Title: Royally Yours
Author: Emma Chase
Series: Royally #4
Genre: Adult contemporary romance
Release Date: October 30th, 2018
Source: E-galley from InkSlinger PR for review, which did not affect my opinion
My rating: 5 stars
Synopsis:
Princess Lenora Celeste Beatrice Arabella Pembrook had an unusual childhood. She was raised to be a Queen—the first Queen of Wessco.
It’s a big deal.
When she’s crowned at just nineteen, the beautiful young monarch is prepared to rule. She’s charming, clever, confident and cunning.
What she isn’t…is married.
It’s her advising council’s first priority. It’s what Parliament is demanding, and what her people want.
Lenora has no desire to tie herself to a man—particularly one who only wants her for her crown. But compromises must be made and royals must do their duty.
Even Queens. Especially them.
**
Years ago, Edward Langdon Richard Dorian Rourke, walked away from his title and country. Now he’s an adventurer—climbing mountains, exploring jungles, going wherever he wants, when he wants—until family devotion brings him home.
And a sacred promise keeps him there.
To Edward, the haughty, guarded little Queen is intriguing, infuriating…and utterly captivating. Wanting her just might drive him mad—or become his greatest adventure.
**
Within the cold, stone walls of the royal palace—mistrust threatens, wills clash, and an undeniable, passionate love will change the future of the monarchy forever.
Every dynasty has a beginning. Every legend starts with a story.
This is theirs.
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My Review:
I loved the first books in this series, so a chance to go back and kind of find out where it all began was a bonus that I was very excited to read! I
always love when a favorite series goes back in time to share some of
the older characters' back stories. And that's exactly what we got
here. This book was so hard to put down. I started reading it only 2 days before I had to post the review, but it wasn't really a problem. Once I picked it up, I was sucked into Lenora's story, and when I did have to put it down for some reason, I was shocked at how far I'd gone.
Obviously the sexual part of the relationship was a little different in this one since it was set in a different time period, a historical time period where premarital sex was definitely a no-no for a Queen. That doesn't mean she was a prude, or that there was no steamy bits before the wedding. Which is good, because Emma Chase knows how to write a good sex scene. But this story was so much more than the romance. The family and friends and history of the country of Wessco was such a good read for those of us who are fans of the series.
The time period made for something that would have been expected for a single female ruler, that she must be married in order to be taken seriously. Queen Lenora's younger sister Miriam's wild escapades made it so that Lenora had to actually consider it sooner than she'd planned, and then the actual turnout of said escapades made the whole situation so frustrating. Both things that I was so angry with and for Lenora about.
And then, without giving anything away, let me say that the loss of one character in the story had me in tears. This wasn't a character we had experiences with from the earlier books in the series. But that didn't matter. I still had tears in my eyes, and streaming down my cheeks as I read that part of the story.
Once we did get to the romance and steamy bits, I was definitely pleased with how the author handled the time period and our characters. I loved meeting characters from the earlier books as they phased into the palace, like Fergus, the grumpy butler! There were several little epilogue parts that i adored as well, each extra moment we were given with Queen Lenora and Prince Edward. While I think I'd love to follow the next generation, knowing what will happen with their son already from reading the first two books makes it so that I don't know if it would be a very good story. Probably would be sobbing like a baby at the end if I read and fell in love with those characters the way I did with this book's characters, as well as the other earlier characters.
A great addition to the series. Yes, it can be a standalone, and yes, it could be read before the first three. But I suggest you go back and read all three in order and then pick this one up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
Obviously the sexual part of the relationship was a little different in this one since it was set in a different time period, a historical time period where premarital sex was definitely a no-no for a Queen. That doesn't mean she was a prude, or that there was no steamy bits before the wedding. Which is good, because Emma Chase knows how to write a good sex scene. But this story was so much more than the romance. The family and friends and history of the country of Wessco was such a good read for those of us who are fans of the series.
The time period made for something that would have been expected for a single female ruler, that she must be married in order to be taken seriously. Queen Lenora's younger sister Miriam's wild escapades made it so that Lenora had to actually consider it sooner than she'd planned, and then the actual turnout of said escapades made the whole situation so frustrating. Both things that I was so angry with and for Lenora about.
And then, without giving anything away, let me say that the loss of one character in the story had me in tears. This wasn't a character we had experiences with from the earlier books in the series. But that didn't matter. I still had tears in my eyes, and streaming down my cheeks as I read that part of the story.
Once we did get to the romance and steamy bits, I was definitely pleased with how the author handled the time period and our characters. I loved meeting characters from the earlier books as they phased into the palace, like Fergus, the grumpy butler! There were several little epilogue parts that i adored as well, each extra moment we were given with Queen Lenora and Prince Edward. While I think I'd love to follow the next generation, knowing what will happen with their son already from reading the first two books makes it so that I don't know if it would be a very good story. Probably would be sobbing like a baby at the end if I read and fell in love with those characters the way I did with this book's characters, as well as the other earlier characters.
A great addition to the series. Yes, it can be a standalone, and yes, it could be read before the first three. But I suggest you go back and read all three in order and then pick this one up. I don't think you'll be disappointed.
About the Author:
Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.
