Happy Release Day! Review: Suddenly Royal By: Nichole Chase

Title: Suddenly Royal
Author: Nichole Chase
Publisher: 464 Pages, (April 23rd, 2013)
From: the Author
Format: eARC
Add to: Goodreads

Synopsis: 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.

Review: 4 Stars - Suddenly Royal is the latest title from author Nichole Chase. It’s a contemporary modern day fairy tale for one American graduate student who finds herself the inherited duchess of a far away country.

Sam loves birds. She’s spent her whole collegiate life studying them and is looking forward to finishing her graduate course on her passion. With her mom gone and her father sick she could have never guessed who or what was about to walk into her life or the path she was about to find herself walking down. She’s a great character, just your everyday normal college girl who’s trying to pay the bills, take care of her father and complete her graduate course. Stepping into the Royal shoes had to have been tough and Chase does a great job conveying that to the reader.

I really loved reading all about Sam and watching how her life changes. It felt like I was watching a movie and the scenes were all happening right before my eyes. That’s the good and the bad about this book. The good because of how well it was written, that I was able to visualize the characters  and their story so clearly; the bad, because I felt like it had a similar plot along the lines of The Prince and Me or even slightly like The Princess Diaries. While I do like those two movies, I was pleasantly surprised to see how Chase had infused enough of her own spin into the story that made things have a fresh take. The characters for one and the way she takes care in making sure you truly know them and the other main differences would be the birds and falconry and the country – Lilaria – and its politics.

The romance between Sam and Alex, the prince of Lilaria was simmering right under the surface. That part of their relationship was bubbling waiting to break free. I liked the teases we had from their first meeting and couldn’t wait to see how their relationship would change throughout the story. Alex was one character I wish I had a chance to learn more about. While Chase had taken such care with all of her characters I felt he was slightly lacking because of his Royal status and his past. He has some baggage that was only touched upon. I wanted to see him have a real conversation with Sam about what he’s been through not just Sam learning about it from second hand or newspaper articles.

Had the story been slightly more original and there was a bit more information about Alex and his past I could see myself giving this title 5 stars. Since I really loved reading everything else about the book and how Chase built the rest of her characters I’ve given it a bright and shiny 4 stars! Would I read more from this author? Yep! I know this is only the beginning for me in reading more from Chase in the future. I hope we get a chance to read more about Sam and Alex in future books in this “New Adult” series in the future. I recommend this title to anyone who loves a wonderful contemporary. Please know that this is a “New Adult” title and is intended for readers 18 and older. Enjoy!

FTC Disclaimer: I did NOT pay for this book, nor have I been compensated at all in any way or means for reading and writing this HONEST review.