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Royally Jacked #1-3
Royally Crushed: Royally Jacked; Spin Control; Do-Over
Three royally romantic, continuous stories in one great bind-up! In Royally Jacked, Valerie opts to move to Europe with her dad after her parents split. At first she fears she’s made a horrible mistake—until she meets Prince Georg, and all bets are off! In Spin Control, Valerie can’t believe a prince is her first real boyfriend—until he dumps her! Or he may as well have, because while they’re “taking some space,” Valerie visits her mom back in the U.S. and ends up reconnecting with her hometown crush. David might not be a prince, but can he take her mind off Georg? As Valerie learns in Do-Over, there’s no substitute for the real royal thing. Back in Schwerinborg, she’s hoping there are still some sparks flying with Georg. Things are looking good—until a ski trip to the Alps has their romance hitting some moguls. Could Val’s love life be heading for a face-plant?
626 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 22, 2011
27 people are currently reading
1745 people want to read
About the author
Niki Burnham
16 books262 followersNiki Burnham is the pseudonym of romance author Nicole Burnham.
You can subscribe to Nicole's newsletter for reader bonuses and the latest news by visiting https://nicoleburnham.com/new-events/
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NOTE FROM NICOLE: My Goodreads library is by no means comprehensive. I have thousands of books on my real (as opposed to my Goodreads) bookshelves. However, my Goodreads library only contains those books I'd give four or five stars and would recommend to friends without hesitation (and I haven't even gotten around to listing all those yet!)
You can subscribe to Nicole's newsletter for reader bonuses and the latest news by visiting https://nicoleburnham.com/new-events/
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NOTE FROM NICOLE: My Goodreads library is by no means comprehensive. I have thousands of books on my real (as opposed to my Goodreads) bookshelves. However, my Goodreads library only contains those books I'd give four or five stars and would recommend to friends without hesitation (and I haven't even gotten around to listing all those yet!)
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 110 reviews
October 12, 2011
I loved this book because it was one of those quick reads that was cute and entertaining. The book was written as three (Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over), but ended up being combined into Royally Crushed. I would deffinetly suggest this to a girl who is into light-hearted and somewhat comical books.
I loved how the book was written like Valerie was speaking to me and recounting what happened because, while I didn't always know the whole story because I could only 'see' into Val's mind, it sometimes felt like I was actually part of the book. I also liked Valerie's sense of humor and the fact that I could relate to her sarcasim because I myself am a generally sarcastic person. Even when a situation should be serious Valerie just can't help but lighten the mood with a witty remark like when Georg (Gay-org) was telling her that he was the prince on page 118 he asked "Do you know who I am, Valerie?" she replies without thinking "An ax murderer?" just because it was funny. I literally laughed out loud at this part because I didn't see it coming, yet at the same time I did because I felt like I knew Valerie enough by then to believe that she would actually say something like that.
While I liked reading this, there were only two parts that I wish were different, that is when each book started again and we had to recap, I already knew what was going on and I didn't need a refresher because I was reading it as one book, not three. The second one is the ending; it just sort of ended. I turned the page expecting there to be at least another twenty and found that there were none. There really wasn't much of a falling action and I was pretty disapointed that I couldn't find out more, I'm still curious. But over all I liked the book and would certainly suggest it as a summer read or for something to do on a rainy day.
I loved how the book was written like Valerie was speaking to me and recounting what happened because, while I didn't always know the whole story because I could only 'see' into Val's mind, it sometimes felt like I was actually part of the book. I also liked Valerie's sense of humor and the fact that I could relate to her sarcasim because I myself am a generally sarcastic person. Even when a situation should be serious Valerie just can't help but lighten the mood with a witty remark like when Georg (Gay-org) was telling her that he was the prince on page 118 he asked "Do you know who I am, Valerie?" she replies without thinking "An ax murderer?" just because it was funny. I literally laughed out loud at this part because I didn't see it coming, yet at the same time I did because I felt like I knew Valerie enough by then to believe that she would actually say something like that.
While I liked reading this, there were only two parts that I wish were different, that is when each book started again and we had to recap, I already knew what was going on and I didn't need a refresher because I was reading it as one book, not three. The second one is the ending; it just sort of ended. I turned the page expecting there to be at least another twenty and found that there were none. There really wasn't much of a falling action and I was pretty disapointed that I couldn't find out more, I'm still curious. But over all I liked the book and would certainly suggest it as a summer read or for something to do on a rainy day.
February 7, 2012
When I first saw the book title, I totally thought it was going to hurt my heart. Once I started reading it, I realized that I was soo wrong and completely enjoyed the story.
It starts off with Valerie getting her life turned upside down when her perfectly matched parents tell her that they are getting divorced. I won't say why, as you'll find out in the first chapter. It deals with a controversial subject, but the way it's introduced makes you laugh and feel what Valerie is feeling.
Since her father has a pretty cool job working in the White House with the president, the situation with the divorce garners a transfer to a tiny unknown town in Germany where you'll finally see where "Royally" comes from. I have never read a more 'handsome' Prince Georg. (yes, it's spelled correctly)
Valerie goes on a journey to grow up from her age fifteen and realize that she needs to make decisions for herself and start living as her friends are all back in Virginia. It's an amazing story with self acceptance, and acceptance overall.
Sometimes just thinking and talking about what is bugging you makes all the difference. It's a YA book as the characters are in high school, but I think that anyone who likes the fairy-tale idea with a prince would enjoy the read.
P.S- I think my fave part is when a "separation" is no more and when certain best friends from Virginia come to the rescue for Valerie all in Germany. So awesome. :)
Stopping now before I get repetitive.
It starts off with Valerie getting her life turned upside down when her perfectly matched parents tell her that they are getting divorced. I won't say why, as you'll find out in the first chapter. It deals with a controversial subject, but the way it's introduced makes you laugh and feel what Valerie is feeling.
Since her father has a pretty cool job working in the White House with the president, the situation with the divorce garners a transfer to a tiny unknown town in Germany where you'll finally see where "Royally" comes from. I have never read a more 'handsome' Prince Georg. (yes, it's spelled correctly)
Valerie goes on a journey to grow up from her age fifteen and realize that she needs to make decisions for herself and start living as her friends are all back in Virginia. It's an amazing story with self acceptance, and acceptance overall.
Sometimes just thinking and talking about what is bugging you makes all the difference. It's a YA book as the characters are in high school, but I think that anyone who likes the fairy-tale idea with a prince would enjoy the read.
P.S- I think my fave part is when a "separation" is no more and when certain best friends from Virginia come to the rescue for Valerie all in Germany. So awesome. :)
Stopping now before I get repetitive.
January 27, 2019
Other than a few funny comments here and there, this did nothing for me at all.
For one, I didn’t like Valerie that much at all. She’s rude to pretty much everyone around her. She moves to a (fictional) European country and gets to live in a palace, but to her, that’s the worst kind of punishment and she’s constantly miserable and complaining about it. I’m fine with a bit of snark, but she had so much attitude that I grew annoyed with her. Her character arc was nonexistent. She never really grew or changed. I also didn’t like that it took her forever to tell Georg she went on a date with David. She should have been upfront and honest with him and she didn’t tell him the truth until literally 10 pages from the end of the book. Her friends were constantly telling her to tell the truth and it annoyed me that she didn’t heed their advice.
The love interest Georg was about as dull and bland as you could possibly find. He’s just so perfect. Dare I say, TOO perfect. He’s smart, charming, has great manners, and (of course!) is totally hot. He had no flaws. Well, he did nothing for me. I couldn’t stand how he was constantly pledging his love for her behind closed doors but would barely acknowledge her in public. It made him seem spineless rather than responsible and conscious of his squeaky clean image. I didn’t get what Val saw in him. He seemed like such a phony. Also, instalove like crazy. I liked both John and David more than Georg. They had some dimension to their characters.
Valerie’s friends didn’t serve much function. She definitely didn’t need to have 3 of them either, especially when most of their conversations were fairly repetitive and happened through email, with Jules telling Val she needs to reach out to Christie and Christie telling Val she needs to email Natalie.
There was a lot of stuff that was open ended too. Like what happened to Val’s art? In book one, it was referenced that she liked to doodle and draw constantly, but then it was never referenced again.
I love stories about “normal” people dating royalty, but this did nothing for me.
For one, I didn’t like Valerie that much at all. She’s rude to pretty much everyone around her. She moves to a (fictional) European country and gets to live in a palace, but to her, that’s the worst kind of punishment and she’s constantly miserable and complaining about it. I’m fine with a bit of snark, but she had so much attitude that I grew annoyed with her. Her character arc was nonexistent. She never really grew or changed. I also didn’t like that it took her forever to tell Georg she went on a date with David. She should have been upfront and honest with him and she didn’t tell him the truth until literally 10 pages from the end of the book. Her friends were constantly telling her to tell the truth and it annoyed me that she didn’t heed their advice.
The love interest Georg was about as dull and bland as you could possibly find. He’s just so perfect. Dare I say, TOO perfect. He’s smart, charming, has great manners, and (of course!) is totally hot. He had no flaws. Well, he did nothing for me. I couldn’t stand how he was constantly pledging his love for her behind closed doors but would barely acknowledge her in public. It made him seem spineless rather than responsible and conscious of his squeaky clean image. I didn’t get what Val saw in him. He seemed like such a phony. Also, instalove like crazy. I liked both John and David more than Georg. They had some dimension to their characters.
Valerie’s friends didn’t serve much function. She definitely didn’t need to have 3 of them either, especially when most of their conversations were fairly repetitive and happened through email, with Jules telling Val she needs to reach out to Christie and Christie telling Val she needs to email Natalie.
There was a lot of stuff that was open ended too. Like what happened to Val’s art? In book one, it was referenced that she liked to doodle and draw constantly, but then it was never referenced again.
I love stories about “normal” people dating royalty, but this did nothing for me.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
August 18, 2024
I bought this when it came out. Can you believe that? It got lost in a closet or fell behind a bookshelf, something of a tragedy. And yes, I know, how could I do that?! But when you move, you finally locate things that you knew you had but couldn't exactly remember if you still had it... So now was the time. I FINALLY took a dive.
I would have loved this series as a middle grader. It is definitely made for middle graders and not meant for adults like me, and is a bit stuck in it's time. The comments on LGTBQ+ community and people's weight has aged a fair bit, but I'm sure 12 year olds still use insults like that to some degree now... (sadly). While the aging of this book hasn't done well, I let my inner middle grade reader enjoy it. I knew that certain parts were touchy (like her lesbian Mother having some rough comments towards her), but I let it slide. It was a different time in 2011... and I have a feeling the original came out earlier than that. This felt very 2000s vibes from the type of writing.
But, what middle grade girl doesn't wish some royal lover will come make her dreams come true? It's a great fantasy for us to dream about, and it made for a fun book. The stakes were never super high and there wasn't too much negativity. It felt like a great dramaedy (drama-comedy) and I enjoyed it.
The last book though... Did she know it was ending at 3? The cliffhanger felt odd. That bothered me.
Three out of five stars.
I would have loved this series as a middle grader. It is definitely made for middle graders and not meant for adults like me, and is a bit stuck in it's time. The comments on LGTBQ+ community and people's weight has aged a fair bit, but I'm sure 12 year olds still use insults like that to some degree now... (sadly). While the aging of this book hasn't done well, I let my inner middle grade reader enjoy it. I knew that certain parts were touchy (like her lesbian Mother having some rough comments towards her), but I let it slide. It was a different time in 2011... and I have a feeling the original came out earlier than that. This felt very 2000s vibes from the type of writing.
But, what middle grade girl doesn't wish some royal lover will come make her dreams come true? It's a great fantasy for us to dream about, and it made for a fun book. The stakes were never super high and there wasn't too much negativity. It felt like a great dramaedy (drama-comedy) and I enjoyed it.
The last book though... Did she know it was ending at 3? The cliffhanger felt odd. That bothered me.
Three out of five stars.
January 6, 2012
To sum my feelings up: My 20 year old self enjoyed this on behalf of my 14 year old self.
I first read the first two novels in this bindup when they were originally released as solo novels around the time I was 14. I enjoyed them a whole lot. They were beachy and fluffy and cute and all about falling in love for the first time.
Now that i'm 20 and have been in love, with someone who is NOT a prince (c'mon- like that's ever really going to happen, apart from Will and Kate) I know first love is all encompassing and you feel the need to be together all the time. Now that i'm 20 I know better. And I find all the gushy-ness irritating.
That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy all 3 novels, they were just written for a younger audience and I knew that going into it. I very much enjoyed the premise and majority of the delivery, but the everpresent moaning and groaning about if Georg loves her (they've been dating for 4 days!?!?!) got old. I did appreciate the break to read about Val's parents' dilemnas, to which I could relate. I could tell Val was young, hypocritical, and stubborn about the political correctness of her mother's coming out and her father's need to still be found attractive. It was irritating to read, but at the same time still made her relatable.
Cute, fun, but for a specific target audience, namely 12-16 year old girls.
I first read the first two novels in this bindup when they were originally released as solo novels around the time I was 14. I enjoyed them a whole lot. They were beachy and fluffy and cute and all about falling in love for the first time.
Now that i'm 20 and have been in love, with someone who is NOT a prince (c'mon- like that's ever really going to happen, apart from Will and Kate) I know first love is all encompassing and you feel the need to be together all the time. Now that i'm 20 I know better. And I find all the gushy-ness irritating.
That doesn't mean I didn't enjoy all 3 novels, they were just written for a younger audience and I knew that going into it. I very much enjoyed the premise and majority of the delivery, but the everpresent moaning and groaning about if Georg loves her (they've been dating for 4 days!?!?!) got old. I did appreciate the break to read about Val's parents' dilemnas, to which I could relate. I could tell Val was young, hypocritical, and stubborn about the political correctness of her mother's coming out and her father's need to still be found attractive. It was irritating to read, but at the same time still made her relatable.
Cute, fun, but for a specific target audience, namely 12-16 year old girls.
June 5, 2019
This is one of those books I wish I had looked a little more into before buying (but at least I got it cheap at a thrift store). It's been sitting on my to-read shelf forever, and I was in the mood for some romance (and my roommate was hogging the TV), so I started this.
I didn't finish, and debated leaving a review, but I review things more for myself than anyone else (as I have a terrible memory), so... I stopped right after starting the second book.
First off, this trilogy contains language and is very physical (in terms of talking about how hot guys are, how pants look on the MC's butt, and so on). Not things I want to be reading about, and I almost put the book down sooner for it. Also, the MC's mother comes out as gay, and has a girlfriend, so there's LGBT content. Oh, and sex is brought up, but in a roundabout way, and it's more of wondering if others are doing it, rather than actual acts of it. So, a lot of content, yet I've seen YA books with more. I would consider this series PG-13.
As for the actual book... Val's an alright character, and it's understandable why she's so angry at the world and wants to keep as much as she can a secret. However, it felt a little contrived for her to end up in this other country. I mean, I would react in a similar way if this situation was sprung on me, but... I think part of it is that the story starts too late. A story is supposed to start as close to the action as possible, but I think I would have cared more if I had actually seen the scene with Val's mom making her announcements. The emotions would have been more intense.
In fact, that's a common problem in this book--scenes I want to see are skipped, or are put off. This happens especially with the emails. I want to know how Val reacted to the emails emotionally, rather than just have a new scene start. What was up with that?
I also kept forgetting Val is fifteen, as she seems to act more like seventeen. It's hard to pinpoint why this is, but it threw me off every time I was reminded of her age.
Also with Val, she's a very judgmental person. She says she's not, but then she talks about how she would have pegged a person into a category if they didn't act 'x' way, implying that she is judgmental, since she tries to slot people into categories.
She also just goes on and on about how physically attracted she is to David and Georg. Bleh... I don't need reminded every time she's in their presence (or is even thinking of them) about how she finds them physically handsome. We get it. You're surrounded by hot guys and you're a teenager.
Wow, I'm really ragging on Val. She's not a bad main character, but I also never grew to care about her. I never cared about anybody in this book, honestly--not even the love interests. I'm a huge shipper, but it didn't make sense to me why she was so in love with David for tenish years without ever doing anything about it. It can work, to have somebody be silent about their love for that long, but there needs to be more of a reason than what Val gave--in that she didn't think she was his type.
As for Georg, I like that they met without her knowing who he was, so that they could establish a genuine friendship before titles got in the way, but he seemed kind of boring. I think he would have been more interesting if the story had been from his POV, or if there had been more glimpses of him struggling under the pressure of constant scrutiny, but it rarely happened.
Then we come to Val and her first day of school in this new country... Umm... What was with that period thing? I get women experience their periods differently and you want something to help with the blood as soon as it starts, but "I usually go gangbusters on my first day, so an instant wave of panic is more than warranted" seems like a bit of an overkill. Then again, she was worried she had leaked maybe twenty minutes later? Not sure how you leak that fast, no matter who you are... Also, she worries about getting more tampons, and then the issue is never brought up again. Why bring up a problem that's never going to referenced again?
While we're on a somewhat awkward topic, Val is super insecure about her romantic/sexual experiences. She seems to think everyone has had more action than her... I get this is a common problem with teens, but I just want to slap some sense into her.
Then we get to the end of the first book in the trilogy, and... it's alright. I honestly didn't even care about the romance going on, but just wanted to know what the big news in the email was about--and then that wasn't even answered in the first book.
As for the little bit of the second book I read... I was really confused when I started it, as Val had just talked about how happy she was at the end of the first book, only for her to be talking about how much her life sucked at the beginning of the second. I get the second book needs to catch new readers up, but it was an awkward way to do it.
As for that big news mentioned in the first book... Surprise, David is interested in Val. Seriously, who waits until somebody moves away to try and start a relationship? Plus, with all the talk about him just dating the popular people, I would be questioning if I even wanted to date him, no matter how physically attracted I am to him. It just seems like an awkward attempt at a love triangle.
I don't have too much more to say, since I stopped reading, but I guess I had a lot more thoughts than I realized... Overall, I do wish these books were cleaner, and I wish Val wasn't so shallow, but I did want to know what was going to happen next, which is why I read as much as I did--only to be disappointed some of the time because things were skipped over or pushed further away. I never was invested in the romance, either.
P.S. I have no idea who's on the front cover. I assume it's supposed to be Val, but it's made pretty clear Val has RED hair. Also, the cover has nothing to do with the book (at least, not what I read of it). I hate poorly done covers.
I didn't finish, and debated leaving a review, but I review things more for myself than anyone else (as I have a terrible memory), so... I stopped right after starting the second book.
First off, this trilogy contains language and is very physical (in terms of talking about how hot guys are, how pants look on the MC's butt, and so on). Not things I want to be reading about, and I almost put the book down sooner for it. Also, the MC's mother comes out as gay, and has a girlfriend, so there's LGBT content. Oh, and sex is brought up, but in a roundabout way, and it's more of wondering if others are doing it, rather than actual acts of it. So, a lot of content, yet I've seen YA books with more. I would consider this series PG-13.
As for the actual book... Val's an alright character, and it's understandable why she's so angry at the world and wants to keep as much as she can a secret. However, it felt a little contrived for her to end up in this other country. I mean, I would react in a similar way if this situation was sprung on me, but... I think part of it is that the story starts too late. A story is supposed to start as close to the action as possible, but I think I would have cared more if I had actually seen the scene with Val's mom making her announcements. The emotions would have been more intense.
In fact, that's a common problem in this book--scenes I want to see are skipped, or are put off. This happens especially with the emails. I want to know how Val reacted to the emails emotionally, rather than just have a new scene start. What was up with that?
I also kept forgetting Val is fifteen, as she seems to act more like seventeen. It's hard to pinpoint why this is, but it threw me off every time I was reminded of her age.
Also with Val, she's a very judgmental person. She says she's not, but then she talks about how she would have pegged a person into a category if they didn't act 'x' way, implying that she is judgmental, since she tries to slot people into categories.
She also just goes on and on about how physically attracted she is to David and Georg. Bleh... I don't need reminded every time she's in their presence (or is even thinking of them) about how she finds them physically handsome. We get it. You're surrounded by hot guys and you're a teenager.
Wow, I'm really ragging on Val. She's not a bad main character, but I also never grew to care about her. I never cared about anybody in this book, honestly--not even the love interests. I'm a huge shipper, but it didn't make sense to me why she was so in love with David for tenish years without ever doing anything about it. It can work, to have somebody be silent about their love for that long, but there needs to be more of a reason than what Val gave--in that she didn't think she was his type.
As for Georg, I like that they met without her knowing who he was, so that they could establish a genuine friendship before titles got in the way, but he seemed kind of boring. I think he would have been more interesting if the story had been from his POV, or if there had been more glimpses of him struggling under the pressure of constant scrutiny, but it rarely happened.
Then we come to Val and her first day of school in this new country... Umm... What was with that period thing? I get women experience their periods differently and you want something to help with the blood as soon as it starts, but "I usually go gangbusters on my first day, so an instant wave of panic is more than warranted" seems like a bit of an overkill. Then again, she was worried she had leaked maybe twenty minutes later? Not sure how you leak that fast, no matter who you are... Also, she worries about getting more tampons, and then the issue is never brought up again. Why bring up a problem that's never going to referenced again?
While we're on a somewhat awkward topic, Val is super insecure about her romantic/sexual experiences. She seems to think everyone has had more action than her... I get this is a common problem with teens, but I just want to slap some sense into her.
Then we get to the end of the first book in the trilogy, and... it's alright. I honestly didn't even care about the romance going on, but just wanted to know what the big news in the email was about--and then that wasn't even answered in the first book.
As for the little bit of the second book I read... I was really confused when I started it, as Val had just talked about how happy she was at the end of the first book, only for her to be talking about how much her life sucked at the beginning of the second. I get the second book needs to catch new readers up, but it was an awkward way to do it.
As for that big news mentioned in the first book... Surprise, David is interested in Val. Seriously, who waits until somebody moves away to try and start a relationship? Plus, with all the talk about him just dating the popular people, I would be questioning if I even wanted to date him, no matter how physically attracted I am to him. It just seems like an awkward attempt at a love triangle.
I don't have too much more to say, since I stopped reading, but I guess I had a lot more thoughts than I realized... Overall, I do wish these books were cleaner, and I wish Val wasn't so shallow, but I did want to know what was going to happen next, which is why I read as much as I did--only to be disappointed some of the time because things were skipped over or pushed further away. I never was invested in the romance, either.
P.S. I have no idea who's on the front cover. I assume it's supposed to be Val, but it's made pretty clear Val has RED hair. Also, the cover has nothing to do with the book (at least, not what I read of it). I hate poorly done covers.
May 4, 2011
This was cute. Some language, but pretty clean. There was a whole political element in it that sort of bothered me, but she never took a super strong stand, mostly just tried to explore how a teenager might be viewing it. She did send the message that people with conservative beliefs are a bit brainwashed instead of open-minded. But the romance and character and plot were cute.
This book is actually all 3 of the books in the series all combined, which was good because of my main complaint about her books. They don't really END. They just stop. So, after getting to the end of the 1st book, I was glad that I had the 2nd one to continue right on (except the story recaps were super annoying). The 2nd one just ENDED, so I was glad to be able to, again, continue on. But then, the 3rd one ended. Just ended. I guess the loose ends were all tied up, but you didn't really feel it happening.
Oh well. It's all silliness anyway, but sometimes that's what I'm in the mood for.
This book is actually all 3 of the books in the series all combined, which was good because of my main complaint about her books. They don't really END. They just stop. So, after getting to the end of the 1st book, I was glad that I had the 2nd one to continue right on (except the story recaps were super annoying). The 2nd one just ENDED, so I was glad to be able to, again, continue on. But then, the 3rd one ended. Just ended. I guess the loose ends were all tied up, but you didn't really feel it happening.
Oh well. It's all silliness anyway, but sometimes that's what I'm in the mood for.
June 10, 2011
Eh, this book is like WAY TOO LONG. So if you are like me, and are bored out of your mind on one of those hot, seemingly endless summer days, go ahead and read it. It made me laugh a few times, but the romance is like way not there, and the main girl bugs/annoys me. Also, something else that totally ticked me off was the fact that on the cover, the girl is like some totally hott like Hawiian chick, and in the book she is a pasty, pale, chubby redhead who stuffs her face with McDonald's all the time. So, basically, only read this if you have nothing better to do.
June 6, 2011
I definately give this book five stars! I was bored with Karen Kingsburys book ever after....so whike I was at my friends house-whom I swap books with at least once a week- I decided to pick it up it looked like a book that would last me a while...turns out I read it in one day! It was so sweet so cute yet frustrating at times. I really would encourage anyone to read this book who is just in the mood for a good love story that is simple and cutez:)
September 22, 2011
Cute, predictable & fun but nothing blew me away and nothing was super special to read about for me. It also felt a bit long. Good for romantic readers who don't want a lot in a story. I loved the gay parts though, I think it was written about well.
August 13, 2011
This book was super cute and a fun, frothy, feel-good read. 4.5 stars.
November 7, 2014
ending dia........i need MORE...hahahaha
October 8, 2017
Very cute book with a very cute storyline. Much of it was superficial, however I did like how Val's character began to develop towards the second book. It was kind of hard to see how Valerie struggle with coming to terms with her parents' attempts at happiness; but, slowly she begins to make an effort to bond with her parents significant others (if for no other reason than to make her parents happy). I wasn't very fond of the whole political side of the story (David and his father left a bitter taste in my mouth), but I thought Niki used Georg's political situation well to help further his and Val's relationship. I thought the parents were well-developed and found myself liking them more than her friends, probably just because as Val is an unreliable storyteller and looks up to her parents much more than her friends. Would recommend to others (probably middle school to young adult) as a cute first love story.
December 21, 2018
This book was published in 2005 and I read it in 2018. It's safe to say this book did not hold up well over the years. Some of the issues that Valerie deals with based on her current life situation are pretty accurate; I just thought she was really whiny about them. Also, I barely got to know any of the supporting characters which wouldn't have been a problem if the author didn't present the supporting characters like I had formed some deep bond with them. All of the characters, including Georg and Val, were flat to me and their characteristics were basic (like, getting your homework done before Sunday night doesn't make you a geek.) This book had been sitting on my shelf for about 8 years so I finally decided to tackle it. I'm happy I finally read it but I'll be even happier when I donate it to an elementary/middle schooler who may actually enjoy it.
October 18, 2017
I enjoyed this breezy teenage romance. Who doesn’t enjoy reading about an ordinary girl falling for a prince? 😌
It was a great change of pace from the intense books I typically read. Once again, YA never disappoints
It was a great change of pace from the intense books I typically read. Once again, YA never disappoints
October 17, 2018
Could not get past the first twenty pages. Went into this thinking it would be kind of along the lines of the Princess Diaries series, but based on what I read, this is nowhere as cute or entertaining.
February 23, 2019
I picked this up on a whim and was pleasantly surprised by how much I liked it. It's rather dated though, and the plots were overly simplistic but not overly-angsty. It was cute. And that's about it. Still, a nice way to pass the time.
November 16, 2024
Literally read this book so many times. It had the perfect blend of school crush, trying to fit in and find your place in school and in life. There was a couple of times when I wanted to strangle the main character because of concerning choices she made but it is what it is
January 20, 2020
I really enjoyed the book. The reason I gave four stars is because I wish there was a little more to the ending. Yes, it ended on a good note, but I wanted more.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2020
Well written and cute. Probably just not in the head space for this right now, but it was a quick, easy read. Very innocent teen romance.
August 19, 2022
easy read but not worth rereading, super cute tho
November 21, 2024
A typical of romance cliché story when this young girl fell in love with a prince and turns out that the prince is also like her. Rate: 3.5/5
February 21, 2013
This is a bind-up of the Royally Jacked series and includes all 3 books; Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over. They follow Valerie Winslow who’s parents have just split up. She is given the choice to either stay in Virginia and move in with her mother and her new girlfriend--yes THAT kind--or to move all the way to a tiny European country most people don’t even know exists. Her father has just been reassigned as the King’s new protocol expert in Schwerinborg and invites her to go with him. Neither option seem all that great, but she decides that maybe living in Europe for a year wouldn’t be too bad--especially since she’d be staying at the palace with the royal family. That’s where she meets Georg. He is nice, smart and just gets her. He also happens to be heir to the throne which complicates their relationship. She discovers that dating a prince isn’t anything like what the fairytales describe, but she’s fallen hard for the boy and isn’t about to give him up just yet.
First off, I love bind-ups. They make owning and reading an entire series that much easier. I also love the new covers that come with them because they always seem to be so much better than the originals. Isn’t this one just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?
But anyways, on to the actual books. All 3 are around 200 pages which makes them quick, easy reads. The title kind of makes you think that Valerie is going to get her heart crushed by the prince, but that is totally not the case. These books are sweet, fun and just plain CUTE. I don’t want to go into too much detail about each because I feel like that will spoil it for you, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed them. The last one, Do-Over, was definitely my favorite.
As for the characters, they were okay. I did like Val and Georg, but her friends back in the US (Natalie, Jules, and Christie) were kind of annoying. As if moving to an entirely new continent wasn’t bad enough, they made her feel horrible about it. Two of them even stopped speaking to her for like a week when they found out which was just ridiculous. I also felt they were really pushy and didn’t listen to her or what she wanted. But that was also Valerie’s fault because she never really spoke up until about the end of the second book.
First off, I love bind-ups. They make owning and reading an entire series that much easier. I also love the new covers that come with them because they always seem to be so much better than the originals. Isn’t this one just the cutest thing you’ve ever seen?
But anyways, on to the actual books. All 3 are around 200 pages which makes them quick, easy reads. The title kind of makes you think that Valerie is going to get her heart crushed by the prince, but that is totally not the case. These books are sweet, fun and just plain CUTE. I don’t want to go into too much detail about each because I feel like that will spoil it for you, but I will say that I thoroughly enjoyed them. The last one, Do-Over, was definitely my favorite.
As for the characters, they were okay. I did like Val and Georg, but her friends back in the US (Natalie, Jules, and Christie) were kind of annoying. As if moving to an entirely new continent wasn’t bad enough, they made her feel horrible about it. Two of them even stopped speaking to her for like a week when they found out which was just ridiculous. I also felt they were really pushy and didn’t listen to her or what she wanted. But that was also Valerie’s fault because she never really spoke up until about the end of the second book.
February 4, 2013
Royally Crushed Simon Pulse; 2011, pp. 624, 49.99
Niki Burnham ISBN 1442406488
Valerie had a choice between choosing who she would like to live with and she chooses her father. Her parent got divorced because her mother met Gabrielle and realized that she had been living her life as a lie and that she likes females. Valerie told her friends about the divorced but not the reason why. She moves to a tiny European country called Schwerinborg because his father had to change his job for awhile and now, he works for the royal family of Schwerinborg. That’s where Valerie met Georg, the prince of Schwerinborg. This book is combined of 3 books that are about how Valerie and Georg make their relationship work.
Niki Burnham is the author of Royally Crushed. Royally Crushed contains the books Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over. Valerie’s problem was her parents being divorced, her mother being a lesbian, moving to tiny country that nobody knows of, a guy from a newspaper following her and Georg to school one day and writing about them which causes Valerie’s father to send her back to the states. There, she encounters with her friends who are upset that she didn’t tell them anything important, her mother, and her crush ever since she was a little girl. She’s forced to choose between Georg and her crush. Read this book and find out what happens after all the drama blows over.
I really enjoy reading books like this. I was so eager to read this book because I love reading teen romance books. I have read other books that have been published by Simon Pulse and I really liked reading them, that’s how I found this book. I will recommend this book to teenager girls who enjoy reading about teenager relationships.
I bet that you will enjoy reading this book as much as I did. I think I read this book like twice and I don’t reread books. So if you have a chance to go to the library or a book store, look for this book and you won’t regret it!
Niki Burnham ISBN 1442406488
Valerie had a choice between choosing who she would like to live with and she chooses her father. Her parent got divorced because her mother met Gabrielle and realized that she had been living her life as a lie and that she likes females. Valerie told her friends about the divorced but not the reason why. She moves to a tiny European country called Schwerinborg because his father had to change his job for awhile and now, he works for the royal family of Schwerinborg. That’s where Valerie met Georg, the prince of Schwerinborg. This book is combined of 3 books that are about how Valerie and Georg make their relationship work.
Niki Burnham is the author of Royally Crushed. Royally Crushed contains the books Royally Jacked, Spin Control, and Do-Over. Valerie’s problem was her parents being divorced, her mother being a lesbian, moving to tiny country that nobody knows of, a guy from a newspaper following her and Georg to school one day and writing about them which causes Valerie’s father to send her back to the states. There, she encounters with her friends who are upset that she didn’t tell them anything important, her mother, and her crush ever since she was a little girl. She’s forced to choose between Georg and her crush. Read this book and find out what happens after all the drama blows over.
I really enjoy reading books like this. I was so eager to read this book because I love reading teen romance books. I have read other books that have been published by Simon Pulse and I really liked reading them, that’s how I found this book. I will recommend this book to teenager girls who enjoy reading about teenager relationships.
I bet that you will enjoy reading this book as much as I did. I think I read this book like twice and I don’t reread books. So if you have a chance to go to the library or a book store, look for this book and you won’t regret it!
January 8, 2016
Well, I finished this book a lot earlier then I thought I would. And there is a reason for that; this book is fairly easy and straightforward. I did like it the stories, and they were pretty cute, if simple. I was glad that I read this version with all three stories together. If I had read them separately, I would not have been satisfied due to the length and overall lack of action. The one downside to this was that there was a LOT of re-cap. I realize that this had to do with the fact that I was essentially reading three books back to back, but it still seemed a tad excessive. Things could have at least been phrased differently instead of the same way three times. But I digress. Although it was cute, I didn't love it for two main reasons. First, I thought that the characters were overall very flat. Several times, they seem to start to develop, but we don't get to see enough of it. This is paralleled by the lack of action in general that I mentioned earlier. The other problem I had was that I couldn't really get on board with the main character, Val. She complained soooooooo much. I know she was going through a lot, but she had such an attitude that I felt it hard to feel completely sorry for her. She was just so angry at everyone and everything. And she would make a big deal out of things and then be like "oh, how silly. It's all fine." Ugh. She also kept freaking out about how she never had any dating experience before Georg. And while I understand that that is a valid concern, she is 15. 15! How much experience does she expect to have? In my own personal opinion, it's ok that she hasn't done stuff, and I got awful tired of hearing about it. The last problem that I have is with the cover. Again, in my opinion, if you're going to have character on the cover, they should match their description in the book regardless of what that is. And yet the character on the cover has a distinct lack of red hair. Overall, I would say to read this if you just want something light and simple. It's a quick and easy read, although I wasn't majorly impressed.
April 13, 2014
Maybe I just had low, nostalgic expectations--the first novel I ever wrote had a similar premise--or maybe some feel-good literature was exactly what I needed this week. Either way, I was very pleasantly surprised.
A lot of my strife with contemporary YA comes down to my struggle to identify with characters whose interests and grammar choices clash with mine. And while Val's voice did often seem shallow, there was a surprising depth to the ridiculousness of her situation. She reacted exactly right--selfishly, but consciously so. We got to see her process the major changes in her life, to adjust with humor and awkwardness and adolescence.
The "love triangle" section was incredibly well done, and I found myself cheering for Val and her self-awareness. The romance was fluffy, yes, and Georg had about as much personality as a squashed hat, but it was fun. It reminded me a lot of my own book and how ridiculous it was and how much I enjoyed writing it because of the ridiculousness, and the sappiness, and the way my characters interacted. I mean, I'll never say no to a dashing, sensitive prince. If your book has it, I'll read it. Royalty. Sigh.
But hands down, my absolute favorite part of this book was Val's parents. PARENTS. IN CONTEMPORARY YA. WHAT A CONCEPT. And they were wonderful. Individual and independent and human and authoritative and supportive and important and I could not get enough of either of them. The way they interacted with Val was just... fijnjienjonenhie there just aren't any words for how much I adored them. If I could pick one thing to change about this whole book, it's that I wish we could have properly met Georg's parents, too. I'd have liked to see them without Georg's filtered view.
I really enjoyed reading this omnibus. It was like popping a piece of yellow candy in your mouth, afraid it was artificial banana, only to discover it was lemon. Still a bit rough around the edges, but overall, a much more enjoyable experience than originally anticipated. :)
A lot of my strife with contemporary YA comes down to my struggle to identify with characters whose interests and grammar choices clash with mine. And while Val's voice did often seem shallow, there was a surprising depth to the ridiculousness of her situation. She reacted exactly right--selfishly, but consciously so. We got to see her process the major changes in her life, to adjust with humor and awkwardness and adolescence.
The "love triangle" section was incredibly well done, and I found myself cheering for Val and her self-awareness. The romance was fluffy, yes, and Georg had about as much personality as a squashed hat, but it was fun. It reminded me a lot of my own book and how ridiculous it was and how much I enjoyed writing it because of the ridiculousness, and the sappiness, and the way my characters interacted. I mean, I'll never say no to a dashing, sensitive prince. If your book has it, I'll read it. Royalty. Sigh.
But hands down, my absolute favorite part of this book was Val's parents. PARENTS. IN CONTEMPORARY YA. WHAT A CONCEPT. And they were wonderful. Individual and independent and human and authoritative and supportive and important and I could not get enough of either of them. The way they interacted with Val was just... fijnjienjonenhie there just aren't any words for how much I adored them. If I could pick one thing to change about this whole book, it's that I wish we could have properly met Georg's parents, too. I'd have liked to see them without Georg's filtered view.
I really enjoyed reading this omnibus. It was like popping a piece of yellow candy in your mouth, afraid it was artificial banana, only to discover it was lemon. Still a bit rough around the edges, but overall, a much more enjoyable experience than originally anticipated. :)
February 8, 2012
3.5 stars to Royally Crushed, a tome made up of the novels Royally Jacked, Spin Control and Do-Over.
Valerie is your every-girl, who just so happens to wind up moving to a small country in Europe due to her parents divorce (caused by her mother's recent self-discovery that she's a lesbian). Her father finds a job in the palace, which of course means that Valerie meets Prince Georg (no E- pronounced like the Captain in the Sound of Music, which is a reference used in the book).
Some people aren't impressed by how cliche the rest of the storyline becomes. She has her best friends in the US (Natalie, Jules and Christie), each of them have boyfriends past and present, she has a crush she's had eyes for since kindergarten, a prince who has his eyes on her (and she on his), you can see where this is going. Let's focus here: all the info I've just written is on the back of the book. If you wanted something less cliche, I'd suggest choosing a book that doesn't have all this listed on the jacket.
A for me, I love a good every girl meets Prince Charming (or Prince Georg, as the case may be) story. Thoroughly enjoyed this one, and am hoping to read more Niki Burnham in the very near future.
Valerie is your every-girl, who just so happens to wind up moving to a small country in Europe due to her parents divorce (caused by her mother's recent self-discovery that she's a lesbian). Her father finds a job in the palace, which of course means that Valerie meets Prince Georg (no E- pronounced like the Captain in the Sound of Music, which is a reference used in the book).
Some people aren't impressed by how cliche the rest of the storyline becomes. She has her best friends in the US (Natalie, Jules and Christie), each of them have boyfriends past and present, she has a crush she's had eyes for since kindergarten, a prince who has his eyes on her (and she on his), you can see where this is going. Let's focus here: all the info I've just written is on the back of the book. If you wanted something less cliche, I'd suggest choosing a book that doesn't have all this listed on the jacket.
A for me, I love a good every girl meets Prince Charming (or Prince Georg, as the case may be) story. Thoroughly enjoyed this one, and am hoping to read more Niki Burnham in the very near future.
July 20, 2016
I love stories of ordinary people falling in love with royalty so when I saw this at the store the other day, I immediately picked it up. However, I felt slightly let down while reading it. Though the main character does fall in love with the prince, its completely out of the blue, making it seem so unbelievable. And yes, any story with this plot would be unbelievable. What I mean is that I really think the author should have taken more time to develop the relationship between the two leads before making them absolutely devoted to one another. Even though I was really rooting for them, it seemed really fake.
Another thing that bugged me about this novel was how it approached homosexuality. The way the book described it made me very uncomfortable. It wasn't homophobic or anything but it was very ignorant. I made a vow to myself that I would finish every book I start this year and if I had not made this vow, I probably would've stopped this novel very early on due to this issue.
Aside from that, it was a cute story of a girl and a prince, and while this may have once intrigued enough to give it a higher rating, I just can't get over the issue described above to actually actively like it.
Another thing that bugged me about this novel was how it approached homosexuality. The way the book described it made me very uncomfortable. It wasn't homophobic or anything but it was very ignorant. I made a vow to myself that I would finish every book I start this year and if I had not made this vow, I probably would've stopped this novel very early on due to this issue.
Aside from that, it was a cute story of a girl and a prince, and while this may have once intrigued enough to give it a higher rating, I just can't get over the issue described above to actually actively like it.
January 12, 2012
After Prince William and Catherine Middleton got married, Barnes and Noble was going CRAZY with selling books having to do with princes/England/boarding school etc. and I happened to see this book!! Royally Crushed is actually three books on the series bound into one (Royally Jacked; Spin Control; Do Over) so it was really fun to read this series as a whole instead of waiting for the next book to come out!
Overall, I really enjoyed this book!! It was a fun read and I really enjoyed reading about Valerie's encounters with Prince Georg. It was fun seeing their relationship progress through these books!! I love reading teen romance books, especially when they have princes in them!! It makes me feel like it could happen to anyone :)
Anyways, I also really enjoyed the main character Valerie! It was really interesting to see her perspective and how she is dealing with Georg. She is also a really funny character too which I really enjoyed reading about!
So in the end, if you are looking for a fun read (with a Prince!!) you should check out this book :)
Overall, I really enjoyed this book!! It was a fun read and I really enjoyed reading about Valerie's encounters with Prince Georg. It was fun seeing their relationship progress through these books!! I love reading teen romance books, especially when they have princes in them!! It makes me feel like it could happen to anyone :)
Anyways, I also really enjoyed the main character Valerie! It was really interesting to see her perspective and how she is dealing with Georg. She is also a really funny character too which I really enjoyed reading about!
So in the end, if you are looking for a fun read (with a Prince!!) you should check out this book :)
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