I’m going to start this off by saying Shanti is The Boss! If you had asked me even two weeks ago, I would never have guessed that I would be rooting for a woman whose life goal was to become a queen. Yet, the way Ms. Cole has written her is so inspiring and empathetic. It makes me want to go out there and take over the world!

Sanyu is an interesting mix of big/scary/loud/gruff on the outside and self-doubting, anxious mess on the inside. As you learn about his childhood, how he was raised and the things he experienced, you quickly come to see why. The fact that Shanti always stands her ground with him, never lets him intimidate her, and seems to almost intuitively understand what he needs from her, made it easier for me to see and understand the inner him versus the outer version.

I think my one frustration was how easily Musoke (aka the villain) was subdued. All we ever see from him, and learn about him from Sanyu’s memories, are the moments of verbal & emotional abuse. Yet, Sanyu still loves Musoke and believes that Musoke loves him. A more nuanced view of Musoke, something to show the reader why he would be considered redeemable, would have helped make their reconciliation more believable.

Of course, as a spinoff of the Reluctant Royals series, this novel has cameo appearances by the main characters from all of the Reluctant Royals books. It’s always fun to catch up with familiar faces! And, after hearing both Sanyu and Shanti make references to a Prince Anzam who also likes to shirk his royal duties, I have a feeling the next installment might just feature him in a starring role…

Alyssa Cole is such a versatile writer, and I was so excited to read another royal romance from her! The heroine of this book, Shanti, was first introduced in the book "A Princess in Theory", but this definitely works on its own. Shanti is such a strong woman and when she enters into an arranged marriage with Sanyu he meets his match. Their relationship changes drastically throughout the book when they fall in love as two people already married. This novel touches on so many issues of family, patriarchy, colonizing, mental health, and so much more and the romance was so sweet, especially watching Sanyu's character growth. I will be recommending this to anyone who likes romance, especially of the royal variety.

Thank you to NetGalley and Avon for the ARC of this book. I voluntarily read and reviewed this book and all opinions are my own.

Alyssa Cole gives us another deep dive into the world of the reluctant royals with a new series. The new series entitled "the runaway royals" follows an unlikable character from the first book in the last series "Shanti" (who honestly I did feel sorry for when she was thrown up on in a Princess in Theory". But it doesn't take long for the readers to fall in love with Shanti and realize that her tenacity isn't a character flaw but instead makes her a passionate woman that cares deeply about changing the world. What follows is an amazing marriage of convenience that turns into a passionate affair with "orgasms and politics".

Cole doesn't lose her trademark humor even with an intense male lead and a tenacious heroine bent on changing the world. And past favorite characters make the most surprising cameos that will have you smiling and laughing. And as with all of Cole's work we also get some tremendous diversity and upending of the patriarchal system. This time we explore polyamorous relationships and I loved it! I was honestly a little upset that Shanti and Sanyu didn't find their own triad.

Cole sets up another amazing series that is a must read for fans of her work. I can't wait for the other books in the series. For those who have never read Alyssa Cole, please read first "A Princess in Theory" to understand the true magnificence of Cole's writing.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

Loved this book! Great POC romance. It is exciting to see more and more diverse romances coming out! I recommend this title for anyone who loves romance. It is a great page turner. It took me away from the insanity of these tough times.

I read this in one sitting! I was excited when this spinoff series from the Reluctant Royals trilogy was announced, and the first book was everything I'd been hoping for. Alyssa Cole is a Queen among romance authors.

This book is amazing and hit such a sweet spot.

Shanti and Sanyu are initially introduced in A Prince on Paper as the new king of Najza and his bride, though their interactions are strained. It turns out their marriage is one of convenience, set up by the council of Najza advisors and will only last four months unless Shanti is the True Queen. How to Catch a Queen begins in the third month of Shanti and Sanyu’s marriage, and shows them learning to communicate and gradually falling in love.

I loved this book so much, and it was so hard to put down. I loved Shanti from the moment she was introduced - so fierce and confident, she knows who she is and who she wants to be. In contrast, Sanyu is anxious and worried that he’ll never be as good a king as his father, Sanyu I, who liberated Najza from colonizers and built the kingdom essentially from the ground up. It doesn’t help that Sanyu has never seen love emulated by his father, only a revolving door of temporary wives, so he is just waiting for Shanti to leave like everyone else he could’ve loved has left.

This book touches on several heavy topics - toxic family, colonization, tradition - but balances that with the relationship that grows between Shanti and Sanyu. There’s also an element of mystery because it quickly became obvious that the first queen of Najza is never mentioned and there seem to be secrets kept even from Sanyu about his father and Musoke’s history. The secrets and mystery frustrated me in the best way, and added to my inability to put the book down.

Unsurprising to anyone who’s read Alyssa Cole and especially her Reluctant Royals series, this was a fantastic romance, and I was especially fond of explicit consent, as well as an all-around amazing story!

Everytime I read an Alyssa Cole book, I have one complaint. I WANT MORE! These are so good. I can't wait for the next Royals book. I really like how you see the hero and heroine learn and grow, and come to like each other. I love how the hero begins to listen to the heroine. There is a part where the hero messes up, and as you're reading it, you think OH NO! Don't do it! DON'T DO IT! And then he does it, and you completely understand her reaction. The grovel is pretty good. I definitely hope that there are some <spoiler> short stories about all of the Queens. I'd love to get their stories. I know it's not necessary, but I am SO CURIOUS about how they all ended up where they did. </spoiler>

Can't wait to read more romance from Alyssa Cole. :D

This is my favorite Alyssa Cole yet-- I loved that the stakes of the story were high, and the world building Cole did around Njaza as a nation. Every conflict between Shanti and Sanyu felt earned and so did the resolutions. Their love story was carefully plotted by thrilling. I was surprised and moved by the reveal of the former Queens. I'm recommending this book to all of my friends.

This book is really special. It shares DNA with the dreamiest Regency romance and with Black Panther's fictional African nation of Wakanda, but it's its own thing, too. I've been eagerly awaiting each new book Cole puts out since her early Off The Grid series, and she just gets better with each one.

Alyssa Cole has done it again! This spin off to her Reluctant Royals series was everything I wanted and more. The political intrigue, the handling of trauma and anxiety and the character developments were outstanding. I loved every min of it! Not to mention THAT COVER. so wonderful.

Alyssa Cole never disappoints! I rushed through this book, eager to find out what happens to the main characters, only to be left a few hours later desperately wanting more in this series. I loved the cameos from Cole's earlier royals series, and can't wait to meet all new characters in subsequent books.

First, “Oh my goddess“ is this book good (using one of the terms from the book)!

I love the universe the author has created from the Royals books that has carried over into this one. I enjoyed the growth of the characters. It wasn’t too unrealistic. Looking forward to more books from Ms Cole

Shanti is everything you could ever hope for in a heroine. Strong, resourceful, smart, and compassionate. She’s also vulnerable and completely in love with the man she married. Sanyu is rigid and scared, but so loving and sweet in his own way. These two have to fight for their HEA, but it’s a beautiful thing to experience with them!

I adore Alyssa Cole’s books. Her romances are diverse, witty, and feminist af, but this one was a bit of a miss for me.

This one took me awhile to get into and was not my favorite compared to her other books. It starts super slow and a plot point shared in the synopsis doesn’t happen until like 30%, but once that happens it gets better. However, I just did not like the flow of this novel. I liked the last third, but it felt too jampacked while the beginning was so slow.

Shanti was great and I loved her ambitions and seeing her and Sanyu discuss politics. I wasn’t the biggest fan of Sanyu and felt that his character was not explained well until the end and by then it was a little late. I also did not think the two of them had great chemistry. I like relationships with more banter and flirting and this went kind of 0 – 100 and then was angsty. I am not an angst person.

I did love the cameos from the characters in her reluctant royals’ series, especially the group chats.

I loved this book. It's quite different from the Reluctant Royal series, in this book Shanti has worked her whole life to become a queen and she won't let anything stop her from acting the way a queen must, even if her husband and his court ignore her and refuse to let her do any meaningful work. I loved the culture of Najza and how much of the book focused on the politics of a country that once overthrew its colonizers, but now is struggling to move forward from the past. As well as the way Sanyu and Shanti's relationship develops. It's a great book, and features cameos from the Reluctant Royals characters. I'm really excited to keep reading this series

I received a copy of this ARC from netgalley in exchange for an honest review.

ALYSSA COLE IS ROMANCE ROYALTY. This series continues to grow and reflect current times in ways that are hopeful and lovely, and it is both an escape and a balm. It's so, so good.

4.5 stars - A compelling romance with a rich setting and world-building, and two leads that I rooted for as individuals as well as being invested in their romance. It follows Sanyu, the new King to the kingdom of Njaza, who must marry before his coronation. However, Njaza has never kept a Queen long-term, and it's expected that the same will happen with his new bride, Shanti.

The conflict is perfect on both a personal and political level. Sanyu is determined not to seem weak by becoming attached to his first wife when everyone takes it for granted that she will be first in a long line. Any wife of his father's left almost as soon as he became attached to them, and he's a character who completely lacks affection and confidence in himself. Shanti has been preparing to be a Queen her whole life, and is filled with intelligence and ambition. She can deal with a loveless political marriage, but her skills mean nothing if all she's allowed to do is sit silently and wait for her trial marriage to run its course.

The world-building here was fascinating, and added so much to the story. I wasn't just rooting for Sanyu and Shanti to fall in love, but for Sanyu to stand up to his advisor, for Shanti to be given a voice, and for important changes to be made to benefit the kingdom.

This isn't a hate-to-love romance. Both Shanti and Sanyu feel an instant attraction, and Shanti is too pragmatic to hate Sanyu, while Sanyu is more socially awkward and sullen than anything else. Instead, it gave me everything I enjoy from an arranged marriage trope: the insecurity and instability that comes from two people who like each other but can't be sure of the other's feelings because they've already been forced into a partnership.

Shanti is amazing, but Sanyu could have easily been written as incredibly unlikable. However, this book does an incredible job with characterization, and I found him extremely sympathetic. You understand exactly why he acts the way he does, and how he's been shaped by his father/father figure and his society. Instead of being completely arrogant and bullheaded, he shows that he's willing to change as soon as he has someone who will both speak up to him and listen to him.

This was my first time reading Alyssa Cole, and I'll definitely be going back to read the Reluctant Royals series.

It's nice to see a diverse royal romance story, which no doubt will appeal to many readers. I think perhaps if you had read other books in this series, you may get more out of this story.

This is the first in Cole's new Runaway Royals series, and it's just as good (and connected to) her Reluctant Royals series. Shanti has always planned to be a queen. Sanyu, as king of Njaza, needs to take a wife, although he hasn't had a really great example of what marriage should look like. When Shanti and Sanyu are matched and married, Shanti is excited to finally be a queen and have the ability to make a positive difference in the world. Little does she realize that her husband and her new country have little use for her other than to put a check in the box of having a queen, at least for a little while. Of course, as Shanti and Sanyu spend time together and get to know each other, Sanyu's view of the role of a queen changes.

As an added bonus, Shanti and Sanyu take part in group chats with the main characters from the Reluctant Royals books, particularly Johan and Nya. A very minor part of the book, but a fun addition for those who have read Cole's previous books.

Simply put, Shanti Mohapi wanted to be a queen. It is something she wanted her entire life. Well, she gets her wish when she marries the King of Njaza, Sanyu. Sanyu is not happy to be King, but he knows he has to be as responsible as possible. Sanyu did the responsible thing. He took a wife. Love? That is not part of the plan. Companionship? Maybe.

Meanwhile, Shanti is not having an easy time in her new role. Barely any contact with Sanyu is frustrating enough, but when his subjects begin to reject her, things seem more than she can handle. Shanti is no quiet mouse. Instead, she has plans, and those plans are to do whatever it is in her power to change some things - yet, she keeps this in secret.

Sanyu is following his father's footsteps in more ways than one. One in particular is that there is a time limit as to how long he will remained married to Shanti. If she doesn't fit his expectations, he will trade her for a new wife, and will continue that pattern until he finds The One. Well, could Shanti be The One after all? Would it be wise for Sanyu to act on his growing attraction to Shanti? What about her? Does she want to stay married to Sanyu especially as he seems uncaring and unreachable?

How to Catch a Queen is the first book in the Runaway Royals series, which is a spin-off of The Reluctant Royals series, which I thoroughly enjoyed. I am eager to see more stories in this series. Continuity is a favorite thing of mine while reading, so it was great to see a few of the people from previous novels. We met Shanti and Sanyu in A Prince on Paper, so it was great to get their story now. Alyssa Cole just might sneak her way into my list of favorite authors. Can't wait for the next book in this series.

Many thanks to Avon and to NetGalley for this ARC for review. This is my honest opinion.