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Want some queer royal romance recs to fill all your prince / princess needs? I've got you!

https://bookriot.com/queer-royal-romances/

Johan and Nya were both fantastic secondary characters in the previous books and their story was wonderful.

Alyssa Cole always does a great job with incorporating consent, mental health and mature conversation into her novels. I can‘t wait until this is just typical and not something that stands out.

This is my first time reading a full length novel from this author. And I truly appreciate that I can read this as a stand alone even if it's part of a series. Besides the well-developed romance, I also love the story about the monarchy of the country. This was a really good read! #romance

Pls tell me it‘s not just my asexual brain that cringed at the emoji genital talk? Oy! This one is most people‘s fave of the series but for me that‘s the 2nd book. This was less engaging for me, little clunky at times, esp w/how Nya was portrayed. But I did appreciate the serious topics it took on & how Cole handled them, including abuse, grief, & gender identity. Also like that the MCs actually communicate well. A fun & easy book & series. 3/5 ⭐️

Not sure how well I‘ll be able to focus right now while I‘m caring for my sick elderly kitty, but I thought a romance novel might be my best bet. 😞

Happy Independent Book Store Day!

Highlighting a newish book store in Laguna Beach California called Sleepless in Laguna. The store sells a lot of romance titles but lots of other bookish items and genres as well. I haven‘t been in personally due to Covid, but I hope to visit in person soon. I won the tagged book in a giveaway on Instagram. They look like a great store and if your on Insta, give them a follow!

Welp! Absolutely delightful! I STAN Johan and Nya forever and am prepared to die on this hill. This was a wonderful read with hidden depths about loss and mourning (of people and of self), self discovery, finding strength in vulnerability... it was truly surprising, but not overwhelmingly earnest. It was exactly the escape I needed while the world is terrible; a relief of my quarantine fatigue

Book no. 4 #stayhome24in48 #24in48 #readathon

Maybe my favorite of the Reluctant Royals series yet. Alyssa Cole at her finest. Nya and Johan fake a relationship amidst growing feelings and anti-monarchy sentiment all while struggling with their own troubled pasts. I love how much tension Cole is able to create without resorting to overdone and unnecessary drama. Truly a great and fun read.

4.5 stars / ⭐⭐⭐⭐

The one thing I learned from reading this: I‘m an asshole. Lol, I had no patience for MC Nya in the first hundred pages, just wanting to tell her to get over having ptsd of having been raised by a vile manipulator of a father. But the strength of Cole is making me come to care for her, and to root for her and Johan, a prince with a bad boy image who suffers from having lost his mother too early in life. I really liked this one. Nya and Johan❤️

I didn‘t love this romance novel. It fell into a lot of the tropes and unbelievable choices that often make the genre hard for me to get into.

The development of both of these characters and their relationship is well done. They are both functioning adults dealing with their own trauma. Nya is trying to break away from the control of her abusive father. Johan suffers from a fear of abandonment because his mother died when he was young. Johan also has a younger brother that he wants to protect. This was funny, engaging and sexy.

Fake engagement featuring a prince with a playboy reputation and a royal cousin struggling to come into her own after her father's public treachery. They each learn what it means to feel comfortable in their own skin, which deepens their connection. Loved this whole series, and Johan and Nya put the work in to earn their happily ever after.

I liked this the best of all the Reluctant Royals series! I want to read more Johan stories!

The Reluctant Royals series is my absolute favorite ever and this book is just adds to the love. Johan is just a perfect cinnamon roll that deserves all the love and therapy. Nya is strong, smart, and beautiful and my second favorite heroine in this series next to Portia. I loved the fake engagement storyline with an ambivalent beginning into happily ever after. I loved the updates on and meeting Johans family. Just the whole book was amazing.

I ❤️ Alyssa Cole and this was no different. Although big OOPS bc I didn't initially realize that my library holds came in out of order so I accidentally skipped the second book in the series 🙈. By the time I realized it I was too far in, but at least with these types of romances it isn't much of a spoiler bc you can always pretty much guess that there's a HEA 😆 #romance

Nya and Johan brought out the best in each other. They saw beneath the surface veneer shown to the public and connected and supported each other as they faced tough challenges. A wonderful conclusion to a great series 💕

#authorcrush #alyssacole #romance

Me this weekend after a reallllyyy long work week. I will not be leaving my house so that I can catch up on some 📚 and 💤

Y‘all, this is absolutely my favourite of Cole‘s Reluctant Royals books. I‘m a great big ball of 😍 over here.

I love Nya, determined to figure out how to be herself after years of emotional abuse. I love Johan, desperate to hide himself to protect his heart. I love how they bounce off of and support one another. I love their countries. I love (the positive parts of) their family dynamics. IT‘S ALL SO GOOD I‘M SO IN LOVE YAY YAY YAY😍. 4.5 stars.

Book + leftover birthday cake. I didn‘t have quite enough time to finish this one yesterday or over breakfast, but I‘m hopeful I can gulp down the last 40 pages over lunch.

Well, my ankle‘s pretty swollen now and I discovered a big bump on my head, too, so this is my super-exciting Canada Day evening plan. I think it‘s safe to say I‘ve broken my Fitbit streak; I ain‘t moving much for the next little bit.

Never fall off your deck, friends. Especially never drag your heavy-ass Ikea table down on top of you.

At least the book‘s still great. And the Canada Day crossword fills the entire back page of the paper.

My June reading plus the tagged book. 10 total, 7 by women, 3 by women of color, 1 non-fiction, 2 memoirs.

Friends, I‘m so glad I stuck with this series! A PRINCESS IN THEORY was one of those books where I liked each individual element but found myself unimpressed by how they came together, but I‘ve loved each of the sequels and this one‘s shaping up to be my favourite of the lot. I‘m 100% here for both these leads.

Exhausted but needed to leave the apartment.

Just devoured this book in a few hours. A delightful, light, fun read. I definitely wanna read more in this series.

I really enjoyed this new #romantsy book by the fabulous Alyssa Cole. Continuing the Reluctant Royals series with the daughter of a devious politician and a scandalous non-Prince. All good fun with geekiness and inclusivity. I definitely recommend, though a standalone this series works best in order.

Charming! I‘ve so enjoyed getting to know these characters and the series has been a light and fun escape. I also love the diversity that is baked into these stories, not just in terms of race but also gender, class and sexual orientation. The author does a lovely job of being inclusive without pandering or appropriating. ⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

#breakfastandabook on a lazy Saturday morning!

Next up! #romantsy

Although this is unfortunately my least favourite of Cole's Reluctant Royals #romance series, I still enjoyed it. Prince Johan's non-binary younger sibling was the best part. I'm not into the playboy/experienced guy and the inexperienced woman dynamic, which is one of the main reasons Nya and Johan didn't really do it for me as a couple. I also normally like the fake relationship trope, but in this book I didn't find it interesting or believable.

Somehow I forgot to review this book? It is also wonderful! I adore this series so much and I will quietly hope that Alyssa Cole comes back to it.

I 💚 this series! Alyssa Cole brings all kind of representation to romance and still keeps it fun. I love revisiting the characters from previous books too! Already ready for the next one! #romantsy

I really liked this. Both Nya and Johan are damaged in different ways and I loved seeing how they worked to heal each other. Also Lukas needs a hug so badly ♥️.

I hope this isn't the end of the series. There was a tantalizing bit about Shanti that I want more of!

#romantsy

Just realized this will be my fourth Alyssa Cole book in 2019. I regret nothing. #Romantsy #Romance

I don't know if I have -ever- identified with a pair of romance novel protags as much as I do with Nya and Johan. I am, somehow, both of them.

Loved this, love the whole dang series, love Alyssa Cole. 💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜💜

#romance #contemporaryromance #representationmatters #faveseries #awesomeauthors

Loved this. The enemies to lovers fake relationship romance is brilliant and the representation of everything and everyone is just effortless and excellent. Who knew I could love a modern royalty romance series so much.

Great conclusion to an amazing series❤️ Alyssa Cole is one of my favorite authors. I love her strong female characters that are allowed to be layered and flawed. The covers for these books are everything. I highly recommend this series which also includes two excellent Novellas😊

I love this book so much. Nya and Johan are so wonderfully real, with all their faults and virtues. Their conflicts are believable and their love and attraction feel natural.

I think this might be my favorite of the series.

Any week with new Alyssa Cole is a good week.

A hot romance with a good story.

A friend reminded me that this book is finally available, and it was every bit as charming as the first. (I did purchase and read the second book in the series, too - no idea why the nook app fails to group it in with the others.) Next up, the novellas!

Well, that was fun! I think the fallout would be different for some of the betrayals, and I think there‘s a big loose end about a wedding chest, but hey, novellas exist for a reason too. Reluctant Royals trilogy + two novellas, very enjoyable all around though I think the first one was the best. For this one, 4⭐️. #romance

My preorder came and I will never be over this cover.

4.5/5

I love Alyssa Cole and I love the Reluctant Royals series. This was such a fun book, and Nya might be my favorite character out of the series.

I'm sad this series is over, but I'm really excited to see what happens with her next Runaway Royals series. I really hope we get more about Shanti and Sanyu in that series.

Yes!!!! 😊 I‘m so excited to start these❤️❤️

My collection of the Reluctant Royals series is now complete! I am super stoked to read and finish these books! Alyssa Cole is a brilliant romance writer and her books are absolutely worth collecting and keeping to read--and then re-read! These books are pure joy