Alyssa Cole

Named one of Amazon's Best Romances of May! The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her… Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate. For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him. Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Reluctant Royals

A Prince on Paper

Lover of Romance 

This review was originally posted on Addicted To RomanceI received this book for free from Avon in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

*May Contain Spoilers*

A Prince on Paper is the third full-length installment in the Reluctant Royals series and I am not sure if this author plans on more books in this series, but if not I have adored every moment in reading these books and I love the humor and endearing qualities that we have seen in this series. I always get a kick out of a well written royal romance, and man no one does it better than Alyssa Cole. Ever since Duke By Default, I have been so stoked for this story, I loved seeing these two characters in the previous books and I had a delightful time seeing them find their own happily ever after.

A Prince on Paper begins with our heroine, Nya Jerami, who once fled Thesolo, wanting to be free and find herself in the glamour of New York City. But it just didn't work out that way for her. New York City wasn't quite the experience that she was hoping for and now with her cousin and friend having their wedding in Thesolo, she will be going back home and back to the painful memories. But on the plane ride home, she finds herself in a bed with the bad boy prince....Johan von Braustein. There has always been a bit of chemistry between Nya and Johan but with the distance between them, nothing has really cemented between them until they come to close quarters with each other and for the first time Nya is beginning to find herself and see beneath the bad boy exterior that Johan hides behind. 

Johan and Nya are both hiding from their pasts. Johan hides from emotion, ever since his mother died he has never been able to open himself up. He hides behind the man the paparazzi knows and to protect his younger brother who is the heir to Liechtienbourg. But secretly he supports multiple charities with his own funds, in a way to honor his mother. But he can't let anyone know the truth, its something he wants to do on his own without any recognition so he can help others without it being tainted by his bad reputation. But Johan has secretly had a love for Nya but hides it until the wedding in Thesolo and he sees a woman of courage and strength that he wants to bring out in the light, a woman who hides a big part of herself. But when they go on a journey together, from the wilds of Thesolo to the city of Liechtienbourg, their love for each other will be revealed and a passion neither of them realized until now...

A Prince on Paper is a beautiful romance that delivers in every way possible. I had such a blast with this book and still debating which book in the series is my favorite but honestly....a Prince on Paper is a good match for the previous two books. I loved it just as much as the previous books and I just devoured this story. There is something that Alyssa Cole does with these books that are so amazing and I can't ever get enough of her writing especially in her contemporary love stories. There is quite a bit that we see happen in this story and boy all the diverse themes that we get introduced to including a surprising character that is a transgender but not quite in the way I have ever seen in a romance gave me all the delightful feels.
When he looked into Nya's eyes. He saw the bait that was laid down for the follish protagonist in every fairy tale. Love. Shelter. Kindness. He saw it and he wanted it--wanted her--even though he knew the bait was inside a cage of eventual despair. Despair seemed worth it, just then.
The romance between Johan and Nya has a mix of unrequited love, royalty mix, road trip adventure, and fake relationship. We first get to see their interaction when they find themselves in the same bed and boy do sparks fly between these two here. Then we skip to when Nya arrives in Thesolo and all of her friends are there including the couple from "Once Ghosted Twice Shy" so it was fun seeing them again for a brief moment. Then we have Nya having to face up to some painful memories and how her father is still trying to torment her. We get a more in-depth look on the crimes that her father committed against Nya. It's so heartbreaking to see her face up to these memories but also how the people in Thesolo treat her, always talking behind her back as if she committed the crimes too. But we see that Nya was a victim and a survivor. But she is still learning about her own strengths and capabilities and trying to find herself. We see how the bantering that happens between Johan and Nya is what they both really need. You see them both come out of their shells and the covers they hide behind and love seeing this unveiling.

But when Nya agrees to act as the fake fiancee for Johan, they go on an adventure together. I enjoyed seeing Nya and Johan explore their sexuality with each other while trying to act like what they have is just a temporary situation. But both their hearts are becoming involved with the act that they are trying to play and trying to solve the mystery of who is sabotaging the royal family.  There was a couple that we did meet that are having marriage problems....would love to see their story for sure!!

There is so much unexpected emotion that I didn't expect and I swear that Alyssa Cole does this on PURPOSE!! I swear she breaks my heart each and every time I pick up one of her books, but in a positive way. I love how much these two are in tune with each other, the ways they bring out the best in each other and always help each other become better. There is so much intimate growth in their relationship that we see happen and this is a delightful development that we see happen between Johan and Nya. I adored every single moment of this novel and was so sad to see it end because I fell head over heels in love with Johan and Nya.

Overall I found A Prince on Paper a delightful fairy tale of true love in the least expected moments, a story of hidden emotion, secret courage and plenty of amusing antics to delight you from head to toe!! A SPARKLING GEM!

Becky A

Another one that I raced through in a day (despite having work!). I super enjoyed it and definitely over-identified with the grief aspect.

Connor 

** spoiler alert **
           me, usually: ugh I hate dumb misunderstandings in romance novels
me, reading this: SOMEHOW THE ANGST FROM PROPER CONVERSATIONS IS EVEN??? MORE??? INTENSE???

Look all I’m saying is this is my favorite one of the series and I just. I’m so happy. I’ve loved Nya and Johan as secondary characters, and it is so so fun and so so satisfying to see them get the story they deserve—and one that, since it’s Alyssa Cole, tackles so many relevant issues, from reputation and media relations to abusive relationships to colonialism and racism to gender and sexuality. 

Also, FAKE ENGAGEMENT?! HOW DID I NOT KNOW THAT WAS IN THIS? Alyssa Cole, you get me. Bless you.

Yulande Lindsay

Four and a half stars to be exact. I love this series but this is my favourite. Two vulnerable in completely different ways who find each other. Loved it.

Flavia Louise

So I liked the story in this one very much. BUT it was really hard to not get a bit annoyed at the awful use of a made up language that was supposed to be a mixture of German and French but was frankly just a horrible jumbled mess. The antagonists name is literally the German world for asshole and not realistic. These things obviously only faze me since I do speak German and have at least a basic understanding of French. The thing that irked me the most and that could hurt people is this and be warned potentially spoilery content coming up...


There is a character that comes out as nonbinary and wants to use they/them pronouns which is something you can do in English, both French and German are not accommodating to truly neutral pronouns and that is not acknowledged whatsoever. With the supposed history of that fictional language it would have the same structure. This is a struggle lots of non native nonbinary English speakers struggle with in their mother language, so I was more than disappointed when it was glossed over in the book.

Lauren Sullivan

I say this every time one of Ms. Cole’s books comes out, but I think she is hands-down today’s best romance writer. This book, like all of her others, absolutely ripped my heart out and then made me cry happy tears, so, yeah, be ready for the feels! It’s a bit enemies-to-lovers, a bit forced proximity, and a bit fake dating – in other words, it hits so many of my favorite tropes that it’s no surprise that this has become my favorite of the series. This is the third in the Reluctant Royals series, and I would not recommend reading it as a standalone as much of Nya’s back story (and Johan’s for that matter) is covered in previous books.

“Perhaps her father had been right with his constant reminders she should dream smaller, want less—the simple fact was that for Nya, New York had simply been too big.”

Nya is, reluctantly, returning home to Thesolo for the wedding of her cousin Ledi’s wedding to the crown prince. She’s practically a pariah in her country due to her father’s treason, including his attempt to murder Ledi. Her father abused her, physically and emotionally, and part of that was presenting her as so sickly and weak that she couldn’t attend college or do basically anything without her father’s help. That perception of her has stuck, even with her closet friends, and Nya’s starting to believe it herself, considering her decision to temporarily move to NYC has not gone as well as she expected. Running into Johan, prince of Liechtienbourg and paparazzi favorite, on the private plane on the way there doesn’t help matters, especially when he propositions her. As the wedding festivities proceed, she discovers that Johan’s bad boy ways are a facade, and their friendship starts to turn into something else. But love is an unexpected and unwanted complication for both of them. Can it win out over a lifetime of emotional scars?

“Do you mean it? Or are you just trying to make yourself feel better?” Her voice was firm, with no hint of his charm having worked on her.
“Yes. I mean, no. I’m apologizing because I shouldn’t have behaved that way,” he responded, surprised to find himself flustered.
“If you take a moment to think before saying offensive things to a woman, and then don’t say them, you’ll have nothing to apologize for and she won’t have to make you feel better about it.” She tapped her index finger thoughtfully against her temple as she looked at him, then reached for a magazine on her tray table and pulling it into her lap, ignoring him.
“What?”
“Keep your apology.”

I adored Nya to pieces. She’s been so sheltered for most of her life that she really has no idea how to act in a lot of situations, but she’s got a backbone of steel – once she learns how to use it. After spending her whole life basically caged by her father, she’s eager to experience everything the world has to offer, if a bit terrified. I loved her obsession with dating games, including one called “One True Prince,” where she’s romanced all the princes except Basitho (based on her soon to be cousin-in-law, so too weird) and “Hanjo.” Watching the dual romances proceed was utterly hilarious, especially with how badly her initial interactions with Johan go. Frankly, she initially hates/envies Johan’s seeming ease with any situation, his extrovertedness, basically everything about him. That Johan’s bad boy status was a facade meant to protect his younger brother is something we found out in the last book, and, since Nya’s quite smart, something she figures out quickly as well. Johan, to some extent, seems based on the British princes. His mother died when he was a teen, and the media coverage of it greatly shaped his approach to life. He’s a redhead, like Prince Harry. At one point in this book, Portia calls him a “fuckboy with a heart of gold,” and it’s a good summation of his two personas. Johan initially started watching Nya because he didn’t believe she wasn’t involved with her father’s plot to overthrow Thabiso, and he wanted to protect his childhood friend. But even as his emotions slowly moved from cynicism to interest, he came up with a million reasons why he couldn’t get involved with her. They are, truly, complete opposites, both in how they approach life and how they’ve responded to their respective traumas, and watching their relationship develop was so emotionally fulfilling. The sex scenes were ridiculously hot, which is especially amazing considering that Nya’s a virgin, so they don’t go straight to the main event right away.

There’s a whole lot more going on in the book, from a royal wedding, to an ambassadorial trip, to a referendum and a really sweet storyline with Johan’s sibling. Naturally, the previous couples show up (I mean, it would be pretty silly if Ledi and Thabiso missed their own wedding), and the “International Friend Emporium chat” – basically a group text between the heroines – makes another appearance. It’s always nice to see a heroine with a really supportive group of friends and even more fun when they’re previous heroines.

“We do not do good to be praised for it, Jo-Jo, but because one good deed is like a ripple in the water. You have no idea how far one ripple will spread, or who it will reach.
The familiar anger at the unfairness of his mother’s passing lunged up in him at the memory of her words, at the reality that her ripples had been stilled forever, but he tamped it down with practiced efficiency.”

This book was difficult for me to read (and difficult for me to review!) Johan’s trauma closely parallels some of mine (though, alas, I’m not a royal) and there were times I had to put the book down because it hit too close to home. There’s a particular scene, when Johan gets an unexpected call from his stepfather about his brother, and Johan immediately assumes the worst – that he’s hurt, asking what hospital he’s at, if he’s going to be ok – because he remembers that his stepfather had used similar words to tell him his mother had died. Ms. Cole did an amazing job of showing his panicked state, the remembered trauma, enough that I started feeling my own chest get tight. It felt deep and real, and it made the Johan’s eventual turning point moment – where he realizes, thanks to Nya’s influence, where he’s been going wrong – entirely cathartic.

Overall, this was an excellent book, and it's going to be a strong contender for my #1 book of the year.  It also managed to edge out A Princess in Theory as my favorite in this series, which is also on my top 10 of all time favorite romance series.  I honestly can't think of another series where each of the entries, including the novellas, has been so entirely amazing in different ways, and I cannot wait to see what Ms. Cole has in store next!

I received this book for free from Edelweiss in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

Grace O'Callaghan

CW: Trauma, grief, death of loved ones (in the past)

Another great entry into the Reluctant Royals series. After Nya returns back to the nation of Thesolo, she is confronted with trauma she has been burying for a while. To help shift the attention from a referendum, Prince of Lichtenbourg, Johan suggests that he and Nya enter into a fake engagement. We follow them as they are thrust into the spotlight and muddle through their feelings of love and trauma.

Alyssa Cole does it again with her female characters. Nya is potentially my favourite heroine of the series. After being manipulated by her father all her life and being told that she’s weak and useless, Nya isn’t the most outgoing and confident person. But after distancing herself from her father she has grown more and is tired of everyone taking her decisions away from her like she’s still the same child she used to be. A lot of Nya’s story is her trying to process her trauma and standing up for herself and her choices, that she’s not as fragile as they think she is. I just think it’s a really powerful arc of reclaiming autonomy that I might have enjoyed even more than the romance.

Johan also had his own issues to deal with. He’s built up this persona as a cocky playboy prince to shift the media’s attention to him instead of his young sibling who is heir to the throne. His mother died when he was a teenager and he’s still processing it all. I also really loved his character and it showed how grief is not linear, that some days are better than others and you just have to take it one step at a time. I can’t remember if the word bisexual or pansexual is on the page (I listened to the audiobook) but Johan is attracted to multiple genders.

I think this is probably my second favourite of the series in terms of the romance, Duke by Default just has a place in my heart. I did still really enjoy Johan and Nya’s dynamic of reluctance to like each other. They also confide in one another and have a really healthy relationship (as healthy as can be when you’re in a fake engagement). My one critique of it though was how Nya was too embarrassed to name bum and penis and referred to them as ‘peach emoji’ and ‘eggplant emoji’. It just felt really childish.

My only big qualm with the book is that I think it was too long and got a bit repetitive in the middle.

Overall, another great diverse, sexy read that had some great characters and even greater discussion on trauma and grief.

b.andherbooks

Nya Jerami left her home in Thesolo for New York in the hopes of forging a new path, one separate from her father, now in prison for trying to overthrow the monarchy and poison her, and one separate from being the sickly girl not capable of doing anything.

Reluctantly returning for the royal wedding, she is put into the path of bad boy Prince Johan von Braustein, the literal red-haired step-child of the King of Liechtienbourg. 
Nya would much prefer to date the fictional Johan on her favorite romance dating game, but finds it increasingly difficult to avoid his charm.

For it seems Johan has been captivated by Nya, only feigning indifference as he doesn't think he's good enough for this beautiful, intelligent, and kind-hearted woman. But when they are caught in an unintentionally compromising position, it turns out pretending to be engaged in real life may actually be to Johan's benefit, especially since the fate of the monarchy hangs in the balance as a referendum looms.

What starts as a fake relationships grows into true love as Nya and Johan come into their own, while helping out their friends and family along the way.
Alyssa Cole's Reluctant Royals series comes to an epic close with these two, and I'm only sad we won't be getting more tales set in this world. 

The inclusion of a gender-fluid prince and other timely topics are an excellent addition to an already ground breaking romance series. Highly recommend!

Ann-Loy

Ok did NOT expect this to be my favorite in the series. Nya is so relatable and that adage “you dream too big, girl” I felt that in my shundo. Johan was just as complex and angst ridden as I came to expect after his appearances in the previous books but that surprisingly didn’t make him less lovable. This was my favorite book I read this month.

Lacey

Michaella 

Stephanie Bredin

Laura

Caitlin Couch

Becky

The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that's not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her... Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal--in bed--with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate. For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother--the heir to the throne--and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother's future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him. Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

Kathleen

Elizabeth Lyle

Alex Hill 

The Reluctant Royals series returns with a good girl searching for the life that’s not too big, and not too small, and the bad boy prince who might be just right for her… Nya Jerami fled Thesolo for the glitz and glamour of NYC but discovered that her Prince Charming only exists in her virtual dating games. When Nya returns home for a royal wedding, she accidentally finds herself up close and personal—in bed—with the real-life celebrity prince who she loves to hate. For Johan von Braustein, the red-headed step-prince of Liechtienbourg, acting as paparazzi bait is a ruse that protects his brother—the heir to the throne—and his own heart. When a royal referendum threatens his brother’s future, a fake engagement is the perfect way to keep the cameras on him. Nya and Johan both have good reasons to avoid love, but as desires are laid bare behind palace doors, they must decide if their fake romance will lead to a happily-ever-after.

A Prince on Paper Reluctant Royals

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