To say that I loved it is an understatement...once again I fell for Marquita's characters and her writing...all I can say that I don't know how will I live until Charlotte and Brooks story comes out!!!

*Review Copy requested and reviewed on behalf of OMGReads*

Sweet and interesting. I’m not a huge fan of the whole marriage in name only scenario and the setup for the story is far fetched , but I liked the connection between Colin and Della. They are frustrating though; secrets and such cause problems for the two. The royal angle is fun. Colin is a prince in hiding; when he’s told he must marry someone not of his choosing, he decides to marry his friend, Della. It’s supposed to be in name only, but they both harbor deeper feelings for each other. A bit of steam between these two. Overall, I liked the book; it’s entertaining, so I may check out the next one.

"Because when we are old, can barely remember our names, and are sitting by the pool, watching my boys' children play ... we will look back on this moment and regret that we weren't brave enough, that we didn't believe in us enough to try."
What girl doesn't love a fairy tale?

When I first started this book, I'm not going to lie, I was a little worried. At first, it seemed like the story was going to be far too predictable & "cheesy" for me. But, I knew that I needed to give the characters a little more time and be certain about who they were.

Once I kept going, I fell in love. The world that was created here is just sweet enough, but believable. Each of the characters projects a personality that is distinctly their own and they create this world amongst themselves full of love and acceptance. What I loved most was when I saw the cracks in their carefully crafted plans. I know what you're thinking, "This girl is crazy! Why would someone like to see cracks in somebody's plan?!" I HATE seeing characters I've come to love suffer, BUUUUUT I love for a story to be real. Real means mistakes. In this story, there is plenty of real.

The best dose of real, though, always comes from Tressie. "I know you thought that everything would be perfect with him. That he already had the one thing you can't give him, but life doesn't work out that way. It's not a fairy tale; it's real life." This was my favorite quote in the whole book. Yes, this story is fairy tale-esque with it's princes, princesses, and lavish lifestyle, but it's not a story of a fantastical kingdom in a land far, far away. This is a story about a family who carries the burden of being royal. This means they are actual humans who often don't make all the right moves. The love in this story felt real and I am tingling with anticipation for Charlotte's story!

Great romantic comedy! I loved it! This book was filled with so much loyalty and love! The characters were great and loved the storyline. I was hooked once I started it. I highly recommend this one!

I wanted to read Royal Affair, and found out that it's the sequel to Royal Scandal, which I had in my Net Galley shelf, unread.  I had lately stopped reading Marquita Valentine's books because the quality of writing from her first books was not present in the latest ones.  I found the last ones shallow and inane, so stopped reading.  However, romances among the royals intrigue me, so I got these two books to read.  I was very pleased to see that the writing style of her first books is back.  Royal Scandal is the story of the Sinclair family, who are royals exiled due to a government coup in the island they governed.  With their parents assassinated, they were told to leave and not come back.  They are making their lives in a secluded mansion in the town of Charlotte, directing a Sinclair enterprise in town.  Colin is the Crown Prince, whose duty is to guard his sister Imogen, who is the rightful Queen.  In this island, the royal line is inherited through the woman, so Imogen, although younger than Colin, is the exiled queen.  They also have two little kids, birthed by their mother but of unknown father.  Seems the parents were a very serious royally scandalous pair.  Since the children are babies at the time of exile, Colin is planning to raise them as his, and explain their parentage when they're older and can understand.

Colin is dealing with his baby brother's colic when he meets Della.  Della came storming into the house demanding to know why she and her stepmother had been evicted from the gatekeepers house and told to look for a job elsewhere after years of maintaining the gardens.  When his little brother starts crying in earnest, Della takes over and relieves him of gas.  Colin is such a newbie handling babies that he didn't know this detail.  He's impressed and grateful and revokes their eviction.  Instant friends and collaborators!

Ten years later, they are still best friends and collaborators, and the kids believe Colin is their father and love Della like she was their mother.  Colin receives an offer for reinstating their household on the island, but needs to be married first, before the Parliament chooses his wife for him.  Naturally, he chooses Della, and offers a marriage of convenience, with an established duration of three years, after which she can leave with his everlasting gratitude.  Huh?

I found Colin to be a little bland.  Authoritative, understanding, loving, but bland.  Except when he's in bed with Della.  Then it's no holds barred.  Della is an earth mother.  Wise, loving, extroverted, fun-loving and generous.  I loved when she learned about Colin's real status and when one of her comments that made me laugh out loud was:  "Oh my God.  I think I've either told off or bossed your entire family around for the past decade."  What's even more precious is that she doesn't stop there and she keeps on bossing them, and loving them, and having a lovely love affair with Colin.  Colin, the Queen's Guard who hasn't yet found the guts to accept that he loves Della.

The story is fun, the secondary characters are great, Colin's siblings, and when you read it the second time, you find a lot of tips of what will happen in the second book.

Royal Scandal had all the elements to be a sweet royal romance but it just fell flat. It was rushed, there was little to no chemistry between the main characters, and too much going on with no good explanation. The sex scenes felt way too over the top for the characters, they were more awkward to read than sexy. And towards the end the plot felt like it came apart, nothing made much sense. Even still I'm slightly interested in the next royal sibling story.

After Collin’s parents were assassinated; he took his brothers and sisters to America. He has lived in North Carolina in relative peace for the last 10 years. Della is the groundskeeper’s daughter and over time she has become friends with the Sinclairs. But she does not know Collin’s secret. After the world finds out about the Royal family living in North Caroline, his country demands that Collin return to take over the crown, He also must marry someone of their choosing but Collin does not want someone telling him to marry. So Della steps in and becomes his bride. This is a friend to lover’s story, with a little royal thrown in. The story is told by Collin and Della’s POV. These two complement each other. They are both likeable characters. Overall good story and look forward to more by this author.

Who doesn't love a book where the bad boy prince get's reformed by the average woman.

When Della Hughes and Colin Sinclair first meet, she’s trying to yell at him for evicting her family from the property they’ve managed for generations and he’s trying to calm an agitated baby. With five siblings suddenly under his wing and a metric ton of secrets in tow, Colin’s quite in over his head. Luckily, the pair quickly reconcile their differences and warm up to each other.

Fast forward ten years later and they’re now best friends with a boatload of unrequited love between the two of them. This is complicated by the fact that Della is still in the dark on two major Sinclair secrets. When a shady government official starts making crazy demands and an unscrupulous reporter outs the family, the two enter into a kinda convoluted marriage of convenience with a silly “in name only” stipulation. Obviously, that stipulation gets thrown by the wayside almost immediately.

This is a good begining to the series, but the romance takes a bit of a backseat to the secrets and crazy political hijinks. Della and Colin making good on their unrequited feelings is satisfying. Della and Colin staying just friends for no good reason and pushing each other away when things get rocky is less satisfying.

Can I just say how much I love these awesome and quite ridiculous prince-in-hiding falling in love with a girl who doesn't know it but then gets to become a princess? Because I absolutely love them. Seriously.

So when I saw this one pop up on my dash, I ran for it screaming with excitement.

And let me tell you. This book lived up to all my expectations. It was perfectly cheesy, cute, predictable, funny, dramatic and emotional, but well worth the read. It was an easy read, and I did it all in one sitting.

Colin was a great character. The traditional perfect prince. He is kind, protective, and loyal to those he loves. Della was wonderful. She was kind and loves and devotes herself to those she considers family. I loved the interaction between the two of them as well. Colin was so taken by her, and she was so sassy, so fun and livened up his life.

Of course, what would a book like this be without a slightly-crazy but still relevant fight between the lovely couple? Boring, really, really boring. And even though the conflict was meant to bring in some drama, some new element to the story, I just couldn't help but feel like this particular argument/drama bit has been done just a tad too much. It was still good, and as far as secret-prince with an unknowing girl go, there isn't a whole lot of other conflict that meshes well. I did enjoy the whole parents-were-crazy plot. That kept the book interesting for sure, it was something new that I hadn't really encountered before in a book like this.

Colin's family were great characters as well. In fact, most all the side characters were likable.

Overall, I really did like the book. It was well-written and just a good read. Really guys, I guess...just read it.

And now I get to read the next one!

Colin is a crowned prince but where he is from only Queens rule but that wasn’t anything to worry about. Right now dirty diapers, and colic, spit up. And exploding bottles of formula that Colin’s life right now. Theo his brother who was seventeen hands Colin a towel. Then Pierce starts screaming again and Theo said “ told you he wasn’t hungry” then Colin said what do you suggest ? Theo said he had no idea. Then Colin Looked at Pierce who was four months old but he won’t eat, won’t sleep and very little consoled him. Theo says he misses his mother and we need many a nanny we don’t know the first thing about raising children. Then Colin said he has him,Pierce, Aidan. Charlotte. And Imogene. Sinclairs can do anything they set their minds too. Aidan who was fifteen months old. And had called Theo “ daddy” today and he didn’t know what to say. Their parents were dead. Family was all Colin had now. Colin and his family were all dealing with the death of their parents who had been assassinated and their family in exile in different way. Colin was trying to gain control whereas Theo wants to lose control. Colin wished he had some uninterrupted sleep. Then He took Pierce outside to walk him and met Della. No one in the small town knew who Colin was and Colin intended to keep it that way as long as he could. Della had taken Pierce and Patted his back and Pierce burped that was his problem. Della said she was good with kids and had been babysitting since she was thirteen.Colin suggested Della become his wife in name only. They plan on taking a fake honeymoon. But the honeymoon became real.
I really loved this story. I felt so bad for Colin yet he did what he had he had to take care of his siblings Then Aidan and Pierce were so cute and I loved them. The siblings all added to this story but the youngest…. I also loved that the oldest female rules and becomes queen instead of having a king. I loved Della and Colin together still taking care of the family ten years later. This was a fun read and I loved the story as well as the plot and the way it is presented. There was also a lot of surprises. I can’t really think of anything I didn’t like in this story. I loved the characters and the ins and outs of this story and I highly recommend.

I'm not sure where the crush of royals books has come from recently, but I like it. I'll read 'em all. I mean, they're like the ultimate fairy tale and who doesn't love those?

Royal Scandal was a great start to a new series by an author whose books I've really enjoyed since I discovered her. Not only did this one have the whole royalty thing going on, but it also had friends to lovers and y'all know that's my jam. There wasn't anything really new about this story, but I didn't care. Colin and Della were likable and their story was fun to read. There are some great secondary characters in this book, too, so I'm definitely looking forward to continuing on with this new series!

FAVORITE QUOTES

"Prepare yourself, love, because this Sinclair keeps what's his."

A great start to a new series for Marquita Valentine!
I loved the premise of the book and the characters. I was a little at odds about why Colin kept certain secrets from Della. After being best friends for 10 years, it would have seemed odd to continue with those lies. But I can see why Della kept her secret. It wouldn't have really been an issue unless they were a couple.
And why would the truth of their parents death be such a secret? It's not like, within 10 years, they wouldn't have been mature enough to hear the truth.
The Prime Minister's stance on their exhile seemed a bit far fetched, that it would have gone on so long without being discovered. (I don't want to give any spoilers.)
I did enjoy the book and I look forward to Carlotte's story. 4 stars.

Royal Scandal is the first book in the new Royals in Exile series from Marquita Valentine. This wasn't my favorite book that I have read from her, but it wasn't my least favorite either. I did enjoy this one and I like the premise behind this series. There were a few things that kept me from really loving this book though, and it ended up just being okay instead of great like I think it could have been. This wasn't exactly what I had gone in expecting, but I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this book.

After the assassination of his parents, Crown Prince Colin Sinclair is forced to take his siblings and flee to the United States. There they spend years hiding and living their lives as they try to move forward. Colin meets Della Hughs, and she helps him with his siblings. They become best friends and neither can imagine their lives without each other. But when the truth comes out and Parliament tries to force Colin's hand, he proposes that Della should become his fake wife so that he doesn't have to marry someone they choose. But soon fake starts to become real and both begin to think about the forever that they have each wanted but never dared to mention.

I liked Della and Colin for each other. I thought that they were perfect for one another and great together. I did have a bit of an issue with Colin, but I can somewhat see it from his side as well. For as much as he said that he loved and trusted Della, he didn't tell her who he was and that bothered me. I felt like if he truly loved and trusted her that he would have said something. I did love that he hadn't been with other women though, and he knew that Della was the one for him. It was refreshing to see a guy so committed to the girl he wanted that he wouldn't be out taking advantage of how single he was despite his feelings. I will say though that while these two had smoking hot chemistry, things progressed way too fast for my taste. It was as if a switch had been flipped and suddenly they went from friends to sex with no in between. I wanted to see more of a natural progression and felt like we really missed that here.

So while I did like the characters and the premise, it was hard to get past some of this. I also felt like while the premise was good, it was unrealistic to believe that the entire family could remain hidden as they did for as long as they did. It just wasn't believable, though if that had been my only criticism I would have been able to easily forget it. I do think that this series is one that could be really good, but I had higher hopes for this first book and unfortunately it just didn't quite live up to them. If it sounds like something you would enjoy though, I recommend giving it a shot. There were things that I liked here, and it was enjoyable.

**ARC Provided by Publisher**

I devoured this book in just a few quick days. Which is quite a feat with a newborn, let me assure you. I really liked the characters in this book and the exiled royal family. It is a fun, light love story about an exiled prince who keeps his identity hidden from his best friend, until he needs to ask for her hand in marriage to get his family back on track. I will say that I read romance novels here and there, and I didn’t really care for how vulgar this one was. I am not sure if I would continue on with the series if they are all written that way.

Bottom Line: This was a quick, fun read if you are in to romance type novels and don’t mind vulgar scenes.

Ratings: 3/5

**I received a copy of Royal Scandal from Netgalley in exchange for my honest review. All opinions are of my own.**

Royal Scandal is the first book in the new Royals in Exile series from Marquita Valentine. This wasn't my favorite book that I have read from her, but it wasn't my least favorite either. I did enjoy this one and I like the premise behind this series. There were a few things that kept me from really loving this book though, and it ended up just being okay instead of great like I think it could have been. This wasn't exactly what I had gone in expecting, but I do think a lot of readers will enjoy this book.

After the assassination of his parents, Crown Prince Colin Sinclair is forced to take his siblings and flee to the United States. There they spend years hiding and living their lives as they try to move forward. Colin meets Della Hughs, and she helps him with his siblings. They become best friends and neither can imagine their lives without each other. But when the truth comes out and Parliament tries to force Colin's hand, he proposes that Della should become his fake wife so that he doesn't have to marry someone they choose. But soon fake starts to become real and both begin to think about the forever that they have each wanted but never dared to mention.

I liked Della and Colin for each other. I thought that they were perfect for one another and great together. I did have a bit of an issue with Colin, but I can somewhat see it from his side as well. For as much as he said that he loved and trusted Della, he didn't tell her who he was and that bothered me. I felt like if he truly loved and trusted her that he would have said something. I did love that he hadn't been with other women though, and he knew that Della was the one for him. It was refreshing to see a guy so committed to the girl he wanted that he wouldn't be out taking advantage of how single he was despite his feelings. I will say though that while these two had smoking hot chemistry, things progressed way too fast for my taste. It was as if a switch had been flipped and suddenly they went from friends to sex with no in between. I wanted to see more of a natural progression and felt like we really missed that here.

So while I did like the characters and the premise, it was hard to get past some of this. I also felt like while the premise was good, it was unrealistic to believe that the entire family could remain hidden as they did for as long as they did. It just wasn't believable, though if that had been my only criticism I would have been able to easily forget it. I do think that this series is one that could be really good, but I had higher hopes for this first book and unfortunately it just didn't quite live up to them. If it sounds like something you would enjoy though, I recommend giving it a shot. There were things that I liked here, and it was enjoyable.

What an unexpected enjoyable read this was. I admit I requested this one because I always love to read a story with a Royal in it, so I wasn't really sure what to expect from this. What I got was a fun, flirty, and realistic (as realistic as a boom with a royal family in it can be) story. Della was a good, down to earth character that I'm sure many women could identify with. Colin was a no-nonsense, stand up guy. I just loved the twists and turns that the Sinclare family story took. I have the next in the series and I can't wait to start it!

This book was really interesting. I look forward to reading more from this author!