amydieg's review against another edition
4.0
I don’t usually like contemporary Romance but I loved this. Alyssa Cole is fast becoming a favorite author.
moonbites's review against another edition
4.0
After this book I realized how naive I am! This book is downright sexy, the kind of sexy I never seek out. Of course, the sexy scenes aren't what made me want to give this a 4 stars. What I loved the most is the romance. It was just super fun. It was a great balance of hawt and fun. The storyline is a familiar one. But, Alyssa Cole can still rev it up and make it awesome.
It reminded me of the Prince and Me and the Taming of the Shrew. It had touches of familiar story lines with different settings and different characters. I am very interested in reading more from this series. Alyssa Cole has the kind of writing that I love the most. It's digestible, with just enough detail and description.
I would recommend for those who love sweeping romances, with particular interest in royal romances. If you are anything like me, you will be...
shellysbookcorner's review against another edition
4.0
Prince Thabiso is the sole heir in a fictional place called Thesolo. As the sole heir to the throne he is expected to get married and have kids. Thabiso decides he wants to find his missing betrothed, Naledi. Now based on this alone you may think you know where this is heading. Their first encounter is rather funny since she mistakes him for the new hire at their job. I LOVED this scene so much! Thabiso was so arrogant and seeing him get humbled was the icing on the cake. I loved that Naledi was able to get him to see things from a different perspective and I love when a character matures in a story.
Naledi was brought to America from Thesolo and sadly her parents died and she was left all alone. Due to her upbringing she keeps people rightfully so at an arms distance except for her friend, Portia, who I loved and I’m so happy she’s getting her own book! But back to Naledi she is reserved and when she mets “Jamal” aka Thabiso he knocks her walls down and you get to see another side to her as well. I loved the banter between the characters. They made me laugh, smile and I didn’t want the story to end. As a born and bred New Yorker, Cole nailed it several times throughout the story. I loved the part where Naledi took Thabiso on the subway for the very first time. I couldn’t stop laughing!
This was the first time I’ve read anything by Alyssa Cole and I need to know where she has been hiding? I loved this story as it was refreshing, held my attention and the writing was on point. I did my best to read slow but sadly all good things must come to an end. I’m so happy I found this series and I can’t wait to read Portia’s book this summer.
4 1/2 Stars
Naledi was brought to America from Thesolo and sadly her parents died and she was left all alone. Due to her upbringing she keeps people rightfully so at an arms distance except for her friend, Portia, who I loved and I’m so happy she’s getting her own book! But back to Naledi she is reserved and when she mets “Jamal” aka Thabiso he knocks her walls down and you get to see another side to her as well. I loved the banter between the characters. They made me laugh, smile and I didn’t want the story to end. As a born and bred New Yorker, Cole nailed it several times throughout the story. I loved the part where Naledi took Thabiso on the subway for the very first time. I couldn’t stop laughing!
This was the first time I’ve read anything by Alyssa Cole and I need to know where she has been hiding? I loved this story as it was refreshing, held my attention and the writing was on point. I did my best to read slow but sadly all good things must come to an end. I’m so happy I found this series and I can’t wait to read Portia’s book this summer.
4 1/2 Stars
littlemisscass's review against another edition
2.0
I was mildly looking forward to this and was actually pretty disappointed. What I'd assumed might be a cute plot was actually pretty creepy, the writing was really stilted (although with decent romance scenes) and the characters rather unlikeable. Everything just seemed too forced. I would not recommend.
mdettmann's review against another edition
4.0
I loved this book!!! Filled with science, steam, and sweetness, I am looking forward to the rest of this series.
laughatlantis's review against another edition
adventurous
emotional
funny
lighthearted
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Interesting mix of spicy romance and medical mystery. Lags in places but that’s because there’s an awful lot going on in this book! Surprisingly well-crafted considering the odd mashup that it is.
modryzamek's review against another edition
emotional
funny
lighthearted
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Plot
- Strong character development? No
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
3.75
iamliterate's review against another edition
4.0
Alyssa Cole starts out her new series, Reluctant Royals, with a solid first book. And it hits the shelves Feb. 27, so make sure you pre-order now! I'm excited to see where she goes with the series.
pn_hinton's review against another edition
4.0
This one took me awhile to get through for a handful of reasons. One was that I kept getting distracted by other books, which has happened before and is something I will actively be working on as a book goal in the new year. Another is that I read the second book first and already had a spot in my heart for Portia. So reading about someone disparaging her, even lovingly, was a bit much. Plus the premise was based on a lie which can be a bit hard to get over. All that being said I did enjoy this story and once I finished it, promptly picked up the third one since I read it out of order.
I was prepared to dislike Prince Thabiso at first, and I did but I warmed up to him a bit quicker than I though. I could sympathize with Ledi and how stand-offish she was with all the knock downs she had gotten in her life. I enjoyed how the mistaken identity aspect was figured out quickly to work on their relationship and each of them getting over their preconceptions about each other. A lot of this story was about forgiving past misunderstandings, learning to trust again with no real reason to, and that family may be where you least expect it. The 'mystery' aspect was a bit easy to figure out and I was there was a little more exposition on why Ledi's parents left since I still feel that was vague. But overall an enjoyable read.
Not my favorite in the series by far and I can't comment on what that might be yet since I'm still reading the third full novel and only read one of the in-between novellas. But it was cute and enjoyable.
I was prepared to dislike Prince Thabiso at first, and I did but I warmed up to him a bit quicker than I though. I could sympathize with Ledi and how stand-offish she was with all the knock downs she had gotten in her life. I enjoyed how the mistaken identity aspect was figured out quickly to work on their relationship and each of them getting over their preconceptions about each other. A lot of this story was about forgiving past misunderstandings, learning to trust again with no real reason to, and that family may be where you least expect it. The 'mystery' aspect was a bit easy to figure out and I was there was a little more exposition on why Ledi's parents left since I still feel that was vague. But overall an enjoyable read.
Not my favorite in the series by far and I can't comment on what that might be yet since I'm still reading the third full novel and only read one of the in-between novellas. But it was cute and enjoyable.