Colin and his family were exiled when he was young and moved to America. Della took him to task for evicting her and her stepmother. He apologizes and corrects the situation. Over the next ten days, their friendship builds. His past and present finally collide, and Colin asks Della to help him try to rescue his heritage. I fell in love with this protective, caring, and strong young man. He may have made his mistakes and kept his secrets until almost too late, but I wanted forgiveness between Colin and Della as well as a future. I enjoyed this story and recommend it. I look forward to the next story.

I received a copy of this story through Netgalley, and this is my unsolicited review.

Royal Scandal has everything you want in a modern day fairy tale romance... secrets, mystery, suspense, drama, attraction, loyalty, love, and a HEA.

I volunteered to review an advanced readers copy of this book.

What a sweet and easy story about waiting for your prince only to find he's always been there.

Della and Colin have been friends for over ten years. She's helped him take care of his siblings and made the whole family come alive. She and her aunt have really become members of their family... And the Sinclairs really need friends.

Della and Colin have always had a secret love for each other, and the plot brings them together in the most delicious ways. You'll cheer for them as they marry to protect Colin's family inheritance and cross your fingers that more will come.

The plot and story were pretty simple but I appreciated the smoking hot sex scenes and the lack of angst in the characters. If you want to enjoy a fantasy story that's sweet, hot, and filled with characters you'll love, grab this book and start. I can't wait for the next in the series. Thanks

***ARC Provided by the Publisher via NetGalley***
3.5 Stars

There were a lot of things I liked about this book, and there were things that did not work for me.

This was, essentially, a fairy tale. And that is a lot of fun when done well. The exiled Prince, the woman who has been in love with him and spending time with his family for years, of course with no idea he is actually a Prince. His insane wealth and all of the things that make him a prince are all there, and they are all fun.

I liked the slightly surreal fairy tale feeling of the story. I liked that it took place in a real location and not a made up country. This is a pet peeve of mine, so I was glad this wasn't in the book (Norway isn't going to sue, you don't need to set it in Norwandia, really).

That said, I thought the fairy tale of the romance of Colin and Della was perfect. The issue I had with the book was the subplot was too serious and it threw the pacing of the story off for me. The light fairy tale aspects were drug down in an assassination/cover up/power grab by the UK government...this was way too much and made the lightness of the rest of the book a little out of place. Not enough to ruin the story, and I did enjoy it, but this definitely lessened the enjoyment.

I do still recommend the book, minor pacing issues aside.

***This and other reviews also featured on “I’m A Sweet and Sassy Book Whore” http://www.imasweetandsassybookwhore.com***

This is actually the first book I read from this author. I loved it. Her writing is so smooth and flows so easily. I can't wait to delve into her other series now. These characters are fabulous. Why can't all guys be like Colin? Yes he has some secrets, but the way he took over for his family and sacrificed his life is just so sweet. The way he is with Della... ahhh. And Della is strong, passionate, and caring. The way she cares for Colin and his boys is wonderful. The banter between the secondary characters, especially Tressie, is hilarious. This story is a fairy tale come true and was such a joy to read. Can't wait to read what happens to the other Sinclairs. I was given an advanced reader copy.

These royal BBFs are growing in me more and more and more every day. And this one, Mr. Crowned Prince Colin Sinclair, is undoubtedly one of the fast ones. Once I met him, once I fell in love with him. And from where to start really….

Royal Scandal is the first part in Valentine’s new Royal series, Royals in Exile. The series is about the Sinclairs, the crowned family of an UK island who were exiled in USA after their parents’s assassination. And logically, the first story belongs to the older brother, Colin. The love story begins ten years before the actual story starts, when Colin meet Della for the first time. Since that moment, these two became each other’s support and best friends. But their friendship was only the first step in their epic love.

Story cut short, because otherwise the spoilers are unavoidable, Colin has to ask Della a very important favor so she can help him gain some of his lost control over his rights back. Although, the outcome of that favor neither could imagine, but desperately wanted, to happen. Their story can be put under the “best-friends-turned-to-lovers(and more)” but with more of a …. royal and blue-blooded touch.

Both Colin and Della showed from the very first moment the kind of heart they have beating under their chest; of pure gold and full of love, passion and care. But, even thought they are the lead characters which means they have the more attention, the ones that attracted the most of mine was the two Colin’s siblings, Theo and Charlotte, and of course Della’s step mom. Theo captivated me from the start with his rawness of his character, the intense feelings and reactions he had during the story and the sensitivity and gold heart he wants to hide but can’t help come out when it comes to the people he loves. Charlotte, from the other side, captivated me because of her maturity and calm aura of her personality. She is incredible on noticing things the others can’t so easily and she always knows how to find the right solution to the problems they concern her. As for Della’s step mom, the woman is one of the most enjoying and intriguing characters I have ever met. She had such a powerful personality that I couldn’t help noticing how she was pushing Della down the right road when she seemed to lose her way.

“Your story with Colin hasn’t finished being written and it won’t until the two of you take hold of that pen again.”

The illogical thing with Marquita’s books is that even though I’m never surprised from how good her stories are written, I can’t help stay open mouthed and surprised from that same goodness. Insane right? Tell me about it!! Since the first moment I came face to face with her mind’s world, she found her way through to my list of the most anticipated authors. She has never disappointed me so far and I believe she won’t any time soon. Most of her characters have a special place in the list of My Favorites. I really can’t wait to get my hands on the nest two books of this series, Royal Affair (Charlotte’s story) and Royal Chase (Theo’s story); Especially the second one. And it’s not a coincidence that these two intrigued me the most.

This is my first Marquita Valentine book and I was excited about the whole scandalous Royals who are in exile story. However, I was looking for more of the scandal. This story has more of a Cinderella feel to it.

Prince Colin Sinclair and his brothers and sisters were forced to flee from their ruling country when their parents were assigned, forcing them into exile. For 10 years, Colin has played father to his two younger brothers while living completely under the radar in North Carolina. Upon their arrival, he meets the fiery Della Hughes, who lives on his property while her mother is the caretake of the land. The two end up becoming best friends and they are secretly in love with each other.

When Colin returns back to his country to learn that they want him at the throne but they want him to marry someone that they choose, he refuses. Instead he comes up with the plan to marry Della. What starts off as a business transaction quickly turns into their true feelings coming out. Will they be able to get back the charade and commit to each other for the sake of true love?

I have to be honest and say that this fell a little flat for me. I don't know if it was the transition of Colin being the sweet man who has raised his brothers as his own to one dirty mouthed man when he finally gets with Della or something else. Don't get me wrong, I love dirty mouths. It was just an awkward transition for me.

I did like Della. She has the biggest heart and has loved Colin for years now. I'm sure some will see her as a doormat because she does just about everything for him but during those 10 years, he wasn't running around with other people and he was doing his best to raise his brothers.

Overall, I think I would have liked a bit more of a scandal as the title says but I think people who like a love story with a fairytale ending will enjoy this book. If that's you, then this book is for you.

3 stars

Royal Scandal was an OK read.

I didn't love it but I didn't hate it.
The writing is well done and the plot kept me turning the pages.
Sadly, failed to connect with Colin and Della's characters and this affected my overall enjoyment :(

Thank you to Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via Netgalley for the advance copy.

An adorably sweet and sexy story about Royal Scandals and fairytale love. 

Great story!
Wonderful, colorful characters.
Holy Shit! This book was HOT!

Well, I’ll just come out and say it. Though I’m a pushover for royalty romantic tales, this book didn’t particularly appeal to me on more than one aspect. For one thing, too many elements didn’t quite add up, folks. I’m referring to the teenage hero letting his younger siblings calling him daddy for years, yet the older ones knew he wasn’t. That just felt wrong to me, especially letting the heroine think he had been a teenage baby daddy to some unidentified teen mom. A misconception he doesn’t clarify even after they are married. Then we are lead to believe years go by and he’s now successfully held their royally exiled family and business together single handedly, even made them more prosperous, with little to no experience.

Sure, it was sweet and adorable to see such a young man providing love and stability for all his siblings, especially the young infant twins. It was also romantic to see how the secret ten year crush between the main couple eventually morphed into what quickly became wedded bliss, despite the unusual circumstances/terms of his marriage proposal.

Ultimately though I think the writing style was what kept me from really falling for this storyline. At times it felt inconsistent, a little too choppy, back and forth, then switched to overly long conversations, then went from sweet/very tame to OTT smexy, erotic with lusty language that didn’t fit the character’s personality. I guess I would compare it to two completely different halves being pushed together to make a whole. But what really and truly ruined my desire to keep reading was the big parent reveal and finding out how the hero’s parents actually died. Bizarre doesn’t even come close to describing Colin’s bed hopping parents misbehavior. Even though I suspected some skeletons were about to jump out of the proverbial royal closet, I wasn’t prepared for that unappealing scenario. I found myself wincing and shaking my head and mentally thinking, “No, just no.” I was so frustrated at that point I had to put it down and walk away. Parliament plot aside, this bloodline no longer seemed that regal to me. Maybe it is time to dissolve this monarchy altogether. I think that line of thinking comes to play when you realize you no longer actually care how this whole mess works out. The book didn’t seem to get any better, folks.

Theo, the very promiscuous/smexy talking/out of control/gets away with everything with no consequences brother definitely needs to be reigned in. I’m assuming that will likely happen in the next book. The author has her work cut out for her, because he wasn’t particularly appealing, folks. Of course, Imogen, who is supposed to be crowned queen is also in line to get her own book, as well. Time will tell, I’m just not convinced at this point I’ll be reading any more sequels.

Title: Royal Scandal, Series: Royals in Exile (Book 1), Author: Marquita Valentine, Pages: 220, stand-alone but part of a series, goes from very tame to OTT smexy with lusty language, two way secret crush leads to arranged marriage, good guy hero, no cheating, no OW/OM drama, ridiculous/complicated scandal.

Book 1 - Royal Scandal, 1/24/17, Pages: 220 (Colin & Della)
Book 2 - Royal Affair, 2017, details not available
Book 3 - Royal Chase - no details available
Book 4 - Royal Duty - no details available

(This review is based on advanced reader copy provided via NetGalley in exchange for an unbiased, fair review. No compensation was provided to this reviewer, nor is there any affiliation between the reviewer and author/publisher/NetGalley.)

I found this book fun and quirky! A really good page turner! I will be looking forward to more of what this series will bring!

DId Not Finish.......enjoy Ms. Valentine's work, but this novel just couldn't hold my attention.

Reviewed by Tori

Favorite Quote: “Well, you know how we Americans are. Rebelling against the crown since 1776.”

Crown Prince Colin Sinclair and his royal siblings are forced to flee to to the United States after a coup in their country results in the assignation of their parents. Settling in Charlotte, NC Colin becomes the official caregiver with some help from friend. When their cover is blown and plastered all over the tabloids for the world to see, their country offers Colin a deal. Marry a princess of their choosing and the Sinclair family will be allowed to return home. But Colin is tired of being at the mercy of his country’s government. Taking matters into his own hands, he proposes marriage to the one person who has held his heart for ten years.

Della Hughes may have met the Sinclairs under less than happy circumstances but over the years she has grown to love them all, especially the oldest, Colin. Della doesn’t believe in fairy tales or happily ever afters but when she learns her prince charming is REALLY a prince, she is shocked. Willing to do anything for this family, Della agrees to a marriage of convenience but when the honeymoon goes from fake to real, Della isn’t sure she can walk away at the end, Or if she even wants too.

Royal Scandal is the first book in Marquita Valentine’s Royals in Exile series. Set in the US and the Isle of Man (a real country-part of the British Crown), the story revolves around the Sinclair family and their fight to regain their heritage. I’ve been enjoying the new trend of royals falling for commoners romances that have been trending the last few months. It is for me the ultimate modern fairytale. Lightweight and humorous, this friends to lovers romance is relatively low in angst and conflict with a surprisingly bite of heat. Valentine focuses on Colin’s and Della’s romance foremost but effortlessly blends in the history of happened to their parents and the cause while advancing each sibling’s story to prepare them for their own stories.

The story opens with Colin and his brother Theo trying to console their colicky youngest brother. Valentine gives us the bare bones of what is happening and sets the stage for the romance to come. When one of the family bodyguards informs them they have a visitor, Colin is shocked by a gorgeous and bold young woman demanding to know why her family is being evicted from their home. Colin realizes that his family’s need for privacy is forcing the caretakers out onto the streets. He let them stay and gains a friend in the process. Della Hughes. The book then jumps forward ten years in time which dismayed me a little. We are told of the depth of the friendship Della and Colin holds and everything she has done for the family but I would have enjoyed seeing some of it play out. Della essentially adopts the role of “mother” to the babies and helps Colin with the older ones during that time.

I liked Colin and Della. In fact, I liked all the siblings. Each one is individually fleshed out and Valentine makes sure we see their differences and the possible snags that may hamper their futures. Colin is the oldest and he takes his responsibility seriously. Exiled at age nineteen, he assumes the parental role over all of them (Theo- age seventeen and the twins, Charlotte and Imogen-age fourteen) though the ones that depend on him most are the two youngest Sinclairs. Aiden, age fifteen months and Pierce, age four months who are some seriously cute kids. Though fashioned somewhat as plot devices, Valentine characterizes them in a way that you instantly forgive her. Colin is seriously overwhelmed but I liked that he isn’t portrayed as a martyr. He has fallen for Della hard but doesn’t want to ruin their friendship. Especially since his future remains uncertain and he has not been completely honest with her about who he really is. Intelligent, understated, loyal, and funny with sexy dominant side that comes out later on.

“Do be a good girl and sit very still while I wash you.”

“Yes, sir.”

He tweaks a nipple and desire makes me whimper.

“That’s yes, your highness.”

Della is his perfect match. Also smart, sexy, loyal, and funny, she gives as good as she get and isn’t one to play games. The chemistry is sweet and steamy with some nicely done longing and sexy internal thoughts. The added bonus of their history together only adds to the overall appeal. She too fell for Colin years ago but feels he only sees her as a friend. I love the relationship she has with Colin and his family. It has a separate quality to it that didn’t seem dependant on the attraction between her and Colin.

The marriage is the pivot of the story and its pacing increases two-fold. This couple does a rapid about-face, going from platonic and willing to suffer in silence for their love to full frontal lust filled mattress dancing. While Valentine expands on the romance, she also expands on the somewhat machiavellian plot behind the family’s exile. The two storylines start out running parallel and slowly begin to intertwine. I enjoyed watching Colin and Della’s love for one another truly blossom and grow once they got out of each other’s way and the political machinations were interesting. Unfortunately, the storylines begin to compete against each other. I felt the seriousness of exile plotline cast a small shadow over the romance.

I also had an issue with Colin’s omission of some important details. Some things he remained tight-lipped about for too long while others he allowed Della to make her own assumptions about, knowing when she found out she’d be furious. And she was. I think she deserved a bit more groveling and explanation on his end though overall his reasons were understandable.

The ending gives Colin and Della the happily ever after they both deserve and a nice little epilogue to clue us into the next Sinclair sibling’s story.

Royal Scandals is altogether a royally fun and flirty romance that engages and satisfies despite the few issues I encountered. I am looking forward to the next in the series, Royal Affair, which is set to release March 7, 2017.

Grade: B

I adored every single minute for Royal Scandal. Della and Colin made me fall in love with them both from the moment they each appeared on the page. I loved that Della was so very strong. She has no problem confronting Colin when she feels that he is treating her step-mother unfairly. She totally and completely stands up to him on every single issue, even when he is growling like a beast. Honestly, I found myself comparing Della and Colin to Belle and the Beast from Beauty and the Beast on more than one occasion.

I love that Colin and Della were best friends before they became lovers. Granted 10 years was a long time for neither to take action on their mutual attraction, but their friendship was so strong, and the sexual attraction always being there totally worked for me. I loved that when Colin needed someone to marry, his first thoughts were of Della, even if their marriage was originally going to be in name only. I knew based upon how strong their attraction was, they could never stay platonic for long. Colin and Della had some of the sweetest and hottest love scenes and I loved how once they made love, they were even closer than before.

I will say the only thing I really didn't love about Colin was the fact that he didn't share the truth of the boys earlier with Della. If ever there was a person with whom Colin could trust with such a big secret, it was Della. I understood not sharing early in their relationship, but thought he should have been completely honest before marrying Della, and I completely agreed with her being angry upon learning that Colin hadn't shared the truth with her sooner.

Royal Scandal was like book crack for me. I could not put the book down once I started reading it and even stayed up way past my bedtime to keep reading. I loved seeing Della and Colin get their happily ever after and felt like Royal Scandal was an amazing start to the Royals in Exile series from Marquita Valentine. While Royal Scandal was Colin and Della's story, I absolutely adored meeting the rest of Colin's siblings and can't wait to see each of them get their happily ever after as the series continues.

Rating: 5 Stars (A+)

Funny, Sweet and Romantic

Royal Scandal is an exquisitely romantic story that will sweep you away. Far from a Disney Cinderella story all wrapped up neatly, it does have it’s ups and downs, especially when it involves the Sinclair clan. This is Colin and Della’s story. It’s also a great introduction to the members of the family who are wonderfully unique and charming.

After the deaths of their parents, the Sinclair children are exiled for their protection. They settle in North Carolina where their identity as royalty is hidden from the public. Now ten years later, Colin Sinclair has stayed strong and focused in keeping the remaining family intact and protected while negotiating the provisions of their exile with parliament. But as a condition to repeal the exile, Colin must marry someone of their choosing. Not wanting to play their game, Colin wants to marry his longtime friend, Della Hughes. And all the Sinclair children love her. Della has secretly been in love with Colin since they’ve moved into the estate house where she and her stepmother are caretakers. Colin loves how Della has stepped up to being a mother figure for the youngest Sinclairs. But Colin has kept a secret about the two youngest boys from her. And Della has one of her own she can’t reveal. Once the secrets are laid out, they might be deal breakers to the new found marriage. I loved the funny banter and sweet romantic journey of these two lovers. The latest reveal in the story is the biggest scandal and could potentially destroy the family and the Sinclair legacy. This has one delicious plot.

Ms Valentine writes a well-written story with humor, witty banter and romance in Royal Scandal. It is a marriage of convenience with a friends to lovers romance all wrapped into one. There is an epilogue that looks into Colin and Della’s lives five years later, and it’s everything you can imagine for them. I can’t wait to read the next book in the series.

I received an ARC copy from Random House Publishing Group - Loveswept via NetGalley. I voluntarily reviewed this book.

I love a friends to lovers story and I always enjoy a Marquita Valentine romance. So, of course, this was a delightful read for me.

It's a modern day sort of Sound of Music, without the singing. You get a really good sense of the hero and heroine- they're affection and respect for one another. And you get enough information about the secondary characters to look forward to the future books to come. My only nit-pic is that there were a few times when things were glossed over and I wanted more detail. That aside, this is a wonderful contemporary romance and well worth your time.

I received an ARC of this book, from the publisher, via NetGallery, in exchange for a fair and honest review.

This was super fun and flirty! The author shows her ability to be diverse when it comes to writing romance novels because it is so different from some of her other books!

The only way I know how to describe Royal Scandal is by comparing it to a really adorable toddler - who has a really dirty mouth. The little tyke is cute even when as he or she is cursing like a sailor, but you just never expected the precious kid to talk that way. Royal Scandal is a cutesy, faux-royalty romance that is sweet with a dash of spice when Crown Prince Colin and his best-friend-turned marriage-of-convenience bride, Della, start getting it on. Collin is this super nice guy who all of the sudden wants to spank Della a little. It was kind of a fun surprise.

I would not say Royal Scandal is really treading new literary ground. Collin is in exile and taking care of all of his royal siblings. He’s raised his youngest brothers as if they were his kids and never told Della that they were his brothers. This is fairly crazy since they have been best friends for ten years, but I suppose it is also crazy that Collin is a prince from the Isle of Man. It works, because I knew this would be a light-hearted, simple romance. Royal Scandal is good and unexpectedly a little dirty.

A beautifully sweet, sigh-inducing fairy tale romance that swept me up and had me so enthralled and completely satisfied! I am absolutely in LOVE with Royals In Exile series. Marquita Valentine is an AMAZING author who did a fantastic job of creating a story any woman who loves Disney movies will easily fall in love with.

This book won me, heart and soul! I loved the characters and how lovely the whole plot was. I lost count the number of times I wanted to fall into a puddle because of the sweetness and romance. truly sensational!

I give this book a SERIOUSLY SWEET AND SWOON-WORTHY FIVE SHOOTING STARS! It will make you wish for fairy tale loving every single day while you enjoy this magical read.

I really liked this book. I loved Colin. He is the type of hero I really love in a book. He was sure of himself but not so self absorbed that he needs to sleep with a different woman every night. I liked Della too. I'm just a sucker for best friends falling for each other. Even though Colin and Della were bff they both had secrets from each other. I kind of felt the conflict in the relationship was silly from Della but I can kind of see her issue. I loved the resolution to the story and cant wait to read about the rest of the Sinclair siblings. 3.5 stars