I loved this book!
Arthur was perfectly princely! He was fun and sexy but also showed a caring and protective side. I enjoy when characters have depth and I’m able to connect to them.
Tessa was sarcastic and hilarious! She showed a normal side to the royals life.
There were also good supporting characters- Tessa and Arthur’s families- that helped to show the character depth. So glad I’ve got the next in the series because im gonna go read it right now!

Why did I take so long to get to this wonderful comedy?

3.5.

Since she was unfairly blocked from more official jobs as a journalist, Tessa has been trying to grow as a blogger/vlogger, and her biggest revenue is The Royal Watchdog, where she expresses her critical views on the existence of the royal family. Prince Arthur has always kept to the public but now the Prime Minister wants to extinguish monarchy he'll have to take drastic measures. That's how Tessa ends up invited to live in the palace for two months, in hopes she'll change her view and of her followers'.

Of course, this is still chick lit and there's not much that will discern it from many others. Even though the authors try to apply a realistic view of the prince's daily activities, which was very interesting, it wasn't anything new. To be honest, as a journalist, Tessa was very naive to think he'd just sit there all day long.

By the way, a lot of the headcanon of how a royal family works this book reminded me of a m/m romance I loved, His Royal Secret. I'm not criticizing—to be honest, I loved going back to that world, especially since the author never wrote anything else after the duology. The things is that the similarities made me aware of plotholes. The most prominent example is Arthur's sister, who he describes as fragile and implies something may have happened to her before. If the series meant each book would explore a different character, I'd understand that was a teaser for the second number, but it's not the case. What we see from the princess is a quite strong-willed woman—the very opposite of what happens in His Royal Secret, where these very words eventually developed into a dramatic subplot plus reason for, well, let's stop here and go back to this book.

What I mean is that we had a lot of ways the plot could have deepened but never did. I'm sure some of those won't be dead ends and will come in later volumes, but it made the book seem to go to next level and in the end I was disappointed that was all.

My other issue was the unnecessary drama due to stupid misunderstandings. I thought we had left the cliche behind a decade ago, so I felt impatient having to go through the same drama any Hallmark Chanel movie will repeat ad nauseam.

In any case, this was still a very enjoyable romantic comedy. I may have my problems but it was just that I started the book and I could immediately see the quality. I honestly wasn't expecting, and that's why in the end I took it seriously. But as a pleasure read, this is perfect. It'll keep you entertained with that silly smile we want when getting books like this to read. Also, we have a pig for a pet, how different is that?

I highly recommend this to any fans of romantic comedies.


Honest review based on an ARC provided by Netgalley. Many thanks to the publisher for this opportunity.

The book was hilarious. The characters are witty and funny. In short a light read humorous romance.

Tessa Sharpe the royal watchdog maintains a blog where she writes about her dislike of Prince Arthur and the royal family in general. When the monarchy is in jeopardy and with tessa's increasing popularity. The royals decide to give the castle key to tessa for two months.

Will tessa have the same opinion on the Royals when her time is up with them especially will she feel the same disdain for the prince.

The Royal Treatment is so much fun! I loved reading about Tessa, Arthur, and their unlikely relationship. I found this book to be well-written, easy-to-read, and engaging. My only complaint is that the characters, outside of Tessa, seemed to be pretty one-dimensional. Almost everyone else in the book seemed to be written as pure evil or only good. However, this minor flaw did not take away from my enjoyment of the book. I can't wait to read the next book in this series!

I received this book free from NetGalley in exchange for my honest and unbiased opinion.

Here's the thing: teenagers have The Princess Diaries. Late teens to early twenties get The Prince and Me. And I love both of those. But now that I'm starting to grow out of both those age groups, I felt like I wasn't really getting my "commoner turns royal"-fix anymore. And we all know I love me something royal. Well, do I have some good news for you: MJ Summers' The Royal Treatment? Totally fills that gap!



Quick disclaimer: I got the chance to read this book via Netgalley. All opinions are completely mine, though!

Story

"Ultra-private, ridiculously handsome Crown Prince Arthur has always gotten by on his charm. But that won’t be enough now that the Royal Family is about to be ousted from power once and for all. When Prince Arthur has to rely on the one woman in the kingdom who hates him most, he must learn that earning the love of a nation means first risking his heart.

Twenty-eight-year-old Tessa Sharpe, a.k.a. The Royal Watchdog, hates everything about Prince Arthur. As far as she’s concerned, he’s an arrogant, lazy leech on the kingdom of Avonia. When he shocks the nation by giving her the keys to the castle, Tessa has no choice but to accept and move in for two months. It’s lust at first sight, but there’s no way she can give in to her feelings—not if she wants to have a career or a shred of pride left when her time at the palace ends…

Can two natural enemies find their forever in each other’s arms, or will they ruin each other to save themselves?"

This story, basically, has everything. A woman trying to make it as a journalist and/or blogger (recognisable, much?). A prime minister cruely betraying the very royal family that supported him all the way into his current position. An absolutely adorable pig. A bunch of big brothers that - most likely - you'll want to punch at the end the story. And of course: a whole bunch of euphemisms for anything to do with *ahem* a man's lower regions.

Characters

Usually, I tend to not really like the 'so embarrassing" moments. You know, the ones that make you cringe as well, almost feeling as if you're the one being humiliated? But here's the thing about Tessa: I actually could really recognise myself in her. Now, I haven't been shocked by a torture device that is promoted as a running aid lately. (Then again, this has re-affirmined my opinion that running is just not for me). But the way she handles her constant embarrassment? It's kind of amazing - but it never ceases to be realistic.

Prince Arthur, on the other hand, is just too meta to handle. We're litterally introduced to him with the words

I hate to tell you this, ladies, but if you’ve ever watched a Hollywood film— or even worse— a made-for-TV movie about a royal family, you’ve been served up a steaming plate of horseshit. I know, because I am the Crown Prince of Avonia, but I’m not just speaking for myself. Several of my closest friends are also princes or dukes from various countries around the world. We’ve discussed it and we all agree— the film and romance book industry has done us all a great disservice by setting up unrealistic expectations of what it means to date and/ or marry a member of the Royal Family.
Quite frankly, he'll be a bit of an arrogant twat throughout this book, but he does redeem himself - as does Tessa, for that matter :)

Narration

This was actually the first book by MJ Summers that I read, and she starts it with a disclaimer that she doesn't usually write this kind of books. Honestly? I think she should.

Sure, there were some huge cliches

“It matters to me that you’re here, Tessa. I need you to know who I am. Even if we lose, I could almost live with it if I felt like you understood.” I blink back tears and whisper, “I see you, Arthur.”“You may be the only person who ever has."
As I already mentioned, there's some interesting euphemisms as well - Arthur grabs for an heir stopper, his scepter hasn't been polished in forever or his Excalibur starts begging. At least they stay in theme?

Those cliches are more than balanced out by the cultural references - Kate and William having another baby, Harry getting engaged. Oh, and of course this gem:

I really should have tried harder to be ‘the people’s prince’ long before this month. It was all fine and dandy when the referendum was just an idea, but now that it’s been announced, it’s like finding out that the White Walkers have breached the wall and we don’t have even one dragonglass dagger among us. We’re well and truly fucked.
Overall: 3.75/5

Let's be real, this is not in any way a thought-inducing novel. Well, maybe a little, in that it gives you some background into blogging, politics, be it in a very light tone.

Mainly, though, this is just a really fun read. It's not too high-paced, actually had me laugh out loud a couple of times and somehow managed to stay realistic - even while having a blogger lives with a prince. Because that's gonna happen.

If you want to give this one a try, you can find it on Amazon
(affiliate link) - if you're looking for something nice, happy and fluffy? I would definitely recommend it!

-Saar

Really Good story and loved book #2 and wish there would be more!!!

This book was a great surprise! I thought I might like it, but didn't expect to enjoy it as much as I did.

Tessa is a great protagonist. She's witty, smart, and has no issue standing up for herself and what she feels is right. However, she's not made out to be perfect and infallible. She embarrasses herself, but doesn't let it keep her down.

Arthur, as cliche as it sounds, reminds me of an onion. There were so many layers to him that you don't see at first. Throughout the book it becomes apparent to Tessa there's so much more to him than she ever thought.

The plot is well paced and has a good mixture of romance, humor, and politics surrounding the possible abolishment of the monarchy.

I am looking forward to the sequel coming out soon!

Thanks to Netgalley and the publisher for providing an ARC in exchange for an honest review.

I enjoyed the author's previous works but I felt that this book was slightly contrived. Although engaging, I found the whole premise, while good in theory, was very juvenile. I didn't believe that royalty would've allowed Tessa into the castle, and I found Prince Arthur's behavior very disjointing from that of an actual prince. I think there wasn't enough of a conflict so the book got boring after a while. The conflict, or I guess the "urgency" of the conflict, was not stressed enough as a result, it felt like the characters were not really progressing.

However, in terms of the romance, I found it decent enough even if it was slightly rushed. Despite being in both character's head, I had a hard to believing into the romance.

Overall, 3 stars.

What a fun book!
The Royal Treatment is the perfect summer read (and year round). It is a totally fun romance, like a cross between Bridget Jones, Princess Diaries, and commoner meet royalty stories.

The main character Tessa is so likeable and real, although gorgeous so she has that going for her. You want to root for her especially when meeting her loud, somewhat obnoxious family.

Arthur is the perfect prince - handsome and layered with emotions under his tough and arrogant demeanor.

The two of them together are fun, flirty and magic.

I look forward to reading the rest of the series and love that they are not coming out far apart.

This was laugh out loud fun for me. Tessa is an amazing woman, truly working to build her career but has a knack for having ordinary situations turn into news worthy incidents. It’s almost like a cloud follows her and no matter how great something goes, there will be that moment that we’ve all experienced where it goes wrong and is just funny. She is building a blog as a royal watcher and becomes their harshest critic. When the royal family finds that their status is being threatened, Arthur, the prince, decides to bring Tessa into the palace to prove her wrong. As Arthur works to win her over, Tessa fights her attraction to him and works to stay objective. There are several hilarious moments along the way along with a slow burning romance. A wonderful escape that will make you smile. I voluntarily read an ARC provided by NetGalley of this book and this is my honest review.

This book was extremely fun - I loved the characters, I found parts of it to be extremely funny, and it felt so modern....a blogger! Fun Disney references! References to the real royal family! Silly brothers! It was all enjoyable. Of course, parts were predictable, but that's exactly what I look for in books like this. :) I have already recommended this to several friends who will absolutely enjoy this.

I've just finished this AMAZING book that Netgalley gave me permission to read and review so thanks to them. It was published in May 2017 so is available now...


NOTE: The Royal Treatment is an ADULT novel as the main characters have sex a few times.

The Royal Treatment, which is a dual perspective story, tells the story of Tessa Sharpe, 28 years old who is just a blogger at the start of the story. At first she lives on her own but often goes to see her parents and brothers, and their families.

We see Tessa make mistakes while she's blogging, which are funny. This gets her in trouble. She also runs a Royal blog, where she keeps people up to date on the monarchy of Avonia, the place where she lives. Tessa doesn't like the Royals. She thinks they're not doing their jobs right. She wants the Prime Minister of the country to take over rule. That is until Prince Arthur asks her to move in with him and his family to just see that they are doing the best job they can do...

5 Stars!

Spoilers below...

When Tessa first moves in with the Royals she's very apprehensive. She's only there, at the Palace to get her place back on the newspaper job she was fired from, at first. She just thinks that the Royals are a bunch of liars and cheats, who have

"no place in modern society"

which Arthur shows her they're not and that they do have a place among modern people. They're better than the equivalent, the Prime Minister being in complete power. In showing her what his family are truly like though, he starts to fall in love with her. He sees that she's not some wayward reporter and that he cares for her in a way more than just Royal should care about a commoner. When he opens up about how his mother died is when they really get close. Tessa also falls for him completely, without realising at first.

We see some of Tessa's blog posts and responses as well as her texts and phone messages from her friends and family throughout. I laughed a few times reading these. We see one of her supporters in dismissing the Royals here, too.

I liked reading this because it was a simple story to immerse myself in. The chapters that were told from Tessa's POV felt like it was actually me experiencing the events. The chapters told from Arthur's POV were amusing and I laughed out loud a couple more times while reading them.

"We are trying to appear professional here, in our Sponge Bob pyjama bottoms"

Tessa wears Sponge Bob PJ bottoms at one point. This reference made me think of this as a contemporary, even though the place, Avonia doesn't exist. Avonia also has the same rules as any country in the real world would. And it shows that Tessa, although she's 28 doesn't mind letting her young side show. The British monarchy is brought up once too to keep the story current. American food is brought into the story as well. We know it's not a fantasy when a character is mentioned as once having been in Tiffany's at just under half way through, as well as the food.

I thought it was funny how Arthur refers to his penis as, "Excalibur". This brings a little bit of history into the story even if it is in a crude/comic way. It also keeps up with the Royal theme too.

Arthur's family are stuck in the dark times, it can be said. His father is a totally selfish pig and his younger sister is a brat. His grandmother or "Grandmum" as he calls her gets on with him and helps him see that Tessa is really the only thing important. What his father thinks doesn't matter. His father doesn't like Tessa. He thinks she should leave Arthur alone and go back to her old life so saving Arthur in the long run in his warped mind. I thought his "Grandmum" helping him was sweet and it shows that the older generation can be sometimes wiser than their children/grandchildren. Even if this is just fiction.

I thought the author did a really great job keeping the reader entertained, throughout, as well as making us want to read on to see what happened to Tessa and Arthur, as well as the other characters. That's why I'm giving The Royal Treatment - a Crown Jewels Romance Book 1 5 Stars! I really cannot WAIT to see what happens to Tessa and Arthur in the next book. I'm sure there will be lots more laughs!

Stand by for my next review, coming soon!

I can't bring myself to finish this book, sadly. I was looking forward for this book because it has a VERY interesting plot and funny. But until chapter 25++ I feel sudden slump because it just weird for Tessa to give up everything after only what, a week?

I have no problem alternating between two point of view, meaning that the writer clearly had made a visible line between the two characters. The two characters amuse me, yet the plot deserved more. I would give the writer 4/5 for the characters though.I wish the writer would emphasize more about the tension between Tessa against the Royals instead making her fall right away!

A big clap for the writer because I can sense, you really make a research before writing this one.

Whatever it is, since its a series, I wish the the other books upcoming would be great because there's not that much book written about Royals. As far as I remember only Princess Diaries Series and The Selection Series.

I. Freaking. Loved. This. Book. I’m a sucker for royal romances anyway, and this one was amazing. Some of my favorite quotes:

Whatever happened to the days when a prince could say, ‘Off with their heads!’ and s**t would get done?

“What a surprisingly sweet pig.”
“Just like his owner.”

If Tessa knew this type of thing went on, it would only confirm for her that we have no business leading so much as a Girl Scout troop, let alone an entire kingdom.

The dialogue had that warmth and sparkle that makes it sound genuine, and there were times I laughed out loud. It was that good. Lucky us, a sequel is in the works. I know I plan to read it. Now I’m off to see what else Summers has written.

To be honest... This book had me in a royal twist. The royal treatment is kind of a mix between Bridget Jones and the Princess Diaries. And the first part made my stomach hurt from laughing. A Jogging Shocker... getting zapped, while not running fast enough? Hilarious. Tessa is not only a product tester and reviewer, but also she is known as The Royal Watchdog, a fervent royalty hater. Since her blog has quite the number of followers, she is invited by prince Arthur to come living at the palace for two months. He wants to show her, that the royal family is not the leeches of Avonia she thinks them to be. And hopefully, by showing Tessa they are not the bad guys, he can prevent the end of the Kingdom as they know it.
Where the pace in the story starts of wonderfully, we come to a snail's pace in the middle of the book, where Tessa is living in the palace and learning what it means to be a prince. So I was getting second doubts, if I was ever going to finish this book. But I'm glad I held on. Because after the first half, MJ Summers shifts into second gear and the story gets more exciting, when Tessa and prince Arthur really get to know each other. Will the fairy tale come to and end or not? Will prince Arthur remain a prince? Or will he become a commoner? Well, you just have to find out for yourself... Four out of five stars from me, with a thank you to Netgalley for providing the arc.

I read this in one day. It was brilliant. I laughed out loud, cringed at the awkward moments and fell in love with Arthur and Tessa. This was my first book by this author and I absolutely will be watching & waiting impatiently for more Royal delights from her!! If you love Royals(like me!), to laugh, and characters that just feel soo genuine..you will love this!

Oh my this book was freakin’ hilarious!!! I laughed so hard.

This is the first book by M J Summers I have read. I have to say I am very impressed.

In this book you have a blogger (hee hee that’s us) named Tessa, who is not a fan of the Royal Family. She has a blog site where she writes all her impressions on how the Royal Family is ruining the country and are only out for themselves. Then you have arrogant sexy Prince Arthur. He is trying to hold his kingdom together with no help from his male chauvinist father. He invites Tessa his worst critic and enemy to the castle to live for two months, so he can show her that she is wrong and prove to the people there is more to the Royal Family than money and status. Will Tessa and Arthur become friends? Will Arthur be able to convince her she is wrong? Will Arthur be able to save his crown before him and his family are tossed out on their royal bottoms?

This book was laugh out loud throughout. It is a real page turner. I love how it starts off with the prince stating “I hate to tell you this, ladies, but if you’ve ever watched a Hollywood film-or even worse-a made-for-TV movie about a royal family, you’ve been served up a steaming plate of horse shit.” bahaha! This book flowed so smoothly. The characters were hilarious and serious all rolled into one. Tessa, my word she is how do you say, her own worst enemy at times. Always embarrassing herself at every turn. Arthur, well let’s just say he is a cocky “arse”. He is really arrogant and full of himself, but he does have a sweet side to him. And let me just say that Grandmum Princess Dowager is a sneaky funny old lady. When she said “Let me look at you dear.” “Excellent choice, Arthur. Very lovely, good birthing hips. She’s got those long legs you admire, too.” or when she asks “How many stars would you give our Arthur here?” She has Tessa replying “I’ve never tested him out.” I thought I was gonna die. That woman cracked me up. This book was not only funny, but it was serious and very sexy. Oh la la! If you are looking for a good read I would pick this book up. It is great. It will have you laughing soooo hard you will be crying or falling out of your chair. I am a new fan.

I was not expecting to like this. It's cheesy. Prince Arthur is a womanizing, horny womanizer who calls his dingaling a scepter. And he uses such euphemisms as "polishing my specter" to describe . . . well, you know. And Tessa is a down on her luck, unlucky in love journalist turned blogger turned Royal Watchdog who's against the royal family and all their lazy asses stand for. And she's a klutz with a family who thinks she's an idiot.

However. It's cute. It's fluffy. It's got camp up the ying yang and it doesn't pretend to be anything but what it is.

I got so invested in Tessa and Arthur and "will they? won't they?" that I'll didn't make lunch. I procrastinated on my paper. I didn't make dinner. I didn't help with laundry. The dishes. Packing up our apartment for our move in two weeks. I spent all of Sunday reading this book. My wife is not thrilled.

However, she married a reader and I was very happy with how this book turned out, so I'll be just fine sleeping on the couch for the next week before the movers come. Then it'll be the floor. C'est la vie.

I received this ARC from NetGalley for an honest review.

I loved this funny and new version of a royal fairytale. The prince is dreamy the blogger is relatable. This is a new author for me and I can't wait for her new book!!

Tessa Sharpe has been unlucky in love and the workforce, especially after her latest love conquest with her boss ended up with her leaving her job as a reporter, as it was either that or be fired for a sexual harassment claim as it was her word against his. Her days are now spent blogging and reviewing items like the new electro-shock belt for running. Her most popular blog is a Political site where she rants about the royal family of Avonia especially Prince Arthur. Prince Arthur is heir to the throne and Tessa sees him as a playboy - sleeping around and drinking and well - having fun. With the referendum coming up of the possibility of dissolving the royal family and the votes not being in the royal families favor. Prince Arthur decides to open up the castle to his worst critic blogger Tessa Sharpe. Tessa reluctantly accepts and moves into the castle. During the time at the castle though Tessa starts to like Prince Arthur and see him in a different light. One of my favorite parts of this book was the relationship between Tessa's brothers and herself, and I loved how Arthur stood up for her. The other thing I loved was the laughs in The Royal Treatment by MJ Summers and as a blogger myself, I could relate to Tessa. Overall, can two natural enemies find their forever in each other’s arms, or will they ruin each other to save themselves? Find out in Book #1 of the Crown Jewels Romance series by MJ Summers - The Royal Treatment.