Release Blitz, ARC Review & Excerpt: Royally Endowed (Royally, #3) by Emma Chase

Royally Endowed AMAZON

Royally Endowed is a favourite for 2017 and is now live!

 

 

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Synopsis

Logan St. James is a smoldering, sexy beast. Sure, he can be a little broody at times—but Ellie Hammond’s willing to overlook that. Because, have you seen him??

Sexy. As. Hell.

And Ellie’s perky enough for both of them.

For years, she’s had a crush on the intense, protective royal security guard—but she doesn’t think he ever saw her, not really.

To Logan, Ellie was just part of the job—a relative of the royal family he’d sworn to protect. Now, at 22 years old and fresh out of college, she’s determined to put aside her X-rated dreams of pat-downs and pillow talk, and find a real life happily ever after.

The Queen of Wessco encourages Ellie to follow in her sister’s footsteps and settle down with a prince of her own. Or a duke, a marquis…a viscount would also do nicely.

But in the pursuit of a fairy tale ending, Ellie learns that the sweetest crushes can be the hardest to let go.

***

Logan St. James grew up on the wrong side of the tracks, in a family on the wrong side of the law. But these days, he covers his tattoos and scars with a respectable suit. He’s handsome, loyal, brave, skilled with his hands and…other body parts.

Any woman would be proud to bring him home to her family.

But there’s only one woman he wants.

For years he’s watched over her, protected her, held her hair back when she was sick, taught her how to throw a punch, and spot a liar.

He dreams of her. Would lay down his life for her.

But beautiful Ellie Hammond’s off-limits.

Everybody knows the bodyguard rules: Never lose focus, never let them out of your sight, and never, ever fall in love.

 

 

Find Royally Endowed on GOODREADS

 


Review

Love, love, love! I freaking love this book!

5 stars!

Emma Chase has done it again! She held me mesmerised from the moment I picked up this book, through lots of laughs, banter, teasing and sweet moments as she delivered a deliciously slow-burning romance that absolutely melted my heart. The chemistry is electric, the characters are perfection, and the love story is fun, sexy, emotional and beautifully romantic. This book has it all, and I absolutely loved it!

Ellie Hammond is the younger sister of Olivia (heroine from book #1 and now-wife of Prince Nicholas of Wessco). Confident, lively and outgoing, Ellie was lots of fun when we met her in Royally Screwed, and this book takes us back to that timeframe when we meet her as a feisty teenager, and her safety is placed into the care of royal bodyguard, Logan St James.

Logan has come from a less-than-ideal background, but he has worked hard to be where he is. He takes his job seriously and he is proud of the work he does, and his loyalty to Prince Nicholas (who he looks at as an older brother) is gorgeous to see. So he willingly takes on his role to protect Ellie, and he becomes a part of her everyday life.

The book follows them through the years as Ellie graduates high school, enters college, deals with bad boyfriends, dodgy apartments and drunken nights out, and Logan is there through it all. Protecting, helping, encouraging and supporting, his friendship is just as important as his protection is to Ellie, and their relationship is truly something special.

It’s my job to keep Ellie Hammond safe. All of her. Her body as well as her sweet little soul. And I’m damn good at what I do, but more than that, I want to protect her. Because she’s kind and clever, lovely and precious…and fuck… somebody has to care enough to keep that safe.

And through it all, there is the chemistry… oh so much chemistry. There’s a spark of it rom the very beginning, but it grows as the two of them become closer over the years. They are both aware of their attraction to the other, but they’ve never gone there, and each moment between them is buzzing with anticipation as they banter and tease, and the sexual tension slowly builds.

“You’re always doing this” she whispers.
“Doing what?”
“Saving me.”
I smile, just a bit. “I don’t mind.”
“Because it’s your job?” she asks.
“Yes.”
“And because maybe, sort of, you kind of like me too? Just a little?”
A chuckle scratches my throat. “Just a little.”
She wets her lips, those eyes still holding me close.
“And maybe because, when you save me it feels like…I belong to you? Even just a tiny bit?”
I know what I should say, but I can’t bring myself to do it. She’ll never remember this anyway. So instead, I let my fingers trace her lovely face slowly, from her temple down her soft cheek to her jaw. Like I have the right to touch her. Like she belongs to me.
“That’s right, Ellie.”

*shivers*

But as much as I was desperate for something to happen between them, the build-up is what makes this book so awesome. It keeps you on the edge of your seat while you wait for it, but thoroughly enjoying every moment that it takes to get there, and I felt every single moment between them. It’s the perfect slow burn and it builds the relationship beautifully while we wait for the inevitable.

“You see the good in people, Ellie. You trust. That’s a good way to be, a brave way … You just be who you are. Leave the rest to me.”
She wipes her eyes dry. “So it’s like a…you jump, I jump, Jack and Rose kind of thing?”
“No.” I take her hand in mine, brushing my thumb against her knuckles. “You jump…and I’ll be there to catch you.”

Ellie and Logan are so good together, and their emotional connection is firmly established before anything romantic ever happens, and I love the dynamic that that brings. And so when the big shift finally comes? SQUEEEEEEEEEE!! It was perfect! Hot, emotional and intense, just as I wanted it to be for these two. And again, I felt it all along with them, and it was beautifully done.

Somebody once told me a slow-burning fire is the hottest – and it must be true. Because Logan and I are a fucking inferno.

OMG I love these characters so much! Ellie is adventurous, fun, and laugh-out-loud funny. I love her wild spirit, her lust for life and her seemingly endless confidence. And the way she cares for her family, and for those close to her – Logan included – is gorgeous. And her no-nonsense manner and absolute honesty had me cheering for her as she totally put herself out there.

“Are you scared, Logan?”
Fucking terrified. Of a girl. A small, seductive, beautiful girl who could wreck me.
“I don’t get scared.”
“I scare you. With the family you grew up in, it’s understandable. This thing between us–”
“There’s nothing between us, Ellie.”
She waves her hand dismissively. “Of course there’s something between us.”

And Logan… *fans self*, OMG he is just amazing! Brave, strong and confident, but with the biggest heart. The way he cares for Ellie – both as a protector and as something more – just melted my heart, and when their feelings are finally out there, hot damn! Of course he’s sexy as all hell, but his openness with his feelings and the way he feels about Ellie had me in a world of swoon.

I’ll save her.
Because that’s who I am. That’s what I do. Why I’m here – the only reason I’m here.
And she belongs to me.
Ellie is mine to have and to hold. To save and keep. Forever and always.

“I burn for you, sweet girl. I dream of you, even when I’m awake.”

Nicolas and Olivia are a big part of the story, and I loved not only catching up with where they are now, but watching them as a part of Ellie and Logan’s lives. And, of course, Henry and Sarah are there as it all unfolds, as is the hilariously uptight (but still smart-ass) Queen Lenora. These are wonderful characters, the relationships within the group are beautifully written, and I loved seeing them all together.

This is such a fun read. I laughed so many times while reading, the love story completely swept me away, and I truly enjoyed every moment of Ellie and Logan’s story.

Absolutely fantastic – 5 stars!

An Advanced Review Copy was generously provided by the author in exchange for an honest review.

 

The Royally series

Royally Screwed  Royally Matched        

Royally Screwed (#1) (Nicholas & Olivia)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback  |  Audible

Royally Matched (#2) (Henry & Sarah)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  Paperback | Audible

Royally Endowed (#3) (Logan & Ellie)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  |  iBooks  |  B&N  |  Audible

Royally Yours (#4) (Lenora & Edward)
Review
Buy:  Amazon  iBooks  | B&N  | Google Play  |  Kobo  |  Paperback Audible
(Paperback and Audio versions will include Royally Raised as bonus content!)

Royally Raised (#4.5) (Henry & Sarah short)
Review
Free:  Kindle Ebook

Royally Remembered (#4.6) (collection of shorts)
Review
Buy:  Amazon Apple Nook Kobo

 

Bonus Short

Royally Marooned (#1.5) (Nicholas & Olivia short)
Review
Free:  Author’s Website

 

 

 

 


Excerpt

Prologue

Logan

Some men think with their cocks.

You know the type. Quick smooth-talkers, shifty eyes always scanning for a nice pair of legs, a set of full tits, or a tight arse they can pant after.

Other blokes think too much with their brains. You know that type too. Annoyingly careful, slow-moving, constantly parsing their words like they already know whatever they’re saying is going to come back and take a bite out of them.

I’m not either of those.

I always go with my gut. When it clenches with a warning, I act—no hesitation. When it tugs and nudges, I pause and reevaluate. When it twists and writhes, I know, guaranteed, I’ve cocked up big-time.

My gut is my best friend, my conscience, my most lethal asset.

And it has never let me down.

It’s my gut that drags me to her door. That roots me in place as I knock. That gives me the words—pleading, unfamiliar remorseful words—I’ll gladly say to make this right.

To get her back.

Because while my gut is brilliant, sometimes I can be a real fucking idiot.

Yesterday was one of those times.

“Ellie. It’s me—open up, we need to talk.”

I sense movement on the other side of the solid oak door—not in sounds or shifting shadows beneath it, but more of an awareness. I can feel her in there. Nearby and listening.

“Go away, Logan.”

Her voice is tight, higher-pitched than usual. Upset.

“Ellie, please. I was a twat, I know . . .” I’m not keen on begging from the hallway, but if that’s what it takes . . . “I’m sorry. Let me in.”

Ellie is difficult to anger, quick to forgive; she just doesn’t have it in her to hold a grudge. So her next words fall like an axe—cutting my legs right off from under me.

“No, you were right. The princess’s sister and the East Amboy bodyguard don’t make sense—we’ll never last.”

Did I actually say that to her? What the fuck is wrong with me? What I feel for her is the one thing in my life that makes sense. That matters.

But I never told her that.

Instead . . . instead, I said all the wrong things.

I brace my palm against the smooth wood, leaning forward, wanting to be as near to her as possible. “Elle…”

“I’ve changed my mind, Logan.”

If a corpse could speak, it would sound exactly like my Ellie does now. Flat, lifeless.

“I want the fairy tale. I want what Olivia has . . . castles and carriages . . . and you’ll never be able to give me that. I would just be settling for you. You’ll never be able to make me happy.”

She doesn’t mean that. They’re my words—the insecurities I put on her—that she’s hurling back in my face.

But God, it fucking hurts to hear. Physically hurts—stabbing deep into the pit of my stomach, crushing my chest, grinding my bones. I meant it when I said I would die for her . . . and right now, it feels like I am.

I grab the doorknob to walk inside, to see her face. To see that she doesn’t mean it.

“Ellie—”

“Don’t come in!” she screeches like I’ve never heard her before. “I don’t want to see you! Go away, Logan. We’re done—just go!”

I breathe hard—that’s what you do when pain wrecks you, breathe through it. Then I swallow bile, straighten up, turn around and walk down the hall. Away from her. Just like she wants, like she asked. Like she screamed.

My brain tells me to move faster—get the hell out of there, cut my losses and lick my wounds.

And my heart—Christ—that poor bastard’s too battered and bloody to say anything at all.

But then, just over halfway down the hall, my steps slow until I stop completely.

Because my gut . . . it strains through the hurt. Rebels. It shouts that this isn’t right. This isn’t her.  Something’s off.

And even more than that . . . something is very, very wrong.

I glance up and down the quiet hall—not a guard or a maid in sight. I look back at the door.  Closed and silent and still.

Then I turn and march straight back to it. I don’t knock, or wait, or ask for permission. In one move, I turn the knob and step inside.

What I see there stops me cold.

Because whatever I was expecting, it sure as fuck wasn’t this.

Not at all . . .

 

 


About the Author

Emma Chase

Emma Chase is the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of the hot and hilarious Tangled series and The Legal Briefs series. Emma lives in New Jersey with her husband, two children and two naughty (but really cute) dogs. She has a long-standing love/hate relationship with caffeine.

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