Romance Roundup: February
Welcome to “Romance Roundup” where I share mini-reviews of 3 to 4 romance novels I’ve recently read. This month’s edition includes a runaway queen, a couple who reconnects, and two rival home designers.
How to Catch a Queen (Runaway Royals #1) by Alyssa Cole (2020)
When Shanti Mohapi weds the king of Njaza, her dream of becoming a queen finally comes true. But it’s nothing like she imagined. Shanti and her husband may share an immediate and powerful attraction, but her subjects see her as an outsider, and everything she was taught about being the perfect wife goes disastrously wrong.
A king must rule with an iron fist, and newly crowned King Sanyu was born perfectly fitted for the gauntlet, even if he wishes he weren’t. He agrees to take a wife as is required of him, though he doesn’t expect to actually fall in love. Even more vexing? His beguiling new queen seems to have the answers to his country’s problems—except no one will listen to her.
By day, they lead separate lives. By night, she wears the crown, and he bows to her demands in matters of politics and passion. When turmoil erupts in their kingdom and their marriage, Shanti goes on the run, and Sanyu must learn whether he has what it takes both to lead his people and to catch his queen.
Review: I enjoyed the first book of the reluctant Royals series so I wanted to give this novel a read. Set in the same bookish universe as the prior series, readers are acquainted with some of the familiar characters. It’s a romance that was cute, steamy, and has a HEA that every romance reader is seeking out. Though at times the story did drag a bit for me, and the pacing was so-so.
I liked the main leads, Shanti and Sanyu, as they try to fall in love even though they’ve done everything in their relationship thus far is backwards. Cole knows how to write with detail and create grand settings for her readers. From the lavish settings of the kingdom’s buildings as well as Njaza’s lush landscape. A good romance read for those that enjoy the “royal romance” trope.
Final Verdict:
Keeping Secrets (The Essien Series #1) by Kiru Taye (2014)
Have you ever loved someone and didn’t even know it?
That’s the dilemma facing Felix Essien when he wakes from a coma to find he is married to the most beautiful and sensual woman he’s ever known. He cannot remember her or their wedding; he who had sworn never to get married or to give his heart to another. Yet, he feels an intense bond with her that he intends to explore fully.
Ebony can’t believe her good fortune when her paper husband wakes not remembering the temporary marriage arrangement with no intimacies he’d proposed, and is now the adoring husband she’s always dreamt of.
She plans to make the most of the passion blossoming between them. However, would he still feel that way when he regains his memory and realises she’s been keeping secrets and their marriage is not what he thinks it is?
Review: This is a Romance novel that was entertaining to read due to its constant shift of point-of-views and how it flashes from past to present. There are missing pieces of the story, and the reader gets to see the puzzle of Felix’s and Ebony’s relationship come together once again. Though the story had amnesia trope the plot played out much differently than I expected it to be. The two leads despite many obstacles, work hard to reconcile their relationship and their problems.
Though a fast-paced novel it felt like the relationship healed naturally due to the time jumps in the story. The romance was quite steamy and the setting transported readers to an idyllic place with iconic scenery. I’d be interested in continuing the rest of this series.
Final Verdict:
The Rival Bid (Distinguished Gentlemen Series) by Reese Ryan (2019)
She’ll fight for what she wants…even if she has to make a deal with the devil.
Camilla Anthony painstakingly restores older Chicagoland homes to their former glory. So when the opportunity arises to acquire an abandoned block of homes and a school in her neighborhood of Southlake Park, she’s ready to take on the challenge. But she’ll need the help of her former crush and frequent real estate rival.
Mekkai Arrington builds luxury homes in urban communities. Increasingly, he and preservationist Camilla Anthony clash over gentrification. But when Kai reluctantly agrees to participate in a charity bachelor auction, Camilla vies for him and wins. She proposes an alliance that will benefit both of their companies while salvaging a historic neighborhood in their childhood community. But will the fiery passion that erupts between them during their beach getaway blow up their deal?
Review: A cute friends/enemies to lovers mashup about two rival home builders who reunite from their childhood years. When Camilla and Mekkai meet again old feelings and crushes are brought back to light. They try to reconcile for the greater good of their neighborhood as the changes have led to people leaving the community. I appreciated how the balance of discussing series topics such as gentrification (and bringing awareness to it) while also is a romance about reconnecting.
They work to heal the rift of their pasts. I enjoyed the tight-knit community of Southlake Park and all of the interactions we see between the neighborhood and the main leads. It’s like one big family which gave the book an overall comforting vibe. The romance was steamy and the banter between Camilla and Mekkai was a lot of fun. They have a natural chemistry that feels very realistic.
Final Verdict:
What romance novels have you read lately? Share your thoughts in the comment section below. If you have any recommendations, feel free to share those as well.
Ooh, The Rival Bid sounds particularly fun! I’ve been reading a historical epistolary romance called The Scandalous Letters of V and J (which comes to your email in daily installments!), and I read my first Amalie Howard over the weekend — I’ve been in the mood for historical romance lately. Lots of fun!
That sounds fun. An epistolary romance sounds unique. I have Amalie Howard on my TBR list, but I haven’t gotten to any of her novels yet.