Royally Screwed (Royally #1) by Emma Chase #BookReview

*** This review is SPOILER-FREE! Read on with confidence! ***

Fame is a strange thing. A powerful thing. Usually it ebbs and flows like a tide. People get swept up in it, swamped by it, but eventually the notoriety recedes, and the former object of its affection is reduced to someone who used to be someone, but isn’t anymore.

That will never happen to me. I was known before I was born and my name will be blazoned in history long after I’m dust in the ground. Infamy is temporary, celebrity is fleeting, but royalty…royalty is forever.

Being a fan of several of Emma Chase’s previous books, I was very excited about this one. Extravagance? Check. Alpha male with an attitude? Check. Can’t-keep-me-down heroine with a heart of gold? Check! Royally Screwed has all that, and so many great moments. I absolutely adored this book. Here’s why…

Being friends with me is harder than you’d think. I mean, I’m a great friend; my life, on the other hand, is a pain in the arse. I can’t just drop by a pub last minute or hit up a new club on a random Friday night. These things have to preplanned, organized. Spontaneity is the only luxury I don’t get to enjoy.

This story is DELICIOUS! The first thing that really grabbed my attention–aside from Emma Chase’s delightful male perspective storytelling voice (something that keeps me coming back book after book)–is just how ROYAL the royals actually sound on page. That posh, upper crust Brit-Scot accent practically dripped off the screen of my ereader, the requisite titles and precious jewels present in all but name.

Nicholas and Olivia jump right into the drama when he strides into her coffee shop and makes quite the indecent proposal…

“I’m not sleeping with you for money.”
“Why not?”
“Because I’m not a prostitute.”
“Of course you’re not. But you’re young and beautiful, I’m handsome and rich. The more applicable question is why aren’t we fucking already?”

These two banter so naturally that any serious conversation stands out starkly….

“What’s your name? I don’t know if I asked before.”
“You didn’t. And it’s Liv.”
“That’s an odd name. Were you ill as a baby? I mean, is live what your parents were hoping you’d do or did they just not like you?” Her lips fold like she’s fighting a grin. Amused is in the lead.
“Liv, Livvy—short for Olivia. Olivia Hammond.”
“Ah.” I nod slowly. “That’s a beautiful name. Much more fitting.”

Royally Screwed is unapologetically a Cinderella story, and it flips the saved-by-a-prince trope on its head. And—of course—Prince Nicholas dances, drives motorcycles, flies helicopters, prepares sushi, and woos small children with natural grace. And he’s HOT. And lusty. Even Disney couldn’t pen a more ideal prince (uh, minus the ‘lusty’ part… you know what I mean!).

I stare. Openly. Hell, rudely. My etiquette tutor is rolling in her grave. And yet, I just can’t be bothered to give a damn. I want Olivia. In my bed, on my cock, over my face. And I want her to know it.

Nicholas is a commanding man, with confidence and authority born of a lifetime of privilege. But he’s also unexpectedly insightful and kind under all that sass and charm.

“When can I see you again?” he asks. “Say tomorrow.”
I laugh. “God, you’re bossy. Okay, tomorrow.”

Both Nicholas and Olivia also have quick tempers. It might take them a while to get to flash point, but when they do…whew. Royally Screwed showcases some spectacular verbal sparring, and it is powerfully written.

Emma Chase is one of my go-to authors for a guaranteed good time. Whether I’m in the mood for charm, humor, sass, physical comedy, or just really hot sex, this lady delivers. And Royally Screwed is everything I expected and more. The sex scenes—even the latent chemistry between the characters—are effortlessly scorching. These are the kind of people I would genuinely like to spend time with, and the plot cleverly spins an age-old, much loved trope.

The book also smoothly sets up some of the (extremely likeable and appealing) secondary characters for their own stories later in the series. Oh Prince Henry, how I look forward to watching your future bride walk right past all that charm and force you into facing your demons. And Ellie is just a storm of energy and youthful determination; she’ll make some perpetually tired man very happy.

Royally Screwed is a wild ride, with such epic emotional highs and then devastating lows that I could not tear myself away. I devoured this book in less than a day! I ached with and for Nicholas and Olivia.

This story is an absolute delight, a guaranteed roller coaster of passion and privilege and charm and want and lust and soft hearts in gilded cages. Author Emma Chase had me laughing and crying and yearning throughout the entire read. Royally Screwed is easily one of the best romances of 2016.

PS – If you’re new to Emma Chase’s fab writing style and just can’t get enough, go back and check out Tangled. This was one of GraveTells’s top Picks for 2013, and I still love it now!

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