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A review by tatyanavogt
A Prince on Paper by Alyssa Cole
4.0
So I am going to be honest, in the beginning and a few times throughout I was pretty sure this wasn't going to get a five stars from me but a few things were too big of a deal, in terms of good, for me to ignore. Once we got into things I really enjoyed the book and I simply loved how everything played out. It was a really good read that I would highly suggest.
Now I feel like I must warn you that there are many steamy moments in this book so keep that in mind if you're looking for a light romance vs a steamy one. This book has a nice balance of everything, but admittedly a good deal of steamy moments. lol
I should also mention that I listened to the audio book so that may have an effect on my positive review. I enjoyed the narrator for the main female character and was a little thrown off by her voice for the lead male although I got over it and enjoyed the book anyway.
Here are some of the main themes that made this a five star book for me:
1. The main female character is amazing. I love everything about her, she is strong, she is tender, she is down to earth, she has fears and insecurities but she is honest and open and it was SOOOOO refreshing to see that in a romance novel.
2. There is a lot of honesty and openness in the book that was a breath of fresh air. Often romance novels rely on misunderstandings and the withholding of important information as the foundation of the plot, and that tactic can get really frustrating sometimes. Having a story that had a plot that didn't rely on that trope was so enjoyable.
3. I enjoyed the actual plot that the majority of the story focused on between their budding romance. I loved the second half of the book so much. Specifically what we learn of the younger brother.
On to spoilery thoughts and perhaps some of my gripes:
Okay, I will say that they had fairly public sex a few times that made me really nervous because I was actually invested in the story and the characters and knew the risk (at least with the opera house one) so I couldn't really enjoy the moment as much. Will probably be better on a second read in the future.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED that they were so open. It's true that it was mostly her but he was, a bit, as well. And that honesty was just wonderful, I think honesty is the backbone of a relationship so it can be annoying seeing characters be divided because they held some really important piece of information from each other that eventually gets in-between them. They both knew that the engagement was fake, they both were open about their feelings as they were developing (again mostly her). She told him about the game when she realized the misunderstanding even though she was embarrassed of it (although I wish she had mentioned that she wasn't as interested in playing it anymore when she saw that he was upset). Just a lot of great communication, enough to be healthy.
I thought the dating sims and memes were a fun touch although not something I personally can relate much to, it was a nice modern spin on the story. And I LOVED the scene with her putting on makeup and giving the prince some so they could put some on too and the acceptance and love that came from that scene.
I think most of my issues were with the lead man, and the set up. There were just a lot of little things. Stuff that I'm not 100% sure of but that did give me pause. I enjoyed his devotion, his honesty despite being afraid of it. I loved that he didn't assume the worse of her when all evidence pointed at her sabotaging the family. And I loved that he admitted when he was being unfair or mean.
I dont know, I just really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would when I started reading it..
Now I feel like I must warn you that there are many steamy moments in this book so keep that in mind if you're looking for a light romance vs a steamy one. This book has a nice balance of everything, but admittedly a good deal of steamy moments. lol
I should also mention that I listened to the audio book so that may have an effect on my positive review. I enjoyed the narrator for the main female character and was a little thrown off by her voice for the lead male although I got over it and enjoyed the book anyway.
Here are some of the main themes that made this a five star book for me:
1. The main female character is amazing. I love everything about her, she is strong, she is tender, she is down to earth, she has fears and insecurities but she is honest and open and it was SOOOOO refreshing to see that in a romance novel.
2. There is a lot of honesty and openness in the book that was a breath of fresh air. Often romance novels rely on misunderstandings and the withholding of important information as the foundation of the plot, and that tactic can get really frustrating sometimes. Having a story that had a plot that didn't rely on that trope was so enjoyable.
3. I enjoyed the actual plot that the majority of the story focused on between their budding romance. I loved the second half of the book so much. Specifically what we learn of the younger brother.
Spoiler
Its really nice to see a non-binary character in a story and to have acceptance and love be a big part of their "coming out". Romances are often supposed to be feel good books and I want a world that is more accepting so seeing that in a book that acknowledges the fact that not everyone is okay with it but that the people who matter are is nice..On to spoilery thoughts and perhaps some of my gripes:
Spoiler
Okay, I will say that they had fairly public sex a few times that made me really nervous because I was actually invested in the story and the characters and knew the risk (at least with the opera house one) so I couldn't really enjoy the moment as much. Will probably be better on a second read in the future.
I LOVED LOVED LOVED that they were so open. It's true that it was mostly her but he was, a bit, as well. And that honesty was just wonderful, I think honesty is the backbone of a relationship so it can be annoying seeing characters be divided because they held some really important piece of information from each other that eventually gets in-between them. They both knew that the engagement was fake, they both were open about their feelings as they were developing (again mostly her). She told him about the game when she realized the misunderstanding even though she was embarrassed of it (although I wish she had mentioned that she wasn't as interested in playing it anymore when she saw that he was upset). Just a lot of great communication, enough to be healthy.
I thought the dating sims and memes were a fun touch although not something I personally can relate much to, it was a nice modern spin on the story. And I LOVED the scene with her putting on makeup and giving the prince some so they could put some on too and the acceptance and love that came from that scene.
I think most of my issues were with the lead man, and the set up. There were just a lot of little things. Stuff that I'm not 100% sure of but that did give me pause. I enjoyed his devotion, his honesty despite being afraid of it. I loved that he didn't assume the worse of her when all evidence pointed at her sabotaging the family. And I loved that he admitted when he was being unfair or mean.
I dont know, I just really enjoyed it. More than I thought I would when I started reading it..