Royally Screwed (Royally, #1) by Emma Chase

Narrated by Andi Arndt & Shane East

Synopsis (via Goodreads): Nicholas Arthur Frederick Edward Pembrook, Crowned Prince of Wessco, aka His Royal Hotness, is wickedly charming, devastatingly handsome, and unabashedly arrogant; hard not to be when people are constantly bowing down to you.

Then, one snowy night in Manhattan, the prince meets a dark haired beauty who doesn't bow down. Instead, she throws a pie in his face.

Nicholas wants to find out if she tastes as good as her pie, and this heir apparent is used to getting what he wants.

Dating a prince isn't what waitress Olivia Hammond ever imagined it would be.

There's a disapproving queen, a wildly inappropriate spare heir, relentless paparazzi, and brutal public scrutiny. While they've traded in horse drawn carriages for Rolls Royces, and haven't chopped anyone's head off lately, the royals are far from accepting of this commoner.

But to Olivia, Nicholas is worth it.

Nicholas grew up with the whole world watching, and now Marriage Watch is in full force. In the end, Nicholas has to decide who he is and, more importantly, who he wants to be: a King... or the man who gets to love Olivia forever.

“She has no idea who I am … Her ignorance is rather…thrilling. There are no expectations, no hidden agendas, no reasons to pretend – what she sees is what she gets. And all she sees is me.”

I'm sorry I haven't posted in a few days! I've been dealing with family stuff, which I'm sure everyone can relate to. It's just something that happens.

Anyways... Royally Screwed was exactly what I needed this week. It was crazy fun and made me laugh constantly! I loved Olivia and her no-nonsense attitude. She would flirt and play with Nicholas, but she didn't put up with his crap. I think it made him appreciate her more in the end.

Nicholas and his brother Henry were genuinely good people that cared about their country and its inhabitants. There is a war being fought in the background (there aren't too many details given about it), but it does impact Henry in a big way. There were a few darker threads to this story, which were unexpected but really added a lot of depth to the characters. It made them feel more real. Their pain and struggles, despite being royalty, were raw and honest. Nicholas mentions at one point that they have to be men worth fighting for. They're in a position to help people, so they need to do whatever they can to benefit the lives of others.

I really enjoyed the relationship between Olivia and Nicholas. I don't think she truly understood his position in life until she spent some time with him in his country. There were no expectations when it came to what he could offer her, Olivia was just happy with what they had and wanted to enjoy it while it lasted. I also liked that she wasn't a catty girlfriend even if she did have sparks of jealously. I can imagine all the comments being directed at her just for being in a relationship with a prince.

This is going to be random, but I also loved Nicholas' personal security team. They are people I would want to be friends with, and I'm hoping the next book in this series is about one of them and Olivia's sister... fingers crossed.

Steamy sex scenes for the win!

In the end, Royally Screwed kept a smile on my face and was a joy to listen to. The audiobook was absolutely perfect! The voices really matched the characters and made their stories even more believable. Someone was reading this book recently, and I want to thank you! If I hadn't seen it on your blog I wouldn't have started it when I did.

Warning: this book will make you crave pie, so it might be a good idea to have some nearby! Halfway through the book I started making an apple crumble (not really the same thing, but close), haha. I just couldn't help myself!