Unroyally Yours

by Emma Lord

The Princess Diaries meets The Bodyguard in this sparkling novel of royalty and romance, secrets and spies, from New York Times bestselling author Emma Lord.

Rosie’s name is synonymous with loyalty and protection. Part of an elite security training program for teenage recruits, her instincts are great. Her impulse control? Not so much. After an assignment gone wrong, she’s shipped off to Europe on probation. If she messes up, she can’t come back. Her job? To go undercover as the bodyguard for the long-lost prince of Marilova. There’s just one problem: Rosie already knows him.

Nick’s life has been a whirlwind ever since his identity was uncovered. Now he’s been thrust into the spotlight as heir of Marilova, and tensions have never been higher. The Queen will spare no expense to keep him safe—including hiring a bodyguard. Except, Nick doesn’t want Rosie’s protection. They worked together years ago. He even saved her life once. But he has his reasons for keeping his distance.

As a plot against the royals unfolds, Rosie and Nick are thrust into an intricate web of secret alliances and courtly games as they unravel who wants Nick off the throne. But tensions have always existed between Nick and Rosie, and she wonders if she can protect the prince while also protecting her heart.

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

336 pages, Hardcover

Expected publication April 20, 2027

About the author

Emma Lord is an NYT bestselling author of rom coms for teens and adults, a BuzzFeed senior writer, and dessert gremlin living in New York City. She graduated from the University of Virginia with a major in psychology and a minor in how to tilt your computer screen so nobody will notice you updating your fan fiction from the back row. Her sun sign is Cancer and her moon sign is whatever Taylor Swift song is about to pop up on shuffle.

Reviews

[Caroline · Rating 4.75 out of 5]

OH. My goodness. Am I the only one who felt like this was WAY better than I thought it would be?? Like, hear me out; a female bodyguard and two princes (one in a best-friends-to-lovers and the other in an enemies-to-lovers trope) in the royal scandal of the century.
…Are you hooked?
That’s what I thought 😏
I am finally writing reviews for ARCs after a month of school and activities, so without further ado!!
(Thank you to NetGalley and Emma Lord for this ARC!!)
Let’s start with our fearless FMC, Rosie!! I absolutely LOVED her, she’s such a diva and an overall kickbutt girl that secretly wanted to let someone else take care of her. Also, I feel like romances nowadays are forgetting CHARACTER ARCS?? AND EMMA LORD DID IT!! It wasn’t cheesy, wasn’t too fast or too slow, it was the perfect blend of figuring out who you truly are and what(or who) you want in the midst of being a teen bodyguard.
Next, of course we have to do NICK!! Nick was—😧🫢😳😃😏🤭🫠🥴😍😮‍💨🥵😤😔😒🤬😭🤩🥳🤨❓❓❓❓That was literally my reaction to him. 😭 (The question marks are for the HUGE cliffhanger 🤭) I loved him, I hated him, I wanted to kiss him, there are so many ways to describe him but I wouldn’t want to give anything away.😏
MAXWELL!! MAXWELL MAXWELL MAXWELLLLL 😍🥵 This man!! That’s all I’m gonna say but I’m rooting for Max 😉
And the romance want the biggest part of it!! The royal and internal conflict was a key part I recommend you read carefully 😉
Overall, the plot was AMAZING, the plot twist had me gasping aloud, and the cliffhanger made me scream. 🤯 I DEFINITELY recommend, blow this book up because it totally deserves it!!
Yk what time it is. 😏

🫐💜🗡️What I loved: 🗡️💜🫐

👑 Bodyguard romance!! (I can’t resist these)
👑 No-spice 🚫🌶️
👑 Brooding prince #1
👑 Cocky prince #2
👑 TENSIONNNN
👑 Beginning of Chapter 27 🤣
👑 LOVE TRIANGLE…oh no, there isn’t…OR IS THERE
👑 Character arc 🥰
👑 Royal country/plot politics (made up)

CW: No spice, lots of language, innuendo. There is a lesbian couple and I loved them 😍

[Sheila · Rating 3 out of 5]

I received a free copy of, Unroyally Yours, by Emma Lord, from the publisher and Netgalley in exchange for an honest review. Rosie is a body guard, who screwed up her last job, now she has to be a body guard for an acquaintance. This was a nice read, good setting and characters.

[✞𝑳𝒆𝒙𝒊☕︎ (∘₊✧Delusional Optimism✧₊∘) · Rating 5 out of 5]

FIRST : Thank you to Wednesday Book, St. Martin’s Press, and NetGalley for and advanced copy in exchange for an honest review!


♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕


⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️


FIVE. FREAKING. STARS.😍🙏

I’m speechless holy crap…🥺


THIS WAS MY FIRST EVER ARC TOO YAYAYAYAYAY! THIS HAS SET MY EXPECTATIONS CRAZY HIGH🤭.

When I first started requesting arcs, I already had the mindset of getting rejected so you can imagine how EXCITED I WAS TO OPEN MY EMAIL AND SEE I WAS APPROVED FOR THIS ARC!!!😍😍😍 I no lie starting screaming so loud my brother got so mad at me and told me to shut up countless of times🥹👍.

I kept screaming like the good sister I am😛


ANYWHO….CAN WE TALK ABT THAT ENDING?!?!! WHAT THE HECK EMMA?😭😭😭

You caught me off my guard like crazy I started crying😰. But seriously HOW CAN I WAIT FOR THE NEXT BOOK AFTER THAT DIABOLICAL ENDING…? The book hasn’t even come out yet😭🙏. AND I HAVE TO WAIY FOR THE NEXT ONE💔🥀.


Other than that…this book was SO good bro😍😍😍. It kept me hooked and I was in fact attached to every single character🤭.



♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕



Characters ! ✨




Rosie : BADDIE ALERTTTTT🗣️🔥🔥🔥. This girl had me saying “okay period” countless of times😍. She was an amazing character AH! Guys I literally love her sm🤭 ALSO POOR GIRL- SHE HAS WAY TOO MUCH ON HER PLATE FOR A 19 YEAR OLD😭🙏. #justiceforrosie💔
Geez I can’t even begin to imagine what will happen with her next book js bc of how crazy that ending was🥀. I have faith that she won’t disappoint next book tho!🤭🤭🤭.




Nick : I HAVE WRITTEN A BEAUTIFUL POEM FOR NICK INSTEAD OF STUDYING FOR MY POEM
QUIZ ON THE MORROW👹

Nick, Oh Nick
You thought you could trick? *insert devious chuckle*
Poor, sweet boy is in love
Gorgeous as a dove
Because he is in love (duh!)
Everyone loves him
Including me
It’s obvious to see
Can you name a berry after me too-
WAIT WHAT WDYM
STOP NICK STOP
ACTUALLY?!?!!!!
OH NUH UH
WAIT THE BOOKS OVER?!?!?
NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
*cries in le confusion*

I might’ve included my reaction from a certain scene😰.
Anyway I did REALLY LOVE Nick in this book OH MY DAYS UGH IM ON MY KNEES FOR THIS MAN🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️🧎‍♀️. GOSH- I think uh- my poem said the rest of my thoughts😰👍.



Maxwell : Two words. Marry. Me😍. I love grumpy guys in books🤭.




Eleanora : ACTUAL QUEEN (literally lol)😍👍.



Luxe : I fear we have the same personality🥹🙏



Arlene : She was cool <3



Mitch and Hank : They have crazy dad vibes🤭. Even tho Mitch wasn’t rlly in this book he still gave dad vibes lol😍👍. I have a feeling we’ll see a lot more of him in the next book tho!




♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕



Quotes ! 👑 (Minor spoilers through quotes!)




It’s just miles and miles of…pink.

- HEAVENNNN😍😍😍



Arlene turns to Luxe. “Hit her for me will you? I’m too lazy to reach.”

Luxe pats me faintly on the shoulder. “Pretend that hurt.”

“Ow,” I say, deadpan.




“But I know enough that I can’t help but want to know more. It’s your most irritating trait.”




“No! You, engaged! Me, bodyguard!”




“You can leave. This was a perfectly good reading spot before the two of showed up.”

- LIKE I SAID….MARRRYYYY MEEEEEEE🤭🤭🤭




It’s turns out even getting kidnapped in Marilova is an aesthetic.




“Are you okay?”

“She asks, from her hospital bed.”




♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕♛♕



Overall ! 💕



I will be going crazy in April of next year recommending this to every single breathing soul on this app😍🙏.



I actually loved this book so much like- UGH I NEED TO TALK TO SOMEONE ABT IT BUT I LITERALLY DONT HAVE ANY BOOK FRIENDS IRL😭👍

That’s alright tho lol bc I can rant to you guys :3

This book will rank in my top romances for freaking sure🤭🤭🤭

I can’t say much abt the book rn bc I don’t wanna crazy spoil it…TRUST ME WHEN I SAY YOU NEED TO READ THIS🥺🥺🙏.


As of content, this book has a decent amount of language, pretty heated kissing/making out, and a bit of LGBTQ+. If you’re not comfortable with any of these then I wouldn’t read this if I were you!


I would 100% recommend this to you if you enjoy books with…


👑 Royalty

💕 Clean Romance Books

👑 She’s His Bodyguard

💕 Crazy Cliff Hanger

👑 Lost Prince

💕 Trust No One

👑 EMOTIONAL ROLLERCOASTER AND DENIAL

💕 Kinda…Love Triangle?


*cue Chandelier*

*cue me, yes, swinging from a chandelier screaming this song👹*



I DID MAKE A PLAYLIST TOO MUAHAHAHAHAHA


https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4Qx...


Hopefully you guys will be able to access it!🤭

If you can’t- I named the playlist :


• 👛 Unroyally Yours ♕ •



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Post-read ! 👛

THAT ENDING WAS SO EVIL FOR A ROMANCE BOOK WHAT😭😭💔. EMMA THIS ISNT FUNNY IM ACTUALLY CRYING😭 I can’t wait for the next book seriously…rtc😭

[haddy ｡⋆୨୧˚]

please be young adult please please please

[Marijke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Review of advance copy received from NetGalley

This book follows Rosie, who is part of an elite security training program for teenage recruits, when she is shipped off to Marilova, on probation. Her mission: to go undercover as a bodyguard for the long-lost prince of Marilova. Turns out, she already knows him. They have worked together and he even saved her life once. As a plot against the royals unfolds, Nick and Rosie get thrown the mystery of who wants Nick off the throne.

This book had me hooked from the first chapter. You get introduced to Rosie right when she makes the mistake that brings her to Marilova, she sees this assignment as punishment. But when she gets to Marilova she doesn’t just meet Maxwell, the prince’s cousin, but also the long-lost prince of Marilova, Nick. Nick whom she knows, Nick who has saved her life, Nick who she distanced herself from. There is clearly something unsolved between them and I like how you see them working through it throughout this book.

Through the chapters you learn more about who Rosie is, who Nick is, what their relationship is and was but you also witness them trying to build it back up again. You notice Rosie struggling to trust people which might be a good trait when it comes to her job as bodyguard and protecting Nick, but the trait makes any form of relationship difficult for her. You do really see her growth towards the end of the book.

The book is written in a single POV, Rosie’s. I think it would’ve added more depth to also read through Nick’s POV, especially because I feel like there is a lack of communication between the two. I also would’ve liked to see more of that and also their history in detail because I think that’d make their relationship stronger.

What I also absolutely loved about the book is the mystery aspect. I was hooked, did not want to put it down until I absolutely had to, looking forward to picking the book back up again. I thought the political aspect in this book added more meaning to the story as well, it was woven into everything Nick and Rosie had to do, I can’t imagine the book without it.

Overall, I give it 4.25 stars! I'm very much looking forward to the second book, and will also definitely read more from this author than I have so far.

[Damani · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.25⭐️

There were things that I liked about this book but some things I didn’t.
It reminded me of the princess diaries/ princess protection program mixed with some KC undercover, I liked that aspect about it and I enjoyed the story line, I just found myself not being able to fully get into the book.

There were many times in this book that I felt like I skipped a page because one second one thing was happening then something entirely different the next with not much context in between.

The ending definitely made me intrigued for a sequel.

There was also a lot of typos, not really a big deal because it was easy to figure out what was trying to be said, but it just made it feel like the editing might have been a bit rushed.

Thanks to Netgally for this arc.

[sadie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this book, and I need the next one ASAP! Unroyally Yours is not at all what you may expect - it's funny, yet serious and deep; it's romantic, yet grounded and surprising; it's action packed, yet builds relationships and develops the characters. As a teen girl myself, I appreciated that it was a true YA: no sex scenes, no explicit discussion, cute & somewhat intense but not steamy kisses. I also liked that a large portion of this book wasn't about the romance, but focused on the main character's development, as she learns to trust. I'm excited to see how that is further explored in the next book. Thank you Emma Lord, for never disappointing!

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Woo baby! Emma Lord, how I love you. Thank goodness that this is going to be a series…especially with that ending. I was seriously hooked from start to finish. I had to pry the book out of my hands to get some sleep. I would have read it in one sitting. Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the ARC.

[Kacy °❀⋆.ೃ࿔*:･]

ִֶָ𓂃 ࣪ ִֶָ🐇་༘ 𝑤ℎ𝑖𝑙𝑒 𝑟𝑒𝑎𝑑𝑖𝑛𝑔... {𝙏𝙝𝙖𝙣𝙠 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙉𝙚𝙩𝙜𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙮 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙥𝙮!}

♥︎ 𝙉𝙚𝙬 𝙍𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙘𝙨 - 𝙏𝙖𝙮𝙡𝙤𝙧 𝙎𝙬𝙞𝙛𝙩
⇄ ◁◁ I I ▷▷ ↻
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𐙚˙✧˖°📷 ༘ ⋆｡ ˚ OᐯEᖇᗩᒪᒪ TᕼOᑌGᕼTᔕ

𝙁𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙨𝙝𝙚𝙙 𝙐𝙣𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙔𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙨 𝙗𝙮 𝙀𝙢𝙢𝙖 𝙇𝙤𝙧𝙙 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙄.𝙃𝙖𝙫𝙚.𝙏𝙝𝙤𝙪𝙜𝙝𝙩𝙨! 𝙏𝙤 𝙗𝙚 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩, 𝙄'𝙢 𝙜𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙤 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙖 4/5 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙧 𝙧𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙛𝙪𝙣, 𝙝𝙞𝙜𝙝-𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙧𝙤𝙡𝙡𝙚𝙧 𝙘𝙤𝙖𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙧𝙞𝙙𝙚 (𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙚𝙨𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙮). 𝙂𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙞𝙩, 𝙚𝙨𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙞𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙛𝙡𝙪𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚𝙙 𝙗𝙮 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙤𝙠 𝙘𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧, 𝙄 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙚𝙭𝙥𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙖 𝙘𝙪𝙩𝙚, 𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙙𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚, 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙞𝙩 𝙜𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙎𝙊 𝙈𝙐𝘾𝙃 𝙈𝙊𝙍𝙀. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙-𝙞𝙣-𝙩𝙧𝙖𝙞𝙣𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙙𝙮𝙣𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙘 𝙞𝙨 𝙀𝙑𝙀𝙍𝙔𝙏𝙃𝙄𝙉𝙂. 𝙍𝙤𝙨𝙞𝙚 𝙞𝙨 𝙜𝙚𝙣𝙪𝙞𝙣𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘, 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙖𝙗𝙡𝙚 𝙁𝙈𝘾 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙢𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙯𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙩𝙨 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙯𝙚𝙧𝙤 𝙞𝙢𝙥𝙪𝙡𝙨𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙤𝙡 (𝙡𝙤𝙡), 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙝𝙤𝙣𝙚𝙨𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙖𝙠𝙚𝙨 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝘽𝙀𝙎𝙏 𝘽𝘼𝙉𝙏𝙀𝙍. 𝘼𝙣𝙙 𝙉𝙞𝙘𝙠? 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙤𝙣𝙜-𝙡𝙤𝙨𝙩 𝙥𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙥𝙤𝙩𝙡𝙞𝙜𝙝𝙩? 𝙇𝙞𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙖𝙡𝙡𝙮 𝙎𝙏𝙊𝙇𝙀 𝙢𝙮 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩. 𝙁𝙤𝙧 𝙤𝙣𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙣𝙜, 𝙄 𝙖𝙗𝙨𝙤𝙡𝙪𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙝𝙤𝙬 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙛𝙚𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙧𝙖𝙘𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙞𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙗𝙤𝙙𝙮𝙜𝙪𝙖𝙧𝙙 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙪𝙨𝙪𝙖𝙡 𝙈𝙈𝘾, 𝙬𝙝𝙞𝙘𝙝 𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙪𝙘𝙝 𝙖 𝙨𝙢𝙖𝙡𝙡 𝙙𝙞𝙛𝙛𝙚𝙧𝙚𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙖 𝙝𝙪𝙜𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙥𝙧𝙚𝙨𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣. 𝙋𝙡𝙪𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙗𝙚𝙩𝙬𝙚𝙚𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙢 𝙞𝙨 𝙄𝙉𝘾𝙍𝙀𝘿𝙄𝘽𝙇𝙀 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙝𝙖𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙨𝙚𝙘𝙧𝙚𝙩 𝙝𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙤𝙧𝙮... 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙤 𝙛𝙞𝙣𝙙 𝙤𝙪𝙩 𝙬𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙞𝙨..., 𝙗𝙪𝙩 𝙣𝙤𝙬, 𝙝𝙚'𝙨 𝙠𝙚𝙚𝙥𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙙𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚𝙮 𝙬𝙞𝙡𝙡 𝙨𝙝𝙖𝙩𝙩𝙚𝙧 𝙮𝙤𝙪𝙧 𝙝𝙚𝙖𝙧𝙩. 𝙄 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙖𝙩 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙧𝙤𝙢𝙖𝙣𝙘𝙚 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙟𝙪𝙨𝙩 𝙛𝙚𝙚𝙡 𝙡𝙞𝙠𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙖𝙘𝙠𝙜𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙣𝙙 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩, 𝙞𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙞𝙩 𝙬𝙖𝙨 𝙬𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙣 𝙥𝙚𝙧𝙛𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙚𝙣𝙨𝙚, 𝙙𝙖𝙣𝙜𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙪𝙨 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩𝙡𝙮 𝙢𝙮𝙨𝙩𝙚𝙧𝙮. 𝙄𝙛 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙚 𝙖 𝙜𝙤𝙤𝙙 𝙛𝙖𝙠𝙚 𝙞𝙙𝙚𝙣𝙩𝙞𝙩𝙮, 𝙧𝙤𝙮𝙖𝙡 𝙛𝙖𝙢𝙞𝙡𝙮 𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖, 𝙖𝙣𝙙 𝙖 𝙛𝙞𝙚𝙧𝙘𝙚𝙡𝙮 𝙥𝙧𝙤𝙩𝙚𝙘𝙩𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙤𝙞𝙣𝙚, 𝙮𝙤𝙪 𝙉𝙀𝙀𝘿 𝙩𝙤 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙞𝙢𝙢𝙚𝙙𝙞𝙖𝙩𝙚𝙡𝙮. 𝙏𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙣𝙡𝙮 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙨𝙤𝙣 𝙄 𝙙𝙞𝙙𝙣'𝙩 𝙜𝙞𝙫𝙚 𝙩𝙝𝙞𝙨 𝙖 5/5 𝙞𝙨 𝙗𝙚𝙘𝙖𝙪𝙨𝙚 𝙤𝙛 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙤𝙫𝙚𝙧-𝙩𝙝𝙚-𝙩𝙤𝙥 (?) 𝙥𝙡𝙤𝙩 𝙩𝙬𝙞𝙨𝙩𝙨, 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙘𝙤𝙣𝙨𝙩𝙖𝙣𝙩 𝙧𝙚𝙙 𝙝𝙚𝙧𝙧𝙞𝙣𝙜𝙨 𝙖𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙙 𝙬𝙞𝙩𝙝 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙨𝙪𝙙𝙙𝙚𝙣 𝙘𝙤𝙪𝙧𝙩 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙧𝙞𝙜𝙪𝙚 𝙞𝙣 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙩𝙞𝙣𝙮 𝙣𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙤𝙣 𝙤𝙛 𝙈𝙖𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙤𝙫𝙖 𝙘𝙖𝙣 𝙘𝙧𝙤𝙨𝙨 𝙩𝙝𝙚 𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙚 𝙖 𝙗𝙞𝙩 𝙛𝙧𝙤𝙢 𝙗𝙚𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙩𝙝𝙧𝙞𝙡𝙡𝙞𝙣𝙜 𝙞𝙣𝙩𝙤 𝙖 𝙢𝙤𝙧𝙚 𝙘𝙝𝙖𝙤𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙤𝙧 𝙢𝙚𝙡𝙤𝙙𝙧𝙖𝙢𝙖𝙩𝙞𝙘 𝙥𝙖𝙘𝙚 𝙛𝙤𝙧 𝙨𝙤𝙢𝙚 𝙧𝙚𝙖𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨.

˚˖𓍢ִ໋❀ 𝕞𝕒𝕚𝕟 𝕔𝕙𝕒𝕣𝕒𝕔𝕥𝕖𝕣𝕤:

𝑅𝑜𝑠𝑖𝑒: the FMC; a badass but impulsive bodyguard-in-training sent to Europe on probation after a botched assignment, fiercely determined to protect Nick while fighting some old feelings for him...

𝑁𝑖𝑐𝑘: love interest/the MMC; the long-lost prince of Marilova who disappeared as a baby, recently rediscovered and thrust into the royal spotlight, harboring deep personal secrets...

𝑇ℎ𝑒 𝑅𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙 𝐶𝑜𝑢𝑟𝑡: the overarching force; a glittering but dangerous nest of secret alliances, courtly games, and hidden enemies trying to keep Nick off the throne (I feel like in general, the royal court is always a pressuring factor).

☆*⁀‧₊˚ 𝐛𝐫𝐞𝐚𝐤𝐝𝐨𝐰𝐧:

𝑠𝑒𝑡𝑡𝑖𝑛𝑔: the stunning, glamorous European principality of Marilova ~~ filled with tight security details and glittering royal palaces with dark political secrets...

𝑝𝑙𝑜𝑡: after a probation-worthy mistake, a teenage bodyguard goes undercover to protect a long-lost prince, only to realize he's the same boy who... (read to find out lol)

𝑣𝑖𝑏𝑒: high-stakes, fast-paced, and incredibly sonny. Feels like a modern-day royal thriller with pure comfort rom-com energy~~

۫ ꣑ৎ 𝙧𝙚𝙢𝙞𝙣𝙙𝙚𝙧𝙨 ۫ ꣑ৎ

~ 𝒀𝑨 𝑹𝒐𝒚𝒂𝒍 𝑻𝒓𝒐𝒑𝒆𝒔
~ 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒐𝒓 𝒙 𝒑𝒓𝒐𝒕𝒆𝒄𝒕𝒆𝒅
~ 𝒉𝒊𝒈𝒉 𝒓𝒐𝒎𝒂𝒏𝒄𝒆 𝒔𝒄𝒂𝒍𝒆

♡₊˚ 🦢・₊✧ 𝒇𝒐𝒓 𝒑𝒆𝒐𝒑𝒍𝒆 𝒘𝒉𝒐 𝒍𝒊𝒌𝒆...

~ 𝑏𝑜𝑑𝑦𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑 𝑥 𝑟𝑜𝑦𝑎𝑙𝑡𝑦
~ 𝑙𝑜𝑛𝑔-𝑙𝑜𝑠𝑡 𝑝𝑟𝑖𝑛𝑐𝑒
~ 𝑠𝑒𝑐𝑟𝑒𝑡 ℎ𝑖𝑠𝑡𝑜𝑟𝑦 𝑡𝑒𝑛𝑠𝑖𝑜𝑛
~ 𝑐ℎ𝑎𝑜𝑡𝑖𝑐 𝐹𝑀𝐶 𝑥 𝑔𝑢𝑎𝑟𝑑𝑒𝑑 𝑀𝑀𝐶

𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐫𝐢𝐞𝐬 𝐦𝐞𝐞𝐭𝐬 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐁𝐨𝐝𝐲𝐠𝐮𝐚𝐫𝐝 - 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐌𝐚𝐜𝐦𝐢𝐥𝐥𝐚𝐧 𝐏𝐮𝐛𝐥𝐢𝐬𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐬

[Kayne Spooner · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the first book in a new YA duology by Emma Lord with lots of surprising twists and turns. She’s his bodyguard and he’s a lost prince who has just been found. The story moves along at a fast pace, ending in a cliffhanger, and I can’t wait for the second book!

Rosie Thorn is in a security training program for teen recruits. She is assigned to go to Marilova, a small European country where the queen has just brought home her grandson, who was kidnapped twenty years ago, when he was only one, after the death of his parents. Rosie is surprised when she sees that the long lost prince is Nick, who she worked with at a candy story three years ago and had a crush on. He saved her from a gunman, but they lost touch afterword. The queen wants to name Nick as her successor but there have been threats against him and she is worried about his safety. She asks Rosie to go undercover as Nick’s friend from home and protect him. At first, Nick doesn’t want her there and doubts she can do the job, but it doesn’t take long for them to get close again.

Rosie is the best! I loved her teasing banter and how upbeat she is, plus she’s good at her job. Growing up, she never felt safe or secure, so she’s worked hard to learn skills to be ready for any challenge. She also has a special Spidey-sense feeling whenever danger is near. This story kept me on my toes with mischief and danger at every turn! Rosie is not sure who to trust and I was surprised by the cliffhanger! I’m anxiously waiting for the second book to find out what happens next! Thank you to Emma Lord, St. Martin’s Press and NetGalley for the ARC. My full review will be at Spoonerreads.com closer to the release date, April 20th.

[Corinne’s Chapter Chatter · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

Alright. This was wicked cute! I was sent a widget for the eARC from Wednesday Books, and it looked like some endearing fluff, which is exactly what it delivered in the best way!

The marketing says The Princess Diaries meets The Bodyguard, and honestly, that’s exactly what you get. Throw in a little gender-swapped Princess Protection Program, and you have this book!

It follows the typical formula of teenage spy stories, with a protagonist who messes up, gets assigned to protect a high-value asset, and then watches that relationship bloom. Add in the personal growth the FMC goes through, and you have a fun, quick read that’s sure to entertain YA readers. What makes this one stand out is having a female protecting a male character. It’s wonderfully empowering, but it also doesn’t shy away from the gendered expectations and challenges that come with being a teenage bodyguard in this fictional world.

I do wish it had been a little longer, with more depth and exploration of the characters, because I think there was room to do more here. But sometimes a book is just meant to be a fun, uncomplicated escape, and this one knows exactly what it is!

This is such a cute pick for your YA reader, especially if they love a little action, a little romance, and a heroine who gets to be the one doing the protecting. It’s a quick, entertaining read that delivers on its promise, and sometimes that’s exactly the kind of book you need!

[Talia Johnson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Teenaged me would’ve loved this book. That being said, adult me liked it quite a bit. I used to be the biggest Emma Lord fan. Tweet Cute is one of my favorite books, but in the last few years I’ve been a little disappointed with some of her books, so I really didn’t know what to expect going into this one. Mostly it was silly and fun. Don’t go into this book expecting it to be a serious book, but it’s nice to have some fun books that aren’t meant to be taken seriously sometimes.

The premise of this book sounds similar to Princess Diaries and it is very similar. Nick is living out his Princess Diaries dreams and it’s honestly so fun for me. The vibes are there. Our main character, Rosie, is not living Princess Diaries but we can still enjoy those vibes. Rosie wasn’t my favorite character ever, but I liked her well enough. I have to leave my logic at home for some of the plot lines in this book, but I did that and it was fun. Although there are a couple that I wasn’t quite able to get past (aka why is there no actual security in the palace? The claim that they’ve never needed it is false and the whole premise of this book is that the KIDNAPPED infant prince was found. Idk about you but to me having someone of the royal family get kidnapped kinda means you need some security. That I’m pretty sure is just a plot hole). There was a part in the middle that dragged quite a bit for me. Sorry but the democracy plot line is literally so boring to me and that being the only conflict lasted too long. But then it picked up and I got really into it. I won’t spoil the ending but I really liked it and I definitely want to read book 2 now (except I read this one as an ARC so I have to wait extra long which sucks).

I just had one big hang up in this book. It’s huge actually and I can’t handle it. Please someone, anyone, intervene before this book gets published and change “Bloom Doom” to literally anything else. I had to pause reading this book every single time “Bloom Doom” was on the page. I’m sorry, but it’s just the worst name you could have ever picked. I cannot handle it. It’s just too stupid for me. I can handle a book about a 19 year old bodyguard protecting a prince in some fake European country with sparkly soil and an extreme berry obsession, but I cannot handle the name “Bloom Doom.” I can’t be the only one, right? Please someone fix this. There’s still time and it wouldn’t even be that hard. Just choose something not stupid and *replace* and fixed. Please…

Other than that one big hang up, I swear I had a lot of fun. It was the chaotic and fun Emma Lord stuff that I love. Also, ngl I was not even mad about the love triangle stuff. I thought it made the book more interesting

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC. These opinions are my own

[Renata · Rating 2 out of 5]

I thought this was going to be the kind of dumb I could relax and enjoy but it was kinda...too dumb.

If it had been a made for TV movie (it's giving Princess Protection Program) I would have watched it in the background while playing Nintendo but as a book it was not it for me. I will say I kept almost DNF-ing and then for some reason I would persist. But it was just like...so so sweaty.

[Elisabeth · Rating 3 out of 5]

The concept of a teenage bodyguard being assigned to protect a long-lost prince she already knew, was too far-fetched for me. The combination of royal intrigue, romance, and secret identities was interesting, though the story didn’t quite work for me. It may appeal to readers looking for a light YA royal romance with a touch of mystery.

Thank you to St. Martin’s Press for the advance reader copy.

[Shirley Switzer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Princess Diary vibes with a bit of conspiracy theory and “who’s telling the truth” hooks for the reader.

Positives: the author did a great job of making both MMC’s appealing in their own ways. Readers will have incentive to cheer on either choice. The story stays pretty action driven and is easy to keep on reading once you’re into the book.

I admittedly had a rough start with this one though. I couldn’t connect with the FMC - she wasn’t particularly like-able to me. There is mention of magical soil in the country of Marilova, but otherwise no other magic mentioned aside from the FMC’s gut intuition that something bad was about to happen. So sparkly soil felt kind of out of place given there weren’t other elements built into the world to be fantasy-esque. Throwing in the superstar psychic at the beginning of the book felt a little bizarre, as well. I carried on and did get into the plot and was able to enjoy the story. There was a lot of back and forth with Nick and Rosie’s relationship which can be frustrating, and not much explanation into their past to give the reader a clear picture of how they initially caught feelings for one another. The only background given is one intense scene, which to be fair, is significant to their history. However, it would’ve been nice to have some flashback scenes to build up their previous relationship to make sense of them falling fast after reconnecting. There are a few other plot lines that felt confusing or forgotten that I trust will be clarified in a later book.

Spice level: mild, but with several passionate kisses and descriptions of their hips and bodies pressed hard.

Language: high level of cursing throughout book

Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC opportunity 📖

[reese b · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rosie, our heroine, is tough, smart, and has a touch of trust issues. She is a paid bodyguard who likes to operate as a lone wolf . However, her next assignment is not only personal but a punishment. When she messes up on the job she is sent to Marilova, a beautiful country that just had a long lost prince reinstated to be a bodyguard for the prince and learn to work with a team. chaos ensues.

I really enjoyed this book! Much like the description says it reminds me of the Bodyguard and the princess diaries rolled into one. This book has the feel of the romcom with the suspense and humor of Miss Congeniality. I loved Marilova. The idea for the kindom and its imports was so unique and fun.
This book had me second guessing my instincts to the end. There is a sort of love triangle in it (no spoilers) and I had a firm belief in one over the other.
Im interested to see how the next book plays out! Emma Lord I am interested.

Thank you Netgalley, Emma Lord, and St. Martin's Press for the ARC in exchange for my honest review!

[Maricarmen · Rating 4.25 out of 5]

Thank you to the publisher and NetGalley for the arc! This was such a pleasant surprise. I’ve found Emma Lord’s books to be extremely hit-or-miss for me. I have never held it against her since she writes almost exclusively YA novels and I’m simply not the intended audience. Unroyally Yours (please god change the title! there’s still time!) really, really worked for me, though! It gave me all the fun feelings of being a teenager and reading series like The Selection, The Princess Diaries, The Hunger Games, The Gallagher Girls, Twilight, and so many other fond memories I have of being the age where I had time to just fully immerse myself in a book and its characters with plot twist after plot twist.

I felt like some of the pacing was rushed while other moments dragged on but I can’t pretend the storyline itself wasn’t addictive; I read this every free moment I had and then some. My only regret is finishing this book so quickly and so soon before the pub date because now I’ll have to wait even longer to find out where we will pick up from after that crazy cliffhanger.

[Baylee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thank you to Wednesday Books and NetGalley for the ARC! All thoughts and opinions in this review are completely my own.

I will admit that it took me a bit to get into the book and for it to hold my attention. I had to push through in the beginning to not DNF just simply because I wasn't fond of some of the wording and lingo that the author user. But once I got passed the initial hump, I couldn't put the book down, nor stop thinking about it. Witnessing the FMC learn to trust herself throughout the book gave me some courage for myself. For her to go to a new country, with people she didn't know, shows a strong character in my opinion. Especially with how she handled it. The twist at the end I didn't see coming but I had a small inclination that things weren't actually adding up in the way the author was taking it. I initially planned on giving the book a 3 star rating, but by the end, the author definitely had me changing my mind

[Sarah (thehireader) · Rating 2 out of 5]

I’d just finished a heavier read so I was excited for a YA royal romance, but this was a bit of a mess and missed the mark for me.

Some things I liked: found family (I’m always a sucker for found family!), Rosie’s growth (although it was somewhat undone by the end), and the messaging that you don’t need to earn love; you don’t need to prove your worth to be in people’s lives.

Now for what didn’t work for me: Perhaps I missed something, but I felt like Rosie and Nick’s connection was underdeveloped and random. Maybe I misunderstood the depths of their backstory, but what little we were shown seemed insufficient to lead to the type of bond they seemed to have. Insta-love is common enough in romance nowadays that I’ve come to somewhat accept it, but I was confused here because it read like insta-love when in actuality they were supposedly harboring these deep, long-lasting feelings for one another.

The pacing was very inconsistent. Certain parts felt rushed, others lasted too long, and except for a part towards the final third (before it got too messy and confusing for me), I didn’t feel particularly compelled to keep going. I did start to feel invested in the final third of the book and was enjoying the drama and palace intrigue but then the plot went completely off the rails and became way too convoluted. Ultimately, I was intrigued by where the story left off, but not so much so that I’m going to continue the series.

I received an eARC from the publisher via NetGalley in exchange for my honest review.

[sydney · Rating 3 out of 5]

“people love you for you. not just what you can do for them.”

i really enjoyed “The Princess Diaries” feel of the book. i liked the book for the most part. it had some great funny and suspenseful moments. however i felt the plot fell flat in the last 20%, i was kind of skimming more towards the end.

also, i know it’s part of the country’s culture but you do not have to repeat the fruit so many times😅

overall, a pretty cute and summer read at a palace.

thank you NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for the eARC.

[Liralen]

3 stars; review to come April 2027

[Jaden]

I enjoy a YA read every now and again, but I won’t continue the series. I think younger people will eat it up cause it is a fun idea

[Itzel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not gonna lie I was a bit skeptical about reading Unroyally Yours when I saw the cover i was like ugh love triangle not for me but it’s Emma Lord and I know when I need a good YA romance I can count on her.

The story follows Rosie who is part of an elite security training program when she is sent to Marilova she finds out her mission is to protect Nick the lost heir but the problem is she already knows him add to her problems that Nick doesn’t want her protection.

This was such good read as said before Emma Lord has a way to keep me addicted to her stories and characters and this was not the exception. Unroyally Yours was the perfect palate cleanser I need it, the characters, the story kept intrigued throughout the whole story and by end I just needed the second book already. I cannot wait for what else happens definitely recommend.

[Karen Brooks - TheTxLitChic · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unroyally Yours

~Emma Lord

 
Unroyally Yours by Emma Lord, the first in the Unroyals duology, makes its grand entrance with a bodyguard dressed in the castle’s finest attire, complete with panic buttons, recording devices, and an internal danger radar that never seems to take a day off.

 
Rosie Thorn is nineteen and already part of an elite security training program for teens called For Your Protection (FYP). Recruited at sixteen by program director Mitch, she has spent the last three years proving she has what it takes to join High Security, an elite personal protection company. Alongside her best friend Cat, Rosie is one of the program’s top trainees. Unfortunately, having exceptional instincts doesn't necessarily mean knowing how to follow orders. Her impulsiveness, inability to work as a team, and general disregard for authority have finally caught up with her. After interfering with another agency's operation, Mitch has had enough.
 

Her punishment? A probationary assignment in Marilova, a tiny European kingdom overflowing with pink, sparkling soil, and an almost suspicious devotion to the marberry fruit. Under the supervision of Hank, the Queen's head of security, Rosie must learn to follow orders and work as part of a team. Otherwise, she's finished with FYP and can kiss her dreams of joining High Security goodbye.
 

Not exactly the assignment she envisioned, but it is everything she's spent three years training for: a high-profile protection detail involving the long-lost prince of Marilova, kidnapped as a baby and raised in an ordinary American household. Rosie will pose as an old friend from home while keeping him safe from whatever dangers come with reclaiming a crown.
 

The problem?
 

One look at the prince, and Rosie is convinced someone has royally lost their mind. Nick, the guy she worked alongside at his father's candy shop, Super Sweets, three years ago, is none other than the missing prince. He's also the guy who saved her life when an armed gunman entered the shop. Now that Queen Eleanora has announced Nick as heir to the throne, threats against him are mounting, making a bodyguard a royal necessity.


Nick, however, isn't exactly rolling out the royal welcome mat. He refuses Rosie's protection and tells his grandmother to send her home. According to him, they aren't friends and never were. That stings, especially since Rosie has always liked him, despite his hot-and-cold behavior back when they worked together. But she's on assignment, and personal feelings are not part of the job description. She'll protect Nick, whether he likes it or not.


As the threats continue, Queen Eleanora announces a planned engagement between Nick and Elyse, heir to one of the country's largest marberry-growing landholders. Meanwhile, Nick's cousin Maxwell remains an enigma Rosie can't quite figure out. Hank's laid-back approach to palace security is practically sending her blood pressure through the roof, and her feelings for Nick are proving considerably harder to control than any security situation she's encountered.
 

With obstacles piling up, Rosie must figure out whom she can trust and find the missing piece of the puzzle hidden among the marberry fields before it's too late. Can she put her feelings aside long enough to protect Nick, or will her final assignment send her packing with no future at FYP or High Security?


Lord gives us a cast of unique, deliberately complex characters, each bringing something to the royal table.
 

Rosie is a firecracker in combat boots. Sarcastic, witty, and exceptionally good at her job, she has instincts that sound the alarm long before danger shows its face. Losing her mother at a young age left her longing for comfort and security, but also taught her to rely on herself. Her inability to trust others becomes one of her biggest obstacles. Her journey is about learning that trust is a two-way street and that love isn't something you have to earn by being useful.
 

Nick is the long-lost, brooding prince who has perfected the art of keeping people at arm's length. His complicated past and the reasons behind his distance from Rosie make his character all the more interesting. His journey, like hers, involves learning to trust and allowing people into his life.


Queen Eleanora is the glue holding Marilova together. After forty years on the throne, her dedication to her country and its people is unquestionable. When her son and daughter-in-law were killed, she sent her grandson Archibald (aka Nick) to live with his godparents for his safety. When he never made it, she carried the blame and heartbreak herself. Her strength and devotion to her kingdom are evident, but family is her weakness. When it comes to those she loves, she has a habit of overlooking a few rather obvious red flags. Even queens have blind spots.
 

Then there's Maxwell, the son of Queen Eleanora's other son, Jasper, and Nick's grumpy cousin. He's a particularly interesting character, given how close he stands to the crown, despite insisting he has no desire to wear it. His push for Nick to return home creates plenty of tension, but a tentative truce eventually begins to emerge between them.
 

The supporting cast adds that found-family warmth to the story. Arlene is the stand-offish tech whiz with more heart than she lets on. Luxe, the palace's media coach and stylist, takes Rosie under her wing, bringing out her best from wardrobe to appearance. And then there's Hank, the palace's head of security. His relaxed approach to protecting the royal family has Rosie questioning whether anyone in Marilova understands the meaning of a security protocol.
 

Lord's banter is the polished silver on the royal dining table, and the one-liners land exactly where they should, delivering laughs when you least expect them. The chapter transitions are smooth, with the story flowing as easily as marberry creamed butter. The opening hooks you quickly, and the ending delivers twist after jaw-dropping twist. (I'm already stalking the release of book two!) There is a slight slowdown with the democracy discussions and relationship developments, but it's easy enough to move through. The tension never completely lets go, and that ending... Let's just say the crown isn't the only thing left hanging.
 

The atmosphere is immersive, provided you're willing to bring a little imagination and suspend disbelief. Marilova is a candy-colored snow globe that never stops shaking, filled with lush foliage, colorful flowers, and berries. Pink greets you from practically every corner of the palace, while quirky, down-home events give the kingdom a strong sense of community and home. It's a royal setting with plenty of personality and not a dull shade of beige in sight.
 

If you're looking for a fun, action-packed royal romp that flips the bodyguard trope on its head, Unroyally Yours by Emma Lord deserves a spot on your TBR for its April 20, 2027 release. The first in the Unroyals duology, this is a clean read with heated kisses but no spice. Perfect for adults who grew up loving The Princess Diaries and teens just discovering the movie. Consider it a royal invitation to a kingdom where the danger is real, the berries are plentiful, and the prince is anything but easy to protect.
 

I would like to thank NetGalley and author Emma Lord for allowing me to preview Unroyally Yours. As always, all opinions and reviews are of my own volition, Karen Brooks aka The Tx Lit Chic. I have not been promised any compensation, current or future, by the author or publisher for a fair and honest review of Unroyally Yours.

[Emily · Rating 2.5 out of 5]

2.5 stars, rounded up to 3 because I did like some parts

This book was totally silly and unserious, and at times it was a fun read. It gives Princess Diaries vibes, and I loved Princess Diaries.

Unroyally Yours has a ridiculous and unrealistic plot, but it is also purposely written that way. It's not a book that is meant to be taken seriously, it's just for fun. And it was fun at times. But also ridiculous, and I couldn't totally buy into the concept.

I found myself very frustrated in the last half of the book because I felt like the story was meandering around aimlessly. And as it got closer to the end, it was not wrapping up all the plot points. It wasn't until the last few pages that I realized this is the first book in a series. So that made it make a little more sense...but still I did not like the way it left me hanging at the end.

Also I did not like the main love interest at all. I don't think I am supposed to?? That's my hunch for where the story is headed at least. But it was annoying to read about this relationship because I really was not a fan. And that was a big part of this story. There is a love triangle (square?) in this one. If there has to be a love triangle, I feel like all angles need to be explored and this one felt lopsided in one direction.

Even though I didn't love this one, I still might read the next book to see what will happen next? I'm a little curious if it will lead to a better ending in book 2.

[Anna Kay · Rating 3.5 out of 5]

It's honestly hard to put into words exactly what I thought of this book. I was completely engaged with the story and always excited to pick it back up, which says a lot because there were definitely moments where the writing style didn't quite work for me. At times, the prose felt a little dense and took away from the flow of the story, but I think that's more a matter of personal writing preference than anything else.

That being said, I was hooked. I kept wanting to know what was going to happen next, and WOW...that ending has left me DISTRAUGHT.

Like, when is the next book coming out?! Because I NEED answers!!

Overall, I really enjoyed this book and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to read it early. Even with my mixed feelings on some of the writing, the story itself had me invested all the way to the end, and now I'm just sitting here wondering what happens next.

[Mora]

No one is more disappointed in my own disappointment with this book than I, a huge Emma Lord fan.

As per usual, I like Lord's writing style, and I like how she writes characters, especially those who have history. I don't think that aspect was as strong as in most of her other books. However. I also thought it set up for a sequel well, especially since Lord has previously written only standalones; the revelations that string the two books together feeling presaged and not out of nowhere just for the sake of sequel. In fact, I liked and was surprised by some of those reveals. I also liked Rosie's character arc and the way it developed and then regressed at the end but in a different way - now she doesn't trust people not because no one had ever been there for her, but because she HAD trusted people and had seen where that had gotten her. And finally, I liked the complications in Maxwell's character and in Rosie's relationship with him (and how at the end she decided they were on the same team). I am a little more on the fence about Nick, since a lot of things come out of nowhere with him in a way that feels inconsistent and not on purpose.

However. The worldbuilding and the plot/world elements we are expected to believe in order to push the plot along stretched my ability to suspend disbelief until it snapped. At first, it was mostly that the entire security team for the royal family and castle for a small European country seemed to be a) a teenage bodyguard for one of the princes, b) two recent college grads hired two weeks ago who handle all tech and all communications, respectively, before which they appear to have had no one to do this, and c) one (1) middle-aged professional who supervises all three of them for some reason. There's a reference to palace guards in the last 20% of the book - would be nice if they did anything at all or had been referenced at all at any other point. There's active security threats in cameraless areas, and the queen shows up on the scene. There's a violent protest, and a week later the queen is giving a public speech with no security presence. The characters kept insisting that they had never needed cameras or guards before this because the country had no violence and thus the royal family was always safe. I do not think this was a good enough excuse. Also, no one debriefs her about anything, including basic and job-critical information. I understand that this is so the audience doesn't get an infodump and Rosie can realize things in real time. However, it's sloppy if I'm supposed to believe these people are professionals.

However, some of the plot holes, especially towards the end, are so major that I really hope they are addressed before publishing. The primary reason Maxwell believed some of the things he did (which informed his actions) was that Rosie had an app on her phone she'd used at the candy shop. Why in the WORLD would she? It's established she got a new phone after she joined up with FYP, and even if it wasn't, why would she still have it after not only quitting the job but leaving that life behind forever? The characters also acted incredibly and uncharacteristically stupid in order to move the plot along. I understand Rosie is a teenager and this is a YA book and teenagers should be allowed to act like teenagers and make stupid decisions. HOWEVER. She is also a professional and has been trusted with this assignment. Ignoring a call from a friend she'd asked to look into a critical and suspicious lead, taking SO MUCH intel (especially at the end) at face value when there's huge reason to suspect the motivations of the person delivering it, failing to tell other characters information they had no logical reason not to pass on, etc.

I wanted (and expected) to like this book more than I did. However, the major plot holes and baffling worldbuilding decisions overrode even the positives about characters and character relationships for me, which is hard to do.

[Devin Drake · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a fun read! Many thanks for the free eARC in exchange for an honest review! I absolutely devoured this book; it was such a delight!

What I liked:

- All the characters had SUCH amazing chemistry! Friendships, rivalries, enemies, authority figures, every dynamic was executed impeccably!
- Some undercurrents of yearning?? I got my eye on you Maxwell…
- The general pace and flow of the read was executed very well for the first 90% of the story (more on that in a minute)
- It was funny! I’m not a big highlighter and I was highlighting line after line that just cracked me up.
- I liked the cozy, Princess Diaries feel. It was clearly its own, distinct story, but the atmosphere felt straight out of an early 2000s hit!
- Rosie’s development felt realistic. Not every chip is off her shoulder by the end, but who she was and who she became felt very appropriate for her background and connections.
- I enjoyed this ARC so much that I want to buy the finished version to see what little tweaks get made!

What I wanted to see more of:

- I think there’s a lot of room to develop the palace’s worldbuilding. The palace felt very empty in terms of people. Where were the servants? The maids? The guards? Even in a nation with minimal crime, it is established that previous rulers led the nation differently, so I’m surprised that there isn’t even a figurehead guard hanging around for historical or ceremonial purposes, even if they aren’t very effective in practice.
- The very minimal security seems doubly strange to me given the premise of a prince having gone missing eighteen years ago and several incidents having happened with the royal family. I would’ve wanted an explanation on why the queen waited so long to implement literally anything and why she trusted her entire security to a couple college kids and one tough guy.
- I want to know more about the royals (current and former) and their dynamics with each other. We got some surface-level commentary on who likes who and what common interests folks had, but there’s such a great tragedy to explore with a prince re-establishing himself in the family he should have known that I would’ve liked more of.
- I had been hoping for a little subversion with the psychic’s words, but it stayed pretty on the nose.

What could be improved:

- The final 10% was packed with plot twists that felt very sudden. It was hard to wrap my head around one before another wrench was thrown in the mix. Giving the reader a little more time to breathe with these would be beneficial.
- My only plot gripe: there is a mention of the *United States*’ FBI presence in their country that I think just didn’t make any sense. The course of what happened and the power dynamic *within* a foreign nation’s borders felt very unrealistic. If this happened in a real country, there would be major political backlash on the US - and I am just not convinced the stakes of the situation merited such an extreme response from the FBI. I don’t mind the situation generally, but the execution took me out of the story. I recognize it served a purpose to push a plot point forward, however I feel there are other ways that would have made more sense to push that point forward. Ex. Playing off the results of the previous disaster, or working with the theme of trust.
- I personally felt the first romantic scene was a little intense compared to the relatively PG nature of what had led up to it. Subsequent romantic scenes seemed fine to me, but I was a little startled by how down and dirty they got so quickly, before I even felt like they felt romantically inclined to each other!

[Nae · Rating 3 out of 5]

I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS A DUOLOGY, SEND HELP. But really, I'm having a hard time reviewing this book without knowing where it goes in terms of the romance.

Thank you to NetGalley and Wednesday Books for this ARC; my reviews are always honest and my own words.

Genres, settings, categories, themes: YA, romance (M/F), politics

💗 Tropes: 💗
> Bodyguard (sub-trope of Protector)
> Love Triangle
> Royalty
all about tropes here

Series/Sequencing Style: 1st in a duology, should be read in order, yes cliffhanger

Format: ebook (e-ARC)

🔽🔽🔽

Overall ratings

Heat level: 🍓👄 I unfortunately forgot to write this down, but it wasn't above a 1, so 0-1/5 sweet-mild sizzle 🍓👄
(from Ampersand’s guide to heat levels in romance novels – (0) sweet, (1) mild sizzle, (2) sensual steam, (3) spicy seduction, (4) red hot, (5) erotic)

~ Heroine/FMC (Rosie) ~ 4.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗
~ Hero/MMC 1 (Nick) ~ 3/5 🌕🌕🌕🌑🌑
~ Hero/MMC 2 (Maxwell) ~ 5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
~ Other characters ~ 5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕

~ Plot ~ 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 some confusing & possible unresolved parts, but an interesting premise

~ Pacing ~ 4/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌑 a little rushed in parts, but now knowing that it's a duology, there's a whole 2nd book in which to work stuff out

~ Romance ~ ????? 1? 2? Depends on book 2
~ Writing ~ 5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌕
~ Reading enjoyability & fun ~ 4.5/5 🌕🌕🌕🌕🌗

~ Depth & tone (1 light & fun --> 5 more serious, addresses heavier topics?): 2
~ Diversity & representation: WLW/lesbian side couple
~ Angst level: 4/5, maybe even 5/5 depending on book 2?
~ Sadness level: 1/5

Will I read more by this author? yes

🔽🔽🔽

❗CW/Triggers:❗alcohol, alcoholic guardian, fighting, kidnapping, OW drama, parental abandonment

🔽🔽🔽

📝 Review/Notes 📝

Requested this on NetGalley because I loved Tweet Cute by this author.

Princess Diaries, but gender swap and make the h a trained bodyguard.

I DIDNT KNOW IT WAS A DUOLOGY, SEND HELP.

I honestly am not sure I can review this one until I see where it all goes and how it ends. Like how can I judge the romance if I don’t know who she’s going to end up with?


---SPOILERS BELOW---



---SPOILERS BELOW---


I gotta say, I had a feeling all along she’s meant to be with Maxwell, but I don't know how Emma Lord is going to resolve that and Nick’s betrayal in the next book, since she had Rosie & Nick "genuinely love each other". If Rosie and Nick were just attracted to each other, but he ended up being the villain, that’s one thing. But in this, they love each other and get engaged??? Their love feels rushed and not very grounded, but also anytime characters are in love, I want it to work for them. How is Lord going to transition away all that into a love story for Rosie and Maxwell? I don't know!! Argh. I also hated how Nick was willing to marry, publicly kiss, etc. Elyse, despite supposedly being in love with Rosie.

🔽🔽🔽

🤠 Recommended for: fans of Princess Diaries & love triangle YA romances

[Prapti · Rating 3 out of 5]

Firstly, if I’d known this book was going to be a love triangle... or more like a love square if we count the engagement situation, I definitely wouldn’t have picked it up in the first place. So maybe I’m already coming into this with a bias because I really don’t like this trope. Unfortunately, I also didn’t end up caring much about any of the characters.

Rosie’s main love interest is clearly supposed to be Nick in this book, but there’s also something going on with Maxwell, Nick’s cousin, and I don’t see that being left unaddressed after the way this book ended.

Maybe I would’ve liked Nick more if we’d gotten his POV, but as it stands, I really didn’t like him. The constant push and pull between him and Rosie drove me insane. He’d kiss her, then immediately push her away. Then he’d go spend time with his “would-be” fiancée because he HAD to, only to come back and tell Rosie that he’s technically not engaged yet and it’s all just a political arrangement. I genuinely could not care less. Either stand by your decision and fight to be with her or leave her alone.

The thing that frustrated me the most was that he never actually chose Rosie. He kept waiting until the easiest way out presented itself instead of making the hard decision himself. And do you know what Rosie tells Maxwell she wants? To be chosen. At this point, I’d be really disappointed if Nick is the endgame. He needs some serious character development in the next books if he really is the endgame, because this wasn’t it.

I actually liked Maxwell the most out of everyone. He had more personality but I also didn’t buy his feelings for Rosie either. There were hints throughout the book, but I never really understood WHY he liked her. At least with Nick, they have history. With Maxwell, it felt like his feelings came out of nowhere.

The last 20% was absolute whiplash. There were so many twists packed into such a short amount of time that I barely had time to process one before the next one happened.

And I really have no idea who’s going to be the endgame. At the beginning I would’ve confidently said Nick. Then I switched to Maxwell. And after that ending... I honestly don’t know. Rosie says she loves Nick, so there’s that, but Maxwell just comes across as the more interesting character right now.

That ending was also not what I expected at all. I do feel like there’s more to it, though, or maybe it’s just one big misunderstanding.

Will I read the next book? I honestly don’t know. Part of me wants to stay far away because I have zero interest in love triangles, no matter how well they’re written. The other part of me has this terrible habit of needing to know how things are going to end once I’ve already started a series... even when I’m not really liking it. 😭 So I guess we’ll see.

Thank you to NetGalley and St. Martin’s Press for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.