life.
That’s one bit of the story – and then there’s the fact that they have 4 more children.  Yup – 5 in total, with the last being a bit of a surprise.  They spend their time together with so much love and romance, that is completely expected seeing how Henry and Sarah were in the main story, so i think that we get to see what life should have been for them, when we didn’t quite know what the future would hold at the end of Matched.  I can’t wait to see what’s next in the third full book – i believe this time i’m correct in saying that it’s about Logan – the security detail from Nicholas, and perhaps Ellie….enjoy!

Review: Royally Matched (Royally #2) by Emma Chase

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Title: Royally Matched
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Ever After Romance 2/21/17
Length:   276  Pages
Series:  Royally #2

Overview

Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry Charles Albert Edgar Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.

He’s not handling it well.

Hoping to force her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora goes on a much-needed safari holiday—and when the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:

Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.

A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world’s most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.

While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.

The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit…and her naughty sense of humor.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.

As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.

My Thoughts

I think that we had a nice start to the series with Royally Screwed so seeing how Henry now has to step up to his responsibilities because of Nicholas’s decision to abdicate, we see a whole new side of things.  No longer can he be the party boy, but that’s not something that’s such an easy thing to change.

The interesting thing though, is that there’s something in the summary that’s just not true – the Queen never went on a safari – they decide that Prince Henry to the public at least should go on a trip, and he then goes to a far away castle to clear his head, learn the basics of being King and at the same time, he schemes to work on this reality show to both have his last hurrah, and hopefully find a wife.

Of course we know that things will never be what we expect, and knowing that we met Sarah and Penelope in the first book, we see that there’s going to be more to the story.

Enter Penelope and Sarah – to ‘Ladies’ who live in Castlebrook, away from the chaos of the capital, and yet while we know a bit of them since we met them in the last book, we don’t know much.  When they are approached to be part of the show, Penelope is quick to want to join since she’s looking for her chance at celebrity, and Sarah is quick to say no since she’s shy.  Their mother forces them to go together or not at all, and that’s where our story really takes shape.

As expected, the pageantry of the reality show makes things interesting, seeing 20 girls vying for the chance to be the next queen, with several of them with their own colorful reasons for being there.  It’s quite amusing to see how that all comes about.  Then there’s Sarah, the girl who’s there at her mothers order, as well as finding an out from having to participate in something at work that she’d rather not.

So the journey here is a sweet one.  We see Henry doing his best to do what the producers want, while finding calm and solace with Sarah – on a platonic level, or at least that’s how it starts.  Feelings start to develop on both sides, and you can see how perhaps the best romances are those that have a true foundation.

Now of course, you have to assume that the challenge of being in a reality show environment will come into play as it does.  Sarah finds that she can’t really cope with knowing that he’s dating all these other women, when she wants him to herself.  Then there’s Henry who truly wants to get out of the show at this point, and can’t because of the threats of production to out Sarah on a few different things.

There are also a few ‘political’ bits that make things complicated in the sense of what  will qualify a woman to be the next queen -being a virgin.  So….as you can see, we’re bound for heartbreak.

And if that weren’t enough, the prince reenlists into the army under a fake name so that he’s serving for real, and they are separated for 2 years at least.  So, while i think we knew how this story was going to pan out, we’re taking on a path that’s not at all the expected and i think that it was exactly what we needed.

Clearly i’m becoming a fan of all things Emma Chase – she’s got this knack for creating great fiction that’s contemporary but some how built on a tradition of a world that’s so not american.  (while kind of making it seem at times that being American is a faux pas).  In any even, it’s sweet, and the story has a lot of charm to keep us engaged.  I just got a copy of the 2.5 Novella and i can’t wait to see what’s going to happen since i think that it’s around Nicolas and Olivia – since it was revealed that she’s finally preggo.  Enjoy!

Review: Royally Screwed (Royally #1) by Emma Chase

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Title: Royally Screwed
Author: Emma Chase
Publisher/Year: Ever After Romance 10/18/16
Length:   276  Pages
Series:  Royally #1

Overview

Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka “His Royal Hotness,” is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant—hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you.

Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn’t bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.

Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.

Dating a prince isn’t what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.

There’s a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they’ve traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces and haven’t chopped anyone’s head off lately—the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.

But to Olivia—Nicholas is worth it.

Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King… or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

My Thoughts
So – i have to say that i was a little bit confused for a few minutes since there was reference to Genovia which is the country of another series that i’ve read recently by Ember Casey, and and to be honest, these 2 authors have very similar names so i was curious if they are one and the same.  Anyway – it’s a sweet story of living up to the things that are expected of you as a royal, and yet still wanting to live your life.  VERY similar to the other series.
So – Nicholas is our leading man, the crown Prince to Wessco, a country that was created through battles and divisions throughout the United Kingdom i guess.  Nicholas has a younger brother named Henry who is a bit more of the wild child and their grandmother the Queen has sent Nicholas to the States to bring him home since he’s causing trouble.  That leads him directly into the coffee shop run by Olivia.
And Olivia, our leading lady is the oldest daughter of a family who’s had their fair share of trouble – the mother was killed years ago because of a mugging, and the father has drowned his sorrows in alcohol and the youngest sister is really trying to get out of high school and make her own way in college.  Leaving Olivia to run the family coffee shop, and give up all her own dreams.
Of course when suave and sexy Nicholas walks into the shop, things change forever – partially because he propositions her for the most inappropriate things, but also because it makes her open her eyes to doing something for herself, something that perhaps could make her happy without worrying about what it means for her family.
The story from there is one that’s quite sweet – seeing a whirlwind romance come along for them – there’s a quick connection between them, both physically and emotionally – each giving the other what they have been craving without any judgement.
So when Nicholas is called back to Wessco early, knowing that he has to marry someone of royal descent in the next few months, we see that things get complicated fast.  Olivia is given the opportunity to move with him back home and enjoy whatever time she has left with him, but it means leaving her family behind to fend for themselves, which she’s not sure that they can do.  Nicholas makes sure that everything is taken care of and off she goes.
As expected, we know that there’s going to be a lot of trouble for them once they get to Wessco.  The Queen likely won’t be happy that he’s brought an American with him home, when he’s supposed to be finding a wife.  We also know that she’s going to feel like Olivia is a distraction to his royal duties and we see that while it’s possible, Olivia actually helps make Nicholas a better man.
Their romance is something real and sweet and you know that it can’t end well since Nicholas cannot marry Olivia and yet he doesn’t want to give her up.  Add in the fact that Henry comes into the picture and becomes a bit of a nuisance, and there are other royals that are hoping to bring Olivia down since she’s got what they want – and things get dicey and interesting.
You keep hoping for the best, and the way that our author writes this story is one of the expected path, but also gives us enough anxiety to wonder what is going to be the last straw and are they strong enough to get through it.
We need the grand gesture, and neither are the sort to know how to come back with one, and it’s to their detriment since it’s what breaks them apart.  There are so many directions that this story could go, and i think that you need to  check it out to see what happens.  Ms Chase gives us a sweet romance with a touch of irony, modern cynicism and a bit of girl fighting, which is so nice when looking for a poolside book to read.  I’m onto the next installment now, and i can’t wait to see what happens next.  Enjoy!