Royally Matched (Royally, #2) by Emma Chase

Royally Matched (Royally, #2) by Emma Chase
SUMMARY 

Some men are born responsible, some men have responsibility thrust upon them. Henry John Edgar Thomas Pembrook, Prince of Wessco, just got the motherlode of all responsibility dumped in his regal lap.

He’s not handling it well.

Hoping to help her grandson to rise to the occasion, Queen Lenora agrees to give him "space"—but while the Queen’s away, the Prince will play. After a chance meeting with an American television producer, Henry finally makes a decision all on his own:

Welcome to Matched: Royal Edition.

A reality TV dating game show featuring twenty of the world's most beautiful blue bloods gathered in the same castle. Only one will win the diamond tiara, only one will capture the handsome prince’s heart.

While Henry revels in the sexy, raunchy antics of the contestants as they fight, literally, for his affection, it’s the quiet, bespectacled girl in the corner—with the voice of an angel and a body that would tempt a saint—who catches his eye.

The more Henry gets to know Sarah Mirabelle Zinnia Von Titebottum, the more enamored he becomes of her simple beauty, her strength, her kind spirit... and her naughty sense of humor.

But Rome wasn’t built in a day—and irresponsible royals aren’t reformed overnight.

As he endeavors to right his wrongs, old words take on whole new meanings for the dashing Prince. Words like, Duty, Honor and most of all—Love.

MY REVIEW 

Another royal road to true love?

Henry is bored and he hates that he has to take the place of Nicholas on the throne. He does not want to be a King. He has always been the irresponsible little brother, the playboy, the one who defied orders and protocol. He loves drinking and partying. The life at the palace is choking him. His grandmother, the Queen, is torturing him. She talks about responsibilities, she makes him study laws and history and she forces him to take decisions for the wellbeing of his subjects.

Poor Henry…. When the TV producer, Vanessa Steele, approaches him with a proposition about a reality show in which he will choose his future Queen between 20 beautiful royal girls, at first he laughs. Later on, he agrees for no particular reason besides boredom.
Sassy Penelope will be one of these girls in the show. Lady Sarah Von Titebottum, her sister, will try to avoid her obligations and she will be Penelope’s assistant in the show.

“And what about you? Is there any wild in you, Teet-bottom?”
My cheeks go up in flames. “Not even a little. I’m the boring one. The good one.”
His teeth scrape his lower lip and it looks . . . naughty.
“Corrupting the good ones is my favorite pastime.”

This is how Henry introduces himself to virginal bookworm Sarah. Sarah is clever and she likes reading historical romances and classical love stories: Emily Brontë, Charlotte Brontë and Jane Austen. She knows what kind of guy Henry is. He is charming, handsome, cocky, sure of himself, a real prince. It will be the easiest thing for him to shatter her sensitive heart. Anyway, he has already warned her.

Henry and Sara have met before. In “Royally Screwed”, Sarah and her sister Penelope met with Nicholas, Olivia and Henry at a tavern. Nicholas was really interested in shy Sarah – even from that time.

“Lady Sarah. Pity—she could be pretty, if she didn’t dress like a monk in drag."
...
“I wouldn’t mind getting a peek at what’s under Miss Sense and Sensibility’s long skirt. With a name like Titebottum, it must be good.”

At the secluded castle, as the show proceeds, Henry and Sarah become best friends. They share secrets, intimate moments, feelings. They talk about loss and pain. They sleep together, because it is the only way Henry can find peace. They will be together during night, but they will hesitate to talk about love. There are still doubts and worries about a common future.

Sarah is a nice girl. She is like a heroine from a historical book, like she has jumped out of the pages of a book and she has landed in the arms of playboy Henry. Henry is a guy who enjoys living in the present, but he has to compromise to understand Sarah.

I have to be honest; I have difficulties picturing them together. It was not like Nicholas and Olivia who clicked straight away. Sarah and Henry have to try so hard to be together and to grow up.
I was feeling exhausted just to watch them trying until the book finished. By the end of the book, I really missed the carefree Henry.

Henry... he is really a cute funny guy, but Nicholas is still the Prince (and King) of my heart... Truthfully, I am still gutted that Nicholas lost the throne because he followed his heart.

If Henry could change the archaic laws about virginity, Nicholas could definitely change the archaic laws about the royalty of the future Queen. I am not even sure why he chose to abandon his throne. He was born and raised to be a King.

So if there is a voting somewhere, I vote for Nicholas. I am sorry, Henry…