A Princess in Theory: Reluctant Royals (Reluctant Royals, #1)

by Alyssa Cole

From acclaimed author Alyssa Cole comes the tale of a city Cinderella and her Prince Charming in disguise . . .

Between grad school and multiple jobs, Naledi Smith doesn’t have time for fairy tales…or patience for the constant e-mails claiming she’s betrothed to an African prince. Sure. Right. Delete! As a former foster kid, she’s learned that the only things she can depend on are herself and the scientific method, and a silly e-mail won’t convince her otherwise.

Prince Thabiso is the sole heir to the throne of Thesolo, shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. At the top of their list? His marriage. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can’t resist the chance to experience life—and love—without the burden of his crown.

The chemistry between them is instant and irresistible, and flirty friendship quickly evolves into passionate nights. But when the truth is revealed, can a princess in theory become a princess ever after?

Selected as one of the New York Times 100 Notable Books of 2018!

• ISBN13: 9780062685544
• Publish Date: 8 March 2018 (first published 27 February 2018)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 6 July 2023
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Avon Books
• Format: Paperback
• Pages: 384
• Language: English
• URL: http://harpercollins.co.uk

Reviews

[celinenyx]

A Princess in Theory has a delightfully silly premise: what if all those spam emails you receive about being engaged to an African prince were real? Naledi is an overworked grad student in New York, and of course she doesn't believe the insistent emails that she is betrothed to the prince of Thesolo. And she has no idea that the clumsy waiter that just showed up at her waitressing job is actually Prince Thabiso - heir to the crown.

Naledi and Thabiso's story is delightfully entertaining, and had a good balance of tragic background (Naledi is an orphan) and lightheartedness. I found their attraction to be a little bit overly sexual (at one point, Naledi laughing makes Tabiso's dick jump, which seemed a bit over the top), but they seemed genuinely well-suited and their 'dark moment' was suitably overcome. I look forward to reading more full-length romances from Alyssa Cole.

[Chelsea]

Actual Rating 3.5

This was definetely a cute read. There was some good sexy time and who doesn't love a good prince story? My complaint was that I was so excited that this MC was a female scientist (yay STEM buddy!) but I felt like that wasn't used enough in the plot. It was super predictable which was a little frustrating. But I did love me some good old soulmate type romance.

[stefu1]

I really enjoyed this book. I really wanted to give it 5 stars but there were some point I found a little ridiculous. All in all great book, great characters, definite re-readable value.

[stacey_is_sassy]

The narrator made it easy to listen...

****3.5 Stars****

I was satisfied with my listening experience and I definitely think the narrator helped. Her voice, characterisations and emotions were easy to listen to and follow. The story came alive with her telling and my emotions were involved.

Most times I was happy with seeing this hard-working student move forward in her career, but there were times that I was frustrated. I wanted her to be given the chance to shine on her own credit. If we're going to be lead down the path of fairytales, why were there so many roadblocks to her happiness? With a click of a finger, her fairy godmother SHOULD have made her dreams come true. Sure, we get a Prince, but I'm not sure she ever wished for one. I wanted a bit more click of fingers and dreams coming true.

It was a wee bit hard to fall for "Prince Charming" because, at times, he was less than charming. Way too many years of being treated as special and bowed down to because of his family, made him appear arrogant, rude and spoiled. I understand why he was the way he was, but it did come across badly for most of the story. He was way more appealing when he was using his brain instead of his looks.

I think that parts of the story were a little drawn out and I was annoyed that secrets were kept for too long. There was definitely a physical attraction between the hero and heroine but I struggled to see the love. The heroine was still showing timidity in the end and the hero popped up when he had the time. I just wanted them together more.

The mystery and intrigue were easy to work out and after the first meeting, I knew who the baddie was. I'm not a huge fan of "recapping" important events after the fact. I wanted to be a part of the baddie being brought forward and "witness" justice served. All of the major issues for the characters were resolved like a bunch of post-it-notes tacked onto a board with a quick fix. Very tick-a-box resolutions.

So, while there were some issues with the actual storyline, I found myself completely enthralled because of the telling. I'm pretty sure this narrator could read the back of a cereal box and I'd be quite satisfied. I'm very interested in trying more stories in this series and hopefully, the narrator will stay on board.

[bookperson]

First half of the book was really good, but when author introduced political intrigue line I became bored and even steamy scenes didn't helped.
Culture was fascinating and beautifully represented, I definetely want to read more from this author.
I liked Ledi and prince's assistant (and rather read a book about her). Also for me Portia was absolutely unlikable and idk if author intended her to be, but her sister, even though she only had one scene, was more complex and intresting than Portia imo (I'd read a story about her too)

[mrs_mander_reads]

In general, romance isn’t my thing. This books however, was sheer perfection. Equal parts Princess Diaries and Black Panther with a sprinkling of 50 Shades (I assume)... so dreamy and heart wrenching. Plus steamy. Definitely reading the rest of the series.

[Sam@WLABB]

Ledi and Thabiso's romance was full of a little drama, and lots of fun and sparks. I really enjoyed getting to know these two and watching their romance unfold. Ledi was a fantastic, nerdy, brilliant, and fiercely independent and strong heroine. She had some fantastic quirks, which always brought a smile to my face, and endeared her to me more and more. A little Coming to America, a little The Prince and Me, and a lot of fun.

[Heather]

I don't generally read contemporary romance but people have been raving about this book.  I've also liked Alyssa Cole's historical romances so I decided to give it a try.  I'm glad I did.

I laughed out loud to see that this story starts with a variation on the Nigerian Prince email scam.  Naledi receives an email claiming that she may be the long lost betrothed of a prince of an African country.  Now if she's only send all the necessary information to establish her identity.....

There are many places where this book could have easily gone from entertaining to annoying.  The author did a great job with keeping the mystery/suspense up but allowing pieces of the puzzle to be revealed in a natural way instead of dragging out conflicts. 

There is a lot going on in this book. 

• There is the Prince and the Pauper aspect as Thabiso tries to live as a normal person for a week.  He gains insights on how he's been treating all the "little people" in his life. 


• Naledi is having to deal with white male colleagues who use her for grunt work in their lab.  Any time she speaks up for herself she is afraid of being labeled a "difficult black woman." I like the way another woman in the department was eventually able to stand up for her.


• Naledi has a rich friend who overruns any boundaries Naledi tries to set up but who she knows cares about her. 


• Then there are the mysteries of why her parents ran away from Africa with her and what is the new illness that appearing in Thabiso's country.

That's all without adding in the romance aspect. 

I'd recommend this book for anyone who likes romance books.  It is the start of a series.  Somewhere in this series I want a book about what happened with Thabiso's assistant.  She travels with him to the U.S., starts a whirlwind romance with a woman she meets on Tinder, has some sort of bad break up that she refuses to talk about, and then heads back to Africa with Thabiso and Naledi.  There's way more to that story than the teasing bit we saw in this book. 



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 This review was originally posted on Based On A True Story

[Ing Cruz]

First book of this author that I've read and really enjoyed it. Great characters and an interesting story. Strong heroine with a brain. Really like that. I like how the hero is the one into fairytales. Nice start to the series. Can't wait to dive into the other books in this series.