Between grad school and jobs, Naledi Smith has no time for e-mails claiming she's betrothed to an African prince. The former foster kid has learned to depend only on herself and the scientific method. Heir to the throne of Thesolo, Prince Thabiso is shouldering the hopes of his parents and his people. Ever dutiful, he tracks down his missing betrothed. When Naledi mistakes the prince for a pauper, Thabiso can't resist experiencing life without the burden of his crown.
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.
