We are beyond excited about the Release Day Launch of Nichole Chase's RELUCTANTLY ROYAL!! RELUCTANTLY ROYAL is a New Adult contemporary romance novel being published by HarperCollins Avon imprint and is the third book in Nichole Chase’s Suddenly Series. We love the swoony romance in these books and this one delivers in spades!
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Maxwell Jameson Trevor, prince of Lilaria, hates his royal role. Despising the limelight, he takes solace in his art studio and steers clear of any drama. But when one of the newly discovered royals passes away, Maxwell's brother Alex asks him to break the news to the old man's granddaughter. Though he hates to be the bearer of doom and gloom, he doesn't want the poor girl to find out from the tabloids. For Maxwell knows all too well how devastating that could be.
Coming from a broken home and modest background, newly ordained Lady Meredith Thysmer has seized her chance to make a better life for herself and her son. She's not afraid to use her best assets to get what she wants. But when the unpretentious yet devastatingly handsome Max delivers his news, her plans for the future come crashing to a halt. In the challenging days ahead, Max's compassion, humor, and steadfast loyalty to Meredith and her son win her over. She quickly finds herself doing something she swore would never happen again: falling in love. And yet Maxwell still refuses to completely drop his guard. Somehow Meredith's got to find a way to seduce this reluctant royal.
As I turned to leave the room, my eyes fell on a sketch pad and I couldn’t help myself. Sitting back down in the chair I flipped it open and smiled at the drawings inside. Marty had promise for such a young kid. Turning to a blank page, I glanced around and searched for a pencil. Charcoal would be best, but pencil would do.
I started with the lines of his forehead, the curve of his impish nose, the roundness of his cheeks. I was lost in the sketch, enjoying the shadows, the tenderness in his expression, working to capture that moment of utter innocence.
“That’s beautiful.” Her voice was soft.
I looked up from what I was doing, not surprised that she had snuck up on me. When I’m lost in a project, the world disappears; the only thing I’m aware of are the layers of the project I’m working on.
“He’s a good subject.” I turned back to the paper and finished up the shading of the blanket.
“Only because he’s asleep and not moving.” Her quiet laugh sent shivers over my body.
“That does help.” I smiled up at her. “But it’s the contrast. The contrast of him awake versus him asleep. He looks so young right now, so innocent.”
“What do you mean?” She leaned closer to look at the picture.
“He’s so mature, quick-witted.” I whispered the words. “But here he is, looking like the child he is.”
“His teachers say that,” she said. “That he’s quick to pick things up.”
“I’d say so.” I turned and handed her the sketch pad. “I hope you don’t mind that I drew him. The light and shadows were too perfect to resist.” Sort of like her right now. The way the moonlight glinted in her eyes and shone along her hair. Her perfect features would make any artist ache to draw them. Her pixie nose, the heavy eyelashes, the curve of her body hinted at by the oversized sweater she had wrapped around herself. It made my palms itch. Partly because I just wanted to touch her, to see if she would taste as sweet as she looked in that moment.
“Thank you for keeping him entertained.” She stood up. “Can I keep this?”
“Of course.” I stood up and stretched. Her eyes swept over my chest and then back up to my face. Maybe I wasn’t the only one tempted to touch. I hated to admit it, but I had a flare of pride. “I enjoyed hanging out with him.”
I was surprised to realize I meant it. I never would have thought spending time with a six-year-old would have been enjoyable.
“Looks like he did too.” She moved away from the door and I followed her into the hallway.
“Did you get everything settled?”
“I think so.” She frowned.
“What’s wrong?” Her expression worried me.
“Granddad would have hated a large ceremony.” She sighed and headed for the stairs. “But I guess that as a duke there are some things that have to happen.”
“I don’t blame your grandfather.” I followed behind her. “I would want a small ceremony, not to be made into a production.”
“I’m starting to think you don’t like any type of production.” She looked at me over shoulder.
“Not really, no.” I wasn’t going to lie. “I don’t like being the focus, being the center of attention. It makes me uncomfortable.” I wasn’t going to lie, but I hadn’t intended to tell her so much about me.
“And yet you agreed to help me with my grandfather’s funeral.” She turned to me at the bottom of the stairs and set the sketch pad on a table. “Why?”
I stared at her for a minute, enjoying the way her eyes looked up at me, the tilt of her chin, the way her hair cascaded around her shoulders. “I don’t know.”
Unable to help myself, I reached out and touched her cheek with my fingers. Her pupils dilated and she inhaled softly. With one thumb I traced the dip under her plump bottom lip. Her hand reached up to trace my jaw and she took a step closer to me.
“You should be running from me as fast as you can.” She whispered the words. “I’m everything you don’t want.”
“I’m not so sure.”
“I live for the spotlight, it’s my food.” Her eyes were half lidded as she edged closer to my mouth. “And you’ve seen my family. I’m trouble, Max.”
Did I care? I wasn’t sure I was capable of making a real decision as her smell wrapped around my senses. The only thing I knew was that I wanted to taste her, to touch her, to press her against my body. To hear her say my name again.
Dipping my head, I grazed her lips with mine and I was lost. On a sigh, she leaned into me and wrapped her hands around my neck. Tilting her head back, I brought my mouth to hers carefully, softly, tasting. I wanted to deepen the kiss, to hear her moan, to feel the way her body could wrap around mine, but I kept it soft, sweet, and simple. She was in such a hard place, she needed to be protected, treasured by someone.
And right now, I was that person.
I think Reluctantly
Royal is definitely my second favorite book in the Suddenly series.
Just because none of them can ever top the first one, Suddenly Royal,
with Prince Yummy and all (see review here). I did like Recklessly Royal (see review here), but Max tops David from Cathy's book. I think this is the last book in the series and I'm seriously sad to be letting this royal family go! I loved Alex and Sam, Cathy and David, and Max and Meredith! They seem so real to me, a family that we have grown to love and imagine ourselves a part of. Despite the fact that they are royalty, they have a down-to-earth vibe that makes you feel like you could be one of them. I think that's one of the best things about this series. They're sweet and romantic. They can be hot at times. But, they're mostly feel good books about finding love when you least expect it and surrendering yourself to that love.
"She was everything I should avoid, but it seemed like she kept ending up in my path."
I think that Max and Meredith have the heaviest storyline out of the three couples. They initially meet in Recklessly Royal when they share a dance together. Next, they are thrown closer together after Max is the one to tell Meredith about the death of her grandfather, her father figure in life. After that, their relationship doesn't take off, but rather it builds in what I think is a healthy way. Max helps Meredith manage her son Marty while she makes funeral arrangements and everything. On top of that, Meredith has to deal with her alcoholic father. I swooned hard when Max stooped in to play knight in shining armor in that situation. I think the synopsis explains the story pretty well, so I'm not going to go any more into the plot.
"I was done for. The battle was over, if it had ever begun. I'd lost my heart to a prince. And I hadn't exactly been sitting around waiting for a prince to show up. I'd thought I didn't need anyone; I didn't need anyone. But I wanted him. All of him."
The way Max and Meredith's relationship develops so deeply and steadily has you thinking that this book progresses over the span of many months. But, in reality it was just a few weeks! I think that's my only problem with this book. It wasn't insta-love, it was instant attraction. Yet, I think it would have been more realistic, as realistic as a modern fairy tale romance can be, if they didn't fall in love in just a week. However, that detail didn't stop me from having all the feels. Meredith is such a strong female character, that you can't help but stand by her in figurative female solidarity and cheer for her the entire time. I normally don't read books where the heroine has a kid/children, but I loved Marty too much to stop reading. Also, we finally get to see inside the mind of the mysterious Max. He's the most isolated out of the three royal siblings and it was quite a journey to find out why he is the way he is and fall in love with him nevertheless.
"I wanted to deepen the kiss, to hear her moan, to feel the way her body could wrap around mine, but I kept it soft, sweet, and simple. She was in such a hard place, she needed to be protected, treasured by someone. And right now, I was that person."
I swooned, I laughed, I fanned myself. It was just the short and sweet, with a little steamy, book that I have been looking for. And, of course, we get to see more Alex and Sam! Yay! Oh, and a tiny bit of David and Cathy. I promise, you'll fall in love with Max and Meredith, and of course little Marty, quickly in Reluctantly Royal. They never thought they would fall for each other, but love has a funny way of sorting life out. Saying bye to this world is tough, but I know this isn't a goodbye for my love of Nichole Chase books.
"Meredith, you are my family. I don't know when exactly it happened. Maybe it was when you yelled at me, or poked me in the chest. Maybe it was when I watched you stand up to your father, or how you take care of Marty. But sometime this week, I fell in love with you. You and Marty. You are my family."
Nichole Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of Suddenly Royal, Flukes, The Dark Betrayal Trilogy, and several short stories. She is also the instructor of Say What? a dialogue class at the Romance Academy.
Nichole lives in Georgia with her husband, energetic daughter, superhero dog, Sulcata tortoise, and two cats. When not writing, you may find her reading, painting, crafting, or chasing her daughter around the house while making monster noises.
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