Reading Bliss: Royally Lost Review...

Title: Royally Lost

Author: Angie Stanton

Publisher: Harper Collins

Publication Date: May 6, 2014

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?

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“So how was your date with Nikolai?”

Becca glared at her brother, Dylan.

“Uh-oh. Did he stand you up?” Dylan held a rolled-up magazine.

She frowned, frustrated that she’d been so easily played. “Yeah, you could say that.”

“This might explain why.” Dylan held the magazine under her face, forcing her to look at the glossy picture of a guy who looked exactly like Nikolai.

She took the magazine and examined it closer. Her breath caught in her throat. “That’s Nikolai!”

She’d recognize him anywhere. She couldn’t read the foreign headline, but it ended with an exclamation point. “Dylan, where did you find this?”

He grimaced and shrugged. “It was at every newspaper stand I saw today.”

“Why is he on the cover? Did he do something wrong?” She paged through the magazine, holding her breath. Confusion turned to shock when she saw a two-page spread filled with pictures of Nikolai.

Nikolai at the beach; a picture of him playing polo; a picture of him in a tuxedo with a girl wearing a glittering gown. Then Becca’s eyes landed on a formal picture of Nikolai in uniform, with a sword at his belt, standing next to a young girl. A stern man and austere woman sat in gilded chairs; both adults wore crowns.

Her jaw dropped open.

“Why is Nikolai in that picture with people wearing crowns? Who is he?” she asked. Her heart pumped so fast she could feel the blood pulse through her temples. “And why did he lie about his identity?”

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Reviewed by Glendalys:

Becca is a girl on a trip across Europe with her family. Her boyfriend just cheated on her with her best friend, her step-mother keeps insisting that why should spend time together as a family even though her father isn't paying any attention and her brother keeps disappearing. On the trip from hell all Becca wants is to go home, until she meets Nikolai. Nikolai is the crown prince who's tired of the monarchy's traditions. He decides to run away to prove a point to his family. He never expected to meet Becca. This is a great young adult read. Its a wonderful love story for girls. That being said I didn't think the book was very original. I felt like I had read this story before or something similar to it. Prince meets girl and falls in love, parents tell him he can't see her anymore and they loss touch for a while. Until his parents give in and its happily ever after. But although it wasn't very original in my opinion I still think it would be a good read for young girls. Its good for girls to know that fairy tales can happen and that happily ever afters do exist.

RATING:

3 out of 5 stars

Reviewed by Ashley:

I absolutely LOVED this book. I have always liked the idea of fate intervening in people's lives and this book made me realize why. Fate really steps in when Becca and Prince Nikolai meet and form a friendship that quickly grows to more. I will be the first to admit that the girl meets prince story line isn't very original the story line and ideas behind that were.

In my opinion this story was about more than just a girl and a prince falling in love after they meet. There was a reason they were supposed to meet. This was a story about both of them fighting for their independence. They just wanted to be happy with life and they would do anything to be happy.

I highly recommend this book to not only the young girls but everybody. We all need to know that it is okay to grow up every once in a while. This book shows some of the struggles involved in growing up, like going to college, defying your parents and making a life for yourself.

I absolutely loved it and give it a 5 star rating!!!!!

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About Angie:

Angie Stanton never planned on writing books; she wanted to be a Rockette. However, growing up in rural Wisconsin, with her brothers' 4-H pigs as pets, dance didn't work out. Instead she became an avid daydreamer. After years of perfecting stories in her head, she began to write them down, and the rest is history.

Angie is the author of six books including Royally Lost, Rock and a Hard Place, and Snapshot. She graduated with a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin, and is a proud double finalist of the National Readers Choice Awards for Love 'em or Leave 'em.