Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Release date: April 19, 2013
Author info: Website | Twitter | Facebook
Pages: 452
Format: Ebook
Source: Purchased
Buy the book: Barnes & Noble | Amazon

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.

Suddenly Royal is my first foray into new adult, one that I took rather hesitantly, since I've heard very mixed things about the classification. Personally, I don't see the need, but that's a discussion for another day. Looking past all of that, as a whole I enjoyed reading Suddenly Royal. It was very predictable and very formula, but I expected that going in. With that in mind, I found it to be a perfectly fun and light read; it's definitely a good one for the summer, despite taking place in the cold. :)

Suddenly Royal follows grad student Samantha Rousseau, who has always considered herself the height of average. She smart and has always worked hard, rather than partied hard. So when the lady-killing prince of L:ilaria shows up at the campus of her school, she can't help but roll her eyes. But when his aunt, a duchess, invites Samantha to dinner, her whole world is turned upside down with the news that she is royalty, not to mention the prince (who she has to admit is astoundingly attractive) is making eyes at her. Samantha is faced with the choice of accepting her history and going to Lilaria to take her place or staying put, where things are familiar.

Because I wasn't expecting anything groundbreaking going into the book, I was really able to mindlessly enjoy this. If I'd been reading more critically, I would complain about how I didn't really connect with most of the characters (barring Chadwick) and how the plot was kind of meh and how the new adult classification shouldn't be something that lets an author just throw gratuitous sex scenes into a book that is otherwise very young adult (because there are most definitely some decently graphic ones, not Fifty Shades, but more than I care to read). I would complain, I would. But, sometimes I just don't care. I can tune a lot out when all I want is something uncomplicated and easy.

For me, there's something about sitting down to read a book you know isn't going to be a classic, you know it's not what you should be reading. It's the same reason so many people read trashy romance novels in the summer; it's fun. Simple as that. And I think that Suddenly Royal is fun. I honestly enjoyed reading it and I don't think there's anything remotely wrong with that.