What’s the difference between Prince Nicholas and a prize winning cucumber?
One is long, hard and mostly organic, the other’s a vegetable.
I’m Rose Danning, reporting from Channel 11, and if I have to cover one more amateur chicken show, or oversized garden discovery, I’m going to scream. Give me something juicy! I’ll take anything, even if it’s a spoiled rotten prince with eight-pack abs soaking up the California sun.
Do I want to spend my career doing celebrity gossip? Of course not! Unlike him, I want to make a difference in the world, but covering his trip could be my big break. There’s got to be something deeper to this guy than bottomless pockets, amazing hair and a sinfully tempting smile. All I have to do is stay professional, keep my eye on his—I mean the ball and it’ll be fine.
After all, it’s not like he’s going to whisk me off my feet and make me fall in love with him.
I wanted a light, humorous & sweet read and it delivered in spades!
Rose is a lowly reporter who is doing fluffy pieces and looking to get her big break into serious reporting. Story opens with Rose interviewing a local farmer who has a big – cucumber!
Mona pans the camera to a table overflowing with a rainbow of fruits and vegetables. At the center is a shrine-like structure lovingly displaying the massive, green monster that brought us here. Hats off to Bob, it really is the largest cucumber I’ve seen in my life, and probably will ever see again.
Trusting Mona to roll with the change, I follow to get back into the shot. “Impressive, don’t you think? Paint a couple stripes on there and it could be a watermelon! Just imagine the pickle that thing could make!”
I give the cuke’s prickly green skin a pat. “According to the officials who verified the record, Bob has raised the largest cucumber Orange County has ever seen, coming in at an impressive forty-seven and a half inches.” Without thinking about how it’s going to look, I wrap my hands around it and give the camera a big smile. “Now that’s more than a mouthful.”
Mona’s jaw drops open and her eyes turn into saucers. My words and current position sink in and I snatch my hands back. Oh, God. By tomorrow night, someone’s going to have turned this into a meme. At least it’s not an eggplant. Next to me, Bob does a double thumbs up.
“Aw, you look like someone pickled your favorite cucumber,” chuckles Mona and pats me on the shoulder.
“Ha ha.”
Mona jumps into the driver’s seat and I plop in next to her, sliding the door shut with a bang and cranking the air as far as it’ll go. As we merge into traffic, she breaks into a fit of laughter. “My, what a big cucumber you have, Bob. Can I hold it?”
“If I die because you made a dick joke in traffic, I’m going to come back and haunt you. Every time your footage goes a little blurry? That’ll be me.”.
Rose has a roommate/BFF/camera-woman named Mona who is a hoot! She was just as entertaining to read and the trouble these two got into had me in stitches at times! In fact, I hope Mona gets her own story and I so wanted her to hook up with Hero’s BFF, Matteo, but that doesn’t seem to be the case as author didn’t write them as having any sparks. 😭
Nicholas is a Royal Prince of some fictional European country and has come to the US for some vacay time with his Cashe/Assistant/Babysitter/BFF Matteo. They are having a beach party when Rose gets a call from her boss to go to his house and crash his party and interview him. And that’s what they do – not realizing that Nik & Matteo had just seen her interview with the cucumber and recognized her!
Nik has an instant attraction and interest in getting to know her. He allows her to interview him and follow him into his daily life as a Prince and that sets them up to get to know & fall for each other.
What I loved about this story is how Author took her time to develop their relationship & bond. They didn’t fall into bed immediately or have it be all about lust and no substance. In fact, I loved the fact that we had a Hero for once be so supportive & caring of heroine's career. And in turn, she also helped him find a purpose & true calling. Also, family & friendship played a big role here and it had this reader captured and not be able to put it down.
Safety:
No cheating. No OM/OW drama. No virgins. A little mention here and there about hero having been a player before he met heroine, but thankfully never went into details. No mentions of Heroine's past and neither had a past ex that they couldn’t get over or mentioned often. Halleluiah!!! 🙌 Sweet HEA with kids.
Rose’s blonde hair bounces as her head snaps up to meet my gaze. She nods eagerly. “Of course, Sir… uh, Your Majesty… Your Highness, Your…” She stumbles over her words, enthusiastic but completely unprepared.
“Call me Nico,” I say with a wink.
“Right, Your Nico.” She winces the moment it comes out. I have to try not to laugh.
“Just Nico, though… Your Nico does have a certain ring to it, no? Matteo—”
“I will not call you Your Nico,” he notes dryly, then addresses our guests. “Your Highness or Prince Nicholas would be appropriate. Majesty is reserved for the king and queen.”.
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“Mmm… yes. Take your clothes off.”
“Excuse me?” I squeak.
“Are you going to work with me, or against me? I can do both, but the more difficult you are, the more I will charge, and I will not be responsible for the slowdown.”
I look around frantically for a changing screen, or at least a chair to hide behind. “Here? In the middle of the room?”
“Modesty has no place in fashion. Hurry up. We’re on a tight schedule.” So much for the fairytale treatment. If Cinderella’s fairy godmother was a drill sergeant, that’s how this would go. No magic wand, just the threat of having to drop and give her fifty if I don’t hurry up.
“Panties stay, lose the bra,” Madam Delilah snaps like she’s asking to hold the onions on her sandwich.
Caught up in a stylist tornado, all I can do is stand as still as I can and sometimes let out a little
“Ow,” or “Fuck!” in case someone cares.
Spoiler: Nobody cares.
Then, as one, they all pull back. Madam Delilah circles me like a picky vulture with a very, very critical eye for roadkill. Then she does something even scarier.
She smiles.
And no, her teeth aren’t pointed.
“Posture!”
Madam Delilah is worse than my mom.
I draw my shoulders back and press my chest out, hoping to strike as good a figure as I can without poking myself on any of the pins.
Hurry, hurry. Less than an hour to go.”
I let the robe drop, and step into the gown. If they can be professional about it, then I suppose I can be too. Having my boobs wrangled into place is about as erotic as a mammogram, but with a lot less squishing. Well, a little bit less, at least. Stickers go over my nipples, and people tug me into place, checking with the plunging neckline to make sure nothing is visible before taping me up like a middle school craft project.
“Hey, is there a mirror somewhere?” I venture, looking toward Madam Delilah, who’s doing that scary grinning thing again and wringing her hands like a supervillain whose plan just came together.
My own prom was an epic bust, and who knows if I’ll ever get married, so this might be the closest I ever get to the princess experience. I never thought I’d care about something so superficial, but looking back at me from the mirror, are both the woman I am, and the little girl who dreamed about a moment like this, even if she spent more time falling out of trees than playing dress-up.
“So? Are you pleased, or are you wrong?” asks Madam Delilah..
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I’ve been so, so careful with my every movement, and from what I can tell, the boob tape is still doing its job. If anything slips, it won’t just be a moment of embarrassment, it’ll end up all over the internet. The last thing I need is to cause a scandal and be known as that dumb reporter who flashed her girls at the diplomat’s gala. I want to get my name out, but ideally not like that.
Nico tightens his hand around my waist as he smiles for the cameras. “You look amazing, Rose. Relax.”
“Easy for you to say. Your junk isn’t one stiff breeze away from making a public appearance,” I whisper. ----------------
“Look, he’s as privileged as they come, but not stupid.” Another tray comes by loaded down with tiny pastries. I take a couple for myself while Mona continues, “By now he knows his title and eight-pack abs aren’t enough to win you over, but you’re a challenge and he’s not used to being told no. I think he’s playing the long game. Rose… you in danger, girl.”
“Thanks, Whoopi.”
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. Oh my God!” I peek between my fingers to make sure I’m actually seeing what I thought I was seeing. Yep. Still there.
“Impressive, no? What do you think?” Nico promised me a show when I got back to LA, but even so,
I wasn’t ready for a close-up of his strutting hard-on with a tiny crown balanced on top. Like, an actual crown, with gems and everything.
“I’ve heard of the family jewels, and crown jewels, but this is taking it to a whole new level.”
“I am a prince am I not? Buongiorno!” he says, jovially, deepening his voice with a theatrical flourish.
I’m getting a royal puppet show starring my boyfriend’s penis.
Royal. Penis. Puppet. Show.
The correct answer to this situation is either to hang up and apply for therapy, or go with it, so I go with it. “Buongiorno, Signore Penis!” I respond with my best accent and a—mostly—straight face.
Persistent Prince meets the one girl who is not swayed by his charm–operation get Rose commence This is pretty much your standard Prince of a small European principality meets everyday girl and is unrelenting in his obsession to win her over. Tables are turned when he falls in love but not before fate takes a misstep. This is a hilarious, sweet royal romance. Rose is working as an onsite news, human-interest reporter for an LA TV channel. Her producer gives Rose an assignment when she finds out that a European Prince is partying near Rose and Mona (her camera person). When she catches the eye of the Prince in the midst of his pool party and her credentials are blown, Nico and Matteo invite them to the party. Unbeknownst to Rose, they have viewed her last interview where she is fondling a cucumber on screen. Rose, 25yo intrigues 28yo Nico or rather Prince Nicholas of San Torino, third son of the King and Queen. What intrigues Nico even more is that she does not fall for his natural charm and flirting. The premise is pretty ordinary but the execution is way better than average. And when I said hilarious, I meant laugh-out-loud funny. Some steam but not too graphic, still lots of passion. The ending is beautiful. Since this is book one in the Royals of San Torino I’m hoping we get stories about Nico’s brothers: Arturo or Enzo who to this point have escaped matrimony. I’d like to see Matteo settle down too; with Mona??? I volunteered to review an ARC of this book and I loved it. If you like a guy-chases-a-girl-until-she-catches-him theme, you’ll also love this book!
You would be forgiven for expecting a Cinderella Story to be full of tired cliches but author Kim Linwood offers a fresh take on the genre. The story is weaved together skillfully from the perspectives of both Rose and Nico as we follow their whirlwind romance across both sides of the Atlantic.
At it's core this is a story of growth, both in romance (this book doesn't disappoint in that department), but also personal growth of our two protagonists Rose and Nico. During their adventures they challenge each other to be better in all aspects of their public and private lives.
The one disappointment is the titular Prince's spelling of 'aluminum'. As a refined European prince he obviously should be including the second 'i'.
I'm very grateful to Kim for conjuring such a wonderful world in this first book in the series. I can't wait to hear what is next for Rose and Nico, but also the supporting characters. We must see more of Madam Delilah and Matteo!
The Royal Puppet Show is worth the price of admission alone. Treat yourself to Exposing the Prince now!
Tall, dark and sexy prince? Hell yes! Prince Nicholas of San Torino or Nico as he likes to be called, is on a secret holiday away from his family and his duties. Rose is a reporter trying to work her way up at her local TV station. She gets offered a job she can't refuse from her boss: Score an interview with the dashing prince. So, Rose and her camera woman and bestie Mona decide to sneak into the prince's party. Boy does she get more than she bargained for. Nico was everything I hoped he'd be. Seductive and flirtatious, and no matter how much Rose tries to resist, it's absolutely impossible. I love how he shows how he truly cares about her dreams and doesn't let her give them up, even if it would be for him. Rose is amazing and is good at her job, wanting to do things on her own merit. I also love her friendship with Mona. Boy do those two get up to no good. I can't wait to see what comes next in this series.
To be totally honest I normally don't like the reporter romance type books BUT this one is awesome. The humor had me laughing from the beginning. All I can say is the cucumber interview had me in tears laughing so hard. Rose is a reporter who wants to make a name for herself. Hoping she is getting her "big" break she is sent to get an interview from Prince Nicholas of San Torino who is gorgeous and single. Nico gives her the interview knowing it will cause problems back home. But he is intrigued by Rose. You can feel the chemistry between them from their first meeting. Rose tries to be professional, but Nico makes it impossible. A fun entertaining steamy read. Can't wait for the next in the series.
Exposing the Prince By Kim Linwood Main Characters: Nico and Rose I voluntarily and honestly reviewed this book without bias or persuasion from the author. 5 out of 5 stars I believe this is about the 4th book I have read by this author and I loved all the characters in it. This has a lot of very funny sections in it. I laughed so hard at a couple of spots it woke my husband up. Loved the romance and chemistry between these two. Rose is a reporter in California and Nico is a visiting prince from San Torino. Rose's best friend (Mona)who is a photographer co-worker is a riot. The hi-jinks these two can get into is something else. I would love to keep reading more books by Kim.
Exposing the Prince was an entertaining story of a local reporter, Rose, who tried to resist the charms of an international playboy prince...until she couldn't. Nico was smitten with Rose but she wanted to be taken seriously in her career which meant flirting with a prince was not going to help her. What to do, what to do? :-) This was a really good book that I would recommend if you're looking for a fun read (hello tiny crown) with sweet and sexy parts. This is a voluntary review of an advance reader copy.
I loved this story of Nico and Rose...........and Mona and Matteo (the sidekicks).
Nico and Rose so wanted each other but Rose has to be professional since she is a TV reporter and doesn't want to lose her job even though her boss keeps pushing her in the that direction to get the big scoop. Mona is not helping any by her nudging as well. Nico can't help but to slightly push every one of Rose's buttons until, hopefully, she relents.
This was such a good book. As if! Kim writes the best characters with all the snark and heat.
This is the first book in a new series starring Prince Nicholas (Nico) & reporter Rose Danning. It’s an easy read and a HEA, a modern-day fairytale. We see the handsome, carefree prince meeting the one girl who won’t give in so easily and is focused on pursuing her dreams. How can they make a relationship work when she doesn’t want to give up her career and he has royal obligations in his home country? This book is full of fun as well as steamy sex scenes. I’m looking forward to reading the rest of the books in this series.
Enjoyable story, really lays out the dynamics and boundaries of business, attraction and the possibility of a new relationship. It's never easy and these two really take a mature adventure of discovering what's more important to them. Fairy tale romance with realistic elements. I received a free copy of this book and voluntarily chose to read and leave a review.
I really enjoyed the banter between these two throughout the story! There were plenty of spots where I busted out laughing at the antics and situations that they got themselves into. I really enjoyed the way that this story unfolded with their relationship and the way that things moved forward. The story flowed well and pulled me in from beginning to end. I thoroughly enjoyed the secondary characters, these two's "sidekicks" and the way that they heckled them and helped move things forward as well. They have some hurdles to make it over in order for their relationship to work, to even get off the ground, and I really enjoyed how everything went about. It wasn't just ignored or all of a sudden not a big deal. The story was very entertaining. I voluntarily reviewed an ARC of this book.
I loved it! Exposing the Prince is a sweet, sexy, heartwarming fairy tale romance with a beautiful HEA that even left me a little teary eyed. The story is fun and interesting and I loved the characters. I don't know which royal of San Torino is up next but Nico and Rose will always have a special place in my heart.
Loved this book. Different from all Royals books I have read so far. Loved how she made the prince wait and how she prodded the real prince out of his shell. Loved his meeting with her parents. Loved how the Queen finally accepted and welcomed her into the family. Want to Continue their story with more children preferrably males.
A fantastic story and a true romance!! Loved everyone and everything about this book! It made me melt and I don't do that! And the end...OMG!!! 💖 A must read! I highly recommend this book, you won't be disappointed!
Arc review For honest Review. This story has rose danning and Mona Ferrell reporters for channel eleven doing a news piece on prince Nichola's life beautiful and fantastic . I loved the characters in this story.
A great first book in a new series. Nico is a spoiled and a bit lazy and also a prince! Rose is a ambitious, hard working young reporter that has a hard time denying her attraction to Nico, the subject of her latest reporting job. This book is full of laughs and is still a steamy love story.
**I received this ARC in exchange for a honest voluntary review** 3.5 stars. This one took a bit for me to get into & stick with. Somewhat too long in spots which kept making me lose interest.