Book Review — Royally Endowed by Emma Chase

I’ll be there for her.
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’s mine to have and to hold. To save and keep. Forever and always.

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This was one of the sweetest, slow-burning forbidden romances I’ve ever read!! As a huge fan of Emma Chase books, I’d been looking forward to reading this book from the first time I heard about it. It has a slightly more serious tone than most of her books and I absolutely loved the quiet intensity as the secret love story unfolded between a princess’s sister and the loyal guard assigned to protect her. I highly recommend this as a new top favorite!

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.

I’ll just start off by saying, in case you’re unaware, that this entire Royally series of interconnected standalones takes place in the real world, but includes a fictional country that many of the characters are royalty of.

One of my favorite things about this book was that the story took place over many many years so that really reinforced the build-up of Logan and Ellie’s attraction to each other. Some chapters would skip forward several years at a time and that really served to show how their feelings for each other grew over time.

It’s like I’m being wrenched in two — pulled in two different directions. The numb, hardened, callous side tells me to say no, that this is a dangerous, fucking pointless move. But the other, more youthful side — that’s tender and impractical — wants to give this girl anything she wants.

Logan had had a rough start in life. He’d signed up for the military two years before he should have been allowed, but had proven his skill through his actions. And at the young age of twenty-two years old, he found himself working for the king as one of the most trusted bodyguards in the kingdom.

When he got assigned to protect the princess’s sister overseas in America, she was studying hard to finish her last year of high school. Although they were close in age, the social divides, the professional boundaries, and his sense of duty kept their relationship firmly on the professional side. They shared longing looks and he protected her daily with an intensity further than his job required from him, but they didn’t go any further. As time passed on, through her collage years and beyond, he continued to be her loyal protector. And their attractions finally grew to a point of no return where they both finally risked everything to be with each other.

I would die for her. Kill for her, live for her. The vow echoes through me with every beat of my heart. She is the most important person in my life. She has been from the beginning, and she always will be. There will never be another.
I don’t know if I’ll be any fucking good at love. I’m not quite sure how it’s done. But for her, I’ll learn.
And I’ll do my damnedest to get it right.

I loved the pacing of this book and the way Ellie and Logan didn’t rush into their relationship. The delicious “will-they-won’t-they” tension built throughout the book with such sexy, swoooooooon-filled anticipation. As a result, when they finally gave into their feelings for each other, it was that much more meaningful because you really understood everything they were risking for each other and because you were really able to feel how long they’d waited for that moment. My heart was racing!! I loved the slow burn. I loved the delayed gratification. I loved the struggle they both shared to balance their heart and their duties. It was a truly wonderful and romantic read.

“So, it’s like a… you jump, I jump, Jack and Rose kind of thing?”
“No.” I take her hand in mind, brushing my thumb against her knuckles.
“You jump… and I’ll be there to catch you.”

This can be read as a standalone. However, it is also interconnected with the previous two standalones in this series (see below) so there are definite ties between the characters and storylines. But honestly, I think it’s really up to you whether you want to read this separately or read them all in order. You can’t go wrong either way.

Emma Chase has been one of my favorite authors ever since she released her debut novel. Her writing is addictive and she has truly perfected the balance between humor, romance, and emotion. Royally Endowed would be a great book for fans of love stories with heart. I highly recommend it as a favorite read of the year!

Rating: 4.5 stars!! Contemporary Adult Romance, can standalone.

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• Buy ROYALLY ENDOWED (iBooks)

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Series of standalones.

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