Review: Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Suddenly Royal by Nichole Chase

Author: Nichole Chase Website|Twitter
Published: 30 March 2013
Format: Kindle e-book
Pages: 452
Amazon: Paperback|Kindle
Smashwords: E-book
Kobo: E-book

Source: Bought

Plot Summary (from Goodreads):
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.

My Review:
I bought this book whilst it was on offer for Kindle because literally my entire Twitter feed was people tweeting about how everyone needed to read it. Suddenly Royal follows Samantha Rousseau whose life is turned upside down when she finds out she's descended for Lilarian royalty.

This book is New Adult and Samantha is a graduate student working as a student teacher, but the way it's written is very similar to YA and I think it would appeal to YA readers. There were a few swear words dotted throughout and some slightly steamier scenes with it being written with a main character who's that bit older. I found it really interesting to see a story like this told about an older character, though. And seeing Sam trying to balance her new found fame and studies was really interesting.

The main plot of Suddenly Royal revolves around Sam finding out she's a duchess and being shown the ropes by some of Lilarian's royalty, including Prince Alex who quickly gains the nickname of Prince Yummy. I thought there was a really great balance between Sam dealing with her new life and the romance element. I absolutely adored Alex and their developing relationship was just so sweet. The flirting between them was so cute and I liked the Sam took her time deciding what she was going to do about her feelings for Alex.

I laughed a lot during this book. Sam had so many hilarious lines (making Harry Potter references and some cracking moments revolving around her addiction to coffee!) and I think it helped that she had such great characters to bounce off. Alex, obviously, is so charming and the two of them had great banter. But I also loved the relationship between Sam and Jess, who is her roommate from back home. The two of them were hilarious and I really liked that their friendship was such an important thing to both of them and the story.

Not only was Sam funny but I found her just be a really fascinating, well rounded character. She's one of the few characters who I found myself looking up to. She's studying something she'd passionate about, looking after her sick father and always putting other people first. I admired so much how she dealt with everything she goes though from homesickness to looking after her sick father. Plus she loves books! I'm always up for a character who loves books.

Reading Suddenly Royal was such a fun experience, from the story to the layout/formatting of the book itself. It had little crown art at the start of each chapter with a newspaper heading below which related to Sam's current situation. I love little touches like that! I had a few niggles with the writing sometimes in that characters would move from one place to another with a jump and I'd lose track for a moment of where they were and what was happening, but overall I was really impressed.

I'm so glad I picked up this book when I did and I'll definitely be recommending it in future. It had a bit of everything, from strong characters and romance to emotional moments that really tug at the heartstrings! I was so invested in the story that as I reached the final pages I just didn't want it to end. The great news is the author seems to have another book lined up in this series, and personally I can't wait to read it! I'll definitely be checking out more of her books.

Rating: 4*
What to read next: Royal Agenda by Nichole Chase, book 2 in the Suddenly Royal series
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