2.5 Meh stars I really wanted to love this book. The cover is beautiful and the synopsis sounded so good. Unfortunately I never felt the love between Sanyu and Shanti. Their relationship wasn't just a slow burn it was nonexistent. They never spent time together. Instead I found myself drowning in boring over the top details of royal life, and the politics of being the queen and king. I did like that Shanti wanted to make a difference. She wanted to make things better. That she stood for what

Shanti has always had one dream in life: become a queen. So when she finally achieves this goal by marrying the king of the isolated kingdom of Njaza, she should be elated. But Njaza is a kingdom where queens last only four-months, and her king is less than enthused about marrying her. Shanti, however, isn't going to let that stop her.I LOVED THIS.How to Catch a Queen is the start of a new trilogy (I hope!) that are companion novels to the Reluctant Royals trilogy, operating in the same world an...

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. How To Catch A Queen is the first book in a NEW spinoff series called "Runaway Royals" and I have to say when this cover was released months ago I just couldn't wait to get my hands on this book ....literally, I was leaping for joy. Because y'all know how the covers work me in all the

ALYYSSSSSAAAAAAAA COOOOLLLLEEEEEEEEI LOVED THIS BOOK SO MUCH.I am a crazed fan of The Reluctant Royals Series but this one right here? Might be shoving that one to the side because it was so.....refined? Grown? Just an all around example of how much growth she’s had in her writing? The bangers keep coming. Please be aware of parental loss and grief in this novelThis one follows Shanti Mohapti, she’s always wanted to be Queen so she could make a change, she has her own Field Guide to Queendom, A

2020 Fall Bingo (#fallintorombingo🍁): ‪Royalty I went back and forth on my rating because I'm conflicted. I didn't write this review for nearly a week because I couldn't decide between 3 and 4 stars. I'm a big fan of Cole's royal contemporaries and Civil War historicals, so I came in with incredibly high expectations.There is a lot to love in HOW TO CATCH A QUEEN: amazing mental health rep, nuanced and gripping politics on how to rule a kingdom recovering from European imperialism/colonialism

WANT

I'm gonna start this review off by acknowledging that this book is probably a 3 star read if I were to review it critically. - The love interest King Sanyu is useless - The plot on the back of the book isn't the actual plot of the book - And the bad guy just gets away with being awful for the whole bookBUT!!! I'm not reviewing this critically because I've had a rough two weeks and this book made me feel better. I was able to pick up this book and just disappear into the story. I wasnt annoyed wh...

In early pages of How to Catch a Queen, the first in a new romance series from Alyssa Cole, lifelong royal aspirant Shanti Mohapi has achieved her goal: she’s now the queen of the small African nation of Njaza. But things aren’t quite as she envisioned. Instead of giving speeches and affecting change, she’s prohibited from attending council meetings or giving her opinion in any form, and she barely sees her new husband.It turns out that Njaza doesn’t subscribe to the “’til death do us part” noti...

3.5 stars How to Catch a Queen is a well written royals romance with one of the most stunning covers. Seriously, this book is gorgeous. I wanted to love it as much as I loved some of Cole’s other royal books but I struggled so hard to get into this book and to connect with the characters. I liked the book a lot, and I loved both of the main characters, I’m just not sure that I ever felt the connection between them. Still, I’m excited to continue on with this series and recommend this to anyone w...

“By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion”IM INTRIGUED 👀👀

Note: I didn't get an ARC, my pre-order arrived very early!So this was my first time ever reading anything by Alyssa Cole, and for the most part I enjoyed it! The worldbuilding is wonderful, Shanti and Sanyu are freaking adorable, and there's really well done anxiety rep, exploration of imperialism on "third world" nations, and criticism of patriarchy/toxic masculinity. And the Reluctant Royals character cameos makes me more hyped to read the series!My biggest issue is that the main antagonist,

Well. This was everything. I love love loved Shanti. She’s smart and driven and a little sassy. Sanyu is a little gruff and uncertain. Together they have instant intrigue and chemistry. There are a few other characters, but they seem a bit on the fringes. Plot wise, it was so satisfying. I loved the slow burn of their relationship and the growth of the kingdom. The conflict of the wedding added a slight angst, but nothing that was horrible. I could have done with a million more scenes between Sh...

Alyssa Cole is one of my favorite authors and her Reluctant Royals series sits at the top of my top romance series of all time. Though I was sad to see it end, I was excited when Runaway Royals, a spinoff series, was announced. How to Catch a Queen felt different than the books in the Reluctant Royals, which made it a fresh experience. One of Alyssa Cole's strengths lies in her characters. She is incredible at writing nuanced characters that you want to become best friends with. The protagonist

Excellent, unexpectedly feminist slow-burn romance with a kick ass ambitious queen and a reluctant, nearly runaway king. It's a cross between the romcom vibe of Reluctant Royals and the more serious political tone of Cole's Loyal League historical romance.Longer review to come

3.5 starsAlyssa Cole is one of my favorite authors and in terms of character development and growth arcs, this book is fantastic. As a romance...it's not as great. Certainly not one of her better ones, even if I LOVE Shanti as a heroine and was into the mystery of why the kingdom of Njaza is the way it is. I also liked Sanyu (our hero) and thought his journey through grieving the loss of his father and finding his voice as king was powerful. I even liked the characters together as partners growi...

So, let's level set here-- it's Alyssa Cole. So did I have as good of a time, if not better, reading this than I do in your average contemporary romance? Certainly. I love her writing, her humor, and the overall point of view/vibe of her books. This one had those aspects, plus a wonderful heroine in Shanti. The problem was that, while I liked Sanyu and appreciated the exploration of his grief, the plot and the romance itself both fell a bit flat for me. So while this was fun, it wasn't up to the...

Going into How To Catch A Queen, I expected a light fun read featuring a modern royalty romance. It ended up being a bit too politically heavy for me, in my opinion. I found this a bit tedious because politics were a large factor of the book rather than romance. Not much happens in the beginning and it’s quite slow. As for the characters, I liked Shanti because she was a strong feminist character. She wanted to be queen to make a difference for people rather than just for the title or the prince...