Royally Lost

by Angie Stanton

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?

Genres: Young Adult, Romance, Contemporary, Chick Lit, Travel, Royalty, Young Adult Contemporary

336 pages, Paperback

First published April 30, 2014

About the author

Angie Stanton is a life-long daydreamer who grew up with her hands on a book and her head in the clouds. As an adult, she’s put her talent to good use writing award winning contemporary fiction about life, love, and the adventures that follow.

Angie has a Journalism degree from the University of Wisconsin and is the best selling author of Waking in Time, If Ever, Rock and a Hard Place, Snapshot, Royally Lost, Under the Spotlight, Snowed Over, and Love ‘em or Leave ‘em.

Angie is a proud winner of a Midwest Book Award for Waking in Time.
Waking in Time is also a finalist in the National Readers Choice Awards as is her book If Ever and Love 'em or Leave 'em.

In her spare time, Angie sneaks off to New York City to enjoy the best entertainment experience on earth, Broadway. She is currently working on a series of Broadway-themed books, and is a contributing writer to BroadwayWorld.com.

Angie’s latest release is If Ever, a sexy, playful love story spanning from LA to New York and London.

For more information on Angie and her books, please visit:
www.angiestanton.com
Facebook.com/AngieStantonAuthor
Twitter: @angie_stanton
Instagram angiestanton_author.

Reviews

[Khanh, first of her name, mother of bunnies · Rating 1 out of 5]

He turned to her, leaned down, and kissed her, his kisses sending her over the moon. They lay entwined on the lounge chair making out. Becca lost herself in the perfect world where a handsome prince sweeps an average American girl off her feet.

DNF at 58%, right after the main character says "I love you" to a guy she's known all of a week because I can't take the amount of incomprehensible stupidity in this book.

This book makes The Princess Diaries read like Game of Thrones. I hated its silliness and its carefree portrayal of boo fucking hoo poor-little-rich-kids privilege with the strength of a thousand burning pounds of unicorn feces. I would read Anna and the French Kiss ten times over before finishing this book, and you might recall I didn't exactly love Anna. The heroine in this book rivals Anna in stupidity, in insipidity, awash with #firstworldproblems and #whitegirlproblems, with none of the cuteness.

It is a sad day indeed when I am forced to admit that Anna is cute, in comparison to anything. If Anna is like a fluffly, snuffly little Shih-Tzu puppy, Becca is a little rat-sized chihuahua that never ceases to yap that I want to mentally soccer-punt into oblivion.

The Summary:

“Ten days of this. Shoot me now. Everything here is a gabillion years old. The palace of this, the castle of that. Seriously?”

Becca is having the worst fucking summer ever. EVER. Her wealthy technology CEO dad is dragging the entire family to Europe. EUROPE! Fuck that shit. They have to spend like, a month, traveling down central Europe on a luxury riverboat cruise.



They have to visit old fucking cities like Vienna, Austria and touring old fucking historical sites like Hofburg Palace and Schönbrunn Palace and Melk Abbey.





They have to eat "exotic" European local foods, when all Becca wants is a Diet Pepsi and some McDonalds.

All she wanted was something familiar, like an icy cold, American Diet Pepsi, french fries, and music that wasn’t three hundred years old. She checked out the streets jutting off the square and chose the street where she saw the McDonald’s.

Old palaces. Walking tours. Learning about history.

She leaned back in her seat, quickly bored again, and wishing she were home. Other than the couple of moments of eye candy, Becca hated Europe.

Spending time with her family. Why does life suck so bad? I mean, fuck, her stepmother actually WANTS them to be like a family and bond. What kind of stepmom does that anyway?!

10 days on a riverboat cruise in Europe with her family. Surely, life can't get any worse :\

But really, Becca doesn't have it bad at all, compared to Prince Nikolai, Crown Prince of Mondovia.

The demands of the monarchy—and his parents—threatened to suffocate the life right out of him. As each day passed, he lost more of himself.

;____________;

Nikolai's life is horrible. He's a young, 18-year old Crown Prince of a small European royalty. He doesn't actually HAVE to do anything, since the Crown is a figurehead only. It's like working at McDonalds! It's child labor! It's HORRIBLE! Nikolai has to spend day after day attending royal events and being photographed and attending state dinners and riding horses. It's HORRIBLE!

“I guess the thing that makes it so difficult is my lack of choices. There is very little I get to decide for myself. My parents have picked my schools, my activities, who I associate with. They and their advisors decide who I sit next to at formal events, who I speak to at a grand opening, who I take photos with at fund-raisers, what charities I must support, even what horse I’ll ride.”

Not to mention the fact that his family is wealthy because they take all the taxpayer's money, so that Nikolai will be wealthy for the rest of his life without ever having to work.

I mean, who'd want that sort of life, anyway?

;__________;

It's not like Nikolai can abdicate or anything. I mean...what kind of a king would abdicate...



Oh.

Well, um. Nikolai wants to be an environmentalist.

He was far more interested in saving the planet from pollution than plotting invasions in war-torn countries.

So it's not like he can have make a cause out of saving the environment and going green or anything, I mean, what kind of Crown Prince becomes an environmentalist?!



Oh.

Well, um. Nikolai's being forced to join the army. WHAT KIND OF CROWN PRINCE JOINS THE MILITARY ANYWAY?!



Oh.

Other royal families, like in England, they don’t have to go into the military, do they?”
“The direct heirs to the throne have all served.” He frowned.
“So what are you going to do?”
“Run away.”

*slow clap* Way to go, Nikolai. Yes. Go after your dreams.

Since Nikolai is so sick of his pampered, sheltered, wealthy, leisurely life, he's going to run away and be incognito and ignore aaaaaaaaaaall the responsibilitiezzzz! He's going to do it on a motorbike that's been given to him by Middle Eastern royalty.

And he will meet Becca. Refreshing Becca. Becca without a brain cell in her head.

"I barely passed high school Spanish.”

This is the story of how an idiot prince falls in love with an "refreshingly idiotic" commoner.

Something about this beautiful American girl kept him from thinking about anything else. It didn’t make sense. Becca was ignorant of the historic cities she toured. Her sense of direction was so bad she could probably lose her own shadow, and her quirky sense of humor made him constantly want to kiss her.

Becca:

“The kids in Europe must hate history class. These countries go back so freakin’ far. At least the U.S. is barely two hundred years old.”

Becca would give Anna-oui-is-spelled-wee a run for her money in the brains department. She is a newly graduated senior, who will be going to Northwestern in the fall. I can only surmise that her admittance is thanks to her dad's money and legacy. Because Becca is a motherfucking moron.

I don't even know what the fuck is wrong with her school. I don't know about anyone else, but my high school required three years of a foreign language, and yet Becca is barely competent in English, let another another language. What the FUCK kind of school did she attend? I attended high school in America! We had to learn European history! Becca doesn't seem to know any fucking thing! American history goes back 200 years?! NO! What about the days of the colonists, the pilgrims? The pre-Columbus days?! Don't tell me she didn't learn that! Don't tell me her high school curriculum didn't even cover Europe!

I don't know how the fuck Northwestern admitted her, when Becca "barely passed Spanish" and barely pulled off a B in history.

“But you’re not even from here! I don’t know how you can remember the history of other countries. I can’t tell you a thing about Canada other than they play a lot of hockey there. History is my worst subject. I barely pulled off a B last semester.”

She is the epitome of the Ugly, Stupid American abroad, and is the kind of American tourist that makes Europeans hate American tourists. She refuses to adapt. She constantly seeks out McDonalds instead of local cuisine (and come on, it's fucking Europe. It's not like the food there is anything like the comparative strangeness of, say, African or Asian foods).

Nikolai: The Smooth Stalker:

"Think about it. I’m an American girl in a foreign country, who took off with a guy I’ve known for barely two minutes. For all I know, you’ve kidnapped me and are going to sell me into slavery.”

It really sucks that Nikolai is a crown prince, but it's ok. He's got an alternative career...Ok, he can't really DO anything at all.

“For starters, I don’t have too many skills other than shaking hands, playing polo, and fencing.”

But he's wrong! Nikolai has a career...in stalking girls!

Becca goes to one city? He happens to be there as well. They move onto another city? BOOM! He's there. What a coincidence! I don't know, but to me, that's rather creepy. And then he sneaks onto her riverboat cruise in the middle of the night and scares the shit out of Becca.

Becca set down the remote and rubbed her face. When she looked up, she saw a tall, imposing figure lurking on the other side of her balcony railing.
Becca screamed and scrambled back into the corner of her bed.
“Becca, it’s me, Nikolai,” he called out, hoping he didn’t fall into the Danube as he clung to the outside of the moving boat.

OH, HE'S HANGING ONTO THE OUTSIDE OF A MOVING RIVERBOAT IN THE DARK BECAUSE HE FOLLOWED HER. THAT'S NOT CREEPY AT ALL.

It's absolutely acceptable to be a creeper if you're good looking. Then it's romantic. Men: don't try this if you're ugly.

He's a smooth talker. There's nothing like dropping your royal title to get a girl to drop her panties.

“If you do become king, you could never hang out with me.”
“Nope. Not unless you were my queen.” He smirked.

But still, it's just SO REFRESHING TO FIND SOMEONE WHO LOVES HIM FOR HIM. Someone so NORMAL. Like *sigh* Becca.

Being the Prince of Mondovia allowed him access to a lot of pretty girls, most of whom wanted to kiss a prince. But none drove him crazy like Becca.

ME HATE THIS BOOK. ME SMASH. ME LOST 50 IQ POINTS. ME VOCABULARY DEAD. AAAAAAAAAAARG.

[Hailey (Hailey in Bookland) · Rating 1 out of 5]

Definitely not for me. Snobby privileged MC, extremely predictable (which I’ll admit I expected), literally 0 substance to it... ugh I had such high hopes! This sounded like it could have been adorably fluffy but within 60 pages there’s a kiss. That’s when I knew this would be hard to get through. But I trudged along. Oh well! I think as a movie I would have liked it, but this was just too much cheese for me to read. But if you like corny romances that are just pure fluff, you might enjoy this! (Nothing wrong with enjoying them, they’re just not my thing)

[Debby · Rating 1 out of 5]

0 stars

I've put off writing this review for almost a month. I just didn't want to put my rage pants on, but now, with the release approaching, I must do it. I must finally open up and be honest about all the different ways that this book infuriated me. So get a drink and a snack, strap yourself in, because we'll be here a while.

Let me start this off with a quiz:

1. Are you a fan of Europe? Traveling? Exploring different cultures?
2. Are you opposed to instalove?
3. Does stalker behavior creep you out at all?
4. Do you feel like parents should be given the tiniest bit of respect?

Congratulations! If you answered YES to any of the above, this book will piss you off.

Becca is a terrible main character who hates Europe.

I'm not even kidding about the amount of Europe hatred that goes on here. All Becca does is bitch and moan and bitch and moan. Her dad and stepmom have DRAGGED her across the ocean for a trip across Europe, I mean how dare they. It's all HISTORICAL stuff and ew, yuck, why won't they move on and live in the present? Think I'm kidding?

Apparently it was a loop around the center of Vienna, but all Becca knew was that the tour guide droned on endlessly about long dead musicians, old buildings, and more history than anyone should ever have to hear. From what Becca could gather, some family named Habsburg seemed to be tied to everything. It's not like she'd ever need to know any of this stuff. She needed fresh air, trees, and grass. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

"The kids in Europe must hate history class. These countries go back so freakin' far. At least the U.S. is barely two hundred years old." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

As she stood alone among the bustling crowd, all she wanted was something familiar, like an icy cold American Diet Pepsi, french fries, and music that wasn't three hundred years old. She checked out the streets jutting off the square and chose the street where she saw the McDonald's. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

And that was all... in Chapter... 3.



As a European, as a fan of culture and travel, Becca's attitude just majorly pisses me off. She's surrounded by so much beauty and culture and doesn't respect it even for a second. Her attitude continues for the rest of the book, complaining about everything and generally being a stick in the mud.

"Look at all those dishes," Becca said as they entered a room with floor-to-ceiling shelves filled with dishes, pulling his attention back to the present. "No one needs that many plates, and why did they save them? Because honestly, who cares about three-hundred-year-old plates?"

"Becca, you have a gift for stating the obvious. Let's get out of here." He led her past the remaining rooms and directly to the exit.

She sighed. "Thank you. I know history is important, but jeesh. Live for today, people! I can't believe I have another week of this stuff." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Yes, Becca, putting dishes and porcelain work on display in a museum is totally a sign that we in Europe are stuck in the past. Us miserable hicks. I can't believe I have 180 more pages of this stuff.

But once she meets Nikolai, everything changes. That's not to say that she suddenly likes Europe - no. But the TRIP was worthwhile because she met the freaking love of her life. Clearly, the only good thing Europe has to offer the world is its men.

Other than the couple of moments of eye candy, Becca hated Europe. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Becca couldn't believe her luck. Maybe she was supposed to come to Europe to find a decent guy. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

She had started out this trip hating Europe. But then she met the most amazing guy on the planet. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

This romance is absolute sickening instalove.

Nikolai first by coincidence runs into Becca twice. Being the kindhearted prince that he is, he offers to show her around. But actually he's just a creepy stalker.

"No. I'm not following you." Nikolai laughed. But he might like to. She seemed nice and was certainly beautiful. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

That was after their second encounter. Excuse me while I barf and also RUN LIKE HELL IN THE OPPOSITE DIRECTION. That shit is not romantic. But fine, he feels a "connection" to her, so he tries to keep up with their tour group so they can hang out together. Within days such wonderful bombs as the following get dropped:

"You're different from any other girl I've met." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

"I love the idea of chasing you around Europe, but at some point I need to figure out how to get my life under control, before I create an international incident."

Didn't he want to keep seeing her? She thought he liked her as much as she liked him. Maybe she was wrong. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Be careful, Becca. Your co-dependence is showing. Oh, but let's not forget my favorite:

He played with a lock of her hair. "If there's one thing I can say about you, it's that you're an eternal optimist."

She shrugged. "I can't help it. It's the only way I know how to get through the bad stuff." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

This is said completely without sarcasm, after Becca tells him he shouldn't be so hard on himself. Um. Nikolai, please reflect on previous shown passages of Becca's MEGA BITCHY ATTITUDE. WHAT ABOUT THAT SAYS ETERNAL OPTIMIST? I CAN'T FIND A SINGLE OPTIMISTIC THOUGHT - except, I guess, about you. Okay, I guess I can maybe see how this confusion arose. Maybe.

But on the fourth or fifth day of knowing each other, the good stuff starts coming in.

"I can't imagine tomorrow without you. I never knew I could fall for someone so fast." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

"I thought I was running away, but it turns out I was running to you. Becca, you've made my life worth living again and now I have to leave you. This is killing me. I've never felt this way about anyone before. Ever." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Change the might to definitely will because I'm so over this. This is the sappiest load of instalove I have ever had to witness in my miserable life and every drop of it makes me sick. This is not how relationships work. And they don't even have an electrifying chemistry to fall back on either. All they do is kiss and hold hands a couple times. Even when they're traveling alone in hostels and stuff, no serious making out, no sex. "You've made my life worth living again" because of what? My bitchy attitude? How I've torn your continent to shreds with my words? With my timid little kiss? FUCK OFF.

Becca is the most ungrateful bitch ever to her parents.

"Right about now they are probably downing their second glass of chardonnay with lunch. After that they're going to some summer home or fourth residence of the eighteenth King of 'I Couldn't Care Less,' and then a classical concert designed to put even the most caffeinated history fanatics to sleep."

Nikolai laughed. "And they left you to fend for yourself?"

"No. My brother is around here somewhere. He maneuvered my dad into letting us skip out of their afternoon of torture. I was on my way to the Hofburg Palace to get tickets, just in case my dad checks, which is unlikely. Unless my brother, Dylan, lands another speeding ticket or I fail to make the honor roll, Dad wouldn't know we're on the same continent." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

The above is one example of how Becca and her brother, Dylan, take complete advantage of their parents. And it's a conversation that strangely gets repeated almost to the DOT three pages later - a mistake I hope DEARLY gets fixed in the last round of edits. But basically, all throughout this book, Becca and Dylan skip out on their parents.

She couldn't wait to escape the daily annoyance of spending time with her dad and Vicky. They were not a family unit and never would be. - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Well not with that attitude. This is what bothers me. She complains the entire book about how her stepmother drags her on this trip because she's trying to get the family to spend more time together. Then she and her brother keep bailing on the plans and sneaking off to do their own thing and she pities herself because they're not a real family. Are you kidding me???



I get that having a distant family is tough. Her dad is occupied with work all the time. BUT THAT'S WHY YOU MAKE TRIPS LIKE THESE COUNT. IS IT YOUR DAD THAT'S SNEAKING OFF AND DITCHING YOU? NO. IT'S YOU, BITCH. HE'S TRYING, HE KEEPS ASKING, AND YOU KEEP TURNING HIM DOWN.

The absolute worst part is towards the end of their boat trip. Their parents had arranged that they would spend a few days in Munich together, but Dylan found some college students to party with and Becca wants to stay with Nikolai. Their stepmother has been cheerfully preaching about how awesome it is to go backpacking through Europe after high school - so they decide to ask them if they can go "backpacking together" while they really just sneak off to do their own stuff. Unsurprisingly, the parents, who have been shafted this entire trip and still want to get some family time in, say no. And the TANTRUM Becca throws then. I mean HOW DARE they say no to this completely reasonable offer???



BUT THAT'S NOT ALL. Then her dad gets called back on business, but they can't all fit on the same plane. So the dad and stepmother fly back one day and Becca and Dylan are booked for the next day, but those ungrateful bitches switch the tickets for three days later so they can go along with their original plan. SO MUCH RAGE. SUCH ANGER. MUCH GRRR. I don't have the best relationship with my parents, BUT YOU DON'T FUCKING PULL SHIT LIKE THIS. (Though also: stupid move of the parents. So much stupid in one book. I cannot even.)

The ending is a catastrophically happy one.

After mishaps on Becca's journey alone with Nikolai, they get separated when he is kidnapped back to his country. I'm not even getting into how stupid it was for him to run away, and what a double standard he holds when his little sister copies his behavior, and how effortlessly he comes back at the end with policy ideas that no one in the government had apparently thought of before, despite them being really simple, because WHO HAS THAT KIND OF TIME and OH MY GOD THIS REVIEW IS ALREADY TOO LONG.

But basically they get separated and I cheered. Then they try to find each other and I groaned. Then Becca is the most idiotic MC I've ever encountered, with the following gem:

"Have you tried to contact him?" Vicky stared at the photo of Nikolai.

"I have, but all the info on the Mondovia Royal Family website doesn't include an email or phone number. It's like they live in the Dark Ages or something. All I could find was an address. I sent a letter the day after I got back." - ARC of Royally Lost by Angie Stanton

Seriously bitch? Seriously? You can't believe that the royal family isn't posting their email or PHONE NUMBER online? "Hello, Operator? I'd like to speak to the Prince of Mondovia?" GET A FUCKING CLUE. THE WORLD DOESN'T WORK LIKE THIS. But ugh ugh ugh, after EVENTS and THINGS and more of Nikolai's STALKER BEHAVIOR, they find each other and HAPPILY EVER AFTER, EVERYTHING IS GOOD AGAIN.



Summing Up:

No. Bad. Run.

GIF it to me straight!




*ARC was provided by the publisher in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the contents of the review. CLEARLY.

[Giselle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 stars

Well so freaking adorable! While perusing reviews it seems like more than a few of my friends disliked this one, and I admit that it's not perfect by any means so I get it, but it's exactly the kind of fluffy fairy-tale-esque read I was in the mood for on a rainy weekend. It's the type of romantic adventure that is both idealistic and exotic; perfect for fans of Jennifer E. Smith.

What I didn't like:
-Insta-love ruined some of its charm for me. It was unnecessary and did more harm than good on how I felt about the book. There was not even a built-up to it, suddenly they were just declaring their love. Well okay then!

-These kids are both 18 years old - legal adults - yet both are still being ordered by their parents as if they were 14. No kidding, the prince got hunted down by his parents' security team, taken back home by force and grounded. Do adults with parents have no freedom rights in this fictional country? Although, Becca who's American was also dealing with needing permission from her father (her AND her older brother of at least 19 years) and eventually got grounded as well, so this made no sense to me.

-Nikolai sounded very American to me. I didn't feel he was written very European-like, in terms of dialogue especially.

-Becca's hate towards this trip was a bit much at times. It could have been toned down while still communicating the fact that this ruse of being this perfect family was a drag. I didn't see it as her hating Europe like some, though, just that she hated being stuck under her father and stepmother's heels. But still.

What I did like:
-The atmosphere is fun, light, and I found details on European history quite compelling - which is saying something coming from a not-a-history-buff-at-all person like myself. With that said I can't say how accurate all the details are, but it really brought the setting to life.

-Aside from the insta-love aspect, the romance is adorable and yes, cliché at times, but fluffy in a way that made me smile. Like reading a too-good-to-be-true-but-fun-nonetheless fairy-tale. Also, I'm the type who finds themselves fascinated by celebrity lifestyles and what it means to be in the public eye every second of your life, and him being a Prince trying to hide-out gave it that extra zing.

-The growth in Becca's character. Being in a foreign country and having been through a very… interesting vacation, she seemed to really find herself. She ends up figuring out what she really wants in life. She also doesn't let heartbreak turn her into a mess, but rather uses it to drive her forward and I found that wonderful.

-The HEA ending, because sometimes we just need them.

So this may not be a perfect novel where everything is to be praised, and the characters are depicted more for the purpose of the book than anything, but it's one of those fun beach reads that pauses life for a few hours in a fool's paradise.

--
An advance copy was provided by the publisher for review.

For more of my reviews, visit my blog at Xpresso Reads

[Patrycja · Rating 3 out of 5]

Title: Royally Lost
Series: Standalone
Author: Angie Stanton
Release Date: May 6 , 2014
Rating: 3 stars
Cliffhanger:. No
HEA: Yes




Royally Lost is cute, sweet and extremely well written and exciting read, that will please almost every fan of Young Adult contemporary romance. With enough amount of drama and heart fluttering romance this is perfect novel to enjoy while sunbathing in May. The plot was so adorable!

Yes, maybe it was a little bit unrealistic at times, and there were many things definitely wouldn’t have happen in the real life, yet somehow I felt glued to the pages. What I found a little bit disappointing was insta – love, but I guess it went okay with this fluffy fairytale.

The Europe adventure was very interesting twist! I like books with this kind of trips as they always transport me into so many places, I haven’t visited yet. Not only did author very well pictured Europe but also the sparks that flew between Becca and Nikolai. They were cute together.

There were also moments when I wanted to roll my eyes. Some things were cheesy or over the top, but I tried not to mind them much. I wanted to relax with a sweet, light read and I definitely did.
Summing up, nothing better to read about than a handsome prince, right? *winks*

* Review Copy, provided by publisher in exchange for honest review *


FOLLOW SMOKIN HOT BOOK BLOG ON:

[Lauren]

I've found my first DNF of the year. I'm at 16% and just cannot go on any more.

First, whenever a book features fake royals from a nonexistent country, I know there's going to be a layer of absurdity and silliness. Still, I was hoping for a story that was fun and endearing, but unfortunately, I just couldn't stand the characters, and I don't think we're ever going to be friends.

Becca is visiting Europe on a boat cruise with her father, step-mom and brother Dylan. Just the idea of experiencing anywhere in a large tour group gives me the hives, so I definitely understand why she's not happy to be there. BUT she's spent all of the book so far going on and on about her dislike of history and culture, which she thinks is a huge waste of time. History is my favorite, and I cannot connect to that in any way at all. I wanted to cry, because she's in some amazing places, and doesn't get it at all. I cannot fathom what Nikolai, this European-prince-in-disguise, sees in her.

Besides complaining about history, Becca has spent the rest of her time either exclaiming about Nikolai's hotness, or trying to find a McDonalds. When she laments about how old and outdated Vienna is, Nikolai tells her that Vienna does have a modern culture, and takes her to McDonalds to prove it. He then proclaims it to be the "modern day, universal symbol of goodwill." With french fry in hand, Becca finally gives him her first genuine smile. If you finally have the chance to travel and instead of looking at what's all around, you go hunting for a McDonald's, well there's not much I can say to you. At this point I was done.

I'm very disappointed that I genuinely cannot connect to Becca. I am no longer a teenager, but I know that my perspective will always be different from hers. Perhaps she'll change throughout the course of the book, but I'm not sure it's worth the effort to get there. If she marries Nikolai and becomes a person of influence, heaven help us!

[missEvi [can't commit to a book] · Rating 1 out of 5]

Did I miss something? Is being stupid and uneducated the new trend amongst the late teens?

If I was an American, I would be seriously offended by the heroine in this book.

Ok, let’s start at the beginning…

Stupid teenage girl going with parents to Europe

Stupid teenage girl hates the historical sites and feels bad for europeans that have to learn soooo much history

Stupid teenage girl gets lost even going to the bathroom (I think she should check her ears..maybe she has a serious condition)

Stupid teenage girl meets stranger teenage boy…meet again…talk…wait for it… fells in love… Oh I forgot the punchline: he is a prince gone rogue

Stupid teenage girl with ear problem decides to miss her plane on purpose and stay with said prince in Europe, that suddenly finds interesting…

bla bla bla… kissing… bla bla bla… problems with the royal guard… bla bla bla… assault from royal guard…

But the worst of all is not the plot or the love-at-first-sight..no.. the worst is the forced conversations. During the whole book (ok, not whole exactly, it was around 75%) I was picturing in my head two teenagers, with bad acting skills, rehearsing for a school play. It’s the best way to describe how bad the conversations were.

Verdict: NO! Absolutely no, even if you have/had a huge thing for royals. If you seriously want to read about stupid very interesting royal lives, try Suddenly Royal.

[Linda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another fun and romantic novel by one of my favorite YA authors, Angie Stanton! "Royally Lost" is a cute and entertaining romp across Europe through the eyes of college-bound Becca. But what she doesn't see, is that the backpacking boy she's fallen for, the mysterious guy who is touring Europe as well, is none other than a true-life prince. While Becca searches for a future not determined by her father, Prince Nikolai searches to escape his past, and thus his own predetermined monarchy. Set amongst the attractions of modern-day Europe, "Royally Lost" is a delight for any reader. Add this to your Angie Stanton YA collection today!

[Tiff · Rating 1 out of 5]

I'm going to be frank here: Royally Lost was probably my biggest reading disappointment of the year. I had high hopes for a fun, royal jaunt through Europe - as some of you know, royalty and travel are two of my favourite themes. This book left me cold - so cold, I stopped at 25% and could not finish it.

In the interest of minimizing your time reading about sucky stuff, I'm going to keep this short by listing the good and bad.

The Good:

Lots of Historical Research: It was clear that the author had done a lot of research on European history and she was trying to convey it in a clear and fun way. I liked learning more about the Habsburgs and various museums and churches around Europe. Definitely a big part of why I like travel!

The Bad:

The Whiney Non-Characters: I was incredibly annoyed by the characters in this book. The prince, Nikolai, is basically every prince we've ever met - he just wants to escape the bounds of his leisurely life.

"As his ancestors stared down from their high-framed perches, they seemed to be asking him the big, important question. Would he follow in their footsteps and hold up his part of the family dynasty? Or would he let them down and become a brief footnote in Mondovian history?"

His other charming personality traits include: thinking Americans are ignorant ("...you obviously need some serious education in European history. You Americans are too ignorant about the rest of the world," he teased), being hot (according to Becca), and liking Becca.

Becca's personality traits are whininess at being dragged on a trip to Europe with her family, annoyance at anything old or historic ("...I know history is important, but jeesh! Live for today, people! I can't believe I have another week of this stuff."), and attraction to Nikolai. When Nikolai calls her a bright light in his trip, I just couldn't believe it. What's so bright about a girl who doesn't appreciate anything and just whines all of the time?

The point of the book was probably for Becca to learn a lot about Europe and to appreciate history and her family, and maybe we would have seen that self-discovery later on. But by making the characters so boring and unlikeable to begin with, the author lost me from the beginning.

The Insta-Love: Speaking of not caring, it might be believeable that two teenagers who are feeling lost and alone in Europe together would immediately hook up - but I didn't get the feeling that the author wanted Becca and Nikolai to be just a couple of stolen kisses because of the whole "bright light" thing. Clearly, Becca and Nikolai formed a connection that went deeper than the physical...but again, I just didn't believe it. They had a couple of hours together, and they weren't even hours that were described in massive detail - they go to a museum and McDonalds, all within a few pages, and then, suddenly, Nikolai sees her as the savior of his trip. It just didn't work for me.

The Simplistic, Cliche-Ridden Writing: The writing was the main reason I could not finish this novel. Good writing - or at least passable writing - has a variety of different sentence structures, interesting descriptors, and lots of showing-not-telling.  Royally Lost was so simple in its sentence structure, and it made the reading clunky and slow. For example, Nikolai thinks, "Why couldn't she be staying in Vienna for the week? They could have so much fun. She had helped him feel alive again."

Each one of these sentences is plunked down as truth, and it just feels very much like telling and not showing. Even though I had just read about Becca's and Nikolai's day together, I was suspicious of their connection because the writing just didn't flow right.

Another big part of that lack of flow was because every single descriptor in the book was the most basic, obvious descriptor ever. After their day together, Becca thinks,

"Today had turned out to be the best day ever. Nikolai had been the nicest, funniest guy she'd ever met. Suddenly all the pain she felt over Ethan dumping her for Kelly evaporated as if he'd never even mattered."

"Best day ever" doesn't really give me an idea of why it was such a good day. "Nicest, funniest guy she'd ever met" - what does this mean? What makes him nice or funny? And are there better words for that? And "evaporated as if he'd never even mattered" isn't really a simile or a metaphor.

If I sound mad, it's because I am. This premise had so much promise (yikes, alliteration city!), but because of the poor writing and boring characters, I honestly didn't even understand how this book had been published. Talk about a disappointment.


The Final Word: 

For me, Royally Lost had a great premise, but failed to live up to my expectations of it. Because of the unvaried writing and uninteresting characters, I couldn't finish it. If you're not super into writing and just really like fluffy romances, I think this one could be for you - I certainly hope there are others out there who love it because I think it had a lot of promise. It just wasn't for me.

Review originally posted at Mostly YA Lit

[Nasty Lady MJ · Rating 1 out of 5]

To see full review click here

Conspiracy Theory: Meg Cabot brought Princess Mia out of retirement because of this book.

Because something had to fix the damage that Angie Stanton caused the princess genre in the YA-verse.

If you like books about princesses, don’t read this one. If you like books about Europe and traveling in Europe. Run away. Now. And try to calm yourself down by binge watching episodes of Rick Steves on PBS.

I know that’s what I intend to do after this shit fest.

Here are the life lessons this book has taught me. I can’t believe that in twenty-six years I missed all of these:

1) Everything older than ten years old is lame. Because living in the past is well dumb, according to our wise, young, and hip heroine.

2) McDonalds is the best thing ever. Those pink slime burgers are way better than kolaches and sauerkraut.

3) He’s cute! You must be in looove.

4) Three days works for Disney couples and you too.

5) Parents are lame. Take their money. Lie to them. Don’t be responsible. They’re just lame and they should totally let you travel around with complete strangers on an unfamiliar continent. Because family bonding time-don’t need it.

Of course there are more little life lessons, but I’m not going to spoil them all for you. That would keep you from having the joyous experience that I had.

Also, it might keep you from going insane.

To be honest, I really was looking forward to this one. I thought that it would be a light cute read. But the first paragraph I’m introduced to Becca and she’s bemoaning about how lame Europe is with its stuffy history.

And at this point I wanted to smack her.

Let me tell you guys a story. When I was in high school my history class was sponsoring a three week trip to Europe. I begged my parents to let me go, but I didn’t get to because of financial reasons. The point is, I was devastated. So, I worked my butt of in college and in law school, so that when another opportunity presented itself I could study abroad. Which I did. I didn’t have enough money to gallivant around main Europe, but the country of Ireland was enough. I spent my time just marvel at how old and beautiful everything was. And I didn’t spend my time in a McDonalds-though I did go to the campus Starbucks mainly because it was the only place that had iced coffee and I only drink my coffee iced. Long story short, I wasn’t empathetic towards Becca and her hatred towards Europe at all.

Honestly, Becca felt a bit like a caricature or like one of the kids on National Lampoon’s European Vacation. She gives Americans a bad name. She’s ignorant, rude, and downright shallow. I don’t know how she managed to finagle her way into Northwestern-I’m betting daddy bought her in. Because she’s not smart enough to know to keep her passport in a money belt. Or for that matter, she thinks its a good idea to run around Europe with a stranger who has shown stalker tendencies. And she just laughs about getting her picture blasted on the front page of the tabloids in her skivvies.

Seriously, she’s like one of those stupid girls on I Want to Marry Harry (I really don’t know how they don’t know that’s not the real prince).

[Brandy Painter]

Oh. My.

I so wanted to like this. I was in the mood for a fluffy YA read. I NEEDED a fluffy and light read. But this is just so awful. Why?

1. Made up country names like Borganistan and Mondovia.

2. Lines like:

"He was far more interested in saving the planet from pollution than plotting invasions in war torn countries. How could his parents not see that?"

From the heroine on touring Europe: "Ten days of this. Shoot me now. Everything her is a gabillion years old."
(We are supposed to believe this girl is on her way to Northwestern by the way.)

"The kids in Europe must hate history class. These countries go back so freakin' far. At least the US is barely two hundred years old."
(Yes let's forget that there was any history that took place on this continent prior to the establishment of the US government.)

"But you're not even from here! I don't know how you can remember the history of other countries. I can't tell you a thing about Canada other than they play a lot of hockey there."
(Basically she personifies everything that every one from other countries thinks is wrong with the American mentality, but it is supposed to be charming here? Because the hero likes her? Why? I couldn't figure that out.)

3. The heroine is completely unlikeable. COMPLETELY. I'm not one to say that characters have to be likeable or even relatable, but this is just wow. As evidence, I give you the above three lines.

4. There is an awful lot of: YAY US! What on earth is up with those silly behind the times Europeans? (Again, see quotes.)

5. The dialogue is actually painful to read in parts, and in the other parts it's just laughable.

I forced my way through six chapters and decided it wasn't going to get any better and just had to stop.

[Grace (LovingDemBooks) Z. · Rating 2 out of 5]

Buy this book HERE on Amazon or buy this book HERE on BookDepository with FREE WORLDWIDE SHIIPPING

I received an finished copy of this book from the publisher (HarperTeen) for free in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

2 of 5 stars (Please read my rating system further below). A book about a girl who travels around the world, meets a prince, and they fall in love. What could go wrong? Royally Lost had everything going for itself, it has a great cover, a great idea, and an amazing-sounding plot line. My biggest problem with this book was the dialogue. To me, it felt so robotic and inhuman, like the characters had no emotion, like they weren't even alive. Because of the dialogue, I had such a hard time investing myself in any of the characters, making Royally Lost a fairly big disappointment. The main characters Becca and Nikolai had the most awkward and choreographed encounters. They were unbelievable, and the fact that they're love story progressed from "accidentally" seeing each other around Europe just made me want to snicker to myself because it was so unreal. This book could've still been decent with the encounters that Becca and Nikolai had throughout the book, but the immaturity of Becca and Nikolai and their inhuman dialogue would've had to been stripped of this book. Because of these imperfections, the love story in Royally Lost didn't develop much, and neither did the characters. Overall, there were many problems that I had with this book, including character dialogue, development, and maturity. I was very sad to not have loved this book, it was a book that I was looking forward to reading all of 2014.

My rating system: (I do use half stars.)
5 - I do not use the 5 star. Not because a book might not be worthy, but because a book is never perfect.
4 - I loved it! There weren't too many flaws, and I had no trouble getting through it. (A 4 star rating is the highest rating I've ever given a book.)
3 - I enjoyed the book, but there we're flaws that made me enjoy it less.
2 - I finished the book, but there were too many flaws for me to enjoy it.
1 - I could not finish the book, and I probably did not finish it....

[Jenna · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nothing better than a prince and me kind of story and backpacking/travel chicklit book to uplift my terrible week. I super enjoyed reading Becca and Nikolai's adventure of trying to find themselves but eventually fate led them to each other as well. This is the kind of story that won't break your hearts into a million pieces, nor murder your brain with A complicated story. Instead, this is the kind of story you want to read after a bad day at work or school. There's nothing epic
About it, and i didn't find the writing special, but the story was really catchy and it strung me along pretty quickly. I'm not a fan of the instalove thing though, but I won't deny the attraction between our main characters. I can match One Direction's "Live like we're young" here. It's fun listening to that song while reading the book. It kind matches on some parts:)

[Jasprit · Rating 2 out of 5]

DNF at 29%

Royally Lost gave the vibe of being a fun book filled with adventure and a sweet romance. Instead what I got was insta love and a bunch of control freak parents. Becca was forced on trip around Europe with her dad, step mum and brother, on what was meant to be a chance for the family to get to know one another and spend quality time. Becca can’t stand her step mum and her dad never seems to have time for her, so they begin this trip on the wrong step already. Then we have Becca’s brother who can be useful at times, at pulling Becca out of quality family time, but then he never seems to be spending time with the family in the first place. I did feel for Becca, her boyfriend had dumped her on graduation and everyone knew about it and then she has to spend time with family who clearly didn’t act like one. But if I had the chance to visit Europe and all these gorgeous places, I would definitely be making the most of it, despite who I was forced to hang around with. But Becca didn’t really see it that way, but as a sort of punishment, that is until she meets her dream guy in Nikolai.

Through fate Nikolai and Becca end up at the same places in the Europe at the same time, both have one thing in common to get away from their families and experience some freedom. With Nikolai it’s perfectly understandable, he’s a prince and has a lot of pressure and expectations put on him, so running away and being someone else for the day could be a refreshing thing for him. Of course as soon as he sees Becca, she’s the most beautiful person he’s ever seen. The same goes for Becca without saying. This insta love really wasn’t for me, I know Becca had a bad break up, but Becca was quick to fall for this guy she knew nothing about, at one point when they’d arranged to meet in the next city, she ended up waiting 3 hours for him, before realising that he wouldn’t be turning up! Who waits three hours for someone? And then after that all she could do was pine over him and what could have been.

I really am gutted that I ended up dropping this book really early on, but as the book progressed I was easily able to see that Nikolai and Becca would be characters that wouldn’t be for me.

[Paula Phillips · Rating 5 out of 5]

Are you fans of movies like The Prince and Me featuring Julia Stiles , The First Daughter starring Katie Holmes and Marc Blucas or what about Saving Liberty featuring Mandy Moore ? Can you see the pattern emerging here ? One of my favourite type of movies is the whole Cinderella/royalty theme where A) the royal escapes from his/her life and tries to become normal only to along the way fall head over heels for an ordinary but wonderful girl/guy and B) The royal decides to go undercover and act normal and falls in love but disaster hits when his/her identity is revealed. That's what I loved about Royally Lost by Angie Stanton as we meet Nikolai who is the heir to the throne of Moldovia . He is wanting to escape his life , just for a moment or two - to gain freedom, something he has never experienced before. While on his trip in Budapest , he spots an American beauty called Becca who is on a family forced holiday with her dad, stepmother and brother. Over the trip , these two always seem to end up in the same place at the same time - coincidence , I think not. Sparks fly and of course we all know what happens , a whirlwind romance blooms but it is cut short when the Moldovian security locates Nikolai and takes him back home and Becca heads back to the US. Five months pass and all will be revealed ...... Was this just a whirlwind holiday fling or is true love at play ? Will this holiday actually bring both families closer together with each other ?
Find out in this awesome new book by Angie Stanton - Reader's get prepared to be "Royally Lost".

[Meg Valentine · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both my (college age) daughters and my middle school students enjoy Angie Stanton’s books. I had an opportunity recently to preview her newest book “Royally Lost.” Like Stanton’s other books, I appreciate the fact that it’s a fun, entertaining read, that it has a strong female character, and that it doesn't end in a predictable manner. I've purchased multiple copies of her other books for my students and plan to do the same for this one. Although I kept telling myself I was reading the book “for the students,” I got completely pulled in to the plot, and to Becca and Nikolai’s romance. I also loved living vicariously through their travels abroad. Reading it was a very pleasurable way to spend a snow day.

[Anu · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book...was really something else. I mean I guess I can see the appeal, but it was really just not for me.

Becca, the main character, just really got on my nerves, omg. She's so privileged and ignorant and spoiled. She spends the WHOLE BOOK complaining because how DARE her stepmom FORCE Becca to go to Europe, of all places, so they can spend quality family time. She keeps commenting on how everything in Europe is so OLD -- the cities, the monuments, the food (??? I dont understand this at all, but okay). All she wants is a McDonald's and Pepsi, but instead she's being forced to eat the OLD European (or, as she calls it, "exotic") food. Poor Becca.

Okay, for example, just read this passage from the book:

"As she stood alone among the bustling crowd, all she wanted was something familiar, like an icy cold American Diet Pepsi, french fries, and music that wasn't three hundred years old. She checked out the streets jutting off the square and chose the street where she saw the McDonald's."

I literally have nothing else to say (i think that quote says it all), so let's move on.

Becca's also just SO STUPID? Like not even in a funny way? She's just plain dumb. She can't speak Spanish and basically failed her Spanish class at school. And that's fine, I guess, but the whole way she goes about this is just utterly bizarre. She keeps feeling SO RELIEVED when she finds out that other people in Europe speak English, because who would've known? Of course everyone in Europe speaks Spanish and doesn't know a word of English. also like spanish???? honestly it would've made more sense if she asumed everyone in europe spoke french or something but like. idk. honestly this whole part of the book was just weird. but that fits with the theme i guess !!!!

And I don't know if Becca's just really, really dumb or something, but she knows ABSOLUTELY NOTHING about European history. I swear, this book is literally just throwing some real hatred on Europe. Like just read this quote:

"The kids in Europe must hate history class. These countries go back so freakin' far. At least the U.S. is barely two hundred years old."

and then we get this masterpiece:

"Apparently it was a loop around the center of Vienna, but all Becca knew was that the tour guide droned on endlessly about long dead musicians, old buildings, and more history than anyone should ever have to hear. From what Becca could gather, some family named Habsburg seemed to be tied to everything. It's not like she'd ever need to know any of this stuff. She needed fresh air, trees, and grass."

WHAT IS WRONG WITH YOU, BECCA?????

In all seriousness, Becca is the embodiment of the clueless American tourist.

I mean, come on, didnt her school have European history?? And even with American history, didn't she learn about like the Revolutionary war, Columbus, the Native Americans and all of that??? Like what is wrong with her?? Why is she so incredibly stupid???

AND WHO WOULD COMPLAIN TO HAVE A TOUR OF VIENNA??? I WOULD LOVE TO GO WTF.

This book just screams and shoves the opinion that the US is superior down our throats.

Anyway, moving on, Becca throws some shade at a museum for keeping "old" plates, because who would care about historical artifacts?? they're just dumb keepsakes that no one will ever end up putting to use. It's not like millions of people come visit JUST FOR THE SOLE PURPOSE OF SEEING THOSE KEEPSAKES.

And, because there are too many of these masterful quotes in this book, here is more of Becca's insight:

"She sighed. "Thank you. I know history is important, but jeesh. Live for today, people! I can't believe I have another week of this stuff.""

yeah. live for today. 🙄

okay, well, it gets worse, in case you were wondering.

Eventually, Becca meets Nikolai, and everything is magically solved. She doesn't exactly like Europe, (in her words: "Other than the couple of moments of eye candy, Becca hated Europe." ), but he makes the trip bearable.

Okay, but let's pause here for a second. At first, I was good with the romance. I was like maybe the romance can make up for Becca and her stupidity. BUT NO. IF ANYTHING, IT MADE IT WORSE.

So Nikolai and Becca meet up like once, and then Nikolai has decided that Becca is "the one for him." HE FOLLOWS HER FROM CITY TO CITY AND TRIES TO GET TO KNOW HER BETTER. AND THEN, IF THAT'S NOT BAD ENOUGH, HE SNEAKS ONTO THE CRUISE SHIP HER FAMILY'S ON, AND COMES INTO HER ROOM, WITHOUT HER PERMISSION.

WHAT. THE. HELL. THIS IS NOT ROMANTIC. THIS IS NOT CUTE. THIS IS STALKER-ISH. literally, giving me twilight vibes.

Seriously, though, Becca makes Bella look like a PhD student and scholar. And this book makes Twilight and Pretty Little Liars look like Shakespeare's writing.

ANYWAY, AT THIS POINT IN THE BOOK, I WAS YELLING AT BECCA TO FREAKING RUN WHILE SHE CAN BECAUSE SHE HAS NOT FOUND HERSELF A BOYFRIEND. SHE LITERALLY HAS A STALKER.

we do not need more edward cullens populating this world, thank you very much.

PLUS, THE WORST PART IS, THEY LITERALLY KISS AFTER MEETING TWICE?? THAT SCENE WAS SO UNEXPECTED; IT HIT ME OUT OF NO WHERE OMG.

I cannot with this book.

I might've been able to deal with their romance if it had any kind of development at all, but it didn't. It was lacking in every way possible. There are zero conflicts ( up until the veryyy end, but even then, I wouldn't really consider what happened a conflict), and they basically live in the perfectly unrealistic world, where everything foreign is "weird and exotic."

Okay this is kind of off-topic, but I just need to talk about this quote for a second:

"Something about this beautiful American girl kept him from thinking about anything else. It didn’t make sense. Becca was ignorant of the historic cities she toured. Her sense of direction was so bad she could probably lose her own shadow, and her quirky sense of humor made him constantly want to kiss her."

PLEASE. THE FACT THAT EVEN THE AUTHOR COULDN'T IGNORE BECCA'S IGNORANCE HAS ME CYRING. SHE'S SO BAD, WTF, HOW DID NIKOLAI FALL IN LOVE WITH HER.

also, what quirky sense of humor. she is completely boring.

Finally, let's take the rest of the time to talk about Nikolai, the handsome, charming prince.

His life is SO HARD, because he's just a figure head and basically gets money for doing nothing. I mean, what a horrible way of living, am i right?? who would want to live like that??

so, yeah, he runs away...because his father wants him to join the military. Like every other prince?? so he's basically just throwing a huge tantrum for no reason and runs away from home.

I have nothing more to say about Nikolai; he's just so immature and annoying, and lacks any personality.

ALSO CAN WE TAKE THE TIME TO TALK ABOUT BECCA'S POOR PARENTS??? okay, i get it's hard to grow up with absent parents and with a stepmom. But like?? that's why youre on this trip?? for quality time?? so if that's what you long, why do you spend the WHOLE TRIP AVOIDING IT, SNEAKING OFF WITH NIKOLAI (A GUY YOU BARELY KNOW) AND COMPLETELY BLOWING OFF YOUR FAMILY??? does this make sense to you? because I am utterly confused.

Becca is so disrespectful to them (and the fact that her character is supposed to be the 'rule follower' speaks volumes), and lies to them for the whole trip.

and the ending was so abrupt; I am not even going to talk about it because it is so weird.

Basically what I got out of this book is: listening to your parents is dumb, stalking the girl you like will end in happily ever after, run away from all your problems and it will eventually work out, Europe sucks, America is superior, and history is pointless.

There. I have learned so much.

[Keertana · Rating 2 out of 5]

If "The Prince and Me" and "The Lizzie McGuire" movie had a love child, Royally Lost would be it. Frankly speaking, I have nothing against a cute, cheesy, and unrealistic romance - in movies. In books, I find myself rolling my eyes and craving more depth. Stanton's latest is predictable in every way from the coincidental meetings of Prince Nikolai and Becca to their swimming adventures, balcony conversations, and stolen kisses. Unfortunately, I went into this novel expecting something a little more like Just One Day and Wanderlove and, as such, was disappointed by the rather silly love story this novel presented.

Royally Lost isn't wholly lost, though. Stanton provides plenty of historical background to the European countries and landmarks Becca visits, making this journey an authentic one, and, moreover, the sibling bond between Becca and her older brother Dylan is realistically written. Becca's entire family situation, from her behavior after her mother's death to the eventual relationship she is able to form with her younger step-mother, is paced impeccably and although it held potential for more, it did attempt to provide Becca's character with more than just "sun-kissed hair" and classic American looks. Nikolai's situation as well - wanted to escape responsibility, not understanding the necessity for a monarch in the twenty-first century, etc. - all felt true to the age group of this teen, but, again, there were so many lost opportunities in the execution of this plot device.

Stanton hits the nail on the head as she uncovers that teens, during this time period in their lives, have no idea what their purpose is or, for that matter, why they must perform duties they dislike or feel no passion for. In this manner, both Nikolai and Becca are thoughtfully put together, giving rise to a perceptive story of growing up. Or, would have given rise to this novel if Nikolai and Becca weren't so caught up in their romance. While the "secret/undercover prince" concept of this story is - thankfully - not the cause of too much drama/angst, the main focus of both these characters remain each other. When Becca doesn't see Nikolai she's worried about him and vice versa. Instead of discussing their looming futures - Becca's college or Nikolai's impending enrollment to serve his country's military - the conversations between these two are increasingly cheesy. Granted, there is a certain degree of growth to both their characters, but the type of depth, resolution, and ultimate discussion I craved - anything similar to Wanderlove or Just One Day in their exploration of teenage opportunity, scope, and perspective - was sadly missing.

Ultimately, I felt as if this story had the potential to be a much better novel than it was. Although Royally Lost is a delightful story to curl up with as a guilty pleasure or feel-good romance, it does little to improve the gap between the YA and NA genres, failing to incite the type of thought-provoking conversations that other travel stories have done in the past. As such, I just cannot recommend this book. Sorry Royally Lost, but you have been better off not being found after all...

You can read this review and more on my blog, Ivy Book Bindings.

[nightlyreadingheather · Rating 4 out of 5]

If anyone had ever seen the movie Chasing Liberty, and loved it, you will definitely love this book! Royally Lost reminded me so much of the story of Anna & Ben. It had it’s own little spin that kept me wanting to read more just so that I could finally find out how it all ended.

Poor Becca is literally on the trip from hell with her work-a-holic father, her stepmother which she has no desire to get to know and her party/player brother Dylan. She just had to deal with her awful break up after her boyfriend hooked up with her best friend and now she is stuck traveling Europe with the family when she really just feels like being at home and hiding in her room all summer. I really did feel bad for her and enjoyed her character immensely! She had actually sworn off men and was starting to realize that she could stand on her own two feet.

Enter Nicolai, whoooooo-wheeeeee! Hot, Hot, Hot!!! Even while I was reading, I just kept imagining his accent…La-swoon!! Nicolai has so many issues of his own. He is the crown prince of Mandovia and is expected to just bow down to whatever his parents say. He has no ruling over his own life and decides that he needs a little break. So he literally takes off without telling anyone where he is going. On one of is lonely afternoons, he spots the beautiful american girl wondering the streets. He does take notice of her but shrugs it off.

That is until they just keep bumping into each other EVERYWHERE they go!

What an adorable love story! I couldn’t get enough of the feels! Once the two characters finally meet, they realize that they have a lot more in common than they had originally thought and the story takes you on a whirlwind romance through the streets of many European cities. This was a bonus in my eyes because I love me some traveling stories!

The other character that I must mention because yes, Nicolai was swoonworthy but so was Becca’s brother, Dylan! yup-yup! He had the whole bad boy vibe going on but also was able to show his tender side by caring so much for his sister. He really had her back throuout the trip and it made me love him even more!

The ending was perfect and exactly what a great book is suppose to give it’s readers:) This is the first book that I had read by Angie Stanton but I am on the lookout for more!!!

[Saoirse · Rating 1 out of 5]

I actually got excited when I got the ARC for this. Some of my friends were talking about it in their blogs, saying how excited they were to read another similar book to Princess Diaries. It was, undeniably, one of the best series I've read about royal people. And I knew better before starting Royally Lost that it's about this make-believe kingdom somewhere in the secluded parts of Europe with make-believe monarchy and make-believe townspeople. I am totally fine with that. Plus, what's better than to indulge myself into a world of exciting sights of Europe with a Prince and a damsel in tow? I was expecting a whole lot of cute, swoon-worthy romance.

Me before reading:



Me after reading:





Blech. I did get the romance but I didn't get the story. AT ALL. Like, what's the point of all this anyway? The romance? THE HOW NIKOLAI MEETS BECCA? THE HOW BECCA, AMERICAN GIRL, SNAG CROWNED PRINCE NIKOLAI? WAS THAT WHAT THIS IS ALL ABOUT!?

I am angry right now. I am angry at myself for ever reading this book, knowing that I am now hating this. I normally really don't like bashing books that I didn't enjoy because I don't want to hurt anyone along the way so I'm not going to go more into this. It's just that I am sad and angry (but mostly sad) on account of expecting a lot from this. I should have known from the reviews it got. I just went along with it because I just want to see and find out for myself.

*le sigh*

An ARC was provided for review purposes.

[Gabbie (Rampant Readers) · Rating 5 out of 5]

favorite quotes
“While part of her longed for him to confess it was because he’d fallen for her and couldn’t stand to be apart, she really did wonder what the heck a crown prince was doing slumming with an average American girl. Nikolai laughed. ‘I don’t know. I guess it’s a way to be spiteful against my parents by hanging out with an American commoner.’ He grinned. ‘You jerk.’ Becca threw him a dirty look, but couldn’t hide her amusement.”

why I picked it up

Foreign boy! How could I not?

plot

Royally Lost follows Becca and Nikolai as they travel through Europe. Becca, an American, is on a family trip to tour through Europe the summer before she begins at Northwestern University. Nikolai is on the run from this overbearing parents–the king and queen of Mondovia. They meet each other and start to fall, but Nikolai’s guard is after him to bring him home, and Becca’s time in Europe is ending. Will they be separated forever, or will they figure out a way to be together?

I immensely enjoyed this novel. It was fun, lighthearted, fluffy, and had just the right amount of action. With Nikolai constantly being on the run, there was an air of urgency, especially when the paparazzi caught on to his whereabouts. Then there was the air of rebellion that Becca started to emit. It was just a really interesting novel. Their travelling to various countries in Europe gave it an adventurous feel and I just couldn’t put the novel down!

Leading lady

“Keeping her eyes glued to his, she undid the button on her shorts, lowered the zipper, and edged them off her hips until they dropped to her feet. She stepped out of them without breaking eye contact. ‘You know, a gentleman would look the other way when a lady disrobes,’ she said. He smirked. ‘Who says I’m a gentleman?’ Aw hell. No words would come and she couldn’t back down.”
Becca was the leading lady and she was great. She had always been the good child since her mother died four years prior. However, she began to get tired of the way her father treated her and eventually grew a backbone over the course of the novel. I love when characters do this, and Becca did it with flair. I won’t say how, but it made me so proud of her character. Furthermore, it was nice to see something good come to her after all the happened to her pre-trip. Becca was excitable and just overall adorable. I loved her.leading male

“‘Because I’m living off the grid, you know, like Jason Bourne.’ ‘Are you telling me you’re an international spy or, oh no, an assassin?’ She feigned a shocked expression. ‘Hardly. I’m just another derelict kid avoiding family responsibilities and disappointing my parents.’”
Nikolai was the main male character. He had problems of his own. He had very overbearing parents, a king and queen who were stuck in the Middle Ages and controlled every aspect of Nikolai’s life. He, too, grew a backbone in this novel, starting with running away from his country. I loved Nikolai’s character as well. Like Becca, he was a very well written character. He was honorable, friendly, and funny. He had passions for doing what was best for his country. He was very admirable. And he was a prince!

other characters

Dylan, Becca’s older brother, was the only other main character that I could think to talk about. He was protective and always there for his sister. He was the picture perfect older brother that everyone wishes they had.

romance

“Nikolai entered the hostel smiling. Something about this beautiful American girl kept him from thinking about anything else. It didn’t make sense. Becca was ignorant of the historic cities she toured. Her sense of direction was so bad she could probably lose her own shadow, and her quirky sense of humor made him constantly want to kiss her.”
The romance was nothing if but insta-love. I usually hate that, but this one was so well done that i couldn’t even tell! Sure, they only spent a week together. But that week was written in a way that is seemed like months, if not years. They were actually one of the cutest book couples that I’ve read to date. They were so alike in situation and fit seamlessly together: the prince and the American. It was picture perfect. And in addition to that, they didn’t let anything separate them. Even when they were physically separated, they kept looking for each other until they found one another again.

world building

The world building in this novel was phenomenal. Stanton had the characters traveling through various European countries and I felt as if I was traveling along with them. Either Stanton had lived in Europe before, or she did some major research because the portrayal of these cities and countries was so realistic I feel as if i have actually visited them through this book. It was a great backdrop to this amazing story.

conclusion

Royally Lost was a fantastically written novel about two lovers who refused to be apart and refused to be oppressed by their respective families, all with the backdrop of beautiful European countries. If this novel doesn’t appeal to your interest, I don’t know what novel will.

[Macie · Rating 5 out of 5]

This book is the cutest ever💗

I was so intrigued through the whole thing that I even read it a 2nd time.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such a cute read. Review to come...

[Celine · Rating 1 out of 5]

This review can also be found at YA Midnight Reads

Major disappointment. Those are the words I’d use to sum up my feelings for Royally Lost. I picked it up looking for a fun and fluffy read. Unfortunately, it just ended up making me angry. Honestly, I wasn’t even looking for something extremely good and meaningful, just a fun, summer read. It seems that that was too much to ask, though. Oh yeah, there will be mild spoilers in this review, but you know, who cares?

Let’s start with the biggest problem I had with this novel: the main character, Becca. To sum it up: she’s an ungrateful and unreasonable bitch. There, I said it. She’s on a trip through Europe with her dad, stepmom and brother. Now, I do not expect everyone to be very interested in history and culture (to be honest, I’m not all that interested in history either). But this girl was so incredibly ungrateful! Now, I live in Europe and I’ve actually been to many of the cities described in this novel. Personally, I thought they were beautiful cities and I’ve had an amazing time in all of them. Becca was priviliged to be able to go to Europe and see all that beauty, and all she did was whine about it. Because she hates anything and everything that’s “old”. She hates her parent for “dragging her to Europe”. Excuse me? She’s lucky to go on such a trip, but all she can do is say how much it sucks and how she wishes to go home. But no, the cities are so old an there’s “nothing interesting to do”. I’m sorry, but she visits some pretty big cities (Vienna, anyone?). Do you really think that there’s nothing to do there? Even if you absolutely hate all thing history and culture, there are stores and malls there. Those people need to buy clothes and coffee too. The teenagers there go out. Apparently though, no such thing exists in these old cities. Oh wait, EXCEPT for a McDonald’s, which is where Nikolai takes Bekka to prove that the cities actually are modern. Are you kidding me?

But let’s not forget the unreasonable part of Becca’s character. Because this thing happened. (mild spoilers ahead). Now, on this trip, Becca’s been avoiding her parents as much as possible, roaming the streets on her own (or rather, with Nikolai). She repeatedly lies to them about where she’s been, but still her parents give her a lot of freedom and allow her to do basically anything she wants. Then comes the time that she has to say goodbye to Nikolai, which she dreads because she “loves” him (more on that later). So her brother Dylan comes up with a plan: they’ll go backpacking through Europe with some kids he met (that Becca NEVER met, mind you). At least, that’s what they’ll tell their parents: they will then actually go their own way and go whereever they want. Then their parents refuse to let them go backpacking around Europe with some kids they NEVER met (or in Dylan’s case, knew for a single day). Becca thinks they’re being extremely unreasonable and gives her father “a murderous glare”, and then stomps away. What?? How was his reaction in ANY way unreasonable?

While we’re on the subject of her parents, I’d like to point out that this book suffers from the ever-too-convenient ‘disappearing parent’ syndrome. Basically, Becca calls off everything that would involve her actually spending time with her parents. They even let her most of the time, which is pretty cool of them. But in the moments they actually are around and in the way of a meeting between Becca and her prince, they will always conveniently go offstage. Like that time they ‘ate a bad sausage’ and stayed in their room all day, or when her father was called away because things weren’t going well at work. With the latter, it meant that they had to go back to America. Conveniently (again), though, it wasn’t possible to all go home ate the same time; they could only get two tickets for a certain flight. So what do they do? Becca’s dad and stepmom take the flight and leave their children alone in a foreign country. Let’s not forget that this happened just after they found out that Becca and Dylan wanted to go “backpacking” through Europe and were mad that they weren’t allowed to. Honestly, why didn’t these parents add one and one? Wouldn’t it have been more logical to go in pairs of parent-child? Oh wait, then Becca couldn’t have stayed with Nikolai. Stupid me. *facepalms*

Then there’s Becca’s stepmom, Vicky. Like all stepmothers in literature, Vicky is seen as an evil witch by Becca. She even remarks on how her dad married Vicky “just to fill the void (of her mother’s death)”. Uh, did it never occur to you that maybe your dad happens to love Vicky? For most of the novel, Vicky is seen as nothing more than the person who took Becca’s mother’s place. Fortunately, in the end Bekka realizes that she may not have been fair towards Vicky and she opens up to her. That is the one thing I liked about this novel, and I considered giving this an extra half star because of it. However, while writing this review I’ve become more and more angry so this book can forget its extra half star. So there!

Onto the thing that could make or break this novel: the romance. The short version: it broke the book. The long version: it was cheesy as hell instant love. The ONLY reason Becca and Nikolai ever noticed each other was because apparently they both look very good. And really, this “love” that they have by the end of the book isn’t based on much more than that. Nikolai was just a really bland character, and all we know about him is that he’s handsome and a runaway prince. That’s it. I literally couldn’t tell you any more about him or his personality. But of course, Becca loves him. Then there’s the love that Nikolai feels for Becca, which isn’t based on much more. All he knows about her is that she’s pretty, that she “loves nature” (which is what Becca told him, yet we never see any examples of it), and that she’s “funny” (spoiler alert: she isn’t.). Oh, and let’s not forget the most clichéd line ever: “You’re different from any other girl I’ve met”. This is what their love is based on, and nothing more than that. I’m sorry, I just don’t buy it.

In all, this was such a disappointment. Combining absent parents, annoying characters and instant love, Royally Lost was the exact opposite of what I was looking for. I’d hoped this was a fun read, yet it just made me angry. The verdict: no thank you.

~Thank you HarperCollins for sending me this copy~

[Grace · Rating 1 out of 5]

This book was so bad 😂😂😅 I’m honestly surprised I didn’t DNF it, since I’m a fairly ruthless DNF’er. I think it was because of Nikolai? He was the only decent character and had some vague Maxon vibes. Otherwise, though, omg I hated all the characters so much 😂 Here’s a short list of the worst aspects of this book:

- Becca is a huge bitch and incredibly stuck up 😳
- it’s not cute and quirky that Becca hates European travel (how am I supposed to relate to a character who hates everyone’s dream??), and it verges on disrespectful how much she hates European history
- Dylan is legitimately disgusting
- most of the characters are one-dimensional
- utterly ridiculous, joked about marriage within the first 100 pages
- slavery jokes????? NOPE. Nikolai and Becca literally joked about how they’re basically strangers so maybe he’s trying to sell her into slavery….HOW DID SOMEONE THINK THAT WAS OKAY TO PUBLISH
- the poor parents 😳 I mean they’re horrible characters too, but Becca and Dylan are nightmare children
- sorry I don’t think two teenagers who’ve known each other for like 5 days and have barely spent any time together and certainly haven’t had any meaningful conversations can be in love with each other 🙃

Anywho that’s my takeaway. It was like a train wreck I couldn’t bring myself to look away from lol

[Online Eccentric Librarian · Rating 1 out of 5]

More reviews (and no fluff) on the blog http://surrealtalvi.wordpress.com/

When choosing to read this book, I believed that such a well-trod YA trope (normal girl meets Prince and falls in love) would not have been published without some kind of charm or angle to make it unique. Sadly, I was wrong. This is a generic, pointless, vapid retread that the author has distilled to appeal to the absolute lowest common denominator tween girl. There's nothing original, intelligent, charming, or even fun in this story.

Story: Prince Nikolai grows tired of being a prince of "Moldova" and runs away on a European jaunt. In Budapest, he meets an American girl, Becca, who is on vacation with her family. He follows her like a crazy stalker across various European locales, insta luv ensues, his family and the paparazzi find him and drag him back to responsibility, and Becca mopes and harangues about how annoying it is to have to see European culture.

I am greatly impressed, though, at how the author has deftly given us probably the most unlikeable and unrealistic characters ever to disgrace print (or kindle, in my case). Becca spends most of the book insulting or being disgusted with her parents or European history. Yes, she has a tough life with her rich daddy and new stepmom, who is trying her best to give Becca and her perpetually-horny brother a great experience. Her brother spends the entire book hitting on girls and both of them either ignore, insult, or disregard the cardboard figures...er parents. Nikolai is a purse - he's there to make Becca look good and that's about the extent of his personality. He sees her, falls insta luv, and for the life of any reader, none of us can see any reason why whatsoever. She mopes, she sulks, she isn't adventurous, heck, she can't even figure out maps or directions.

About half way through the book, I soon realized that this is just a very oversimplified teen wish fantasy - a Big Mac for those who could have had a steak instead. Honestly, I very rarely pan a book and typically can find some redeeming qualities. But this was pure and utter drivel - and not even original drivel at that.

So yes, let's travel to all those amazing European cities so we can have Becca whine about how boring and backwards Europe is and her brother can work some STD's through the populace. Oh, and the prince can use his motorcycle to chase her boat along the Danube to various cities and stalk her like a psycho. Intelligence among characters is clearly overrated and might alienate less discerning (read: half a brain) tweens.

There's also very lazy writing in here. Things like having a Prince in Europe who is descended from British royalty yet speaks American English, not British. Or that said Prince decided to go to the city of Melk randomly because 'his parents took him there one day' yet when showing Becca around the abbey there, says he wrote a whole term paper on it for college (you'd think someone who wrote a term paper on a building in Melk might consider that a neat place to go, rather than because his parents took him there once?). Even worse, rich and privileged Becca, whining about her horrible first class vacation, and then going into a church with gold everywhere and wondering if the peasants would have rather used the gold for food instead. Really? How about modern day peasants getting food instead of your whiney European vacation?

There are coincidences enough in this book to make a reader slap forehead and exclaim loudly, "deus ex machina!" or "Mary Sue!" I can't believe that with all those amazing European destinations, the author couldn't find a way to make them interesting and instead the couple has to go out to a lake in order to be impressed.

So yes, this is a harsh review. I'd rather watch Julia stiles in the Prince and Me, Hathaway in the Princess Diaries, or any other number of "American commoner meets a prince" type of movies/stories than this lifeless heap of words. Reviewed from an ARC.

[Andrea at Reading Lark · Rating 5 out of 5]

Review Posted on Reading Lark 4/4/14: http://readinglark.blogspot.com/2014/...

I have been reading a lot of dark and serious stuff lately. It seems even the fantasy novels I have been reading have had some dark edges. Its always nice to cleanse the reading palate with something totally different and when I am in the mood for something happy I always reach for a contemporary romance. I have been excited to read this one for awhile, but I had no idea I'd love it so much that I would polish it off in a span of about 24 hours. Royally Lost is the perfect read for warmer weather.

Traveling to Europe isn't really in my budget at the moment, but it is something I have wanted to do since I was a teenager. I was initially intrigued by this novel because of it's European setting. When time and money do not allow for travel, a book is always a great compromise. I loved getting to spend time in cities like Budapest, Vienna, and Prague. I was pleasantly surprised that there was also a good bit of history littering the text. Unlike one of the main characters, Becca, I love history and was super jealous of all of the tours she was going on with her family.

In addition to the setting and history, I really enjoyed the characters. I wasn't sure that Becca and I were going to be on the same page at first, but she quickly grew on me. I stopped seeing her as a whiner and started to understand that she just craved a little freedom to decide who she wanted to become. I also loved her relationship with her brother, Dylan.

I also adored Nikolai; he is certainly a literary guy worth getting to know. Nikolai is the prince of Mondovia, a small European country. He has no desire to become King, but his parents refuse to listen to his thoughts on the issue. They keep forcing him to make public appearances and begin to talk of forcing him to join the military. Nikolai just wants to be an average guy with a normal life, but that seems impossible due to his royal blood. He can't handle the pressure and strict rules so he takes off on a European adventure. Along the way, fate entwines his path with Becca's and a sweet summer romance ensues. Interestingly enough, the fast connection between these two didn't irk me the way "instalove" typically does.

In addition, I couldn't help thinking about the movie, The Prince and Me, as I was reading. There are a few similarities between Royally Lost and the film, but Stanton does a nice job of setting her story apart from the one I previously loved on the screen. There were no direct connections between these two other than the ones my mind naturally made on its own. I loved that movie as a teen so it's no surprise to me that I also loved Royally Lost. Who doesn't want their own Prince Charming?

The romance between Becca and Nikolai captivated me. I stayed up much later than I typically would during the week because I didn't want to stop reading. I loved spending time in Europe with Becca and Nikolai; I could easily see myself rereading this one. This wasn't a life altering read, but it was a highly enjoyable one for me. It's nice to have lighter reads from time to time; this one is pure fun.

One Last Gripe: I found it difficult to believe that Nikolai never learned Becca's last name in all of their time together. There were a few frustrating moments like this one, but I chose to ignore them and not allow them to keep me from enjoying the story.

My Favorite Thing About This Book: I loved the romance; it's also a fairly chaste romance even though these characters are venturing into New Adult territory in age. The scenes with the locks made me swoon.

First Sentence: Crown Prince Nikolai forced a print-worthy smile as he exited the antiquities museum.

Favorite Characters: Becca and Nikolai

Least Favorite Character: Visar

[Asheley T. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read my full review HERE at Into the Hall of Books.

Royally Lost by Angie Stanton another one of those really great books that is perfect for those in-between times - it was light romance and travel around Europe and having fun while Becca is on a European vacation with her family. She never meant to have a fun romance while she was there - and certainly not with royalty! Nikolai just had to escape his parents and everything royal after being under the scrutiny of the public eye and the pressure of the monarchy for his entire life. After having his future mapped out for him without any room for his own opinions, he decided on a whim to just LEAVE, so that's what he did. A chance meeting places Becca in his path and, and then the two cross paths a couple more times before they decide to hang out together while Becca vacations. They have a ton of fun along the way while Nikolai tries to evade the paparazzi, but once he is spotted and Becca figures out who he is, things get a little bit crazy.

Becca never wanted this vacation with a family she doesn't feel very connected to. She and her brother are like opposites - she always does what she is told, never gets into trouble. Dylan, however, is a bit of a rebel, always doing the opposite of what is told. While on this trip, Becca gets fed up with the lack of attention her father gives her despite always craving his love and affection, so she decides to just stop trying so hard. While basically ditching as many "family" events as possible, she stealthily carries on her own vacation with new friend Nikolai as her trip around Europe progresses. Nikolai follows along with her journey on his motorcycle. Before meeting Nikolai, Becca was not having a good time. After meeting him, she has the time of her life.

Nikolai does not reveal his true royal identity to Becca at first, and it is a while before she figures out who he is. This is how he comes to know that they are really compatible as friends and then as two people that kinda-sorta like one another, and then more. Nikolai LOVES the freedom he experiences as he navigates Europe on his own without constant supervision and he learns a great deal as well, like how to manage his own budget and how to do things for himself.

I like Nikolai as a character, and I like Becca and Dylan as well. I think that the odds of something like this really happening are pretty rare, and I think that it is pretty incredible just exactly how far all three of them go to be rebellious to each set of parents, but ultimately it made a really fun story and a fun romance. Once the public realized that Nikolai was traipsing around Europe, the travels became even more fun to read about, and reading them as American non-royalty was very much like experiencing the entire event through Becca's eyes, minus the romance. I think brother Dylan's secondary role in the story is one of the funnest parts because he always just threw caution to the wind and did whatever, and I think sometimes it is really neat to read what we all wish we could actually experience.

Royally Lost is a fun, quick read - another light romance from Angie Stanton for my shelf. I've read enough by this author now that I feel comfortable in going to her books for certain types of read, and I really like that a lot. This is a quick, easy, fun romance that might not necessarily be plausible every day of the week, but is a heck of a lot of fun to read. I recommend Royally Lost by Angie Stanton for fans of fun, light romances that do not include triangles, fans of stories that include travel, and fans of European settings.

[Anasheh Satoorian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actual 3.5

This was my first Angie Stanton book and I was excited to start it. Very soon after I started reading the story it reminded me in certain of JUST ONE DAY by Gayle Forman. In certain instances this is a deterrent for me from enjoying the book, but in the case of Royally Lost it actually made me more excited to read on.

The story is about a recent high school graduate who is on a European vacation with her family. For most teenagers a trip like this would be exacting and one that is anticipated with joy. But for Becca is anything but that. For Becca it is another attempt by her Step-mother to try to get them to get closer as a family. A family dynamic which has been missing since the death of Becca's mother. A trip of anywhere would have been one that she was dreading, but Becca believes Europe is boring filled with one ancient church after the next. Dylan, Becca's brother is able to make the best of any situation but Becca, all she wants is an ice-cold Diet Pepsi and to go home.

Our other main character is Nikoli a crowned prince who feels trapped in the responsibilities of this position and the stifling way his parents insist of keeping the monarchy from modernizing and doing what is best for their country. Forced to join the military against the wishes, Nikoli does the only thing he can think of and runs away.

In chance meeting in Budapest, Nikoli and Becca's paths cross and they find an almost immediate attraction towards one another, but it was passing glance as Becca has to rejoin her family on their ship. But fait strikes again and their paths cross one more in a different port and this time the decide to spend some time together. The spend time getting to know each other and they realize that despite their differences they seem to have the same problems. Both of them are desperate to live their own lives are forced to follow the wishes of their parents. But the one thing they don't talk about is the fact that Nikloli is a prince and that his family is after him. Will the truth come out? And what will happen to once their summer is over and they both must return to their lives?

There were many aspects of this story that enjoyed. I enjoyed reading about the Becca and Nikoli's European adventures. I also really enjoyed Nikoli's character and his beliefs and what he wants to accomplish in this country. I loved also reading about the relationship between Dylan and Becca. I am a sucker for an overprotective brother and certain things that Dylan says that is super cute and brought a smile to my face.

But my biggest issue with the book unfortunately was that I could not find myself relating much to Becca. She knew nothing about European history and frankly was almost ignorant about anything other than McDonalds French fries and diet Pepsi. I know many American's are unfamiliar with European history but can appreciate the beauty of the country and enjoy exploring the country and not be so aloof and uninterested in anything besides a European boy.

However that being said. I did enjoy reading this book and finished it one day. Despite Becca's uninterested in Europe I frankly loved reading about the different places Becca and Nikoli adventures and made me miss my own European vacation.

[Dawn Smith · Rating 5 out of 5]

I was given an ARC of this book by the author in exchange for an honest review.
Have you ever been on one of those vacations where all you really want to do is go home? Becca is vacationing with her family and having a miserable time. Her father is unemotional, her mother is just a little too much, and her brother is driven by his hormones. Becca is miserable.
Nikolai just wants to escape. He just wants to be a regular guy. He and Becca meet and decide to get lost together. Little does Becca know that Nikolai is a royal prince. Hijinks ensue as this adorable couple get lost together.
I really enjoyed this book. This is a read that does not take itself too seriously. This is a quick, fun read. Beca and Nikolai find themselves in love and first sight. And we get to experience the heart pounding breathlessness of being young and having found “the one”. These characters are incredibly likable. The story is very well written and makes you feel like you are right there in the center of the action. I went into this book hoping for a light, happy read with engaging characters and an interesting plot. I hit the jackpot because Royally Lost provided all of this.
4.5 out of 5 stars