Royally Roma by Teri Wilson
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Royally Roma takes place in one of my most favorite cities in the world, Rome. How can anyone not love Rome? It has all of the best things in the world including architecture, art, language, food and people, in no specific order. I received a copy from NetGalley in exchange for review. Julia Costa makes her living in Rome conducting guided tours around the city while earning her PhD. She arrives at her next scheduled personal guided tour appointment to pick up her client. She sees a man who appears to be waiting for someone and mistakes him for her client. Niccolo, a crown prince, knows that Julia has mistaken him for someone else as he waits to leave the hotel for the next stop on his business for his country, but, he is intrigued by the fact that she has no idea who he is and plays along as if he is the client for her tour. They spend the entire day going from one amazing spot of Rome to the next when things start to get weird as Niccolo's security team is looking for him and typically it is his brother is the one that pretty much does anything he wants. Niccolo has decided for once he will throw out responsibility and do what he wants and creates a huge fiasco. The tour ends and Niccolo has no cash. Julia doesn't believe him and intends to ensure Niccolo doesn't leave her sight until the fee is paid. Her job is on the line. Of course, at some point the actual client turns up at the agreed upon spot waiting for his tour guide which creates a huge headache for Julia.

Niccolo is the prince that always does what is right. He follows the letter of the rules for which a prince must act while his brother does everything that is the height of improper behavior spending more time with his photo in tabloids doing some of the most outrageous things. Niccolo finally wants time off for himself. He has seen his schedule and it involves him moving from one place to another without seeing home, having time for himself or even time for a relationship with someone of his own choosing. As a matter of fact, he was scheduled for an event in Rome at the exact time he was running across Rome with Julia. Julia cannot afford to lose her job and not receiving payment for the tour is the least of her problems. An angry boss who has to guide the tour that Julia was supposed to give is right up there with not receiving payment. Of course they fall for each other. Niccolo is not ready to go back to his life but, he has to find a way to pay Julia and set right the mess he has caused by disappearing. When the truth comes out about his true identity will Julia forgive him? Is there a future for them? If the press finds out about how and why Niccolo avoided his duty it could cause an international incident. Royally Roma is a great character study of how far someone is willing to go when they have been pushed too far and do not ever have a moment to themselves. It is a great start to The Royals series and I look forward to the next book!


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