Suddenly Royal Review

Samantha Rousseau is used to getting her hands dirty. Working toward a master’s degree in wildlife biology while helping take care of her sick father, she has no time for celebrity gossip, designer clothes, or lazy vacations. So when a duchess from the small country of Lilaria invites her to dinner, Samantha assumes it’s to discuss a donation for the program. The truth will change the course of her life in ways she never dreamed.

Alex D’Lynsal is trying to keep his name clean. As crown prince of Lilaria, he’s had his share of scandalous headlines, but the latest pictures have sent him packing to America and forced him to swear off women—especially women in the public eye. That is, until he meets Samantha Rousseau. She’s stubborn, feisty, and incredibly sexy. Not to mention heiress to an estate in his country, which makes her everyone’s front-page news.

While Sam tries to navigate the new world of politics and wealth, she will also have to dodge her growing feelings for Alex. Giving in to them means more than just falling in love; it would mean accepting the weight of an entire country on her shoulders.
Raise your right hand if you loved The Princess Diaries by Meg Cabot?  Now raise your hand if you’d like to read a New Adult contemporary book along similar lines? *Puts hand up enthusiastically*.  That’s what you get when you read Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase.  I will admit to LOVING stories involving a prince and I will also admit that I was feeling a little bereft after finishing The Elite by Kiera Cass recently, so Suddenly Royal looked PERFECT for me and I’m pleased to say that it was. 

Suddenly Royal tells the story of Sam who is a wildlife biologist at the local university and in her spare time; she takes care of her sick father.  One day, some European royals come to town and Sam finds out that she is a descendant from a long lost ROYAL family and they have come to welcome her home.  What’s that you say? Unimaginable wealth, royal lineage, property and a title back in Lilaria? ‘WHEN CAN WE LEAVE?’ would be my comment.  Now add on to that the mutual attraction between Sam and the utterly gorgeous Crown Prince and Jesus, why isn’t this girl leaving on the next available flight?!  I guess it has come as a huge shock to her – there’s her father to think of as well as the degree she’s been working toward for years – BUT STILL!!!!  Thankfully, Sam decides to take a chance on a new life but will she take a chance with her heart?  Is she fit to be queen some day?

Oh my goodness, I did love this book and much more than I thought I would.  Yes, it had the usual albeit occasional grammar mistakes (which I could have fixed in a heartbeat and this is why I need to be a copy editor) but the story is strong enough for you to look past that and just enjoy it. I actually stayed in bed until 1pm today as I could not stop reading!

What I liked about Suddenly Royal is that it’s unlike any other New Adult book I’ve read in that Sam is thrust into this new life and is struggling to deal with it – this could apply to leaving home and going to college or just adapting to life as an adult and by the way, the object of her affection just happens to be a prince.  I liked that Sam wasn’t weak, she was loyal to her friends and family and she wasn’t afraid to speak up when it was needed.  I did like the fact that she spoke her mind and was able to put certain people in their place when the situation arose (the sign of a queen, perhaps?)

I need to talk about the romance between Sam and Alex AKA Prince Yummy LOL.  They had great chemistry, hot banter and for those of you that don’t like love triangles or instalove, there was NONE of that here.  Instant attraction yes but love took its time to blossom.  Alex was definitely swoonworthy, so polite and charming with undertones of naughtiness but what I loved most about their relationship was that they made each other feel like normal human beings and that was very sweet to see.  Don’t get me wrong though, their relationship wasn’t all smooth sailing and Sam resisted for as long as she could – I mean, she was just so overwhelmed with everything and going out with the prince comes with certain paparazzi annoyances, that is to say even more attention than she was already receiving and there are certain pressures associated with dating the prince which you'll see when you read.

I have to give a little shout out to some of the secondary characters, namely Sam’s best friend and roommate Jess *high fives for coming up with the name Prince Yummy* and also Chadwick, Sam’s assistant come butler come surrogate father who was an amazing guy and friend to Sam.

Suddenly Royal was a totally fun read and I couldn’t stop smiling throughout.  I would LOVE to see this book written from Alex’s point of view and I’ve even come up with a title for it – Suddenly Smitten.  I live in hope but in the mean time, I’m dying for a sequel!! 

Suddenly Royal was published in April, 2013.  To find out more about Nichole Chase and her books, please click here to visit her website.