Royal Scandal

Book 1: Royals in Exile

by Marquita Valentine

Genres: Contemporary Romance; New Adult Romance; Romantic Comedy

Synopsis

Fairy tales do come true—and so do tabloid scandals! Bestselling author Marquita Valentine kicks off a juicy contemporary romance series with a novel about a prince whose best-laid plans go deliciously awry when he marries the maid next door.

Forced to flee to the United States with his siblings after their parents’ assassination, Crown Prince Colin Sinclair takes it upon himself to become the caretaker of his family while hiding out near Charlotte, North Carolina. But after a decade in hiding, the secret’s out and Parliament demands that Colin wed a princess of their choosing. Unwilling to play their game, Colin decides to marry an American instead, and he has the perfect candidate in mind.

As a home-service professional, Della Hughes doesn’t believe in storybook endings. But when her best friend and secret crush reveals that he’s a flesh-and-blood prince, she doesn’t know what to think. Still, she’ll do anything for Colin, including becoming his wife—in name only, of course. But when their plans to stay purely platonic go by the wayside, their fake honeymoon turns all too real. After a week of white-hot nights, Della can no longer deny her feelings—not with a happily ever after so tantalizingly close.

Praise for Royal Scandal

“A sweet and sexy modern-day spin on the classic Cinderella story.”—Heidi McLaughlin, New York Times bestselling author of Blow

“For any of those royalty romance fans, I highly recommend Royal Scandal.”—Harlequin Junkie

“I’m definitely interested in the next book in the series!”—Somewhere Lost In Books

“I absolutely loved this book! This is a mix of a modern Cinderella and British monarchy story. This love story is swoon-worthy . . . you can’t stop reading!”—Books & Boys Book Blog

“With a sweet, sexy romance, a fantastic cast of characters and a plot that will keeps your eyes planted in this story, Marquita Valentine creates an excellent book with Royal Scandal.”—JoJo The Bookaholic (five stars)

“Once again I am a total sucker for anything that is geared towards hopeless romantics.”—Book Plus Heart

“I love Marquita’s work and look forward to her stories.”—FMR Book Grind

“Hot, funny, and emotional too, Royal Scandal is an absolutely wicked fantasy from the first page to the last. I’m in love with this story, the characters, and this world! Marquita Valentine perfectly captures the magic of romance and royalty.”—Katy Evans, New York Times bestselling author of the REAL series

Includes an excerpt from another Loveswept title.

Release date: January 24, 2017

Publisher: Loveswept

Print pages: 200

Sample

Chapter 1

Colin

It’s the first day of the new school year for my boys and I’m nearly going mad trying to keep up with their questions while I fill out the last of the paperwork at my desk.

We have exactly ten minutes before the driver picks us up and I’m only half done. At this rate, I’ll never finish.

“Will I get to eat?”

“Yes.”

“Will the kids like me?”

“Of course.”

“Can I take Toady?”

Pausing, I cut my eyes at Aiden. Naturally he wants to take to school the blasted frog we rescued from the pool last night. “Absolutely,” I begin and his face lights up. “Not.”

He falls into the chair beside his brother and crosses his arms, his bottom lip jutting out like a three-year-old instead of a boy of eleven.

Amazing that.

“Is she coming?” Pierce asks as he bounces in the chair beside me. He’s eleven months younger than his brother, but they’re so alike in looks and temperament that they are frequently mistaken for twins.

Before I can answer, Aiden cuts in. “Della always keeps her promises.”

I want to ask him if he’s implying that I don’t, but it’s not worth the fight that will inevitably ensue and then end with hurt feelings that will make me feel guilty for at least a week.

Who am I kidding? I always feel guilty. I felt guilty the first time I sent them away to boarding school, in the grand Sinclair tradition. They’d clung to me, begging not to go . . . that they’d be so good and listen all the time.

My heart cracked at that. Still does whenever I think of it—like now. Damn it. I push away the memories and focus on the questionnaire I should have answered weeks ago.

“That she does, which is why she should be here any second,” I say, agreeing. Setting the paperwork I aside, I rub the bridge of my nose and exhale. “Look. I know you’re nervous about starting a new school.”

“Our fourth new school,” Aiden reminds me, as if I need to remember the expulsions and fights and general hell that our life became once I sent them away.

“Quite so. Your fourth new school, but it is a beginning and with that comes a fresh start.”

Pierce kicks his legs back and forth, his shoes scraping on the rug. “Della said that our teachers are kind.”

“And smart.”

I nod. “Della wouldn’t lie.” Unlike I have to do—day in and day out—to protect them, of course. No need for them to mourn for parents they have no idea are theirs.

Hell, they think of Della as their mother. She’s been there for nearly every scrape, every first moment—like when Pierce started walking—and every loose tooth. I taught them how to ride a bike. She taught them how to roller skate. I taught them how to swim in our Olympic size pool. She taught them how to fish in the pond behind her house.

“Nope,” they say in unison.

“And Della loves us,” Pierce adds.

“That she does.” And I love Della.

Not that it matters.

I can’t tell her how I feel.

Besides, even if I did, nothing can come of us. For years, I’ve worked tirelessly with Parliament to get our exile overturned. I’ve promised everything but my firstborn in exchange for a full pardon for our family. My last exchange with them has resulted in silence on their end—perhaps a good omen for once, since Prime Minister Davies usually responds with a resounding no in a matter of milliseconds.

In any case, that, along with raising these two boys, keeping my siblings out of the tabloids, and expanding Sinclair Enterprises are my only goals in this world.