Review - - How to Catch a Queen

How to Catch a Queen

by Alyssa Cole

Runaway Royals - Book 1

Publisher: Avon

Release Date: December 1, 2020

Reviewed by PJ

When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.

A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.

By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.

PJ's Thoughts:

If you haven't yet read Alyssa Cole you're missing out on some of the best writing in romance fiction. I loved her Reluctant Royals series and was excited when I learned she would be expanding that world into her new series of Runaway Royals. How to Catch a Queen launches that new series and is everything I could have hoped for.

Shanti was the star of this book for me. Here is a woman who identified her life goal at an early age and since then has diligently prepared herself for the role of her dreams: to be a queen. Not for the crown or the jewels or the pampered lifestyle. No, Shanti has no intention of being any handsome man's arm candy. A brilliant strategist, she is prepped, polished, and ready to stand next to her King and, together, lead their country - and citizens - into a prosperous future. Unfortunately, her new husband doesn't want to be a king, or a husband, her new country is falling apart, progress is being undermined at every turn, the royal council ignores her and her ideas, and if she doesn't turn it all around within four months, she's out the door with several new queen applicants on RoyalMatch.com waiting to take her place. 

While Shanti had me cheering all her boss queen moves, Sanyu tugged on all my nurturing heartstrings. I ached for the absence of emotional nurturing in his life and was ready to exact justice for a lifetime of emotional abuse. He has a significant growth arc that Cole slowly and realistically navigates with sensitivity and care. But he isn't the only one who grows. Shanti also has lessons to learn. I enjoyed watching the two of them ease into friendship, "teamship," and more. But I also enjoyed watching each of them individually open themselves up to the possibility of new friendships with others. The group texts with familiar characters from the previous series were wonderfully fresh, funny, and eye-opening for both Sanyu and Shanti. I loved them!

Cole brings the kingdom of Njaza to life, including it's history, traditions, challenges, geographic landscape, and, of course, it's citizens. She explores many relevant topics including colonialism, patriarchy, social justice, mental health, and the difficulty of balancing necessary progress with historical tradition. The secondary characters are rich, relevant, and necessary to both the progression of the story as well as the growth of the hero and heroine. No wallpaper here. There are several secondary characters who elicited strong emotions (both positive and negative) in this reader. I would have liked a more detailed reckoning for one of them but I'm willing to believe that a lot of discussion, accountability, apologizing, and healing occurred in the five years prior to the epilogue. There's also another character who, though she had a small role, leaped from the page and stole every scene she was in. I'm so excited that Cole's 2021 release, How to Find a Princess will be her story! 

There's so much more I could say about this book but that would be giving away details readers should have the pleasure of discovering themselves. If you haven't read Alyssa Cole yet, How to Catch a Queen is a great place to begin. 

Have you read any Alyssa Cole books yet? Do you have a favorite?

Would you want to be a queen? Why? Or, why not?

What are you reading this week?

One randomly chosen person posting a comment before 11:00 PM, December 1 will receive a print copy of A Duke by Default by Alyssa Cole. 

*Must be 18

*U.S. addresses only

Review - - Can't Escape Love

Can't Escape Love:A Reluctant Royals Novella
by Alyssa Cole
Publisher: Avon Impulse
Release Date: March 19, 2019
Reviewed by PJ

Regina Hobbs is nerdy by nature, businesswoman by nurture. She's finally taking her pop culture-centered media enterprise, Girls with Glasses, to the next level, but the stress is forcing her to face a familiar supervillain: insomnia. The only thing that helps her sleep when things get this bad is the deep, soothing voice of puzzle-obsessed live streamer Gustave Nguyen. The problem? His archive has been deleted.

Gus has been tasked with creating an escape room themed around a romance anime…except he knows nothing about romance or anime. Then mega-nerd and anime expert Reggie comes calling, and they make a trade: his voice for her knowledge. But when their online friendship has IRL chemistry, will they be able to escape love?

My thoughts:

Brimming with originality, this novella features engaging characters I couldn't help but cheer for, a depth of emotion typically only found in full-length books, the imperfections that make all of us unique, and the joy experienced when we find that person who not only accepts but celebrates us for who we are. Reggie is a brilliant business owner, sci fi and anime geek, "good" twin, and over-achiever who also lives with an illness-induced disability that requires her to use a wheelchair - but does not define her. Gus, a former podcaster, is an emotionally challenged, super nerdy designer of escape rooms who lives on the autism spectrum and possesses a soothing voice that Reggie needs to calm enough to sleep. And I am the non-nerdy reader old enough to be their grandmother, who would be hard pressed to name a sci fi character or anime movie, who absolutely adored them. 

Thus is the brilliance of Alyssa Cole's writing and her ability to fully immerse readers into the hearts, minds, and lives of her unforgettable characters and the journeys of her imagination. Begin with Can't Escape Love. Move on to the other stories in the Reluctant Royals series. I can't recommend them highly enough.

Have you read Alyssa Cole's books yet?

Have you "met" any nerdy, quirky, and adorably awkward romance characters who captured your attention and affection?

I have two giveaways today, thanks to my weekend at Avon's KissCon. (more on that later)

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), April 18 will receive a signed print copy of A Princess in Theory, the first book in Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series.  (U.S. only) (read Hellie's Top Dish review)

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

One person who posts a comment before 11:00 PM (Eastern), April 18 will receive a signed print copy of A Prince on Paper, the third full-length book in Cole's Reluctant Royals series - which won't be released to the public until April 29!
(U.S. only)

Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate.

For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him.

Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Review - - A Princess in Theory

A Princess in Theory
By Alyssa Cole
Publisher: Avon
Release Date: February 27, 2018
Reviewed by Hellie

So if you know me at all, you know I'm a little Royal-Mad, as in when Will and Kate got married, I stayed home and watched, even though my family hasn't been a member of the crown since 1776. I have a special place for the commoner who marries the prince. Some fan-readers are die hard secret baby people, but I'm all about the royalty. Imagine my complete fan-girling glee then when I found a book (who knew those Facebook sponsored ads were actually working?) that had all the things I loved: a strong, smart, sarcastic heroine; a hot and articulate prince; and a hilarious case of mistaken identity.

The first page is an email sent to our heroine, which reads like the most cliched of chain letter scam emails from a Nigerian prince who needs a million dollars, and I was hooked. And then there's our original world with Naledi Smith, who is a grad student working to be a scientist to cure infectious diseases, and her interaction with a coworker is a textbook example of the #MeToo movement and
Lean In. It would be hilarious if it weren't just so, so real. I bought the book immediately so I could keep reading. I was so glad I did.

When Naledi finally does respond to that string of scammer Nigerian-esque prince emails with a succinct "Fuck. Off.," her prince in waiting laughs and insists on meeting her in person. Prince Thabiso of Thesolo confronts Naledi, his childhood betrothed who has been missing for twenty years, and is mistaken for a commoner--the new hired staff at the restaurant where Naledi works when she isn't studying. Instead of correcting her, he is intrigued about the possibility of getting to know his absentee bride without the trappings his royal prestige affords him. How will he know for sure if she likes him if she's only fawning over him because he's rich and powerful?

Not to worry. Naledi doesn't like him at all. Oh, she's inexplicable attracted him, which she doesn't have time to think about and is causing her a bit of worry because this. never. happens. It much be his accent. (I hear you, Naledi.) But Jamal--as she knows Prince Thabiso-- is just a fuckboy who is here to screw with her and frankly she doesn't have that kind of time. But Jamal isn't easy to get rid of, not even when she fired him for being the worst server ever. No, no, somehow he manages to be in her life and is worming his way into her heart like some sort of parasite. In fact, she might start to admit she does like him, even as he keeps hemming and hawing that he has something to tell her. Something important.

When Naledi does finally learn Jamal is actually Prince Thabiso; and that she is actually Thabiso's fianceé and a long lost child of Thesolo, not just an orphaned, unwanted, foster kid of New York, she is livid. She already had trust issues; Thabiso did not help his case. When Naledi is convinced to travel back to Thesolo in order to do research on a new mysterious disease that is harming many of the people, she will be able to do her job without letting her heart get involved with the one man who can hurt her above anyone else? And will Thabiso be able to atone for his deception and convince Naledi she is the only woman for him? 

You guys, this book has become my measuring stick for contemporary romances, and here's some of the reasons why:

1) Consent is sexy. He asks for consent. He doesn't assume. Mind  you, I usually enjoy romances where the hero is kissing without asking, but Cole makes me question why I think that's sexy. This was romantic and sexy without feeling weak.

2) Smart is sexy. Granted, not every heroine can be a scientist, but there is something to be said for having your characters passionate for something that they know a lot about. So much so that their identity is wrapped up in it and their speech, mannerisms, et al, conveys it. Naledi thinks science. When she metaphors, it's in science metaphors. When she jokes, it's science jokes. Her essence speaks in science and it's powerful to read a character so dimensionally drawn on the page. The same is true for Thabiso. He's grown up a prince of Africa, so many of this thoughts, words, references are about the place he grew up. The contrast of the experiences between these characters is so well defined, it should be a textbook example for writing.

3) Safe sex is never tampered with. Cole should get an award for this alone. Even though Naledi makes mention of having backup birth control, both she and Thabiso make sure to use condoms. Because it is the RESPONSIBLE thing to do in this day and age. It's not a big deal in the book; and there is even a brief sentence of disposing of the condom after. Again, not a big deal...and yet in many contemporaries I read, condoms are skipped with a side line that she is on the pill or something. That is not the only thing condoms are for, just saying.

4) Equality and respect are sexy. Even though he was a future ruler of an entire country, he never treated Naledi as if she were second to him. She was a partner in every way; her intelligence and fierceness were the things he loved most about her. Granted many romance novels have heroes that show this, but at no point in this book did he throw her under the bus to save himself or make her look bad. He always defended her and upheld her attributes.

5) Learning from each other is sexy. The flaws in these characters were the kind that are "too much of a good thing"--where at the surface you don't see them as flaws until you see what it's preventing the characters from doing or being. Naledi won't let anyone close, won't let anyone help her. She's self-sufficient, self-reliant, and it's only when working with Thabiso as he says, "You don't delegate enough" that she begins to question if part of the reason people take advantage of her is because they assume she'll do it all. Again, I just wanted to reread just to figure out how to do this in my writing.  

I kept reading parts of the book to my coworker: "Listen omg, this is hilarious!"--this along would make me recommend the book. So if you're looking for a good book to read, it definitely meets that mark. If you write or want to write, I recommend reading this book to pull apart to see what good writing and character development is. I cannot wait until the next book comes out, about Naledi's friend Portia, although I hope in the future, we get to hear of a happily ever after for Prince Thabiso's assistant, Likotsi.

I hope you enjoy the book as much as I did.