The plot of In Search of a Prince is a twist on the classic story of Cinderella. In this case, a young woman discovers she is heiress to a royal throne in a faraway country, travels there to explore her options, and falls in love. The country is a West African island nation, and In…
Within These Wicked Walls is a fascinating transposition of Jane Eyre to Ethiopia with good world-building and lovely prose. But a sour male lead took this one down a notch or two for me. Andromeda, called Andi, is a debtera – which, in the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church, is an itinerant figure who performs white…
Alyssa Cole spins off her Reluctant Royals series (the hero and heroine in this story both appeared in A Prince on Paper) into a brand new set of tales, starting with How to Catch a Queen, a beautiful story about a woman who’s always wanted to be a queen, a man who never wanted to…
Set in South-Eastern Nigeria before the colonization by the British, His Treasure is an excellent story of yearning and what marriage means to a proud man and woman. Adaku is the pampered daughter of an indulgent father, used to getting her way in things through a combination of guile and tantrums. She’s in love with…
Whenever I read a romance by Alyssa Cole I think ‘okay, this one is my favorite!’ – and then she writes another book. That’s been my experience with The Reluctant Royals series, novellas included, and her most recent addition about two people used to hiding their innermost selves is a delightful, emotionally satisfying story of…
If I had to use one word to describe A Wedding One Christmas by Therese Beharrie it would be ‘heartfelt’. Set in South Africa, it’s the sweet and introspective tale of two people who meet by fate or happenstance one day a few weeks before Christmas. It’s a day that will change both their lives…
House Girl has been nominated for the Edinburgh First Book Award and is listed as one of The Observer‘s “New Faces of Fiction”; one of The Millions‘ “Most Anticipated Books of the Year” ; one of The Guardian‘s “Best Summer Books” and one of Library Journal‘s “Books to Anticipate.” It’s safe to say it is one…
I’ve been eager to get my hands on Firestorm, the third book in Rachel Grant’s gripping Flashpoint series, for months – and it was definitely worth the wait. This is one high-octane, high-stakes ride; steamy, complex, intricately plotted, politically astute and emotionally fraught, Firestorm is easily one of the best romantic suspense novels I’ve read…
I’ve read and enjoyed a handful of HelenKay Dimon’s romantic suspense novels, some of them m/f, and some m/m, so I know pretty much what to expect from her; a fast-paced, energetic and steamy story that is perhaps longer on action than it is on romance – which is exactly what I got. Dirty Games…
Alyssa Cole is such a talented writer. I have liked everything I have read by her so far, and A Princess in Theory is no exception. This is a fanciful story, a modern fairytale, in which the prince of a make-believe African kingdom finds his long-lost betrothed and proceeds to beguile, lose and win her…