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A Royal Mess
Rediscover Jill Shalvis’s classic royal romance!
First she’s bumped from first class to coach, then she’s robbed, gets soaked in a rainstorm and now is stranded on a ranch full of animals she’s afraid of…. As far as days go, Princess Natalia Brunner has definitely had better ones! If not for the timely rescue by a good-looking cowboy, she would have quit this day long ago. But just like the old Westerns, the sexy Tim Banning has her thinking she should hang up her tiara and stay awhile….
Originally published in 2002.
First she’s bumped from first class to coach, then she’s robbed, gets soaked in a rainstorm and now is stranded on a ranch full of animals she’s afraid of…. As far as days go, Princess Natalia Brunner has definitely had better ones! If not for the timely rescue by a good-looking cowboy, she would have quit this day long ago. But just like the old Westerns, the sexy Tim Banning has her thinking she should hang up her tiara and stay awhile….
Originally published in 2002.
- GenresRomanceContemporary
114 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 19, 2002
119 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Jill Shalvis
390 books13.9k followersJill Shalvis is a NYT, USA Today, and Amazon Top 100 bestselling author of small-town romance and romcoms, known for big feels, found family, and plenty of shenanigans.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
If you love small-town chaos, meddling friends and neighbors, sizzling chemistry, and heroes who fall hard for the one woman they absolutely did not plan on, you’re in the right place. Jill’s books blend laugh-out-loud moments with emotional gut punches, slow-burn tension, and deeply earned happily ever afters.
She writes the stories she loves to read: small-town romance and romantic comedies packed with heart, heat, second chances, grumpy/sunshine sparks, and the kind of found-family vibes that make you want to move right into the pages. Many of her series are perfect for binge-reading, and a number of her books are available in Kindle Unlimited and at major retailers.
When she’s not writing, she’s probably plotting new ways to torture her characters, avoiding laundry, or daydreaming about fictional men and the strong, complicated women who bring them to their knees—and then making them work for it.
You can follow Jill here on Goodreads to keep up with new releases, add her books to your shelves, and discover which small town you want to get lost in next.
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Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews
February 1, 2022
A Royal Mess features a romance between two people from very different backgrounds.
Princess Natalia Brunner is not having the best day. First she gets bumped from her first class seat to coach then her connecting flight is delayed and she gets robbed in the parking lot. When an attractive cowboy comes to her rescue, Natalia thinks her luck has turned around. Tim Banning thinks the attractive woman claiming to be a princess is delusional but he can't leave her stranded. As the pair spend time together on Tim's ranch, suddenly the differences in their backgrounds no longer matter.
This book did not work for me in the slightest. None of the characters are likeable and the romance is basically nonexistent. There's no real connection between Tim and Natalia. The attraction they claim, I just didn't buy it. Also the "hero" Tim is fairly sexist and continuously calls the heroine delusional or crazy when she tells him she's a princess. Don't get me wrong, I get that someone being a princess is surprising but the hero calling the heroine crazy isn't something I'm into. Besides disliking the hero, Natalia herself isn't a great character nor are any of the side characters.
Overall A Royal Mess didn't work for me and I would recommend skipping it when reading the author's backlist.
Princess Natalia Brunner is not having the best day. First she gets bumped from her first class seat to coach then her connecting flight is delayed and she gets robbed in the parking lot. When an attractive cowboy comes to her rescue, Natalia thinks her luck has turned around. Tim Banning thinks the attractive woman claiming to be a princess is delusional but he can't leave her stranded. As the pair spend time together on Tim's ranch, suddenly the differences in their backgrounds no longer matter.
This book did not work for me in the slightest. None of the characters are likeable and the romance is basically nonexistent. There's no real connection between Tim and Natalia. The attraction they claim, I just didn't buy it. Also the "hero" Tim is fairly sexist and continuously calls the heroine delusional or crazy when she tells him she's a princess. Don't get me wrong, I get that someone being a princess is surprising but the hero calling the heroine crazy isn't something I'm into. Besides disliking the hero, Natalia herself isn't a great character nor are any of the side characters.
Overall A Royal Mess didn't work for me and I would recommend skipping it when reading the author's backlist.
June 25, 2017
Her Serene Highness, Natalia, is on her way to a wedding in NM when she gets waylaid. Bumped from 1st to coach, cancelled flight, and then mugged. Tim finds her and offers her a job as a cook. Not believing she is royalty, he thinks she's crazy. Yeah, in this day in age, he could have gone online and looked. But nah, let's think she's crazy.
I *almost* put this in the DNF pile, but continued reading. Starting out, I didn't like Natalia. At all. She was an entitled, spoiled, person who didn't treat people well. Tim was okay. Then, surprise! I'm into the book and want to find out what happens. I liked this more than I thought I would. I thought the reason Natalia is afraid of animals was kinda funny. Nice to see she gets over it. She ends up a better, more likable person at the end. Tim too. I rolled my eyes at the virgin thing (of course she is!).
This works for the ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo too! "Hero has a pet that is not a dog or cat." Tim has a three legged pig, a nearly blind goat, and an old horse.
I *almost* put this in the DNF pile, but continued reading. Starting out, I didn't like Natalia. At all. She was an entitled, spoiled, person who didn't treat people well. Tim was okay. Then, surprise! I'm into the book and want to find out what happens. I liked this more than I thought I would. I thought the reason Natalia is afraid of animals was kinda funny. Nice to see she gets over it. She ends up a better, more likable person at the end. Tim too. I rolled my eyes at the virgin thing (of course she is!).
This works for the ripped Bodice Summer Read Along Bingo too! "Hero has a pet that is not a dog or cat." Tim has a three legged pig, a nearly blind goat, and an old horse.
March 28, 2017
I did enjoy the book overall. I like Jill Shalvis's writing style with a blend of humor and romance. I did wish this one was a little bit longer (maybe about 2 more chapters) and had an epilogue to let the reader know how Tim and Natalia did as time went on. I liked the characters enough to wish there was more about them once they actually came together as a couple and to get to know more of the reaction of Natalia's family to her new life. It was an entertaining read but just wished had a bit more length and depth to the overall book.
November 25, 2024
An insane cowboy-meets-princess story. A princess is robbed while waiting for a bus at the airport where her flight had been cancelled. The cowboy she had been sitting next to on the incoming flight sees her in distress and offers to give her a ride to his ranch where she can be the cook until she earns enough money to buy another bus ticket.
This completely absurd story includes a three legged pig, a nearly blind goat and an old horse that just drools. It was actually hilarious in the contrivances, and short enough to read in an afternoon when there wasn’t a single soccer game on anywhere!
Note to author: You see a lightning flash before you hear thunder.
This completely absurd story includes a three legged pig, a nearly blind goat and an old horse that just drools. It was actually hilarious in the contrivances, and short enough to read in an afternoon when there wasn’t a single soccer game on anywhere!
Note to author: You see a lightning flash before you hear thunder.
March 2, 2021
I believe this is a revamp of one of Ms. Shalvis' earlier books. It still had her classic humor and romance that I love so much. Taking a princess and putting her to work helping in the kitchen, etc. on a ranch certainly left some hilarious moments. I loved the funny moments as well as the romantic. She is still my all time favorite author.
January 30, 2026
qué risa, qué buen humor tiene la autora, 100% recomendado para desconectar
May 12, 2017
Leído el 26/07/2012
Protagonistas: Tim Banning y Natalia Brunner
Argumento:
¿Qué hacía una princesa en un rancho de Texas…?
Había ido de primera a tercera clase, le habían robado, después se había calado en mitad de una tormenta y finalmente había acabado perdida en un rancho lleno de animales aterradores... En resumen, la princesa Natalia Brunner había tenido días mejores que aquel. Si no hubiera sido por el oportuno rescate de aquel guapísimo cowboy, se habría dado por vencida. Pero, como en las viejas películas del oeste, el sexy Tim Banning iba a pedirle que se olvidara de la corona y se quedara por allí un tiempo...
Protagonistas: Tim Banning y Natalia Brunner
Argumento:
¿Qué hacía una princesa en un rancho de Texas…?
Había ido de primera a tercera clase, le habían robado, después se había calado en mitad de una tormenta y finalmente había acabado perdida en un rancho lleno de animales aterradores... En resumen, la princesa Natalia Brunner había tenido días mejores que aquel. Si no hubiera sido por el oportuno rescate de aquel guapísimo cowboy, se habría dado por vencida. Pero, como en las viejas películas del oeste, el sexy Tim Banning iba a pedirle que se olvidara de la corona y se quedara por allí un tiempo...
October 26, 2025
Rating: 3.5 Stars
A silly premise, but isn't that usually the case with undercover royal sort of books? It still had the humor I have grown to love in a Shalvis book, and there were some fun animal antics that made me smile.
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A silly premise, but isn't that usually the case with undercover royal sort of books? It still had the humor I have grown to love in a Shalvis book, and there were some fun animal antics that made me smile.
BLOG | INSTAGRAM |TWITTER | BLOGLOVIN | FRIEND ME ON GOODREADS
February 26, 2018
:( Wanted to like this book, but couldn't suspend my disbelief at the basic premise--main character loses everything and then just goes along with a handsome hunky stranger to the middle of nowhere? Even though she knows nothing about him, truly? To me, that sounds more like a way of being kidnapped and raped than the start of a romance novel. Unfortunately had trouble getting into the story as a result, even though I wanted to like it at first.
May 5, 2021
Cute, quick read. You have to suspend disbelief at the fact that Natalia trusts a complete stranger and gets in Tim’s truck, but other than that, I loved these two together. It could have been a bit longer and the story seemed too quick, but it was a fun read. I have read all of Jill Shalvis’ later books and quite a few of the earlier ones and this was one of the better of the earlier stories. Shalvis is great at inserting humor into her stories and you can see that even in her early books.
May 22, 2018
Cute story
I always like Jill Shalvis' books. This one was just okay. I was a little disappointed because usually i can't put her books down. This one I didn't really get attached to the characters and it ended kind of abruptly. It was a cute story, just not my favorite....
I always like Jill Shalvis' books. This one was just okay. I was a little disappointed because usually i can't put her books down. This one I didn't really get attached to the characters and it ended kind of abruptly. It was a cute story, just not my favorite....
April 30, 2024
Nancy
What a cute story. Short but sweet with lots of funny lines. The characters were so funny even the animals. The storyline was perfect for this book. Thanks for the great read.
What a cute story. Short but sweet with lots of funny lines. The characters were so funny even the animals. The storyline was perfect for this book. Thanks for the great read.
November 12, 2017
2-1/2 stars
April 2, 2019
An earlier book of Shalvis. Her newer books are much more realistic, less silly, and with stronger female characters. You can tell she was finding her way as an author when she wrote this.
July 31, 2019
Easy to read. Took me out from my reader´s block. :)
September 7, 2019
☺️☺️
Such a Fun Read! If you have a couple of hours get this and enjoy! So love a happy ending!
Such a Fun Read! If you have a couple of hours get this and enjoy! So love a happy ending!
July 10, 2021
3.5 magical little stars
September 7, 2025
Cute, quick read! The princess and the cowboy, cute plot!
January 10, 2020
It's January 10th about a month and a half from when I read this and I literally can't remember a thing about this book, without going back to the synopsis. Hold on, wait...something is coming back to me. I think there was a princess on a farm, love happened, and there were some unmemorable side characters. I think I may have just inferred that from the title and the cover art. Oh well...
April 23, 2017
zero character depth.
Displaying 1 - 20 of 20 reviews