Quarterback Kyle Young thought he knew what he wanted out of freedom, football and fun. Then he meets Bella. She seems like the perfect gorgeous, funny, and a huge football fan. But what he doesn’t know? Bella also happens to be Princess Arabella of Salasia. Sparks fly between the football player and the princess, and they begin an affair neither of them could’ve imagined. But when duty calls, can Kyle become the prince Bella needs? Get ready to fall hard for the ultimate bad boy turned good. You'll swoon for this steamy series by a New York Times bestselling author!
A former prosecutor, Virna DePaul writes "heat, heart, & HEA" for Harlequin and Random House. She is also a bestselling Indie author, with Bedding The Wrong Brother being a top 100 contemporary romance on Amazon with over 150 5* reviews. www.virnadepaul.com
I love a sports romance. There is just something I love about a sexy athlete taking all his or her dedication, stamina, and drive into a relationship and the bedroom. I also love a royal romance. Entering the world of decadence, rules, and expectations gets me every time. So when I saw that Virna DePaul's newest book would merge the two worlds, I couldn't resist reading it, and I wasn't disappointed!
The characters of this book are what make it so delightful to read. Kyle Young, with his southern drawl and good looks, will enchant readers. It is easy to understand why Bella would fall for him and his adventurous spirit. What I enjoy most about his character, though, is that he isn't confident 100% of the time. So many times, the athlete in a sports trope is over-confident or borderline arrogant, but this isn't Kyle at all. He has insecurities that stem from issues from his past that are still affecting him today, but these insecurities only made me love him more. This author is able to write him in a way that makes him vulnerable, yet still maintain the qualities readers love in hero. Virna DePaul's rendition of the athletic hero is also incredibly refreshing. Additionally, Bella has similar issues and longings of that of any princess in a royal book; however, there is something special about her. Her spirit, zealous nature, and her sense of adventure are endearing. I also love that as the novel progresses she takes charge and goes after what she wants. I absolutely fell in love with these two characters!
The plot of Royally Deep follows the standard royal/sports trope. However, this did not in any way detract from my enjoyment of the book. It is quick. It is fun. It is romantic. It is entertaining. What more could a readers really want from a book? Plus, the unique twist on the characters and their development more than make-up for it, and at the end of the day, I really enjoyed this one.
Royally Deep is such an enchanting read. I laughed, I swooned, and I found myself smiling at my Kindle while I ate up Virna DePaul's words. It was truly a lovely experience to enter this world she has created, and I am excited for the next book in the series! ----------------------- ARC received in exchange for an honest review.
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Virna DePaul never falls short of capturing an audience. Whether rocking out with the band, lusting after the bad boy, learning family secrets or searching out a new life and experiencing some long needed freedom, it's a forgone conclusion that each journey will be captivating. Royally Deep turns the aristocracy on it's head with a fearless princess and her unconventional Prince Charming. Bella is her own woman. A world of structure has bred a woman willing to break down those walls and create her own path. Kyle, is living the dream. A spectacular career full of money, opportunity and stardom. The bright lights should be enough, but an energetic firecracker is about to shake up his life and heart in a short amount of time. Royally Deep dares to be different. Ms. DePaul takes a dab of fairytale and blends it with an abundance of modern day romance. Sports, royalty and romance deliver a touchdown.
The Going Deep series the stories of 4 professional football players from the Savannah Bootleggers football team, and each can be read as a standalone novel. The second book in this series is Royally Deep and tells the tale of Bella (a princess) and Kyle (an NFL football player) who meet when Bella and her bodyguard catch one of Kyle’s football games on her visit to the United States. Bella hides her true identity wanting to experience being a regular person. The attraction between Kyle and Bella is instantaneous and all-consuming and leads to sizzling encounters. Kyle learns who she is, and feels betrayed and angry. Bella returns to her country, miserable because her future will never be with Kyle. Kyle travels to Bella’s homeland when given the opportunity to represent his team and attend a charity event. They see one another at the charity ball and their physical attraction propels them together where Bella asks Kyle to take her away with him. They hide from her family and the press but are soon discovered. Bella’s mother deliberately misleads her daughter into thinking Kyle was behind their discovery in an attempt to break them apart, and Bella and Kyle each return to their homes. Like the other books I have read by Ms. DePaul, this one is filled with extremely hot and sexy love scenes, desires of the protagonists for one another, lots of heart, and the compelling need for the love they see reflected in each other. This book was magical: what woman hasn’t harbored a secret desire to be a princess, or to be chased to ground by a star football player in his prime who won’t let her go! The four books in this series are among my favorites. As talented as Ms. DePaul is in really knowing how to heat up a room and steam the windows, she is equally facile at showing true and abiding love, heart-felt emotions, situations so funny that your belly hurts from laughing, and relationships so complex that no one escapes without deep, emotional wounds! The series is the total package – not too much technical football information, or subjects so depressing you can’t find your way out. It has just the right mix of sex, banter, attraction, chemistry, sex (did I already mention that), love and angst to keep you reading late into the night!
Princess Arabella has a problem. She loves football, especially quarterback Kyle Young. She manages to get to a game, even though she has to deal with bodyguards and all that security stuff. I thought she was sort of cute in her zeal for the sport. When she meets Kyle at the stadium, and the sparks immediately fly, I settled in to read this romantic fantasy.
I really liked Kyle. He's a sweet guy and he clicks right away with Arabella. His thoughts are of all the things he wants to do with her, but he realizes quickly that Arabella is special and that he feels differently about her than the other one-night-stands he's had.
For Arabella, meeting Kyle is a dream come true. She knows it can't last because she has to go back to her duties as princess. But a sudden opportunity presents itself and Kyle and Arabella get another chance to see if they can make a go of it in spite of their differences. They just have to get over her mother's disapproval, which isn't easy.
This story was pure fantasy. It's a quick read, and it was a lot of fun. Kyle is super cute and super hot, and while Arabella's struggles as Princess did get a on my nerves a little, I enjoyed this story. This is my first title by this author and I would definitely check out her future titles.
Arabella is a Princess from Europe, visiting New York. She loves football and the Bootleggers are her favorite team, especially Kyle Young. She goes to their game and runs into Kyle at the kiosk stand. Kyle is a famous football player, has had lots of women, but the moment he sees Arabella ( Bella ) he knows there is something different about her, one kiss and he’s certain she’s different from any other woman. Bella sneaks away from her bodyguard and spends the night with Kyle. She’s leaving the next day and she thinks she’ll never see him again until she’s invited to sing the national anthem. Kyle is angry and hurt when he learns she really is a princess but when the chance to go to her home land for a charity function, he realizes it’s his chance to see her again. She runs away with him but when the paparazzi finds them and her mother tells her it was Kyle who told them where they’d be, she believed it and goes back home. Can Bella stand up to her family and country and be happy or will she lose Kyle forever? Second in this series and I loved it! A princess and a football player. Sex, lies, and misunderstandings. Bella just wants to be normal and Kyle wants to be more than the boy from the poor end of town.
I’m loving this series, it’s so good. Royally Deep is a wonderful addition. Arabella & Kyle are amazing together, they burn up the pages with their passion. That Kyle didn’t know Arabella( or Duchess as he called her) was a real princess was the icing on the cake as sassy Arabella kept putting him in his place. I enjoyed their banter & the way they interacted as long time lovers even though they’d just met, everything seemed so natural between them. I felt bad for them when they were outed & lies created a rift between them. I enjoyed their growth as individuals as well as a couple, as we watched them come to terms with the truths of their relationship. Very well written by author Virna DePaul, her humour was evident throughout this book. Definitely recommend. Thank you to Virna DePaul for gifting me this book for an honest review.
Kyle and Bella’s story is like a rollercoaster ride… it has so many ups and downs that it left my head spinning. Butterflies and passion is followed by separation and desperation. These are followed by reunion and cheer and those are followed by heartbreak and feeling betrayed… an seemingly unbreakable vicious circle… This modern day fairy tale lives from its awesome characters and the twisty plot!
I was not the right audience for this book. Arabella came across to me as spoiled, narcissistic, and completely clueless about her own safety. I don’t have a good track record with Too Stupid to Live heroines and I thought this description fit Arabella far too accurately. I really liked Kyle and I thought he deserved someone who was in the relationship for him, more than how he could improve her life. I received a complimentary copy of this book through Booksprout as part of the box set.
Kyle Young is an all-star quarterback who's on the injured list. During halftime, he strikes up a conversation with a cute young woman at the souvenir stand. Unbeknownst to Kyle, she's the Princess of Salasia and a HUGE fan of Kyle's team, only he catches her buying souvenirs for the opposing team. He purposely taunts her in hopes that she'll chase after him, then walks away. Bella finally catches up to him as he's buying nachos with tons of jalapeños. She fires back stats to him to prove she knows football and he invites her to a private room after the game, for a "chat". Bella, wanting to have fun without responsibilities, meets him in the room. Before anything happens, they are interrupted by Bella's bodyguard/"brother". Before they part, Kyle asks Bella to join some of the team at a local dive bar later that night...
One night at the bar, leads to Kyle's for a one-night stand, that turns into them spending the day together. As they spend time with each other, Bella starts to fall for Kyle. Bella tells Kyle upfront that she has to go back home, so they can only have their one night. The next day, Kyle and his buddies attend a football game where Princess Arabella just so happens to be the performer who sings The National Anthem. Kyle and his buddies are stunned! While Kyle's upset that she lied to him, he realizes that he will never be good enough for her. He was raised in a trailer home with an abusive dad, who still extorts money from him for women and gambling debts. So he lets her go without a fight.
They are now a world apart and miserable. When the opportunity arises for Kyle to represent his football team in a fundraiser connected with Salasia, he jumps at the chance. Kyle hopes to convince Bella that they are meant for each other and can make it work. Will he be able to convince her before she marries royalty?
This novel is the second in the series, but can be read as a stand alone novel. If you love sports-related novels, this is a great series. I loved that the "jock" was the one making compromises to get the girl! I especially loved when Kyle taught her how to throw darts and play flag-football. I read a gifted copy of this novel and all opinions stated are my own.
4.5 Stars I have only read a couple of books by Virna DePaul and I haven't read book one in this series it made no difference to the enjoyment I got from this book so I would say you can definitely read this one as a standalone. What happens when a Princess looking for some fun meets an all star quarterback....Sparks fly. Bella better known as Princess Arabella is in New York attending her first American NFL game, she has followed the Georgia Bootleggers from her home country of Salasia never thinking she would get to see a live game let along meet the star quarterback. Kyle Young thought life was complete he played football had lots of fun and had plenty of freedom but then he met Bella and he realised he didn't have all he wanted in life, he needed Bella in his life..... Will the Royal Family of Salasia allow him to date Princess Arabella or will their affair always be a secret..... This book had me hooked from the first chapter and I loved that this was a different take on a Cinderella story this one gives us a princess and not a prince. Perfect combination of a modern day romance and a fairytale. I will be going back to read book one in this series . Great book to curl up with on a winters night
This is the second book in the Going Deep series but it can definitely stand on it's own. I have to say I really enjoyed the almost immediate attraction between Bella and Kyle. Bella, better known as Princess Arabella, wants to live her life as a normal young woman for at least a few days. An ordinary woman who can go out and enjoy a football game or meeting up with some players at a bar without having to worry about her bodyguard or anyone realizing she is royalty. But in her desire to hide her identity, Bella also added to Kyle's own insecurities about not being good enough for any woman most especially royalty. The story reminded me of one of my favorite movies -Disney's Aladdin, where Jasmine is trying to pass herself off as a commoner while Aladdin is hiding his past. A great contemporary romance without dwelling too much on the game of football for those readers who may shy away from sports romances for that reason.
I voluntarily reviewed an advanced reader's copy of this book.
Kyle is the star quarterback for his football team and is known as a lady killer. Bella is a princess from a country in Europe but she just wants to a normal 20 year old. Kyle meets Bella at one of the games and thinks she is just another groupie until he speaks to her and sees she is so much more. Bella can’t believe she is actually talking to Kyle because she is a really big fan of his and of football in general. The more time that they spend together they both know that they want more until something happens that may break them apart. Kyle and Bella have to decide if their love is worth fighting for.
I really enjoyed reading Kyle and Bella’s story. Kyle can’t believe he has finally met someone who loves football just as much as he does. Bella on the other hand can’t believe she has met Kyle because she is a big fan and she can be herself around him. Bella and Kyle will have their obstacles but in the end they have to decide if their love is enough to fight for. I can’t wait to read more!!
Who doesn't love a good princess story??? I do!!!! And this was definitely a good princess story.
Princess Arabella of Salasia or Bella, is in New York to attend a football game as the guest of a team owner. Bella is a huge American football fan so this is a dream come true for her. If only her favorite player, Kyle Young, wasn't on the injured list so she could see him play.
Kyle sneaks away to get some proper nachos at the snack bar when he meets Bella who immediately dazzles him with her vast football knowledge and enthusiasm for life.
However, Bella is a princess with a duty to her family and subjects. But either can't forget the other, no matter how much they want to.
A sweet, Cinderella type story crossed with the Princess Diaries. Great read!
This is the first book I've read by this author and it certainly won't be the last. I read this book in one sitting, I was hooked from the first page. I loved how there was an instant connection between Bella and Kyle, even though Bella lives by the rules and protocol a good princess should, I loved that she was a normal girl even if it was for a short period of time. I enjoyed the romance between them and the chemistry between them sizzle the pages! I enjoyed the story line, you really feel Bellas pain as she struggles between duty and trying to live her life, a great read that I highly recommend.
** reviewed for sweet and spicy reads-ARC provided for honest review **
Football players, especially NFL, are American royalty and are treated as such. When Kyle starts an innocent conversation with Bella he has no clue she's a blue blood. Their fame may or may not be a blessing, but it's a challenge worth accepting. Their connection was real, honest and exciting. DePaul manages to make these royal characters seem like our friends and it was disappointing to read The End. Always sexy, always captivating, and always fun I will always come back for more of her books. I was given an advanced copy and have voluntarily written this review.
Kyle Young's the star quarterback of his team. He's hot, sexy & also a ladies man who enjoys his life without commitment. That's until he meets Bella, who at first unbenounce to him also happens to be Princess Arabella of Salasia. She's a big football fan & at the games as a guest of the owner. Her future's mapped out for her, to marry a guy of royalty etc. When the 2 of them meet, it's an instant attraction. Will they get their HEA? I'm a new reader of Virna DePaul & I must say after this book, I'm definitely a new fan!
3.5 Stars ~ Entertaining lighthearted read, the princess gets her sportman. You can find love in the most unlikely places.
Side note:Europe has way too many princesses looking for love. Be brave and love will guide you. • Detailed Review ~ Coming Jan. 10th -> www.closetgeekbookgroup.wordpress.com