Reviews with content warning for Death of parent - A Princess in Theory

Another book I unfairly judged by its cover. This is a heart-warming story of loss, love, friendship... with a side of epidemiology. It didn't capture me right away, and the "twist" was predictable, but overall an enjoyable read.

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memorable's review against another edition

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emotional hopeful 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

4.75

I loved this book! The whole betrothed thing was odd to me and the ending seemed a bit rushed. Okay, and the whole epidemic hit a little too close to home in a current pandemic; however, I loved the facts that the kingdom was so much ahead of all countries of the global north working with renewable energy and technology not known in the U.S. And can we please talk about Naledi? Strong black female character who stands up for herself and gets everything she deservers! It’s just such a refreshing read in comparison to some love stories that are problematic!

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readerette's review against another edition

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emotional funny slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? No
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.0

The first half is slow and predictable, cliched. The second half is worth waiting for and reading through. I mean, it's a romance novel, so you can tell where things are going, but the second half is more believable and engaging and fresh.

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rorikae's review against another edition

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funny medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? Yes
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

'A Princess in Theory' by Alyssa Cole is a fun and engaging romance with two lovable leads.
Naledi is an overworked grad student who has a hard time letting people into her life after her childhood being moved from foster family to foster family. Thabiso is prince of Thesolo struggling with the expectations of his parents and country. On a trip to New York to complete some of his royal duties, Thabiso takes the time to track down his betrothed who disappeared when they were children. But Naledi mistakes him for a new coworker at her waitressing job and Thabiso takes the opportunity to learn more about the woman who he was once supposed to marry.
This is such a wonderful book. Our leads are instantly lovable and their chemistry is automatic. Though they deal with misunderstandings and issues that get in the way of their happiness, none of them felt forced and each felt like a natural result of the character's faults. They grow together throughout the story and the pacing of both their romance and the larger plot points fit seamlessly together. This book is honestly just so much fun and if you're looking for a relaxing, engaging story with lovable characters who go through meaningful character arcs and share some steamy scenes along the way, this is a great pick. I can't wait to read more of Cole's work. I can already tell that I am going to love it.

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just_one_more_paige's review against another edition

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funny lighthearted medium-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated

3.0

“One can never read too many fairy tales.”

The other day I watched What A Girl Wants, twice in a row (I will not apologize for this guilty pleasure). And then The Princess Diaries. So, naturally, I was in a royal sort of mood. And this romance, which has been on my TBR pile for a while, waiting for its time, felt like the absolute right thing to start reading.

Naledi Smith is in the middle of grad school, juggling classes and lab work and finding a practicum and holding down jobs (and wow…cue the flashbacks). So, she doesn’t have time to deal with the scam emails about her being betrothed to an African prince. She’s a former foster kid, she knows she has no family, doesn’t belong anywhere, and can only rely on herself. Prince Thabiso, heir to the throne of the small nation of Thesolo, comes to NYC for a few important meetings and, while there, plans to confront his missing betrothed. But a misunderstanding of identity leads to Naledi and Thabiso getting to know each other (in many ways, wink wink) under false pretenses…as in, Thabiso keeps his real identity a secret one her realizes Naledi doesn’t recognize him. They have instant chemistry, but when Thabiso secrets are inevitably revealed, will their budding relationship survive the shock?

So, other than Red, White and Royal Blue, which is a bit like apples and oranges, I think, this is the first legit royal romance I have ever read. Despite my love for these kinds of stories in movies (and real life, because like, who doesn’t love Prince Harry and Meghan Markle?), I have maybe always been nervous that this sub-genre would be too cheesy or unrealistic. Which is weird because, again, the aforementioned Harry and Meghan. But you know, brains and weird and convince us of a lot of things. Anyways, back to the point, this was my first real foray into royal romance. And honestly, it was just a lot of fun! Cole did a great job with two major romance tropes, mistaken identity and forced (manipulated?) proximity, to really develop the relationship. The whole “goddess-chosen betrothal” aspect was a bit over the top for me, but I respect that it helped avoid having to deal with the fact that Naledi knew nothing about the country and people she came from and, therefore, had a high chance of not being accepted by the government/population. I mean, things were still rocky, but they had enough issues without adding that one to the mix.

I enjoyed the colliding of two very different worlds when the two first met; it made for some amusing scenes. And although Thabiso made some uncomfortably stalker-y moves to start, it was easy to see why and that his heart was at least in the right place. Plus, his privileged position that made it all possible was a clear part of that process, and as he realized with time how questionable some of his actions were, he made clear moves to change and be better, which I appreciated. A lot of perspective growth for him, overall, throughout the novel. As for Naledi, her growth was more of the emotional kind. She begins so very closed off (absolutely reasonably so, considering her childhood), and I loved watching her slowly start to trust (and then re-trust) Thabiso. Plus, her self-confidence in going after things she wanted and setting healthy boundaries in other parts of her life was wonderful to watch as well. I really loved the science aspects as well. Naledi’s grad student position and practicum situation, as well as they way it re-showed Thabiso what kind of positive influence he could have and encouraged him to use his position in that way, was a lovely additional piece of the novel. I do always love a nerdy lady MC. Plus, three cheers for highlighting the importance of public health!

As for the family drama power grab situation in Thesolo that the story built to…I wasn’t sure how I felt about it. It was a bit thin, developmentally. And I felt kind of a lot was left hanging at the end (like, Naledi’s grandparents…among a number of other things). It did a great job setting up getting Ledi to Thesolo and highlighted her education/skills, but it just sort of fell flat. Mainly, I think this is because the end was overall kind of rushed. I could have used like one or two more chapters to let the “finale” part settle out and to give a little bit more info and closure on some of the topics and characters that had been introduced. Personal preference here, but I feel like that about a lot of romance novels, honestly. This one just felt particularly fast.

Thabiso and Ledi had some fantastic chemistry and I really was so entertained by their story. It was great escapism and a really well-framed story, as far as the “young [orphan] girl dreams of being a princess and then her dreams come true,” trope is concerned. Some parts, regarding the pacing and (some) of the sex scenes weren’t quite it for me, but some other pieces, like the public health recognition and dialogue and settings, were great. My overall impression was positive and I’ll keep the next books in the series on my TBR back-burner for next time I’m feeling in the mood for some traditional romance.

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taliabasma's review against another edition

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hopeful lighthearted reflective relaxing 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

4.0

I enjoyed it. There was romance, a cute prince, and baddie heroine 😌

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suzyreadsbooks's review against another edition

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lighthearted slow-paced

Plot- or character-driven? Character
Strong character development? It's complicated
Loveable characters? Yes
Diverse cast of characters? Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

3.0

The premise of this book was fun and the main characters had a lot of chemistry. I enjoyed the romance.

However, the pacing was way off for me. there were multiple points in the book where we spent a TON of time on the build-up of a potential problem, only to have the full situation revealed and handled very quickly.

I read the novella Once Ghosted, Twice Shy (#1.5 in this series) last year and it was nice to go back and see the characters who had been mentioned in that novella. I’d still highly recommend that novella. Not sure if I’ll continue further on in this series.

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