A review by biddywink
How to Catch a Queen by Alyssa Cole

4.0

[a:Alyssa Cole|7790155|Alyssa Cole|https://images.gr-assets.com/authors/1556901538p2/7790155.jpg] is my favorite romance author. With her Reluctant Royals series and now this, the start of her follow-up Runaway Royals, she writes romance with a modern, inclusive, respectful, and sexy as hell take. Of course, there is always strife--no story is compelling without it--but most of it comes from the characters' own personal insecurities or pasts, which are not conveniently solved within the confines of the story, but instead treated realistically and have progress made before the end of the tale.

Sure, this is a rosy view of the world, but it's one I wish was real. And that's not bad at all.

Cole's wordbuilding in the first Reluctant Royals series continues in this new series, with beloved characters from the previous series' appearing as side characters, and the kingdoms of those royals coming into play. It makes sense, since one of the side characters from the first RR book is the protag in this one. I didn't think I'd speak of worldbuilding in relation to a romance series that's not urban fantasy or supernatural in some way, but here we are and it's fantastic.

I look forward to the next in this series--hopefully about that lost Mediterranean royal mentioned in passing and the great, spunky investigator that appeared briefly... :)