Nichole Chase

I discovered this title under Amazon's newly instated "New Adult" category and was intrigued from the get go. I had high hopes this wouldn't just be some Princess Diaries rip off and I wasn't disappointed. We begin in the typical college town atmosphere in the heart of winter. There are the usual formulas, the best friends and the smart-ace whiplash kind of heroine that tends to populate this genre. But Sam is much more than your typical heroine. She's got a tender and fragile heart show more underneath, and a bucket of brains that can hold their own to any royals. Then came the shocker. I wasn't expecting for the tables to be turned and Sam and Alex to find such a strong connection. I confess I was waiting for the typical plot devices. He would be a playboy (which he...emphasis-WAS). Or the queen would disapprove and try to split them up. Nope. Neither was there any political intrtigue or trouble with the Steward or the half dozen other directions Chase could have taken her novel. I found my respect for her as an author growing for daring to tell so simple a realistic fairy tale. But then the wonderful thing happened. I found myself falling in love with Lilaria and its people. And then of course there is Alex. It's a beautiful thing watching him sincerely chase after her. It's also refreshing to read about a guy who's tired of the b.s and actually work to win a girl he wants to marry. Not just jump in the sack with, but actually be with. They were hot and heavy yet sweet and endearing as a couple to read about, without getting over the top. I'll end this without rambling on as I am inclined to do. This is just that sort of a book. Unexpectedly, when I wasn't looking, Suddenly Royal wormed its way into my reader's heart and doesn't look to be jumping ship anytime soon. Team Prince Yummy! ;) show less

Samantha Rousseau barely even notices the royals visiting her college campus. She's a wildlife biology grad student specializing in raptors. Between taking care of injured raptors, teaching classes, convincing her truck to keep working, and dealing with her stepfather's medical bills, there isn't much time in her life for anything else. Then she gets invited to what she thinks is dinner with a potential donor, only to be told that she's one of Lilaria's lost royals. The queen wants to show more reinstate her title and lands, which would mean leaving her studies and life in Minnesota behind. On the plus side, Lilaria is supposed to have an excellent healthcare system - they might have more effective treatments for her stepfather's prostate cancer, and it would certainly be better for her finances.

It's a lot for Samantha to think about, and unfortunately there isn't much quiet time for thinking. Reporters immediately start swarming, and her classes are suddenly filled with people who definitely aren't interested in birds. Then there's the gorgeous and enticing Prince Alex. Is he really as interested in her as he seems, or is he just trying to convince her to go to Lilaria and accept her title? And even if he is interested in her, what sort of relationship could she, an American who knows nothing about royal life and can't speak a word of Lilarian, hope to have with a prince?

If you've read and enjoyed other "ordinary person discovers they're a royal" stories, there's really nothing new here. This wasn't a bad book, but it wasn't great either, and in some ways it suffered from me having read (and enjoyed) Alyssa Cole's A Princess in Theory a year ago.

Samantha was an okay heroine, but a little too prone to jealousy for my tastes. The romance's timeline didn't help - during Samantha and Alex's first kiss (right in front of the mouse that Samantha had just sliced up for the injured raptors), I found myself doing the math, and I'm pretty sure they'd known each other for less than 24 hours. No matter how well they connected, both of them should have had reasons to want to take it slow. Samantha was dealing with the revelations about her family and trying to make a life-changing decision. Alex had a relatively recent relationship scandal - he knew full well what the paparazzi could do if they caught a whiff of anything between him and Samantha. Also, they'd literally just met.

The story was surprisingly low conflict. Every time I thought Chase had introduced a character or detail that was going to become a drama time bomb, nothing came of it. The zookeeper who seemed overly interested in Samantha? Mentioned once or twice later on and then never again. Alex's most recent ex? Zero on-page appearances. Prince Alex's sister's romantic life didn't turn into an enormous scandal, none of Alex's other exes were horrible to Samantha, and no one had problems with Samantha becoming a Lilarian duchess. Even Chadwick's relationship problems were resolved without any drama (and while it's great that the book includes a gay couple, you can bet I noticed and raised an eyebrow at their complete lack of on-page appearances together - not even an on-page phone conversation). Most of the book was devoted to Samantha deciding to go to Lilaria, getting used to her new life, fretting about her growing feelings for Alex, and worrying about her stepfather.

Speaking of Samantha's stepfather, I wasn't wild about how the medical stuff was handled. Each chapter started with a news headline, and Chapter 9's was "Lilarian Health Care Makes Headway with Homeopathic Medicines." I spent the rest of the book wondering whether Chase was going to make homeopathy the miracle cure for Samantha's stepfather's cancer (FYI, "homeopathic medicine" is garbage and I consider the word "homeopathic" on product packaging to be an immediate red flag). Now that I've finished the book, I think what Chase was using things like "homeopathic medicine" (87), "holistic and natural methods" (93), and "herbal supplements" (93) as shorthand for "Lilarian doctors are more flexible." Considering that it ultimately made no difference in Samantha's stepfather's medical treatment (chemo), I wish Chase had written about the Lilarian specialist differently.

All in all, this was an okay but fairly forgettable book. It's unfortunate that it's first-person POV - I didn't hate that aspect, but there's an excerpt from the second book, which is also first-person POV but from the perspective of Prince Alex's sister, and Samantha and Cathy's "voices" aren't distinct enough for my tastes. I don't intend to read the next book in the series.

(Original review posted on A Library Girl's Familiar Diversions.) show less

Going in to Suddenly Royal, I was hoping for a quick, fun and entertaining read that would have me smiling a lot. I'm happy to report that those qualities are in abundance. Samantha is a quick-witted, sarcastic and sometimes infuriating character who I very much enjoyed reading, and Alex fully lives up to his nickname of Prince Yummy. I found this book extremely engaging, and very much enjoyed my time spent in its pages.

Anyone reading the summary is probably struck with some similarities to show more The Princess Diaries or The Prince & Me, and there definitely are things that that are the same between those titles and this one. However, I liked that the "princess" (she's actually a duchess) in this book is an adult; she's a Master's student who's had to deal with the death of her mother and her father's struggle with cancer, so she's already had to deal with some difficult experiences. This makes Samantha a character with a lot of depth, and an interesting back story that very much influences her actions, thoughts and feelings, not only toward Alex, but the whole idea of reclaiming her Lilarian title. I very much enjoyed reading about her personal journey as she struggled with her place in this new and unknown world.

Alex is described as a playboy in the summary, but that didn't really come across so much in the book itself. I liked that he was thoughtful and caring, and willing to help Samantha through her struggles. I liked the way he slowly brought her around to the idea of a relationship, and very much liked that he didn't push her and was willing to go at her pace and only move forward with her permission. This is so often not the case in books today that I couldn't help but find the slow growth of their relationship all the more satisfying. If you're tired of books where the guy and girl immediately fall into bed with each other, then this will be a refreshing change!

Suddenly Royal also had a lot of depth to it. The world of Lilaria, the customs the people follow, and the royalty who dominate the upper echelon of society were all well-crafted. I thoroughly enjoyed getting to see this world through Sam's eyes, particularly her smiles and gasps of astonishment as something new was revealed to her. The descriptions were first rate and really helped place the reader in the narrative. Some of my favorite parts were when Sam got to experience the city and surrounding countryside (and I am SO jealous of that bookstore!). I also liked that this wasn't just a "cute" read. Sam goes through a lot, experiences a lot, and it really helped keep the book grounded. I liked the inside look at all that being a duchess entails, and everything Sam was going to be responsible for. In a "cute" read you don't always get to see the struggles, and I very much liked that those were included here.

While the premise behind Suddenly Royal perhaps isn't the most original, there is enough within the book's pages to keep anyone engaged in the story. The two main characters are wonderfully drawn and constructed, and are surrounded by a fabulous supporting cast, all set in a unique world that's described so perfectly you can see it in your mind. It looks like this is the first in a new series, and I'm really excited to see what's next for Sam and Alex (no drama, please!). If you're looking for a fun, summer read, do give this one a try!

A copy of this book was provided by Inkslinger PR for blog tour purposes. show less

Every little girl dreams of being a princess, right? Well, maybe not every little girl. In Nichole Chase's novel, Suddenly Royal, the first in a new series, Sam Rousseau has no grand desire to be a princess.

Sam is a grad student in wildlife biology and working with raptors when she receives the shocking news that she is the last member of a long lost royal family in the small but wealthy country of Lilaria. The Queen has been looking for her for some time, wanting to reinstate the family show more lands, wealth, and title on Samantha, making her the Duchess of Rousseau. Uncertain of whether she wants the public life and responsibilities that come with all of this, Sam weighs her choices with the help of Crown Prince Alex, the heir to the Lilarian throne and the man her hilarious and straight-talking roommate has nicknamed Prince Yummy. Sam and Alex have an almost immediate attraction to and understanding of each other but it is the idea that Sam can get access to an outstanding cancer doctor to help her beloved step-father, who is enduring treatments for prostate cancer, that decides Sam to take up the mantle of her heritage and postpone her dream of a Master's degree.

It isn't without misgivings that she leaves her ill father behind in Minnesota to finish out his chemo regimen and heads to Lilaria. She doesn't speak the language and she is staggered by the ferocity of public interest in her but she doesn't change from the casual, down to earth person she was when she was simply a poor grad student, which ultimately endears her to her new people. And of course, Alex promises not to throw her to the wolves, to help her through the transition to such a different life, giving them every opportunity to spend time together, trying to resist the inevitable. Alex and Sam agree to be friends but the sexual tension surrounding them remains thick. And when they finally come together, the question is whether Sam can overcome her overwhelming fear of losing the people she loves and her feeling of inferiority to Alex because of her American background and grab the life she wants to live.

The story is a sweet fairy tale with touches of sorrow but it's also a sexy and hot romance. The main characters are both incredibly likable and the secondary characters are fun and interesting in their own right. It's an overall light and engaging read but one that doesn't minimize the struggles of real life and shows some of the disadvantages of what is a very privileged life. Fans of straight contemporary romance should thoroughly enjoy it and look forward to the sequel. show less