When I read Royally Screwed, I absolutely loved Prince Nicholas but he is going to have to move on over because Henry has taken over the #1 spot in my heart between the two brothers!
Up until a few months ago, Henry was just the spare to the heir with few cares in the world. He embraces living life to its fullest which has given his grandmother Queen Lenora more than a few moments of frustrations, but now that Nicholas has abdicated his place in line for the throne, Henry is feeling the pressure of being the future king- and he is absolutely hating it. He has always been the lovable goof who will break the tension with a good joke or prank, and he is both chafing against and drowning under the weight of the new expectations and responsibilities placed upon him. Nicholas realizes that his brother is struggling and he returns to Wessco to try to ease the way a bit with their grandmother. He has faith in Henry's ability to rise above it all, and his comparisons between Henry and their mom would be wonderful if Henry thought they were actually true when he overhears Nicholas and the queen talking. She reluctantly takes Nicholas's advice and takes a vacation leaving Henry to find his way on his own... and oh boy, the trouble that man can find! Enter an American producer pitching a bit of fun for him to sink his teeth into: a royal version of the reality TV show Matched where he can find his future queen if the urge strikes him to do so. Game on, it's time for Henry to get his groove back!
As the contestants start showing up, Henry comes face to face with a quiet beauty who intrigued him in the past: Sarah Titebottum. She agreed to come along to try to keep her sister Penny out of trouble while she competes on the show, but Sarah is completely out of her element even though she will remain in the shadows observing it all. Sarah is a quiet soul who loves her books, particularly the classics, and I loved how she equated everything in her life to a certain character or scene from a beloved book. Once upon a time she was daring but she stills bears the scars of those choices in her psyche today. Now she panics in unknown situations as she lives in a certain amount of fear at all times, and loud noises can trigger PTSD-related blackout events.
When Henry finds her hiding out in the woods reading one of her favorite novels, he can't help but notice her beauty beneath the plain exterior even as he enjoys a little verbal sparring and fun with her. And yes, Henry has a little bit of fun with her last name as he discovers how much fun it is to make her blush with his constant innuendos! Sarah may be quiet, but it's those quiet ones you need to watch out for. Although Henry is supposed to be paying attention to the contestants, insomnia and nightmares drive him to seek quiet and solitude which surprisingly leads him to Sarah's door. She has plenty of spirit and she finds herself responding to Henry as an equal rather than as the future king of their land because he makes it easy to talk to him with his carefully calculated verbal pokes guaranteed to get a rise out of her. He just never expects her to be able to see him so easily when so many others are too busy trying to figure out what it is that he can do for them. She realizes that he has never really felt needed in the grand scheme of his family and that he uses humor to deflect and camouflage the depth of both his feelings and his vulnerabilities, and she sees his potential even if he chooses not to believe in it. He is both fiercely protective and caring, and she finds herself falling hard for the simultaneously sexy and adorable man... but she is sure it can only lead to heartache for her if she continues down that path.
The slow burn and UST between them was so well written, and I loved every minute of it! Henry definitely smolders and he is drop dead sexy, but he also instinctively knows just how far and how hard to push Sarah to expand her horizons. Her daring side is still there hidden beneath her fears and scars, and it slowly starts to emerge under Henry's careful guidance. When they finally give in to the chemistry and desire, I am surprised they don't spontaneously combust!
As the shenanigans of the show continue around him, Henry finds himself in yet another sticky situation. He can't deny that he is falling for Sarah, but he has committed to Matched and has a contract that must be honored unless he can find a way out of it. Sarah's belief in him reaches Henry in a way that no one else has been able to, and he knows that he cannot let her go. Sarah's fear of attention and her painful past are a concern for him but he is sure that they can find a way to navigate this mess to find a future together if she is willing to take a chance on truly living again. In typical Henry fashion, he mucks it all up a bit before he reaches deep, mans up and finds a way to fix it. The last few chapters were pretty unexpected but they felt like the perfect path to their HEA. Royally Matched is one of my new favorite reads of the year and I cannot recommend it enough!
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See full series- Kindle Price:$19.96By placing your order, you're purchasing a license to the content and you agree to the Kindle Store Terms of Use.
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There are 6 books in this series.
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One of the best book I've read–EVER.
Royally Matched earned all the crowns! With Emma Chase's writing prowess of male POV like no other, this book has everything a romance novel should have. It's fun, sexy, very romantic and characters (cocky prince and a silent-type bookish girl who's not even part of the Matched show) that you'd totally fall in love with. The laugh out loud moments were balanced by the intense, heart-tugging emotions that were spilling through the end of the story. Beautiful and out of this world in every turn. Royally Matched is Emma's BEST. BOOK. YET. Forget Nicholas, Henry will own you body and soul.
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Top reviews from other countries
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- JessicaReviewed in Canada on February 21, 2017
My cheeks hurt from smiling and I'm going to have a crap book hangover for days
Format: KindleVerified Purchase - Lucii book-lover DixonReviewed in the United Kingdom on February 9, 2019
Entertaining and romantic; the perfect fairy-tale love story!
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BubaReviewed in Brazil on March 10, 2017
Engraçado, sexy, inspirador, romântico, Príncipe Henry é o pacote completo
Format: KindleVerified Purchase
