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Royals of Valleria #1

Alexander & Rebecca

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Meet the Royals of Valleria, a country as old as the fall of the Roman Empire. The current king and patriarch rules with his beloved queen. Nine children, ranging from the eldest twins to the youngest son, watch over the country they love and care for. Bound by honor, duty, and each other, follow their lives as they fall in love, face tragedies, and triumph against the evils facing them.

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Alexander & Rebecca (Royals of Valleria #1)

Rebecca Campo loves her work. Chief of Staff to Princess Catharine, her best friend and Prince Alexander’s twin sister, she travels all over the world, meets with other royalty, and lives a life she could never have dreamt possible. Having grown up alongside the royal family, she can almost forget they’re royalty; well, all except one. Prince Alexander is every woman's dream, and he seems to want her. Even after their passions overtake them, Rebecca still doesn’t believe they are meant for forever because she’s only a commoner, not a future queen.

Prince Alexander, heir to the throne of Valleria, takes his duties very seriously. So seriously, in fact, that he’s followed duty over pursuing the woman he’s loved for years. However, now it’s time for him to marry, and he’s tired of waiting. He’ll pursue her despite royal objections, and despite her own. Unexpectedly, a death threat is made against the Prince and the whole family goes on alert. What no one counted on, however, was Rebecca getting caught in the crossfire.

341 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 12, 2015

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About the author

Marianne Knightly

31 books149 followers
MARIANNE KNIGHTLY is the pen name for the author of over twenty novels and novellas of sexy, soulful contemporary romance and romantic suspense. She is most well known for her Royals of Valleria series, a contemporary royal romance series with a hint of suspense set in her fictional country of Valleria.

To get a FREE Royals of Valleria short story, sign up for her newsletter here: www.marianneknightly.com/newsletter. You'll also get excerpts, author news, and news about sales and contests first.

You can follow her on Instagram (https://instagram.com/marianneknightly/), Facebook (www.facebook.com/MarianneKnightly), Twitter (https://twitter.com/mariknightly), and Goodreads (https://www.goodreads.com/mariannekni...). Marianne lives in the Washington, D.C., metro area and loves to hear from readers all over the world!

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5 stars
468 (32%)
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457 (31%)
3 stars
351 (24%)
2 stars
116 (8%)
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38 (2%)
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews
Profile Image for hugsandcookies.
972 reviews74 followers
August 21, 2017
This is my first book by this author and if there was any a time if I could ever remember reading about the main male MC that has to be the sweetest ever. Alexander just oozes this sexy alpha prince omg he makes me swoon, give the butterflies male character that he's made out to be but yet not over sickeningly which I found tolerable and adorable whereas for Rebecca she was okay. So, this was a surprising good read and to be honest I'll probably just read their next book instead of the whole series.
Profile Image for ✰♊ Angie ♊✰.
324 reviews158 followers
August 9, 2017


Well, unfortunately, this was disappointing.

We were really just thrown into an "insta-love" with zero backstory or build up. The Prince, and heir to the throne, is immediately pursuing the apparent love of his life... a commoner who is his twin sister's chief of staff and childhood friend. (And, wow, the childhood friend background here... completely lacking any sense) He's apparently been building feelings for her over the years and roughly 8 months ago decided he was madly in love with her and would settle for no one but her to be his wife, the mother of his children, and the future queen. Oh... and she has no clue whatsoever that he feels anything at all for her.



We don't get any info on how/why he fell in love with her. And quite honestly, I'm not sure what actually attracted him to her. We saw nothing of her character other than her being a workaholic and loyal to the crown. There was nothing to her. The "love" she finally claimed to have for him seemed odd... again, with no substance to the feeling.

I thought it was going to start getting spicy when he decided to finally spill his guts and admit his attraction and intentions. He backs her literally into a wall and has that alpha possessiveness come seeping through while he states his proclamation of desire.



But, again I was disappointed. The love scenes just seemed super cheesy and had me rolling my eyes often. And the first sexual encounter they had... I'm sorry... so unbelievable considering the circumstances.

The suspense that was happening had some good bones to it. However, as with most of this story, seemed like it could have been developed more.

The writing lacked flow and had me going backwards often to decipher what I was reading. The Kindle edition needed some editing regarding both spelling and grammar. Will I read on in this series... nope, no desire.
Profile Image for Nicole D..
269 reviews
January 13, 2016
One of the many problems I had with this book was there was a lot of tell and not enough show. What I mean by this is Alex comes out that he is in love with Rebecca only 15 percent into the book. He says he loves her but there is no flashbacks to show when he fell in love with her or them having moments together or anything of that nature. In the book it says over and over that Catherine(Alex's twin) is best friends and like sisters with Rebecca but you couldn't tell . Having been friends since they were so young you would think that Rebecca would have known more about Alex and the other brothers and sisters but she doesn't. She hasn't ever meet most of them. If they had become friends older I would understand her not knowing the other brothers and sisters but so young it just doesn't make any sense. There were other things like that in the book that didn't make sense. Rebecca was sadly was a very cookie cutter character and really didn't have much personality and I really couldn't understand what Alex saw in her. Some of the writing of the love scenes was cringe worthy. I couldn't stop rolling my eyes. The hero Alex wasn't any better then the heroine. It was like the author was trying to create a Prince Charming but just didn't know how. My favorite thing about this book was the secondary characters who did have some depth to them. I also thought the country the author created was very intersecting. I do really want to find out who Alex's sister Catherine ends up with because I did like her character. I really wanted to love this book and for a time even lied to myself for a while about liking it because I hate writing bad reviews but I had to be honest. The writing was mediocre at the best of times and didn't flow at all. I found myself rewriting sentences to make them flow better. I highly recommend you skip this book. There are so many other better written books out there with complex characters and not written by someone who needs some writing classes.

Rating: 2 out of 5


Content Rating: Mature


Heat Rating: Hot
Profile Image for Shasha.
940 reviews29 followers
February 1, 2016
The beginning was hard for me to get into. The reader is thrown into the start of the hero's decision to pursue the woman he loves with some backstory to introduce us to the main characters and their longing for each other. I understood they were attracted to each other but that's it. It made his confession bewildering although it was sincere.

I didn't believe the beginning drama. A chief of staff possibly being fired for tripping and the prince catching her?

The heroine is very aware of her lack of status and repeats this to beat down her feelings and disbelieve the prince's sincerity. She is so concerned with appearances I became irritated with her.

The family atmosphere of the royals is fantastic.

I was disappointed that the prince kisses the heroine silly whenever they are alone. The romance wasn't built or apparent to me.

She is ridiculously stupid to insist on her way when her life is in danger, especially when she has worked so close with security for her job. The villains' dialogue is over the top and super focused on rape.

In the end this was okay but not something I'm going to read again.
501 reviews40 followers
June 18, 2016
This book was.... like... um uh, didn't mean anything?? it wasn't even Okay?? it was like... no feeling at all. I swear I read school assignments with more enthusiasm- and that's saying something. Regardless to say this book merits 1.5 stars. No more. I assure you I wont be reading the next books! I MEAN THIS IS THE FIRST BOOK IN ALMOST TWO YEARS IN WHICH I DIDNT FIND A SEXY/REMOTELY GOOD LOOKING HERO!!
Profile Image for Sharon Mariampillai.
2,168 reviews91 followers
August 7, 2016
Actual Rating: 3.5

This was a great read. The concept was great. However, I felt like the plot was a bit boring at times. I thought there could have been more of an ending for Alexandre and Rebecca than what was given. The characters were great. I see why this family is so close and loving. I think it was a great introduction to the series. Can't wait to read the rest of the series. Next up, Marcello's book about his love story with Grace. Overall, an enjoyable read.
Profile Image for Dee.
1,979 reviews79 followers
May 8, 2017
The good thing about freebies is it helps readers find new authors, and authors to find new readers who'll read more of their books.

This story started off strong, for me, but then dragged. While there's nothing wrong with the plot I constantly found my mind wondering and by the 80% mark I really didn't care anymore what happened to any of the main characters. Needless to say I won't be continuing with the series.

There's some erotic content, but whether a reader finds it erotic or not, of course is subjective. I have to wonder how many virgin's have a pain free, orgasmic first experience? But hey this is fiction.

At times, the dialogue gave this story a historical feel. Alexander refers to Rebecca as 'my love' and 'my darling' on numerous occasions. I had trouble getting my head a young man of this day and age uttering such endearments. Perhaps it was the Royal blood in Alexandra.

There's some slight head-hopping and a few minor errors, but given the length of the book, it's definitely one of the better edited books I've read recently.
Profile Image for Chalice.
3,001 reviews90 followers
April 12, 2023
The couple: Alex and Rebecca

Romance trope: royalty
Series: Royals of Valleria
Length: 272 pages

Plot: Alex has been in love with his sister's chief of staff, Rebecca, for quite a while now. While Rebecca fantasizes about Prince Alexander, she would never presume to think that there could really be anything between them. A mishap provides the perfect opportunity for Alex to spend some time with Rebecca and confess his feelings, but can he convince her that they have a chance at love?

Commentary: Sweet story - would have liked a little more heat but I get the feeling that this is a low-heat series. It was weird that Rebecca's dad had a good relationship with the king and she was still so stiff and formal, believing she'd be fired for any little perceived infraction. Still, I liked the story. I might read more in the series. Although I was annoyed with Cat who said she wasn't good enough (paraphrase) and then a day later was like, "I didn't mean it" and didn't even try to explain what she actually meant (uh-huh - I think she meant it, considering the way she was pretty unaware of how she actually treated Rebecca, friend or not).

Next book in the series: Marcello & Grace
Profile Image for Cassandra Doon.
Author 10 books39 followers
August 7, 2023
Book: Alexander and Rebecca
Read By: Ebook and Audio
Author: Marianne Knightly
Narrator: NA
Genre: Historial Romance
Main Characters: NA
Recommend: No
Spice: 🌶️️
Age recommendation: 16-30+ Years
My feelings:

Unfortunately I didn't like it.

“As the daughter of the head groundskeeper at the Vallerian Royal Palace, she had never dreamt she could have such an important position in the royal offices.”

Ive read a few by this author and loved them, but this just didnt appeal to me at all.

“My dear, the world is made of ‘what ifs’ and ‘if onlys’, but that doesn’t mean we need to pay any attention to them.”

Sorry DNF
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Profile Image for Suze Prescot.
Author 14 books18 followers
May 20, 2023
Cute Romance

Alexander is the heir to the throne of Valleria, and he has fallen secretly in love with his twin sister's chief of staff. Rebecca is a commoner, and although she is besotted with Prince Alexander, believes there can be no future for her with him.
A cute and quaint romance with royal protocols and viable threats. Very good fun.
Profile Image for Lindsay.
2,218 reviews507 followers
July 21, 2015


I've been looking forward to this one so I finally bit the bullet and decided to read it.

While the story was enjoyable, it was also really....sweet. I don't mean that in a bad way, but it was sweet. From the first moment that you meet Alexander, you know immediately that he's already in love with Rebecca. There wasn't any build up to him discovering his feelings, they were fully formed. So he set out to tell her point blank and make her his.

The book was dual POV but even though that was the case, I had a hard time really feeling like Rebecca loved Alex the way he loved her. Yes, I she had a crush and was attracted to him, but the all encompassing "in love" feeling wasn't there for me.

The best part of the story was the suspense part of it. I thought the author did a great job with that part, building up to it and the reveal of the bad guy.

Overall, this was an enjoyable book. I can't wait to read the others in the series.
Profile Image for Mspraise50.
1,597 reviews64 followers
August 8, 2016
This is my first book by this author. This book was free.

I loved that this is a series about a Royal Family and how they all find love. I enjoy stories about Royals. This is Alex and Rebecca's story. I found it engaging and it held my attention, it was not overly erotic and had a good story line. It was a plain old fashioned love story with some twists and turns which I enjoyed.

Definitely worth a read.
235 reviews1 follower
May 4, 2016
I couldn't get into this.

Alexander is too...rapey. Rebecca is a push over. A 31 year old, totally chaste virgin? I'm ok with the virgin part, but the "never been kissed" bit was just too much for me. And he just swarms in and finally takes notice of her, pushes her up against a wall and she's supposed to be happy with that? And then the weird security thing?

I don't know...it's written like a Harlequin from the 80's. I just couldn't do it.
Profile Image for Mrs R.
1,090 reviews11 followers
April 27, 2023
2.5 stars

I was disappointed with this book, it showed promise but just didn't deliver. There was a lack of background information about the characters and it just left me feeling like I was missing out on a ton of information that would have been very useful to the story. There were also many inconsistencies between the characters' relationships that just don't seem to make sense.

Alexander is heir to the crown, and we start with him declaring he is in love with Rebecca (his twin sister's chief of staff) and he must have her as his queen. This just seems to come out of nowhere, he just decides that she's the love of his life and that's it. The little glimpses we do get show that these two barely know each other, which just makes the attraction even more bizarre, we are given nothing to help us understand why Alexander loves Rebecca.

Rebecca is Catherine's chief-of-staff, but other than her dedicated work ethic, she didn't appear to have the confidence to pull this job off at all. There are hints that Rebecca and Catherine grew up together, but it's never explained how, and the interactions they have in the book show their relationship to be almost non-existent and extremely formal. Rebecca also seemed to not have met any other members of the royal family other than Catherine and Alexander, even meeting the King & Queen for the first time during the story - this was just bizarre after growing up on the grounds, working for the family for a decade and her father being the head groundskeeper and was a friend of the King.

The story is told in duel POV, but you don't get to see the relationship grow, one minute there's nothing and then the next they are in love. I found all the conversations quite formal, which made it hard to get to know the characters.

I did enjoy the suspense part of the story, but this again had limited information, and looking back I have no idea how it was pulled off with highly trained palace security involved.

I won't be continuing with the series.
Profile Image for Ellen.
4 reviews
June 14, 2017
I still cannot believe that the entire plot of this book took place within A WEEK, two tops. My gosh I have never read a book with such rushed romance and "plot" development. It had such potential with the romance between Alex and Rebecca (I really like the Prince & Me), and I actually was really excited to find out who the villain would be. But once Alex professed his love the book became a total mess. Everything happened waaaaay too quickly, it felt as though the author had a limit of pages she could do so she crammed as much plot as she could. And I find it hard to believe that everyone would be instantly ok with Alex falling in love and then IMMEDIATELY (reminder: all this takes place within a week) telling everyone that he is going to marry her. (do I hear warning bells?) And the villain? Total joke, so much build up with little reward.
Thank goodness this was free for kindle. I guess I would recommend this to anyone who wants an easy read with not much substance.
Profile Image for Lita.
2,089 reviews4 followers
August 28, 2018
I liked this story very much. It's a Cinderella-ish tale of the prince destined to become king and the gardeners daughter who became an assistant to the princes twin sister. He's been enamored of her for years and finally makes his move. She's a very strong woman who's harbored a crush on him for years. She's also very practical and can't see a gardeners daughter as a future queen. She doesn't know if she loves him but is willing to get to know him personally and see if they do actually have a future together. Complicated by death threats against the royals, then against her, this is a love story that develops over time. There is a lot of adventure and little angst that's so common in these stories. It's set in modern times. I recommend it a good read for those days when a more realistic type of romance is desired.
839 reviews7 followers
February 23, 2022
Heir to the throne Prince Alexander Valleria has been half in love with his twin sister's chief of staff Rebecca Campo for quite some time. Knowing it is time for him to settle down he is finally ready to tell her how he feels. But as a future king Alexander can't marry a commoner.

Rebecca has had a crush on Prince Alexander but never did she suspect his feelings for her were so strong. As they secretly begin spending more and more time together, what once was a crush, quickly develops into much more. But as a commoner, Rebecca knows nothing can come of their growing affections.

Just as it seems there might be a chance for Alex and Rebecca it seems there is someone determined to destroy everything Alex holds dear.
 
Mostly a great book, but there were parts that were very rushed, with the entire story line taking place in about a week.
Profile Image for Maz.
993 reviews19 followers
May 4, 2023
This is an Audio Review.
This book was wonderful. It was about a Prince (Future King) that has loved his sisters best friend and chief of staff. But he can't hold back no more and confess his love.
I liked Rebecca too, she was scared right fully as she wasn't royal or in any relation to one. But Alex did not care at all. Alex was so romantic in how he pursued her. I was smiling all the way through.
Byt unfortunately no fairy tale is easy. There is an enemy and Rebecca's life is in danger because of her relationship with Alex.
There are scenes that are sad and uncomfortable, so please check for triggers.
Eventually after all the misery and heartache there is a sweet HEA.
There was, amusement entertainment, action, drama,Suspense, secrets, emotions, family banter and love and steam.
The narration was done as only one person, the story teller but still enjoyable.
Profile Image for Missy.
893 reviews25 followers
April 21, 2023
A great read.

Honestly I didn't think I would enjoy this book so much. I liked the hero & heroine, their adorable families, the country, and the plot. The book was well rewritten, fun, fast paced, and interesting. I did appreciate that the story was more into the characters & plot than extreme graphic sex scenes. Don't get me wrong, there were good sex scenes that felt right for romance & love, that didn't feel like a story from Playgirl. When I read romance, I want that little feeling of gooiness that comes from falling in love to jump out of the pages & warm my heart....and this did. I loved our hero's sweetness & caring for our heroine. And his determination in claiming her with his love. A very wonderful read & HEA.
Profile Image for Ronnae Stately.
574 reviews
October 16, 2023
Rebecca works for the the twin sister of the heir to the throne of Valeria. She has known her since she was five and has worked for her as her chief of staff for years. But now it seems the Alexander, heir to the throne, is now romantically interested in Rebecca. He has finally decided it is time for him to claim the woman he has loved since he was a teenager. Things get dangerous in lieu of the budding romance when threats are received against the family and their staff. Will everyone be ok or will their be some inherent disaster waiting for the family and staff? Read and you will find out what goes down between royals and commoners.
Profile Image for Prisca Kesco.
15 reviews
July 2, 2018
I don't know why but when I finish reading the book, I got the feeling I read it before. It was a good read. The life of a Royalty isn't easy. Having to always have guards around. It makes you wander when do the guards sleep. The first Prince is in love with a woman that is considered a commoner. When her life and others including his sister is threatened, a lot was done to try find the source of the leak of information. Alex became possessive and overprotective somewhat to try to keep the love of his life safe.
11 reviews
July 19, 2020
A very short story with Rebecca who feels she's not up to snuff to become the princess nor queen if she marries Alexander. This story takes place in their bedroom where she getting ready to leave him because she heard the paparazzi stating that she living with the prince without marriage. Alexander comes into the room thinking about Rebecca and sees that she is packing. He stops her by having sex with her and reassuring her that their relationship is fine and she should stay. Not too much plot within this story mostly having sex.
Profile Image for Cynthia.
3,201 reviews94 followers
May 4, 2017
Overcoming

Alex is the future king and has been intrigued by Rebecca as a woman when theory were in their teens. Rebecca is the daughter of the Royal Head Gardeners. But work four her best friend who happens to be a princess and Alex's twin. Can they overcome many daunting trailed.
Profile Image for Julia.
339 reviews4 followers
May 6, 2017
This story was a bit much. Too many adjectives and unnecessary words.
Rebecca was also so weak and thought so little of herself. For someone whom apparently worked with royalty everyday, she sure didn't feel comfortable around them. And Alexander was controlling. And they were "in love" way too fastZ
Profile Image for Deanne.
329 reviews47 followers
May 25, 2017
I came across Alexander & Rebecca's story by Marianne Knightly as one of the free ebooks on my kobo library , so i thought to give it a go, and I am so glad that i did , I am actually hooked to this series ,


This is a perfect blend of Contemporary Romance with a slight steam and royals!!!


Love the series can't wait to read more
612 reviews10 followers
August 20, 2019
Great book!

I loved this book. It had a nice blend of action and romance. Alexander is being stalked and in the process Rebecca gets kidnapped. I kept thinking it was this one person, only to reach the end and find out it was someone else, who I never would have guessed. I can't wait to read more books from this author. I definitely recommend this book.
520 reviews
October 12, 2022
Nice Royal Fantasy

The Royals of Valleria seem unlike any stiff royal family. This story seems like a quick in love romance. The main characters actually are explained to have been acquainted since child hood. Add in a touch of suspense, danger, and the romance and you have a story. Alexander and Rebecca make a great fairy tale couple.
Profile Image for Virginia McDowell.
80 reviews2 followers
May 10, 2017
Cinderella mixed with enough

This story is a good version of Cinderella. It has bombs, kidnappings, and family dynamics to keep it interesting and make it feel fresh and new. Under it all, just another prince falls in love with commoner wants to get married, happily ever after.
140 reviews9 followers
May 12, 2017
Just ok

I felt the characters were a little juvenile. Some parts seemed ridiculous, like when Alex talks to the parents about his feelings for Rebecca while she is missing and her Dad messes with him. I doubt her dad would be doing that while his daughter was kidnapped.
71 reviews
May 18, 2018
Great story with an HEA

Loved the progression of this story. It has such a great flow and an easy to follow story line with just enough suspense to keep you turning page after page to see what happens next.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 123 reviews

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