The Royals (Nichole Chase) Books in Order

Nichole Chase's The Royals series is a contemporary romance trilogy set around the fictional European country of Lilaria. Each book follows a different couple, but the royal family, public scrutiny, and the pull between duty and ordinary happiness tie the stories together. These are relationship-focused books with a light touch, rather than palace intrigue stories built around political schemes.

The best starting point is Suddenly Royal. Samantha Rousseau is busy with graduate work in wildlife biology and helping care for her sick father when a duchess invites her to dinner. The invitation reveals a family connection that turns Sam's life upside down: she has inherited a place in Lilarian society. Crown Prince Alex D'Lynsal is already familiar with scandals and cameras, and he is not prepared for the stubborn American who suddenly becomes part of his world.

Sam has a lot to learn, fast.

Recklessly Royal shifts the focus to Princess Catherine, Alex's younger sister. Catherine has spent years doing everything expected of a princess and keeping men at a distance, partly because she cannot be sure whether anyone sees her as a person first. David, a friend from Samantha's American life, is far less impressed by the crown than Catherine expects. Their story asks whether she can make room for the private self she calls Cathy while still carrying the obligations of a future queen.

The final book, Reluctantly Royal, follows Prince Maxwell, who would rather work quietly in his art studio than live in the spotlight. When he must bring painful news to Meredith Thysmer, the granddaughter of a newly discovered royal, their lives become closely linked. Meredith is trying to make a stable future for herself and her son, while Max is still reluctant to let anyone past his defenses.

The setting matters because Lilaria creates pressure that an ordinary dating life would not have. Newspapers, public expectations, inherited titles, and family responsibilities keep turning up when the couples would prefer privacy. Chase uses that pressure to make the central question simple: can someone be loved for who they are, not for the title attached to them?

Read the books in publication order, beginning with Suddenly Royal, followed by Recklessly Royal and Reluctantly Royal. Each romance has its own main couple and satisfying arc, but earlier characters remain part of the larger family circle. Expect humor, close-knit royal relationships, public-life complications, and love stories that give each character a chance to decide what kind of life they want.