Book Review and $20 Amazon gift card GIVEAWAY: Royally Lost, by Angie Stanton, ends 5/14

The last thing she felt like was sleep, so as she lay in bed, she replayed everything that had happened tonight. Nikolai, a gorgeous guy, not to mention the heir to the Mondovian throne, jumped aboard her river cruise boat and made out with her on the top desk. 

Who would possibly believe her? She barely believed it herself.

I signed up for this blog tour before knowing that Royally Lost was written by Angie Stanton, the author of the Jamieson series (the first one being one I reviewed back in September of last year). I found this one to be a cute story, too, but also have the same problems: an "insta-love" story that's not entirely realistic.

Official synopsis:
Dragged on a family trip to Europe’s ancient cities, Becca wants nothing more than to go home. Trapped with her emotionally distant father, over-eager stepmother, and a brother who only wants to hook up with European hotties, Becca is miserable. That is until she meets Nikolai, a guy as mysterious as he is handsome. And she unknowingly finds herself with a runaway prince.

Nikolai has everything a guy could ask for-he's crown prince, heir to the throne, and girls adore him. But the one thing he doesn't have...is freedom. Staging a coup, he flees his kingdom and goes undercover on his own European tour.

When Nikolai and Becca meet, it’s their differences that draw them together. Sparks fly as they share a whirlwind of adventures, all the while dodging his royal guard. But Becca's family vacation ends in a matter of days. Will Nikolai and Becca be forced to say goodbye forever, will his destiny catch up to him, or will they change history forever?

This book reminded me a lot of the movie The Prince and Me (2004), where the main female character falls for the main male character before she knows that he's royalty.

There were a few pros and a few cons to this novel.

The pros: the author obviously did her homework about Europe - even though Mondovia, to which Nikolai is the heir prince, is nonexistent (Genovia, anyone?), the rest of the cities that he and Becca visit are real, and she writes in great detail about the places they go to and the touristy things they do, which I liked.

The cons: I definitely believe that some of these things would happen in real life - Becca and her brother Dylan missing their flight back to the U.S. on purpose, for example, so that she could spend more time with Nikolai - but the consequences would be more severe. Both Becca and Nikolai seemed like spoiled brats at some points; Becca complaining that she doesn't want to go to Northwestern (I would have LOVED to go there but didn't get in for undergrad!), though she wanted to go to UW Madison because her deceased mother had gone there, and Nikolai saying he doesn't want to serve in the Mondovian military.

Not to pile on more, but some of the writing just seemed like things that the characters wouldn't say. Example - Becca and her step-mom, Vicky, with Vicky telling her this:

"You can't afford to forget [to put on sunscreen]. Good skin is your best asset when you get older. Look at my skin, it's porcelain perfect."

The author was trying to paint Vicky as a sort-of villain, except for at the end of the book (semi-spoiler), which I get; but I don't feel like someone would actually SAY their skin was like that, or at least use those words.

Another, from Dylan, the brother:

"The odds of me ever seeing any of these girls again is zero. If someone prettier, easier, or more fun stepped into my path, you bet I'd be onto her like foam on beer." He raised his glass in the air and took a drink.

Again, I get the generally sentiment here - Dylan is a player - but the wording is kind of strange.

To end on a positive note: the story is a good "beach" or "summer" read, just don't expect to be wowed by the writing or the way the characters instantly fall in love ("insta-love," as I called it earlier).

2.5 stars out of 5.

*Disclosure: I received an e-copy of this book in exchange for this blog post. The opinions expressed here, however, are my own.

GIVEAWAY:

Enter via the Rafflecopter form below. The other bloggers on this tour and I are offering one lucky reader a $20 Amazon gift card! Gift card is electronic, and this giveaway is open to all residents, including international. Giveaway will end on Wednesday, May 14th.

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