Reluctantly Royal by Gillian Archer is a good fit for those seeking a heartwarming and lighthearted romance about a charming prince who finds love with a vivacious American beauty, with a focus on themes of self-discovery, family, and the power of true love to bring people together.

I love a great royal romance and Gillian Archer delivered! I got swept away with the royal romance!

I voluntarily reviewed this book.

This was completely outside of what I usually read. I am a fantasy girl, not a romance type like this. But I still found it actually rather enjoyable and entertaining? At times I didn't really love the MC's point of view or the way he talked, but I got used to it as the book went on. This definitely hits the spot if you're looking for a quick royal romance fix for yourself, Prince & Me fans.

This book was super hot. I love a bad boy and add that to him being a prince makes things all the better. Luc was just plain yummy.

RELUCTANTLY ROYAL - Gillian Archer

#1 in the HRH romance series

HOT AND SEXY - 4 stars

Plot - 4 stars - Luc has been recalled to Monaco now that his father and twin brother have been killed. His older brother is the leader and Luc is the "spare" so he must take up his royal responsibilities and be much more careful about his security, etc. During a trip to Las Vegas at his brother's behest, he meets a gorgeous fun woman and decides to play a little, against all rules.

Writing - 4 stars - I was caught up in the story right from the first page. It was an intriguing and slightly different setting, and I was interested in the royal world as well as Hannah's ability to deal with it.

Characters - 4 stars - Luc is a great hero. Of course, he's tall, dark, and handsome and, even better, he's a royal. As we get to know him, we also realize he recognizes his responsibilities, but he's taking a while to wrap his head around it all, especially since he's taking the death of his twin brother very hard. It's not surprising that he wants to break out a little bit and have some fun while he can and chafes against the restrictions inherent in his role. However, it was kind of sad that he didn't even recognize the positives (elegant surroundings, protection, diplomatic immunity, etc.) about his life since he is so used to them. Hannah is a very fun-loving, upbeat, cute woman who is also struggling with grief and restrictions from her family. Upon first meeting, they make a great pair, and it was fun to see their interactions. However, as we got to know Hannah better, she lost a lot of her spontaneity, which is what made her fun to begin with. She became a lot more complaining and unhappy. Although understandable to some extent, I missed her light-heartedness, which is what drew me to her in the first place. It was a fine balance to create, and I though that Archer somewhat missed the mark with this character.

Title - 4 stars - Makes sense. Pretty self-explanatory. Although Luc knows he's got responsibilities, he's not used to them and doesn't really want to settle down yet.

Cover - 3.5 stars - Nothing unusual for this genre, but pretty predictable. Male abs will always draw the eye.

Overall - 4 stars - I felt the fun of this story right from the beginning. It got bogged down a bit as time went on because of the serious subject matters discussed, but it was still a quick and enjoyable read. I'm looking forward to continuing with this series and want to learn more about Sebastien.

Who doesn’t love a good royal romance? I know I sure enjoy them and this was no exception. Characters you just end up liking. More depth than I was expecting- which can sometimes be lacking in these kinds of stories. Good job Ms. Archer.

Love Hannah and Luc’s love story. Unexpected love in an unexpected place. Luc was sent to conference to represent his country or expecting to find love. There’s an instant attraction between the two when they met. They both have secrets. As they spend time together their feelings for each other grow. They both made a big decision that affected their relationship and their future. There are some funny moments. Engaging read recommended read

This book style was not for me. I really enjoy royal romance but even this one felt forced and far fetched.

I read this book some months back and do not remember enough of the book to give it a very good review. I did give this book 4 stars when I read it on Goodreads.

A fast paced romance with fun and humour. I am always a sucker for a bad boy and this book certainly delivers. An enjoyable read.

Not the best book by this author. I liked but did not love this book at all. Gillian Archer is one of my "one click" authors so I know that I will be reading more of her books in the future.

A Weeklong fling- Luc a “Spare” Prince and Hannah an unemployed cosmetologist spend a fun-filled adventures weekend together.

Luc keeps his identity secret, but once Hannah finds out who he is, its a reality check.
He wants more than just one weekend with her, but she is not willing to fall for the fairy tale.
Will Hannah leave her life in Vegas and follow her prince charming to Monaco.

A super cute story, I enjoyed this read.
It’s like a fairy tale for the modern woman.

A quick read I enjoyed, but didn't really leave a lasting impression.

Prince Lucien has had a hard time of it. His twin brother and father were bot h killed in a plane crash, his older brother Sovereign Prince Sebastien has turned into an uber-serious task master determined to sacrifice himself and his happiness for his country and thinks Prince Lucien ought to do so too.

Prince Lucien is in Las Vegas on business, feeling the weight of the responsibilities, when he meets Hannah. Their attraction is immediate, the sexual tension palpable, their time together a whirlwind of fun and passion. There are lots of things working against them, making it seem like their happily ever after is doomed, Prince Sebastien, a meddling employee, Hannah's secret, the difference in their stations, the physical distance between their home countries but it was fun to see their journey.

3 stars.

Synopsis: Luc was the third born in the royal family, and was quite happy to be in the Air Force. However, his father and his twin brother, the second born, were killed in a plane crash, and as he is now the heir to his older brother, he has to assume a lot more royal duties. Luc is still mourning the loss of his twin, and how his family changed toward him after the accident.
Luc is asked by his brother to go to Las Vegas to a convention. Instead of following the rigid schedule that his brother has set up, Luc plays hooky, and tourist his first night there, and meets Hannah. Something about Hannah (hint: her boobs) intrigues Luc, and at the end of the night, he asks if they can get together again. Hannah agrees, not knowing that he is a prince, but says that she wants to plan it. Amid hectoring calls from his brother, snotty comments from his PA, and security concerns by his security team in this date that they have no control over, Luc discovers that he really likes Hannah, for more than just her body.
When Hannah discovers that Luc is really a prince, she is not happy, but Luc convinces her to give them a try.

What I liked: That Luc's voice was consistent throughout the story. I also liked that he really appreciated Hannah for the warm, funny person that she was, and recognized how different she was from everyone he knew. I also liked that Hannah stood up for herself, and didn't let someone royal walk all over her. I felt that the grieving process for each family member was realistic, since no person grieves in exactly the same way.

What I didn't like: Luc came across to me as a spoiled little brat, who only wanted to get his own way, and made no attempt to understand anything from anyone else's point of view. After he and Hannah got outed, Luc insisted that he could control things better, but ended up completely ignoring Hannah and everything that she was going through.

Overall impression: This was singular POV from Luc's POV. The story was all right, I just didn't really like Luc. I was more interested in his brother's story, and his security guard. Also, there were eerie similarities to the real royalties of Monaco: grandfather married to a Hollywood actress, who died in a car crash...

*I received a copy through Netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

I was reluctant to finish. It was pretty dreck. What kept me chugging through wasn't the storyline (rebelling royal wants a girl who loves him for him and not his rich royalness, so he falls for a hairdresser fresh from breakup at a bad karaoke dive bar and it's instalove), it was that the other book I had downloaded from Netgalley didn't download well and it was formatted poorly enough to ruin my reading experience.

The sex was literally OTT. Not in a hot way, just in awkwardness and need it now. But really, the entire time I had difficulty envisioning how a romance like this could work in the real world. i do read to escape, but even I could not fathom this as a successful love story. 1-1.5 stars.

Reviews by the Wicked Reads Review Team

Mary – ☆☆☆☆
What happens when a reluctant royal meets a proud local girl from Vegas? You get Lucien and Hannah's story and you may or may not like it, but I did. I am a sucker for a Cinderella story and this one was really good. There were a few spots that dragged, but I pushed through them and it was worth it.

Lucien is a Prince from Monaco, and a year ago he was living his life as he wanted to. He was in the military and enjoying it. But when his father and twin brother died in a plane crash, Lucien's life as he knew it was over. He was called back home to take his place beside his brother, who would become the Crown Prince and Lucien would be the spare. So being sent to Las Vegas for a speech would be like a vacation, and Lucien planned to enjoy his time there. When he meets a woman at karaoke, he is drawn to her down-to-earth spirit, and she is beautiful to boot. After spending a little time with her, he feels as if she has brought him back to life and he wants to stay with her to keep that feeling alive.

Hannah Allen has lived in Vegas all her life. She has overprotective parents and a big brother who wants to keep her safe. She works as a cosmetologist, but she isn't happy with her job and hasn't been for a while. When she meets Luc at the bar, he is different, and she finds it easy to spend time with him. She wants to show him her sites of Vegas, not the touristy sites. So they set up adventurous dates and things get fun from there.

Lucien wants to tell her who he really is but will it scare her away? He wants her to go back to Monaco with him, but will his family drive her away? And what happens when she tells him her secret? Which, by the way, left me crying like a baby!

I really enjoyed this story and can't wait to see what happens in the next book. I loved Gillian Archer's MC stories and this being a Cinderella story I had to read it and was not disappointed. So if you like royal stories, give this one a try, you may or may not like it, but at least I hope you enjoy it a little.

I really enjoyed this book, new author for me. I went in not knowing much what this book was about. I had a hard time putting it down, truly wanted to know what was happening next. I would buy and gift this book to a friend. Look forward to another from this amazing author.

Excellent contemporary royal Cinderella type story but so much more. Although Luc is a prince he has spent many years in the military. Upon a crisis he's called home. His older brother sends him to Vegas for meetings etc. Luc has been know as a ladies man. While there he meets a hairdresser named Hannah who is full of life and it's what Luc needs. Suddenly, they become close rapidly. The author did an awesome job developing the characters and storyline. I received a complementary copy of this book and chose to write a review. I look forward to reading future books by Ms. Archer.

In Reluctantly Royal, Gillian Archer works within the trope to make an overall enjoyable story with a few hitches here and there. 3.5 stars.

Prince Lucien of Monaco lost his twin brother and his father last year. Yanked out of a career in the French military, Luc is now forced to take on the role as the “spare” to the crown after his older brother. To give him propose, his brother sends him to Vegas for a gaming conference where he meets the high-spirited Hannah. He is immediately attracted to the gorgeous blond and learns more about Vegas through the eyes of a local. How long can Prince Luc keep his identity a secret? Does innocent, open-book Hannah have secrets of her own?

So I am going to keep it real here. I started this book with trepidation. I have read and enjoyed Gillian Archer novels in the past but this was a whole new series with two things I do not usually enjoy: hero first person POV and contemporary royalty. To be honest, the first is usually a deal breaker. As a woman, I just have no interest in being “inside” a man’s head the whole book. Also, I think think the hero usually comes off as a bit of a douche. This pretty much held true for the beginning of the book.

His Royal Highness Prince Lucien of Monaco or HRH Luc is a bit whiny and a bit unrelatable at the beginning. There is a lot of instalove (or at least instalust) when he finally meets All-American Girl Hannah at a bar in Vegas. The majority of the story only spans a few days and I didn’t really start to believe in the sincerity of either main characters until the end. The intermittent French felt forced and awkward and the funny moments were jilted tended to take me out of the story.

BUT despite all that I would still give this book 3.5 stars. There is something achingly endearing about both characters. Luc is always there for Hannah and Hannah is for the most part relatable and likable. I enjoyed the fact that they were both imperfect characters with imperfect lives. The modern era of paparazzi also adds a subtle twist. Overall, I am very excited about the next installment. If you enjoy modern royalty romance, this is the start of a fantastic series for you. Ms. Archer is a great writer and hopefully Luc’s brother is up next!

Reluctantly Royal, by Gillian Archer, is an sexy/erotic contemporary romance. The settings for this story are Monaco and Las Vegas. While this story is definitely fictional there are references to the royal family of Monaco and their American princess. Most readers will not even know who and it's not important to know except that Monaco is a real principality with real royalty. The story introduces the reader to HRH Prince Lucien (Luc) Arthur Beauregard Mathieu Grenier and his brother HRH Sovereign Prince Sebastien Laurent Pierre Hadrien Greiner. Luc is the 'black' sheep of the family who has returned home after the deaths of his father and his twin brother. Sebastien wants Lucien to go to Las Vegas to attend conference and make a keynote speech. Lucien agrees with the what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas attitude. Sebastien has planned a stay that includes a full calendar of meetings (not play). Luc meets Hannah in a 'dive' bar in Las Vegas and the fun begins. The storyline develops with Luc and Hannah having fun and sex avoiding the press, dealing with his security and generally getting to know each other. There's plenty to learn about these two lovers lives and the influences of their families that affect them. While I could have done without all the sex the story was quite interesting and there are a lot of interesting characters involved with the royal prince.